The record of the RSPB managing sites and the conservation work they are responsible for is surely not disputed(sorry,forgot about that Ruddy Duck!), so I can't work out why there is a negative feel about this new development from some.
Cheers Ian

just come back from the rspb meeting about dovestones, a lot of local emotion about leaving the area alone and to cap it all the rspb let slip the location of the local peregrine pair

-- Edited by stuartherring on Tuesday 22nd of September 2009 09:19:55 PM

I gather that the vis centre will be at the car park at the dam at Dove Stones Resr. I do have the plans of the reserve. Basically it's in 3 sections: Ashway Gap (all in GMC) where visitors will be catered for, vis centre etc etc; Arnfield, and Quiet Shepherd, both areas in Derbyshire, where RSPB will have control over the shooting rights and manage to moorland for breeding waders. It's been on the cards for a year or so now but was kept under wraps until the negotiations with UU were finalised.

ooooooooohhh and judith have they any plans for a visitor centre or is all that revealed at the meeting i unfortunatly missed the last one but will make the one on the 22nd

Thanks Stuart - no-one ever tells me what's going on!

I guess I don't count because I live 200 yards outside Saddleworth.

Steve (in Victor Meldrew mode )

The RSPB reserve opens in the spring and the manager is Dave O'Hara.

THE first of two events to let Saddleworth residents have their say about the future of Dovestone reservoir was held at Uppermill Civic Hall on Friday.

The event outlined some of the plans which form a vision for the future and was organised by United Utilities and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who are working with the Peak District National Park Authority, Oldham Council, and people who use the area, to improve it for people, water and wildlife.

The next meeting will be at Uppermill Civic Hall on Tuesday, September 22, from 7pm (taken from oldham chronicle)

-- Edited by stuartherring on Tuesday 15th of September 2009 05:57:20 PM

stuartherring wrote:

---

did anybody go to the meeting with the rspb & united utilities at uppermill civic hall ,was it any good and is it worth going to the next one on the 22 of sep

---

Have you got full details of this meeting, Stuart? I've heard nothing about it.

Steve

nice juvenile sparrowhawk at dovestones about 30 ft away on a fence post plus plenty of swallows over res

did anybody go to the meeting with the rspb & united utilities at uppermill civic hall ,was it any good and is it worth going to the next one on the 22 of sep

2 dippers on chew brook also 1 suprise kingfisher near greenfield cricket club

lots of goldfinch families on feeders, a few greenfinches,chaffinches and 1 redpoll ,blue tits, coal tits and great tits all at the same time the siskins will be back when it gets a bit colder (hopefully) ps any one know where to get good quality sunflower hearts at a reasonable price???

Mon 31.08.09

At least 2 Dippers at confluence of Tame and Chew Brook in Greenfield. One (wearing a nice orange ring) was singing again - winter can't be far away!

-- Edited by Steve Suttill on Tuesday 1st of September 2009 05:33:15 PM

nice female sparrowhawk chasing baby starlings to no avail 5.00 pm tonight

Garden Warbler still singing at Binn Green, Dove Stones, though very elusive.
Pair of Common Sandpipers nearby getting very agitated and chasing off any Crows in their vicinity.

Walked from Brownhills up the canal to Diggle last night (excellent pint of Landlord in the Diggle Hotel) - plenty of Lapwing chicks in the fields. Good to see them still doing well here, they've almost disappeared from Mossley.

Steve

Whoops! Sorry about my gaffe. Greenfield Kingfisher is a pub not a bird!

Stuart, we would appreciate a confidential e-mail with details of the nest and adult
in case we have missed a territory. We aim to find all nests between Stalybridge and the 'tops', record the nests, metal ring the chicks, and colour ring adults.

