ooohhh far to much christmas spirit mike baaah humbug

1.30 -2.30 p.m. Gulling on Ice aka December 2010 Webs

No former soap stars or retired sportspeople, just

1 Adult Common Gull

a supporting cast of

30 Black-headed Gulls (of various ages)

& a pair of completely indifferent feral White Geese. There used to be 4 of these geese. Possibly the subordinate male has gone off with his Canada Goose mates but one can't help wondering where the missing female may be spending Christmas

All the main survey species had left for warmer climes except

1 Moorhen

commuting between the stream inflows on the otherwise totally iced top res.

Also seen

9/10 Magpies & about the same number of Carrion Crows

6/7 Wood Pigeons (including 1 extremely optimistic male display-flighting)

5 Goldfinches
4 Great Tits
3 Blackbirds
2 Bullfinches
"and a Blue Tit in a Larch Tree"

Also heard 1 Jay
and had a fly-over of 5 Jackdaws

Webs today (14th)

Bottom Res.
Mallard 45
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 26

Top Res
Little Grebe 2
Mallard 12
Coot 1
Moorhen 3
Common Gull 3
Black-headed Gull 57 (with more on fields nearby)

best of the rest ( 16 species)
Long-tailed Tit 12
Pied Wagtail 8 (with the black cattle)
Siskin 2 (flight calls only)
Goldcrest 1 heard
Greater-spotted Woodpecker 1f

plus a selection of the commoner fungi

WeBs Sunday 10th.

Bottom res:
Mallard - 42 (26M 16F)
Moorhen - 1 juv
Black-headed Gull - 5
Domestic Goose -3
Fishermen - not as many as expected.

Top re:
Mallard - 7 (3M 4F)
Tufted Duck- 3 (MM&F)
Black-headed Gull - 38
Little Grebe - 4
Moorhen- - 3
Coot - 2 (Adult & independent Juv)
Grey Heron - 1
People in fenced-off area reseved for wildlife - 2 (unable to tell if they were 'Friends of
Strinesdale' doing a survey or just the
usual idiots!)

Also:
Redwing - 1
Mixed flock of Great, Blue & Long-tailed Tits

Several species of fungi.

Playing 'spot the little grebe' between showers.

Never had all the birds visible at once, but a family group of 1 adult & 3 juv with a 4th juv in the background and a definate sighting of 3 adults at once seems to indicate there are still 7.

Looks like a family of 2 adults and 3 juv plus lone adult and youngster. Lots of regrouping and skittering over the water didn't help! 1 adult was making a much more musical piping whistle in contrast to the usual call. Seemed to bring all the juveniles towards it, then 1 of the other adults came steaming in and all the chasing around started.

Other sighting inc.

Grey Heron 1
Coot 3 (2adult 1 juv -at opposite ends of Upper Res)
Moorhen 5 (1 juv Lower Res; 1 juv 3 adults Upper)
Tufed Duck 1m1f Upper

Sparhawk 1 male over top res mobbed by
Swallows 6
House Martin 1+
Willow Warbler 1 juv (calling)
Chiff-Chaff 1 singing
Blackcap 1 juv/female flycatching
Goldcrest 1
Bullfinch 2+

Also some interesting scat on the wall near where the Little Owls used to be seen. Contained lots of tiny black insects (all dead) Didn't look like a pellet but some avian faecal deposit in/on 1 nearby.

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Sunday 12th of September 2010 04:26:22 PM

Right, I'm calling the agency and demanding a refund!

The flycatcher was booked for LAST Monday

Nice find, Bill. Thanx 4 txt mssg.

23rd August.

9.30 - 11.10 am.

Highlight was the sighting of a Spotted Flycatcher foraging off telephone lines near a farmhouse on the eastern side of the valley at SD958066. Had some really great views before the rain finally set in.

There appeared to be 3 adult and 3 juvenile Little Grebes on the upper res.

Both Bullfinch and Lesser Redpoll were heard but not seen. c10 Swallows were still about, including 4 juveniles sat on telephone lines waiting to be fed. Flocks of c35 Meadow Pipit, 5 Mistle Thrush, 7+ Linnet and 3 Pied Wagtail were seen. 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen and what appeared to be a Tawny Owl was heard "kewicking"......until a Jay flew out of the tree where the sound was coming from!

