Having decided to venture out into the county I went up to Horwich moors today with Pete Stevens, another Rochdale birder. Very grateful to Ian, who despite the trauma of the rugby still managed to send me details of where to park late last night. Pity i didn't bump into the moorman- as we were there 10-1.00. Parked at Walker Fold wood and walked over to Wilderswood and back along various paths. Didn't make it to Holden Farm -must have took a wrong turn and didn't know where gale brook plantation was unless it was where i had a break to read the newspaper. Didn't see the ring ouzels or any crossbills but had a great day.Usual moorland and woodland stuff
6 stonchat
6 reed bunting
1 red grouse
18 mipits
2 fielfdare
2 great spotted woodpeckers
2 goldcrests among mixed tit flock
25 goldfinch
kestrel
Great birding area and will be back especially with all those cones- crossbill must be around sometime.
Also had a quick look at Doffcocker lodge and Rumworth lodge( No idea where to park or the best places to go -Help gratefully received) and rounded off calling in at pennington flash where a water rail was showing well from the new hide. Great round trip!
Cheers
Steve

-- Edited by Steve Collins at 19:42, 2007-10-21

I had a stomp around Walker Fold and Gale Brook Plantation this afternoon only managed 30 Pheasants, 20 Siskin, 5 Redpoll, 2 Treecreepers and a few Goldcrests with a LT Tit flock, 2 Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk and a tramp reading a newspaper deep within Gale Brook Plantation.

21/10/07 07.45 - 10.30

Burnt Edge & Walker Fold Wood ;

2 Ring Ouzel - flew up the valley towards Smithills Moor.
4 Red Grouse perched on walls - Adam Hill.
f. Stonechat, 3 Reed Buntings, Redwing, and 16 Fieldfare at Holden`s Farm.
2 Kestrels, 2 GSWoodpeckers, and 120+ Wood Pigeons heading NE

I heard a Snipe calling overhead, but at this particular juncture in time a rather peculiar fog descended..........like a ghostly shroud..............The very air chilled, like death itself.............Through the gloom, the church bells in Horwich were pealing their melancholy music, therin sounding a doom-laden curtailment to my solitary wanderings on these desolate, barren, God-forsaken moors.........................................

(With apologies to Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Emily Bronte.)

sunday 21st october

2 ring ouzel on burnt edge moor early am

Info per ian (moorman) woosey

Spent an hour 12pm-1pm scoping over Walker Fold Woods for Crossbill but on luck.

70+ Fieldfare
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Gt Sp Woodpecker
Several Pheasant
12 Jackdaws over South
15+ Coal Tit

Alan

17/10/07 mid morning

Heard at least 2 Crossbills calling in Walker Fold Wood, but couldn`t see them - VERY frustrating !
Also, 2 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, and a Sparrowhawk over.

2 Stonechats on Wilder`s Moor.

25+ Fieldfare near Holden`s Farm.

Several Coal Tits in Wilderswood.

Sunday 11am-1pm Burnt Edge/Holdens Farm

Male Red Grouse
30+ Redwing over heading west in small flocks
Great Spotted Woodpecker
30+ Meadow Pipits in flock
3 Pheasant

Thursday 11th October, 10:45am

Very poor visbility, especially right on the top and down in Burnt Edge, half the time I didn't have a clue where I was, luckily I had more than a few hours to spare, blindly wandering around spooking sheep

Fieldfare- 60, in fields just to the north of Wilderswood
Siskin- 25 heading SE over Wilderswood
Red Grouse- 7+, including my best views ever, which went like this....

...whilst walking back up towards the car parking place on Mast Road having come up from Burnt Edge moor I'd heard a couple of Red Grouse calling at quite a distance and having nothing better to do decided to get out my mobile phone which has every song and call of every Western Palearctic (and many beyond) bird species loaded onto it's memory card and playback the call of Red Grouse. Using the phone's built in speakers I played back their brilliant call and within 5 seconds one was flying straight at me! It landed 50 feet away on top of a tussock, it's brilliant red eyebrows glowing like beacons in the low cloud we were both stuck in and continued to call back to my phone. After 20 seconds there were 5 calling around me, although they were more distant as I was obviously in this birds territory as it flew right at me, veering away but coming past still within 20 feet, landing behind me. Now crouching on the path (and grateful for the poor visibilty, what a sight it must have been!) I played the call one more time and the grouse flew straight onto the path 30 feet in front of me, allowing me marvellous views of it complete with it's little white 'booties' for at least 30 seconds before whizzing straight past me once again. I then left the birds alone as the cloud started to clear slightly but as I approached Mast Road there were another 2 grouse perched on the stone walls there calling away too

