was the winchat where we saw it last night ian?

Don't tell Karen you saw Raven

Oh, you just did

Steve

another look at Swineshaw for Whinchat this morning:

1 Whinchat
3 Stonechat
curlew
meadow pipit
skylark
pied wagtail
6 BH gull (lower swineshaw)
5 LBB Gull over
2 buzzard which eventually attracted the attention of the local corvids
2 raven
1 Redshank
reed bunting
3 goldfinch over
mallard with ducklings plus a few random males
canada geese with goslings plus a few random birds scattered around
1 willow warbler
red grouse (heard only)
wood pigeon

brushes on way up,

2 chif chaf singing single blackcap.

walkerwood overflow opposite fishing hut 2 grey wagtail fledglings being fed by parent.

loads of willow warbler on way up side of walkerwood in trees
then kestrel flyover at the small quary at the top.

higher swine shaw, 2 common sand piper.
stonechat
winchat
3 linnet all area firsts for us.
as was an encounter with ian :)

plus a few curlew

meadow pipits and skylark

oon walk back down 7:15pm by gate which restricts access to higher road,
cuckoo calling higher up side of valley. another area first.

back at walkerwood 1 common sandpiper.

-- Edited by jason fisher on Sunday 23rd of May 2010 10:23:29 PM

-- Edited by jason fisher on Sunday 23rd of May 2010 10:24:08 PM

Swineshaw Reservoirs late afternoon:

4 stonechat (2 male and 2 female)
1 pied wagtail
canada goose
mallard
1 wheatear (female)
meadow pipits
2 raven being mobbed by rooks
6 curlews inc 4 over together

no sign of the whinchat

plus one buzzard over walkwerwood reservoir where there is a fishery and consequently had me for a few seconds.......

A long walk in the sun this morning (wish there were earlier buses on Sunday)

Blackcap (at least 5 singing) along Brushes Road
Willow Warbler plenty
2 Chiffchaff
1 Whitethroat singing
Grey Wagtail
Buzzard being mobbed by 8 Jackdaws

I then walked along the side of Walkerwood to Swineshaw where there were more Blackcap and Willow Warblers singing

Curlew bubbling all around me
1 Whinchat male
Pied Wagtail
Reed Bunting singing
Lapwing

Sadly I couldn't find any waders on Higher Swineshaw although water levels look perfect, it was mind blowingly hot up there though!



-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Sunday 23rd of May 2010 03:46:30 PM

We had a Stonechat (see posting of 18 April) sadly only a male bird though, no sign of any female and I've walked that area several times since and not seen one Stonechat up there. I'll keep my eyes open when I'm on my future forays.

vic chatterton wrote:

---

1 Dunlin (can't remember ever seeing one there before but water is a little lower than usual with a small area of rocks and mud exposed so might well be worth checking out whilst waders are still passing through)

On a more negative note, no Stonechats at all - it appears that the last winter may have reduced them considerably.

---

Dunlin should breed on the moors round here. It would be good to get some evidence for the atlas project.

Stonechats do seem to be near to extinction. Haven't seen any all year .

Cheers, Steve

Went up this evening to see what we could find. Never was a sighting of a Tawny Owl celebrated so much!

Spent a few hours between Swineshaw and Middlebank this afternoon. Some excellant birding of which the highlights were -
1 Little Owl
1 Whinchat at Swineshaw
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Dunlin (can't remember ever seeing one there before but water is a little lower than usual with a small area of rocks and mud exposed so might well be worth checking out whilst waders are still passing through)
1 Reed Bunting
1 Cuckoo
6 Wheaters - at least 1 male was a very bright individual so may well have been a Greenland.
1 male Redstart by the remains of the old Middlebank farm.

On a more negative note, no Stonechats at all - it appears that the last winter may have reduced them considerably.
Also only 1 pair of Lapwings. I saw a farmer slurrying a field in the area in April where a bird was sitting.

A walk from Brushes to Hollingworth this morning, which is covered elsewhere on here.

Brushes to Swineshaw

1 Buzzard looking towards Carrbrook
Willow Warbler lots
Chiffchaff
Redpoll
Curlew
Red Grouse
Wheatear (lots of pairs around)
Common Sandpiper on Higher Swineshaw
Linnet

and I managed not to stray Out of County!

Rachael Hill and myself walked out towards Swineshaw this morning.

We heard a distant Cuckoo, which sounded like it was passing through the valley, calling two to three times.

Stonechat male near Upper Swineshaw
Plenty of Red Grouse calling on the moor including a pair mating
Curlew
Several Lesser Redpoll flying over including at least three feeding in some larches, unfortunately disturbed by horseriders
A lot more Meadow Pipits than I saw yesterday
Linnet
Reed Bunting 1 pair and a separate male
Bullfinch pair
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Swallow
GS Woodpecker
and lots of other common stuff

I did my early BBS visit this morning

On the way up to where I start there must have been at least 20 singing Willow Warblers, they were literally everywhere, also a couple of Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.