Cheers,

Bill.

Quick visit yesterday (18/08/2010)

Confirmed breeding on top res.

Coot 2 adult with 1 chick (very vocal but being ignored) plus 3rd Adult
Moorhen 2 adult with 4 juveniles plus 3rd Adult
Little Grebe 3 Adult with 4 juveniles, ( 3 independent, 1 still being fed)

Bottom res

Juvenile moorhen

also

Willow Warbler 1 feeding fledged young & 2 calling juvs (also briefly singing male)
Chiffchaff 1 independent young (also briefly singing male)

plus

Sparrowhawk
2 + Coal Tits
6 Swallow
2 House Martin

80 Mallard between the 2 reservoirs
2 m 1 f Tufted Duck (top res)

19/05/2010

No Garden Warbler or Whitethroat today

Barn Swallow (5) - 1 briefly mobbing
Sparrowhawk (1)
Bullfinch - 2 pair collecting Dandelion seeds
ChiffChaff(2)- inc. 1 self-winding
Dipper (1)
Greater-spotted Woodpecker- calling
Green Woodpecker- called twice, distantly
Jay (1)
Little Grebe (1)
Mistle Thrush- 2 juveniles
Robin - at least 2 fledged young

Also, Rob will be glad to hear, the Linnet was high up the valley

Mike Chorley wrote:

---

also 1 Linnet (m) - first I've seen this low down the valley. Maybe the good weed crop has brought it down.

---

Shouldn't that be "first I've seen this high..."?

Single Chiff-chaff still by the proposed school site; also 1 Linnet (m) - first I've seen this low down the valley. Maybe the good weed crop has brought it down.

Otherwise:

1 Garden Warbler
2 Whitethroat
9 Willow Warbler (min)
8 Robin
2 Reed Bunting

All in song.

On the reses:
1 Moorhen
2 Coot
3 Canada Goose
3 White Chinese Geese
15 Mallard ( 2 F 13 M)


19 other species inc; Bullfinch, Jay, Dipper, Swift (2) Swallow (2) and a steady overhead passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in small groups heading n.n.w

Some pyromanic activity even here but the Water Bailiff tells me that a Friends of Strinesdale may be formed to try to prevent this sort of thing.

Between the "showers"! this p.m.

Bottom res

Canada Goose 2 pair
Mallard 13 m 2 f

Top Res

Little Grebe 1
Mallard 1m
Coot 1
Moorhen 2

Blackcap 1
Chiff-Chaff 1 (in willows near proposed school site)
Willow Warbler 12 (min) singing males
Bulfinch 1m
Jay 2
Skylark 1 (song flight)
Coal Tit 2
Song Thrush 2

Plus usual woodland species

2 GS woodpeckers chasing each other through the trees.
And a dog walker told me about 2 Cuckoos seen there yesterday

late pm
pair bullfinches
pair grey wagtails
goldcrest
chiffchaff (didnt hear it just watched it for ages)
female goosander
goldfinches
and all the usual stuff

12.00 - 14.00

Bottom Res.
Moorhen 1
Black-headed Gull 1
Canada Goose 4
Mallerd 24, mostly now paired up

Top Res.
Grey Heron 1
moorhen 1
Little Grebe 2
Mallard 2 (pair)
Tufted duck 2
Common Gull 3
Black-headed Gull 55

plus usual stuff inc.
Kestrel 1 (f)
Greater Spotted Woodpecker 1 (f)
Goldcrest 1 (f)
Mistle Thrush 1 (m) - singing
Bullfinch 2 (m) - singing
Coal Tit 3

Crunched, slid, paddled and dog turd dodged around today for the WeBs

Both reservoirs 98% frozen still, except at the inflows.