10/10/07 mid afternoon

f/imm Ring Ouzel in a hawthorn tree, between Wilderswood and Pike Cottage.
2 Ravens wandering about Mast Rd/Wilders Moor, one flushing 2 Red Grouse from near the cattle grid.
pair Stonechat.
35+ Fieldfare.
G.S.Woodpecker in Wilderswood.

Tuesday 9th October, all afternoon until c6pm

Hen Harrier- 1 ringtail over Smithills Moor moving at a fair rate on knots with the wind behind it!
Crossbill- 5, dropped into Wilderswood at c5:30pm, possibly to roost?
Raven- 1

Other than a couple of Song Thrush, 3 Red Grouse, 1 Stonechat and 4 Meadow Pipits, pretty quiet!

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 19:16, 2007-10-09

8/10/07 mid morning

5 Stonechats round Holden`s Farm.
f. Wheatear - Burnt Edge.
G.S.Woodpecker - Walker Fold Wood.

5/10/07 mid afternoon

Burnt Edge ;

4 Ring Ouzels ( 1 male & 3 female/imms )
9+ Stonechat
f Wheatear
2 Goldcrests
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk

Heard one of the Ravens, and also heard a Tawny Owl cry/call/shriek once, from trees near Newfields Farm, though couldn`t locate it.

Tuesday 2nd October 11am

All sightings at Holdens Clough

Crossbill- 2
Golden Plover- 2
Redwing- 80
Curlew- 20 (west)
Meadow Pipit- 113
Siskin- 8
Nuthatch- 1
Chiffchaff- 1

All info thanks to Phil Rhodes

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 18:57, 2007-10-02

6+ wheatears
50+ meadow pipits
swallows moving through
2 ravens flew down valley from winter hill
2 Grouse,
excellent morning out many thanks for the local info geoff, did try to ring you this morning but seems you were out
got rained off but was told the harrier is still around.

Ian, you will soon be in the "GM 200" club

14/9/07 early afternoon

male HEN HARRIER - over Burnt Edge @ 14.35 heading N.E.
pair of Wheatear - Adam Hill
Snipe - N.W. over Smithills Moor
singing Chiffchaff nr. Dean Brook.

(County birding is tops ! ! )

indeed i did find a ring ousel at burnt edge this morning,it was in the valley a little to the left of the field they were in during spring passage,had exellent views of this male untill it was disturbed by fell runners and flew behind the farm,watched for another hour but couldn,t relocate.also 2 grouse flushed, lots of meadow pipit,large flock of goldfinch near quarry
cheers geoff

Also I learned something new today ; a horse farting sounds very much like a Raven calling in the distance !

---

Would a Shetland Pony farting sound like a distant Jackdaw?

Geoff Hargreaves has just informed me that he's had a Ring Ouzel at Burnt Edge Moor, 9am this morning.

Thanks for the quick call Geoff

Wilderswood
07.55 - 08.55
flock of about 40 birds
consisting mainly of Coal Tits and Goldcrest but also at least 1
Willow Warbler
2 Snipe flying above


09.05 - 12.55 including a 3 hour walk with Andy Makin

Red Grouse 3 plus 1 calling. Obligingly sat on the walls

Smithills moor - low clouds
Male Hen Harrier a short distance the other side of Walkers
Plantation flying east

Walkers Fold
Spotted Flycatcher

Brownstone Quarry
2 Spotted Flycatcher

Coal Pit Road
Sparrowhawk
5 Stonechat
Whinchat

Roscoe Tenement
Green Woodpecker

Mast Road
2 Stonechat

Ian I must have just missed you. I was there in the morning until c.12.30. Saw the female Whinchat, plus 4 Wheatear, but they were difficult to pick out amongst the 300+ Meadow pipits on the moor. No raptors seen however.

