At 3:15pm whilst with Andy Makin along Georges Lane, north of Wilderswood, we had a single Whimbrel flying northerly (ish), low and drop into the fields somewhere just on the otherside of the border in Lancs. We couldn't see it but it could be heard calling for a good 15 minutes afterwards.

3 Ring Ouzel early afternoon on the northern slope of the green hill 150 metres south east of Holdens Farm. Access via the track along side Sugar Loaf Plantation. Very flighty (typically for this area!) they moved further north towards Coal Pit Lane and into the Juncus field by the wood.

0645- 0845 walk from walker fold upto mast road and back.
highlights.... pair of sparrowhawk hunting over walkerfold.
1 kestrel
7 redpoll
2 coal tits
1 willow warbler
3 curlew
5 red grouse
3 wheatears [2male,1 female ]
2 skylarks [ singing from above ]
2 carrion crows [ 1 carrying food ]
no ring ouzel that was at holdens plantation on friday

Top morning's optimistic birding! You just never ...... Know!
Great to spend time with andy and Warfy lad!

10/4/10 7am-1pm with Andy Makin & Paul Cliff.

Black Redstart, female by Hampsons Farm on large rubble pile and ground showing well, also 2 Linnet & Grey Wagtail here.

Golden Plover 4 flew north early am over the mast.
Curlew 4
Wheatear 7(5 by the mast)
Redpoll 5
Linnet 12
Sparrowhawk 2
Buzzard 2
Willow Warbler 8
Chiffchaff 1
Swallow 1
Raven 3
several Red Grouse

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Saturday 10th of April 2010 06:10:34 PM

Still present at 1355hrs, showing well.

Black Redstart found late morning just off Coal Pit Lane, half way along the track down to Hampsons Farm. In the area of rubble and waste ground.

Info thanks to Simon Warford and Paul Cliff

Oh and 1 wheatear near the mast .

Walking up past walker fold plantation to winter hill and back via burnt edge 0640- 0910 this am . 1 ring ouzel at holdens plantation , 3 redpoll , curlew and red grouse heard , 1 grey wagtail , 2 ravens, 2 rooks , 1 willow warbler, lapwings displaying, lots of meadow pipits lovely stroll and hardly a breath of wind .

7/4/10 pm

Wheatear 7 (5 by the mast & 2 on Burnt Edge)
Woodcock - flushed from heather near the top and then flew all the way to Two Lads!
Redpoll 5
Raven 2
Buzzard 2
Swallow 1 north
Still 30+ Mipits in field by Holden's farm.

Late posting for early afternoon yesterday:

45 Meadow Pipit in the muddy field just west of Holden's Farm.
6 Curlews around Burnt Edge Moor

Edge lane off walker fold road 0615- 0730, 34 meadow pipits, pair of raven ,2 curlew heard. and a pair of wheatear in the early stages of courtship. very clear on top but a blanket of fog covering the horwich, wigan area.

5/4/10 several hours trying to improve my local knowledge of the area but still failing miserably..

Single Greylag goose high east over the moor late am was the highlight
Raven 4
Curlew 6+
Goldcrest 1

all afternoon today around the moors and burnt edge, loads of meadow pipits everywhere, also skylark, buzzard, sparrowhawk and kestrel, lapwings, curlew, pheasants, chaffinch, chiffchaff, wheatear, had a good mooch for ring ouzels and short eared owls but no luck, best sight was a nice group of five redpolls near one of the farms on the hill at the top of smithills dean road

Simon Warford wrote:

---

Ian, its a shame you couldnt have returned my text or perhaps rang me to let me know about the Owl, ,ive been up winter hill myself this morning and knowing about the owls presence would of been rather useful considering that im keeping a Bolton list this year & ive been up there most weekends

---

Sorry Simon, I'm a CAD and a BOUNDER and am sitting at home waiting for a knock on the door from a hit squad. Which I fully deserve, please have mercy on me as I have a wife and family to support. I faithfully promise to let you know next time I luckily locate a good bird.
Sorry once again.
ps I've sent a PM with even more grovels in it
Cheers Ian

Ian, its a shame you couldnt have returned my text or perhaps rang me to let me know about the Owl, ,ive been up winter hill myself this morning and knowing about the owls presence would of been rather useful considering that im keeping a Bolton list this year & ive been up there most weekends