Bottom res

Mallard 55
Black-headed Gull 36
Moorhen 2
Domestic Goose 4 (feral)

Top Res

Mallard 4
Black-headed Gull 1
Grey Heron 1

(that's 6 more birds for the top res than Dec. visit)


Also
Bullfinch 6 (in 1's & 2's)
Kestrel 1
Greater-spotted Woodpecker 1 (M)
Jay 1
Sparrowhawk 2

The latter apparently in display, both circling over the Hillgate street 'carpark' before
the lower bird flew low upstream behind the Visitor Centre, with the upper bird stooping, then flying parallel & slightly above

This am

Mallard 42m 25f
Black-headed Gull 57
Coot 1
Moorhen 5
Canada Goose 2
Lesser Black-back 1
Grey Heron 1
Woodcock 1 (only the 3rd wader ever recorded for here as far as I know)

15 Long-tailed tits with
1 Coal tit
3 Blue Tits
1 Goldcrest
1 Treecreeper

2 Bullfinch (1m 1f/juv)

Small nos of Robin, Magpie, Carrion Crow & Wood Pigeon


Also, along Lees Brook

1 Greater-spotted Woodpecker (M)
1 Sparrowhawk (M)
1 Dipper (unringed)

Bottom Res;

32 mallard
1Coot
1 Moorhen (juv)

Top Res:

Little Grebe ( 2 adults, 2 very vocal young & 1 larger juvenile-1st brood?)
Grey Heron
Tufted Duck 3 males (1Adult winter, 2 partial eclipse)3
3 Moorhen 2Adults, 1 juv.

Long Tailed Tits 24 with
Great Tits 3
Blue Tits 2

3 Swallows, working north

1 ChiffChaff contact-calling
1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Tuesday 15th of September 2009 11:06:15 PM

En route to count crows & gulls for my tetrad yesterday:

Bottom Res: 4 mallard ducklings & lots of fishermen

4 Singing Willow warblers
2 Singing Blackcaps
2 male Bullfinchs
Great Spot
Singing Song Thrush
Juvenile Great Tits & robins

Top Res: 2 Mallard, 2 Tufted Duck(m&f) 2 House Martins, 2 Swallows, 2Swifts,
3 adult Little Grebes & Grey Heron
all of us enjoying the peace until the dog swimmers (**** dogs) turned up

Usual 3 figure counts of Lesser Black-backs and Carrion Crows round High Moor,
Song Thrush, Tawny Owl, Bullfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Redpoll, 40 Swifts high over the tip, but, as mentioned elsewhere, no Stonechats-seen at 2 different locations in Autumn-and only 3 magpies! (They must prefer other parts of Greater Manchester)

3 Waxwings feeding upper valley near holroyd skips 15.00

also went round yesterday little owl in top fields, siskins near to tree for life forest and only one male goosander but had been joined by a female

Saturday 31.01.09
goosander 4 m
grey heron
tufted duck 1m 1f
hoorhen
coot
song thrush 2

-- Edited by Graham Beverley at 20:21, 2009-02-01

Sunday 18th 11.30 'til 2.00pm

200 Black-headed Gulls (and 3 Common Gulls) commuting between the 2 reses, with more feeding in the fields towards High Moor:also at least 1 Lesser Black-back & 1 Herring gull with the latter.
40 Mallard, 4 Moorhen, 4 Canada Geese and all the usual feral stuff on the bottom res.
2m & 1f Goosander & 1 Grey Heron top res, but no sign of any Little Grebes, even after the gulls left.

All the usual passerines inc. 1 singing Bullfinch & 2 Song Thrush

Back along Lees Brook

Dipper(unringed) in the usual bend, plus 2 Redwing & 2 Coal Tit. Also nice bracket fungus to i.d. (definately NOT Turkey Tail this time Riggers)

Siezed the chance to visit today for a couple of hours 'just for fun' so of course several species showed that weren't seen on any of the Atlas visits most prominently the Little *****, sorry, Grebes. 2 adults and 3 large young, one still very vociferous in its' begging.
Good numbers of common passerines (I stopped counting Robins at 12 half-way round) with several species starting to gather in small flocks (Carrion Crows, Common Gulls, Blackbirds(!) ) but the biggest was a flock of c60 meadow pipits, flushed by a young Kestrel hawking merlin-like from a fence post along the top field. It didn't seem bothered by my presence as I worked round to get better views nor by the mobbing group of pipits, 12 swallows and at least 4 pied wagtails.