Tony

ringed adult seen red and white rings feeding nest full of chicks

At least 5 Lapwing nests predated over last month, one pair of adults mating. Second brood Dippers 4 ringed at Greenfield Kingfisher, females on eggs at Uppermill and Diggle, nest predated at Measurements. Nuthatch calling at last location

10th May
Whitethroat at Hull Brook,Delph
Noticably more Swifts
2 Linnets at Heights

On 2nd may - 1pm - 5pm
5 wheatear at Diggle Edge
2 Stock Dove which flew in direction of Lark Hill and Castleshaw where we later saw 7 together at Bleak Hey Nook

4-5 willow warblers in full song plus curlews over head in diggle. no trout though

Slackcote - 40 Fieldfare today
Green Woodpecker and Nuthatch calling
Willow Warbler - 5 in valley between Delph and Slackcote



Denshaw SD91Q square for BB atlas - Skylark 16
Meadpw Pipit -15

Same here, John. The only Ring Ouzels I've seen in the area have been autumn migrants.

The Brushes valley always used to be a dead cert for Cuckoo but no longer, I'm afraid.

I spent 2 hours there this afternoon. It is about 4 years since I have found any breeding pairs in the area. I have had one or two passing through. They seem to have gone the same way as the cuckoos.

The most reliable site for Ring Ouzel is up the track towards Chew Resr - but I expect you know that already.

Hope to pop up for a look myself this weekend.

Steve

Royal George Mill- This morning 6 swallows, 2 house martins, willow warbler and chiffchaff. At Dovestones green woodpecker, wheatear, stonechat, raven and a willow warbler of interest. In the last few days around Uppermill a flock of 60 fieldfare, little and tawny owl, raven, wheatear and chiffchaff. I am still looking for a ring ouzel this year, I have been up to Dovestones every day for the last 5 but no luck.

went up below indians head this afternoon saw ravens,kestrels,nice male ring ouzel singing heard red grouse and curlew and stonchat

Monday 30-3-09 17.00-18.30

Stonechat male singing near Yeoman Hey
Siskin approx. 6 in trees near Binn Green car park

Nowt much else (or if there was I didn't see 'em)

Went for a long walk around the Dovestones area this morning saw quite a few species, a couple of which would be a first for me. At least:

6 Wheatear
5 Meadow Pipit
2 Stonechat
Dipper
Skylark

Saturday 21-3-09 11.00 - 14.00

Binn Green car park to far end of Greenfield Reservoir.

Raven 1
Curlew 7

plus common stuff

Pied Wagtail
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Long-talied Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Canada Goose
Pheasant
Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Wren
Blackbird

Gary

at least 18 Red Grouse above Dovestones Reservoir, on Dove Stone Moss/Featherbed Moss today
Stonechat singing in the Chew Valley, really standing out in the silence, only one Meadow Pipit singing, 2 Skylark singing on the tops, 1 Curlew

Friday 2nd Jan 2009, 1030-1430

Dovestones car park to East end of Greenfield Res.

1 Stonechat - male beyond Greenfield Res.

Only other species seen on walk were:

Mallard
Wren
Pied Wagtail
Magpie
Black-Headed Gull

Gary

Stroll around Greenfield yesterday produced nothing exciting. 8 Moorhens in the field opposite Royal George Lodge was a good count and suggests a good breeding season - I was worried that Mink might have devoured most of this year's young. A Nuthatch nearby, plus 2 near Fletcher's Mill was also pretty good for this area. Several Dippers on the Tame and Chew Brook, plus a Kingfisher on the canal.

Sunday morning (before rain!):

No sign of Crossbills or Wood Warbler. Walked across dam to check bracken-covered slopes and found family of TWITE with recently-fledged young. Also ubiquitous Mipits, Blackbird, Stonechat (heard not seen), Pleasant, Wren, Dunnock and Brown Hare. Common Sandpiper and Pied Wagtail on Yeoman Hey Resr.

Checked the old GM Atlas and there were only 3 confirmed breeding species for this tetrad: Canada Goose (when they were comparatively scarce!), Mipit and Common Sand. Just shows what can be found in relatively unpromising spots.