Great minds think alike, however not certain mine is so great, I also went on the moors today, but the oldham moors

castle shore hill, then onto Denshaw Moor I also saw a female whinchat ..however that was it oh no I tell a lie 2 crows as well... intense birding on the moors,

3/9/07 mid afternoon

adult fem. Whinchat perched on fence with a juv. male Stonechat close by - Holden`s Farm.
Buzzard flushed from Holden`s Plantation by Crows.
4 Stonechat in low flight near Holden`s Plants.
fem Sparrowhawk tussling with a fem Kestrel along Burnt Edge Lane.
a few Swallows lingering by the farm buildings.

Also I learned something new today ; a horse farting sounds very much like a Raven calling in the distance !

24/8/07 mid afternoon

juv. Whinchat near Holden`s Plantation.
Buzzard heading north over Wilderswood.
3 Ravens over Two Lads hill.
juv. Stonechat near Montcliffe quarry.
3 Wheatear (2 m.) around Smithills Moor.

13/8/07 mid afternoon

3 Stonechats - an adult male on Smithills Moor, and 2 juv males near Holdens Farm.
pair of Wheatear - Burnt Edge.
Green Woodpecker flew up from the edge of the stream that runs into Walker Fold Wood.
2 Kestrels
Sparrowhawk being mobbed by Swallows ! ?
juvenile Linnets, Greenfinches, Meadow Pips, and Swallows round Holdens Farm.

19/7/07 mid afternoon

Two of the Ravens flew in from the north-west over Wilder`s Moor towards the quarry. About an hour later they were off again, heading east, high up, calling. Where had they been....where were they going ?
Kestrel hunting over Smithills Moor and another one over Burnt Edge.
3 Stonechat - 2 males along Mast Road and a juv. up towards Adam Hill.

16/7/07 mid afternoon

3 Ravens & at least 4 Kestrels roaming about all over Burnt Edge, with presumably young involved.
flock of 18 Goldfinch.
4 Linnet.
Swallows going in and out of Holden`s Farm barn.

Thats commitment

Simon, after being cooped up for so long through the weather, and today being my first full day off in seven I thought `Sod It` - I`m going out today even if Noah sails past in his Ark ! And yes, I did get a soaking

You must have good waterproofs Ian

I just got drenched in Manchester at lunch

4/7/07 early afternoon

2 Raven - on walls behind Slack Hall Farm, Burnt Edge (presumably part of the Quarry family)
ad. m. Stonechat - Smithills Moor.
juv. Stonechat - Burnt Edge.
12 Linnet (inc. juvs.) - on wires, Burnt Edge.
Curlews calling.
Kestrel.
lone Lesser Black-backed Gull roaming over Smithills Moor.

-- Edited by Ian Woosey at 15:25, 2007-07-04

6/6/07 mid morning - mid afternoon

pair of Whinchat - location witheld (this is the first time I`ve seen Whinchat up here in the breeding season, others always being in the autumn)
m & f Stonechat along Mast Rd but long way apart
m Wheatear - Adam Hill
3 Curlew - Smithills Moor
Sparrowhawk chasing a family of Mistle Thrushes, but was itself chased off by a Crow
3 Kestrel - 2 over Horwich Moor
handful of Linnets by Holden`s Farm
f G.S.Woodpecker - Holden`s Plantation. Also here a pair of Reed Bunting
2 Stock Dove on wires along Matchmoor Lane

Considering it`s coming into the `quiet` period, not a bad few hours worth - more than I normally see up here

18/4/07

First of all the Ring Ouzel situation ;

Only counted 4 (and couldn`t sex them - looking into sun and only had bins..... bad skills   )
They were perched in treetops at Newfields Fm. but flew off at 06.40 towards the direction of Smithills Dean / Horrocks Moor. Perhaps this is where they go when they aren`t seen at Burnt Edge ? ?

Also about ;

12 Wheatear (8 males) together on the walls below Adam Hill Plantation
m. Stonechat
Raven
5 Curlew
2 Grey Partridge
Sparrowhawk
several Willow Warbler

10/4/07 Smithills Moor / Mast Rd. ; 2 Wheatear (pr.) 2 Raven 3 Stonechat (2 m.) 2 Red Grouse Curlew 3 Lesser Redpoll - Wilderswood

16/3/07

3 Curlew - Burnt Edge
Raven - Wildersmoor
2 m. Stonechat - Smithills Moor
Kestrel
several Coal Tit - Wilderswood

a Grey Heron over the top of Two Lads Hill had me quivering momentarily ! 

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 14:44, 2007-07-17