Went up to Winter Hill this a.m. 7.15-9.00, hoping for Ring Ouzel, very misty and no chance. However was sat at roadside at a fenced area with warning about falling ice when lights flash, listening to passing Meadow Pipits and singing Skylarks, when out of the mist flying up the road and straight past me was a Short-eared Owl, totally unexpected and a GM first for me. Also heard 5 Red Grouse and 1 seen and 2 Curlew heard.
Cheers Ian
...........................
Just getting in car to leave when I got your text about the Herons Warfy

-- Edited by Ian Campbell on Friday 2nd of April 2010 10:50:10 AM

Morning Curlew (c.3), 6+ Skylarks, Sparrowhawk, many Mipits, 2 pairs of Red Grouse

21/3/10 Senior & Phil.

Most bird activity I have seen up here so far this year.

4 Sand Martin flew north over the moor.
5+ Curlew
Peregrine 1 male
Raven 4+
Skylark 10+
Plenty Mipits about.
Linnet
Sparrowhawk over the moor.



-- Edited by Simon Warford on Sunday 21st of March 2010 07:13:30 PM

Burnt Edge Moor this afternoon:

Female Stonechat
Single Siskin over south
Several Meadow Pipits about

smithills moor and burnt edge today.2 mistle thrush,2 pheasant,2 grouse,and 1 raven displaying some suberb aerobatics.also a small grassy pool absolutely alive with mating and spawning frogs.croaking loudly and generally partaking in a free for all.i didnt know they lived this high up.how they survived the last few months god only knows.no mipits.

7am-11am

Very dissapointing, second weekend running fog bound, apart from when you are at the mast itself and look down on a spectacular carpet of fog!

Tawny Owl 2
Red Grouse 6
Raven 1
Reed Bunting 1
No Mipits back yet, im not gonna catch the wigan boys anytime soon

Mid pm

150 Pinkfeet NW just before a blizzard was unexpected up there(well done Melanie).
Peregrine 1
Little Owl 1 - peering at us with one eye from its bracken covered cave, what a coward.
Red Grouse 10

Me and Andy Makin had a decent morning up on Winter Hill. The male Black Redstart gave us the run around before finally giving itself up on a fence 100 yards or so to the west of the mast, it seems to be following the pair of Stonechats around. Andy got some decent video of it. Last seen flying back into the mast compound where it tends to be elusive. Also several Raven almost constantly on view, 3 Peregrines flying around including 1 perched up on the smaller mast plus several Red Grouse around.

Black Redstart still present this morning (possibly an immature male apparently), still with the 2 Stonechats around the building (which are in Lancs) and 100 yards west of there along the fenceline (which is in GM).

Info thanks to Simon Warford

Female/immature Black Redstart this morning with 2 Stonechats on the top of winter hill by the mast itself though mobile and certainly in Greater Manchester when initially found. Also single Golden Plover over.

Info thanks to Andy Makin

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 12th of December 2009 12:06:25 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 12th of December 2009 12:06:44 PM

I,m not sure but I don,t think mr.wilcox would have typed 'summet fort weekeend' maybe the author has overdosed ont meet n pater

off to bed now geoff

No sign today 10.00 - 13.30 and again 15.00 - 16.00. Nice to see John Lyon and John Taverner also on a fruitless search.

Stonechat 2
Kestrel 2
Mipit 3

Male Snow Bunting still showing well upto 3.30pm

Dean.

Mast Road 9.00 till 11.00 dark dank and misty,didn,t connect with the buntings but did manage 2 stonechat 2 raven 1 kestrel,10+ meadow pipit,1 skylark,as i left for brekkie the mist started to clear

cheers geoff

Close views of sunlit male snow bunting ,2.15.to 3.0 this pm. first flushed from gully east of bridge by 3 landing grouse. It flew up and down the gully spending 10 min. on bridge rail and feeding on grass seed by bridge and at end of gully.
Also present Andrew, Mike, and Peter Turner.

-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 15th of November 2009 04:16:02 PM

-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 15th of November 2009 04:16:58 PM

Single male Snow Bunting present at 2:45pm

Info thanks to Andy Isherwood

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 15th of November 2009 03:12:41 PM

3 Snow Buntings 'reported' today

Glad you suggested walking around that gully Paul wonderful to catch up with the pair of Snow Buntings a new bird for me in greater Bolton, and nice to see them by the pile of seed even though they werent eating it. Both birds still by the wooden bridge at 2.45pm at least, wasnt impressed by the sheep eating the seed though!