Steve

Thanks for all the help

Mark Whalley wrote:

---

I'll be coming out of Manchester along the Oldham Road. Thanks

---

Don't go up the Oldham Road (A62)! Take the A635 Ashton Old Road, it's quicker.

Steve

Paul Hammond wrote:

---

Hi Steve

Had at least eight on the 11th November

---

Thanks Hammy - I presume you sent your records to Judith for the county report. If so, they'll get into the Atlases that way.

Cheers, Steve

Mark

Look down the thread to posts on 6 June by Steve and Paul who helped me out earlier -they are spot on and you'll find it easily.

Tim

Mark,
See post dated June 18th.
Cheers Ian

Despite much map searching I haven't managed to pinpoint the Binn Green car park. was thinking of going up there some time this week has anyone got reasonably detailed instructions of how to get there, I'll be coming out of Manchester along the Oldham Road. Thanks

Hi Steve

Had at least eight on the 11th November

I've now checked. The only winter record from the Binn Green area was from Mike (Scouser) Chorley in November - thanks Mike. Has anyone else got winter sightings that they haven't reported?

Cheers, Steve

I've just had a huge batch of Atlas data from the BTO and it appears that there were Crossbill sightings in the Binn Green area this last winter. Will do a bit more research into this and see if we can find any proof of breeding.

Steve

spent the morning around binn green, very windy, crossbills showing well nr the car park, siskins also around but only flight views. unable to find wood warbler or spotted flycatcher despite good search but like most birds today were probably skulking from the high winds.

I think Pete's correct, especially as Crossbills are early breeders, ours could have come a very good distance and we seem to be just part of the current eruption.

There has been a big eruption of Crossbills in the last few weeks,all over the country.Birds have been seen as far south as Cornwall and The Scilly Isles.It is a fair assumption that the Dovestone birds are part of this eruption,rather than local breeders.Be nice to be proved wrong though.
Just done a quick check on Birdguides and counted 75 reports of Crossbill in the last week from as far apart as Orkney to the Scilly Isles.

-- Edited by pete berry at 11:41, 2008-06-20

Has anyone got any proof that the birds (the Crossbills, that is) bred locally? Judith and I are pretty sure they did, but would like hard evidence for the Atlases (national & county)

Steve

-- Edited by Steve Suttill at 09:40, 2008-06-20

The Crossbills were very vocal and flightly amongst the tops of the pines from the private road directly below the car park this afternoon. The largest single group was 27 birds, though counts of 1, 27, 12 and 10 were noted.

No sign of the Wood Warbler.

Glad to hear the Dipper has fledged young. The bird you saw was a female which, from my regular visits, seems to have been a lone parent (dead body, presumed the male, seen near the nest entrance) and working very hard to feed her brood.

If entering Atlas data from this area, please note that Binn Green is in SE00C (Pots & Pans) whereas most of Dovestone Resr is in SE00B - see Steve Atkins' excellent GM tetrad map on this excellent website.

Cheers, Steve

Anybody not familiar with this site and relying on the pointer on the given Birdguides grid reference SE0103 will be diverted to Dovestones Res (under that heading), like I was on 2nd June . Both Dovestones and Binn Green are off the Manchester OS map but are inlculded in the GM A-Z, Binn Green pg100 B2 at 017045 (as I later discovered).

I'd never heard of Binn Green before, though I'd birded Dovestones in early 90's. I didn't have much time to spare and thought I'd taken the wrong routes, thus not seeing anything other than an adult colour-ringed Dipper feeding a juv at Chew Brook below Dovestones at 005039 (A-Z ref). The rings were right leg- orange above white (silver?), left leg - pink.

Now I know where the site is, thanks to on-site directions and updates on this thread. I've not binn yet though hope to soon.

Silly fuel prices are prompting me to keep birding closer to home now.

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 01:03, 2008-06-18