Could'nt spend as much time today as I'd have liked but a good walk with a variety of flora & fauna for t'other forum as well

Thanks for that, Bill.

Had a good laugh at the Piethorne post. Glad I'm not the only lunatic, fringed or otherwise

Hi Mike,

Visited Strinesdale for an hour and a half early yesterday afternoon (30/6). It was very, very quiet - I didn't even manage to get your Little Grebe! Had a flock of 9 Mistle Thrush, 4 Tufted Duck were present. A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen and a male Blackcap was singing in one area - it was singing in a style that sounded not too dissimilar to that of a Pied Flycatcher - that certainly created a initial rush of excitement, which quickly subsided when I spotted the offending bird! A very agitated female Blackcap was in another part of the valley, probably with a nest close by. A Chiffchaff was singing! - I have logged this species down as holding territory at Strinesdale with this and earlier records.

This was my first visit here since 8th May when singing birds included - 2 Chiffchaffs, 10 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps and a Reed Bunting.

Have input all my sightings as roving records and hope to get up again before the end of July.


Best wishes,


Bill.

Thought I'd make the most of a nice day and do my late visit here, before it gets busy for the summer. As it was I encountered some evidence of 'attempted breeding' that certainly couldn't be entered on a BTO record card
The wasn't much avian evidence: a couple of young swallows & house sparrows; a juvenile grey heron; a couple of coot chicks and 8 apparently parentless mallard ducklings. Only 1 little grebe and no sign of any nests. Very sparse compared to previous years.
Unfortunately, family concerns and the pattern of my days off meant that this is the first time I have been up there since April. So if anyone else has (Bill?) please get your roving reports in to fill the gaps. As well as little grebe bullfinch, whitethroat & blackcap are all definately missing from my list this year
Still a pleasant day, however. Highlights included a fox, and a good variety of insects and plants. As well as the usual grasshoppers/crickets, speckled woods and meadow browns, large skipper and common blue damselfly were a surprise find for the Broadbent area of oOldham. Nice to see all the common spotted orchids there as well as at Strinesdale where they now border almost all the lowere res.

-- Edited by Mike Chorley at 17:39, 2008-07-01

Oh, so it's you wot nicked them is it? for Piethorne! and i thought Mr Rigby must have them in his shed along with the Little Crake, Cattle Egret, Ross's Gull and that funny penguiny thing with the razorbill-type beak

I don't think it's the weather as the last record I have for them for Strinesdale is a drizzly July day in 2003. I know we moan about 'Manchester weather' but I'm sure there must have been SOME periods of nice weather since when I've been up there and not heard them, as well as the times when I've heard them lower down when it HAS been wet.

Thanks for the ousel offer,btw, but it was more the 'cup of sugar' type loan I had in mind, rather than the 'bank' type. At least you didn't want interest:

Mike Chorley wrote:

---

No sign of Bill's chiff-chaff from earlier. Must have moved on. I noticed last year that there seemed to be a dividing line, more or less along the old railway embankment in Mr. Rigby's square due south of here. Never heard a chiff-chaff north of it all last summer. Will be interested to know if Mark finds any singing birds in the top third of his square.

P.S. Lend us a couple of Ring Ousels please, Bill

-- Edited by Mike Chorley at 22:33, 2008-04-22

---

Hi Mike,

Quite happy to lend them to you at the going rate of £20 per bird, per day - or as a special offer - just because it's you - all 7 for £100 - cash only of course! They must be returned in mint condition and please ensure that they are back in the valley before dusk - otherwise you get charged an extra days rental!

Re the Chiffchaffs - I wonder if they have stopped singing because the weather until yesterday has been so poor - they have just started up again at Piethorne after a lull. I did one of my TTVs alongside a stretch of the Rochdale Canal yesterday morning and the only warbler I had was Willow - even though Chiffchaff has been around every other time I have made a casual visit!

Cheers,

Bill.