Me an Warfy jr braved awful conditions but were rewarded with craking views ofboth birds foraging in the grass. Top birding.

The female/immature Snow Bunting was present this morning in the area around the second barrier along Mast Road but with no sign of the male bird so far.

Info thanks to Andy Makin/Simon Warford

Could anyone visiting the Snow Bunting(s) or indeed Winter Hill tomorrow or at any other time please NOT drive up Mast Road beyond the first cattle grid and car park alongside it.

Although it is possible to drive beyond this point, signage clearly states that the road is private and no unauthorised vehicles should pass beyond that point. Failure to comply with this notice will severly damage existing good relations between regular site birders and employees in the area.

Please park in the small car park (maximum of 5 or 6 vehicles) at the side of the road by the first cattle grid. Should this be full then parking is only permissable in the Wilderswood car park along Georges Lane where a nice uphill walk across the moors awaits. Still, there's lots to see on the way up and the view is great, as long as it's not foggy.

Male Snow Bunting still present by the wooden bridge at 4:20pm

info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Male and female/imm Snow Buntings still present by the wooden footbridge off Mast Road at 2pm. Well in Greater Manchester's boundary!

Info thanks to Paul Cliff

Andy Makin had two Snow Bunting present near the mast this morning apparently. A male and juvenile though both were flighty.

Info thanks to Judith Smith

Snow Bunting still up near the mast 10am, however very misty up there I believe. I cant get up there today

Info Phil Rhodes.

Originally posted today:

Dennis Weir had a Snow Bunting today (probably male) perched on the handrail of the new footbridge on the east side of Mast Road at SD658138 ( not far from where you can park if you drive all the way up to just short of the masts.

Single Woodcock this morning hugging Wildersmoor as it sped south (flushed from elsewhere perhaps) was one of the few birds on the moors and surrounding area!

18/10/09

Burnt Edge Vis Mig watch
7am-10am
Partly Cloudy
SW breeze

Another good morning of movement.

CROSSBILL - 17, heard them chipping away, upon arrival so must have roosted in Walker Fold Wood, then flew over Burnt Edge towards Wilderswood.

Redwing - 906 mostly NW/W (best parties 150, 130, 100, 80, 70, 65)
Fieldfare - 337 mostly NW/SW (best parties 70, 58, 49, 36)
Brambling - 4 NW mixed in with Redwings
Woodpigeon 172 NW, plus 60 local
Starling 102 all NW
Greenfinch 5 W
Chaffinch 9 W
Siskin 5 SW
Bullfinch 2 W
Jay 1 W
Redpoll 2 S
Snipe 4 W
Raven 3 local
Stonechat 2
Goldcrest 2

Simon "Vis mig king" Johnson told me today would be a good day.
Today was a good day.

Vis mig watch Burnt Edge 8am-11.30am

Starlings - 1700 all NW
Meadow Pipit 44 W and some local
Skylark 34 mostly W or NW including a single flock of 23
Redwing 390 mostly W or NW
Fieldfare 75 mostly W or NW
Woodpigeon 73 W plus 50 in Walker Fold Wood
Woodcock 1 W
Brambling 2 W
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 high W
CROSSBILL - 14 (6+ males) flew around Walker Fold Wood then flew west towards Wilderswood 10am.
Redpoll 3 NW
Siskin 9 SW
Chaffinch 21 SW
Goldfinch 40 W
Raven 2 local ones
Buzzard 1 S
Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel 4 local

This afternoon, "Vis Mig" watch 1-4.30pm between winter hill and Smithalls moor

Twite 2 flying around calling then flew NW (my first in Bolton)
Mipits 40+ on the moor and single flocks of 25+27 high South
Siskin 6 SW
Chaffinch 15 West
Goldfinch 12 West
Skylark 6 high South
Buzzard 1 high South

Also Sparrowhawk sat on a wall, Peregrine and 4 Raven over.

Just a postscript on these Ring Ouzels - Andy told me there was first of all a pair, then a group of 4 - both lots alighted only very briefly then flew off high NW (!) so no use hoping they will still be around tomorrow (unless more arrive of course) - they weren't with any winter thrushes.

6 Ring Ouzels present at 09:40 this morning in fields along Georges Lane, just to the north of Wilderswood.

Info thanks to Andy Makin

This morning 07:30-11:30

Wheatear- 17
Meadow Pipit- 415
Snipe-1
Siskin- 1
Chiffchaff- 14
Raven- 2