The survey itself included

Lesser Redpoll, surely Tameside's best spot for this bird
Willow Warbler, yep even more
Chiffchaff
low numbers of Lapwing
15+ Linnet at least they've not disappeared
1 Meadow Pipit, poor showing for this species

Some lower than expected numbers for some species

I also had a cracking pair of Grey Wagtails fly over when I was stood by Walkerwood Resr

Wellies no longer necessary, til it rains again!

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 17th of April 2010 08:28:07 PM

circular walk brushes to higher swineshaw back via gallows clough

3 willow warbler on wayout by side of ressers all singing.

5 robin
2 wren
4 long taild tit
1 male chaffinch in same place as previously

up by swineshaw.
2 kestrel
1 common buzzard
lots of red grouse visible
meadow pippits too wide spread and numerous to count, must have seen around 50 in the day.
11 canada geese
5 mallards
1 strange coloured pipit quite dark and reddish tinge to belly possibly rock? up by shooting platforms on top of moors

on return leg
7curlew sighted simultaneously
9 skylarks sighted simultaneously on gallow clough but far more there i'm sure.

on returning to brushes 3 willow warbler siging obviously different birds to those on the way out as about 3/4 of a mile away.

1 chifchaff

-- Edited by jason fisher on Monday 12th of April 2010 03:29:17 PM

-- Edited by jason fisher on Monday 12th of April 2010 03:34:46 PM

1pm till 5pm walk from brushes road to higher swineshaw and return

on way out one male blackcap singing his beak off. plus numerous ususal woodland birds, tits/ chaffinch

one pair of greenfinch

and 5 singing chiff chaff

on the way back heard a couple of drumming woodpecker naving a drumoff.

walkerwood 1 female toad on the dam wall about 30 yards on from the ticket office. one toad in the waters edge clearly visible, on the way back 3 individual female toads plus 2 females in amplexus (obviously the males didn't fancy the walk)

2 pairs of canada geese and a pair of mallard.

brushes reservoir

in the trees numeorus standard woodland birds plus plenty of chiff chaff and one willow warbler.
3 pairs of canada geese and 5 male mallard on the resservoir.

lower swineshaw

2 displaying curlew over the far side.
1 chiffchaff 2 chaffinch, 1 wren, 2 longtailed tits in the walled off garden bit on the right as you walk onto the moor.

another few mallard and 6 canada geese on the resser

higher swineshaw 4 red grouse displaying over the far side, 2 black headed gull 4 canada geese and 3 mallard on the resser. mippits every where.

I saw probably 25 curlews in a aerial display on Saturday a little further up the valley from were you saw yours,a great view at any time

A trip to Brushes this morning primarily for Red Grouse.

Blackcap, probably earliest I've ever had in Tameside other than overwintering birds and certainly a bird I wasn't expecting to find this morning at Brushes
pr Bullfinch
4+ GS Woodpecker
4+ Chiffchaff
I then hiked towards Carrbrook in the rain out onto the moors and eventually after it had almost stopped raining, I had a male Red Grouse displaying. There were also at least another two in the area which didn't show for me.
10+ Meadow Pipits including displaying birds
Sparrowhawk (female)
Peregrine over the moor
Kestrel
4 Fieldfare came from over the moor and flew across valley
Nuthatch
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
LT Tit
Blue Tit
Also 2 Curlew almost in aerial combat on the other side of Walkerwood reservoir. Great sight to see anywhere and even more fantastic in Tameside

WARNING If you go up to Brushes you really do need your wellies!

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 12:58:16 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:26:43 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:28:01 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:28:46 PM

21/3

I went up to Brushes yesterday morning to see what was about, bit foggy first thing and the birds weren't very showy. There was plenty around though when the sun eventually did break through, and I followed my BBS route which I was pleased to note was in better condition under foot than last year!

I started off with Red Grouse mocking me across the valley, unfortunately I couldn't locate this bird as it was directly into the sun, another one for another time.

GS Woodpecker drumming
Chaffinches (many singing)
Pheasant
Meadow Pipit
Skylark
Lapwing displaying
2 Redpoll
Little Owl

Had an early walk around lower brushes up to Walkerwood reservoir blue tits great tits wood pigeon 14 magpie 5 blackbird 3 blackheaded gulls 48 canada geese 37 robin 3 longtailed tits 6 mallard 2 pheasant greenfinch 3 wren 1 house sparrows 4 mistlethrush chaffinch goldfinch jackdaw rook