Here today for a willow warbler survey-meant to be 1 hour of the early visit (breeding) ttv for SD 90 N but I reckon, with all the noise and flitting about from 12 willow warblers singing at one another across the reses, everything else got fed up and f###ed off. Even the usually reliable Little Owls had stopped topping up their tans and gone back in their wall for some peace and quiet.

So only 27 species for the hour here, including a raven harrassing a sparrowhawk, plus some over-flyers. But the swallows are back and, like most of the residents, in 2's. Hopefully, if I can get up next month, more to add via the Roving report.

No sign of Bill's chiff-chaff from earlier. Must have moved on. I noticed last year that there seemed to be a dividing line, more or less along the old railway embankment in Mr. Rigby's square due south of here. Never heard a chiff-chaff north of it all last summer. Will be interested to know if Mark finds any singing birds in the top third of his square.

P.S. Lend us a couple of Ring Ousels please, Bill

-- Edited by Mike Chorley at 22:33, 2008-04-22

10th April.

2 Willow Warblers - 1 singing. 1 Chiffchaff singing, 1 Reed Bunting singing.
2 male Blackcaps together and apparently feeding on the remains of seed/grain put out by visitors in the upper valley for the birds & squirrels. 2 Coots.

2 male Blackbirds fought all the while "screaming" like a couple of hyperactive banshees.


Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough at 17:05, 2008-04-10

The brambling was new!

Hi Bill

isnt it ironic that somebody does a patch for years and see's nowt then somebody else comes along and cant go wrong!

Mr Chorley wont be best pleased with you I think its best if we dont tell him

I did it to some chap who is a regular at Castleshaw-asked me today "had owt good lad"-you should have seen his face when I replied "Osprey"

cheers

riggers

4th April.

Really getting to like this place - 4th visit in the last 4 to 5 weeks. It was an excellent morning - 42 species in a 3 hour visit - absolutely no pressure on whatsoever for your TTV then Mike!!

Best bits - 2 singing Chiffchaff, a Sparrowhawk, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Coot amongst the Mallards and Moorhens, a flock of at least 5 Bullfinch, 3 Fieldfare, 4 Linnets flew over.

The Little Owl was in exactly the same spot it always is - nice to finally come across something even more idle than me!

A male Lesser Redpoll was singing from the top of a large tree and later at least 3 were feeding on Larch cones. 2nd day running I have recorded singing L. Redpolls in G.Manchester!

A male Brambling was a really unexpected but welcome find.

Cheers,


Bill.

31st March.

Singing Chiffchaff heard and then seen, 6 Tufted Duck (3 males), 2 Little Grebe, a pair of Goldcrest - the female seen and a male heard singing, a Little Owl, a Jay, a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, a pair of Coal Tits & 1 Reed Bunting.

Plenty of signs of the commoner species commencing their breeding preparations - 2 pairs of Magpies near substantial nests, 1 Carrion Crow carrying nest material, Dunnocks singing in 7 locations, Robins in 9, Woodpigeons displaying all over the place, pairs of Goldfinches in several spots. Blackbird, Chaffinch and Collared Dove were singing.

Curlew, Skylark and Meadow Pipit all heard on surrounding farmland.

40+ L B B Gulls wheeling away high over the valley.


Cheers,


Bill.

As I meant to say last week (but apparently forgot to click "submit post" ) I suspect that the new academy won't have that much impact if it happens. Maybe more "traffic" through the valley either side of school times with pupils from Strinesdale & Counthill using it as a dry weather shortcut but I do't think anyone else will hang around much. Any use during lessons/break/lunch would have to be supervised as the school is ,presumably, in loco parentis at those times.

What would probably have far more environmental impact would be the 2 or 3 school strong school run as pupils (some of whom might have walked to a more local school) travel in along a main road at rush hour. Hopefully, whoever is in charge of the planning will do some joined-up thinking in conjunction with the local travel involving off-road parking/dropping-off points, a reliable school bus service and maybe even car-sharing clubs

Hang on, this is a council scheme isn't it? so..........nah

Incidentally, I don't object to the amount of use it gets-the more people who use and value it the less chance of it disappearing- it's the ABUSE the annoys me. I walked along Lees Brook recently and was disgusted at the amount of junk dumped in it. It's a wonder there's anything on it, let alone grey wag., dipper and the occasional kingfisher

Hi
I only live up near Countill School so Strinesdale is a stones throw away.
As per usual Bill seems to always spot more in one visit than i do in six, never mind i'll just keep trying.
Yes Strinesdale is a very busy place and can even get quite rowdy but i can recommend early and late visits or even better when the weather is bad you have a chance of the place to yourself.
I dont have much of a problem with the amount of people or even how it is used its just good to see such a popular spot being well used and is a definite asset to the local people, ok its not how i would like it for birdwatching but I cant have everything and at least i know where everbody else is heading when i fancy getting out.

-- Edited by Graham at 16:56, 2008-03-10

Now now the youth of today have there problems and can be a nusiance, however lets still look at the potential here,
The little tikes will be to lazy or drunk to be up early in the morning so i suggest we visit the site before the little blighters wake up.
KEEP BIRDING

seems about the best response to that news. Although as they will be in uniform at least we'll know where to complain if necessary

Unfortunately Strinesdale's "terrific potential" is highly unlikely to be realized.

As you may be aware from the previous posts the area already has a problem with youth nuisance and if Oldham Council has its way it will build one of its new Academies on the old factory site at the bottom of the access road then it will be constantly full of youths disturbing the peace. It is my understanding that they are looking at building a new school to replace Breeze Hill, Counthill and Grange on the former Mill Site. I know the fishing club that looks after the bottom reservoir are very concerned about the effect this will have on the environment and are making representations to Oldham Council but it is highly unlikely this will have any effect.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic but I thought this may be something of which you would like to be aware

6th March.

Paul, Mike,

Interested to read your posts - I tend to agree with you both - terrific potential but from my 2 visits seemingly very highly disturbed habitat. The top reservoir in particular has potential to be really good - if (and it is a big and highly unlikely if) it could be fenced off and humans and dogs kept out!! Both reservoirs have small areas of fringing reedbeds which if allowed to expand could be good for warblers, buntings etc. There can't be too many areas of Oldham which have any reedbed type habitat?

Visit this a.m. - Little Grebe still present - caught two small fish and ate then unharassed

Also - a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, terrific views of a Green Woodpecker - which spent the whole morning yaffling loudly. 2 Jays, 2 Coal Tits, a pair of Bullfinches, 1 Kestrel, 1 singing Goldcrest, 1 Song Thrush singing and giving a zig-zagging type display flight near the visitors centre. A small party of Siskins could be heard (but not seen) from the woodland fringing the upper reservoir.

Will definitely return in May to see what warblers, chats etc turn up!

Cheers,


Bill.

re: Strinesdale reservoirs. It's my WeBs survey site/Atlas tetrad and does quite well despite getting a lot of disturbance from local kids. In fact the Medlock Valley wardens, based in the offices at the old waterworks by the bottom res., had to take a tern/gull/duck nesting/resting raft off the top res because so many kids were swimming out to use it as a diving platform!. It is certainly much more productive than it was when I first visited it back in 1975 while it was still in use as a reservoir. The little owls bred on a regular basis and I think there have been breeding redstarts in the surrounding woods on a couple of occasions. Typically, the best ducks of the winter turn up when I'm at the other end of the County. But it was worth it for the cetti's -and we did see 11 goosander(2 drakes & 9 ducks) at Pennington

Bill visited this site myself a few weeks ago,parked in the new car park near the visitor centre appears to be a good habitat, and looks good for spring migration.

4th March. Visited this area of Oldham for the first time ever today - despite having lived in the area for 20+ years! Really will have to try and get out a bit more On the upper reservoir - 1 Little Grebe, 2 redhead Goosanders and a pair of Tufted Duck. 170+ Black-headed Gulls, 2 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull and 1 Common Gull. The poor Little Grebe was followed around by a single predatory Black-headed Gull waiting for an opportunity to pinch any food off it - the miserable sod! 1 Grey Heron and a Little Owl on a stone wall nearby. Two male Bullfinches attempted to out-sing each other - the volume was deafening - not! Cheers, Bill.