No sign of the Ruff at 1100hrs.

Redshank
Ringed Plover
Redshank
8 Lapwing

No sign of Ruff lunchtime today but I don't think I've ever seen so many Little Ringed Plover in one place.
Cheers Ian

4 Ruff still this morning

1600hrs,4 Ruff,1 Redshank,5 Little Ringed,1 Ringed,2 Linnet,2 House Martin,20 Swallow.
Cheers Alan

4 Male Ruff still present at 1040hrs. 2 looking quite splendid

3 Redshank
Ringed Plover
2 Oystercatcher
25+ Meadow Pipit
5 Linnet
6 Skylark
Kestrel

nice walk over kingsway this afternoon in search of the ruff plenty of ringed and little ringed plover,pied wagtail ,meadow pipit,skylark,black headed gull,lesser black backed gull,sparrowhawk flew over and just one female ruff lovely to see although it would have been nice to see the male ah well better luck next time nice to see the lapwings still doing well despite the rising water levels

regards deon

Rain,The water level now quite high,this could well cause some problems with early nesing attempts.
4 Ruff the male now quite splendid,2 Ringed,1 Little Ringed,5 Lapwing,2 Meadow Pipit,3 Black Headed Gull.
Cheers Alan

Circa 8 am

4 ruff and at least 6 ringed plover

3 Ruff,3 Little Ringed,2 Ringed Plover,Pair Teal,3 Mallard,2 Oystercatchers,9 Lapwing,1 Pied Wagtail,3 Singing Skylark at least 5 present,1 Kestrel.
Cheers Alan

Apr 7th midday(ish) visit en-route to Dovestones

6 Lapwing
4 Ruff (which then flew off)
3 Little Ringed Plover (one having a conflict with a Meadow Pipit)
Pied Wagtail
c3 Meadow Pipit
2 Oystercatcher
Mallard
2 Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
3+ singing Skylark

couldn't find the Ringed Plover. :(



-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Saturday 7th of April 2012 05:52:16 PM

Conditions not ideal, 5.30 to 6 this evening, with a cold, strong, blustery wind.

All the target birds located in the far corner from the roundabout.
Ruff....3...feeding together. (could not locate the other)
Little Ringed Plover....2
Ringed Plover....I would say at least 4 ( my eyes were watering by this time)
Lapwing...5
Pied Wagtail ....1

I lost the Ruff 5 minutes before departing

Sightings from today courtesy of Alan Nuttall:

Kingsway,4 Ruff,3 Little Ringed,2 Ringed,5 Meadow Pipit,5 Skylark singing,

4 Ruff still present late pm feeding on the pools next to Europe's largest warehouse
Snipe - 1
Lapwing -10
A Swallow flew over - this appears to be the first reported from Rochdale this spring, at least I've not heard of any other sightings in the borough so far.

4 Ruff still this morning but were flushed about 1130 and had not returned half an hour later
3 Little ringed Plovers
2 Ringed Plovers
2 Oystercatchers
12 Lapwing
1 Kestrel

All 4 Ruff still present at 12:45 today.

Info thanks to Simon Hitchen

Yes, the Ruff were a great local find by Simon and Alan. Well done. Lovely to watch such elegant birds close to home!

Did a quick tally yesterday and with Ruff this brings the total number of wader species alone recorded at this site in the last few years to 18! That's not too bad for a building site!

Cheers,

Bill.

Hey Simon,

Interestingly Ashworth Moor Res seems to have been the hotspot for this species in Rochdale (not many times it can claim such a title!), the last record there was 2 on 10/7/2006 (Me and Pete S), prior to that the last sighting up there was 1996 and the highest flock in Rochdale was also at AMR - 8 on 31/8/1992 (Interestingly Peter Hill mentions that from 1963 - 1992 it was almost annual after the breeding season on major reservoirs in Rochdale - how things change!).

I called in whilst passing on the M62 today - cracking birds (well done Alan!).

Only other birds of note;

Linnet 2
Kestrel 2
Skylark 4
Lapwing 63

Dave

4 Ruff still present at 1830

When Alan and I found them yesterday we were trying to think when we had last seen one in Rochdale - we thought it may have been 20 years ago. Having checked my records my last one was at Hollingworth Lake on 11th August 1987 - 25 years is a long time to wait so enjoy them while you can. Rochdale birding sure is hard work!

4 Ruff still present at 15:50, one male starting to develop the first signs of breeding plumage

26th March


4 Ruff still here @ 11.15

4 Ruff still present at 1550
3 Little Ringed Plover
2 Ringed Plover
29 Lapwing

4 Ruff present at 2:30 today.

Into thanks to Alan Nuttall

Same again this aft' with one little ringed and two ringed plovers.

C.B

1 Little-ringed Plover
2 Ringed Plover
2 Lesser black-backed Gulls

38 Teal
2 Ringed Plover

1100

27 Lapwing
2 Ringed Plover
Dunlin
Redshank
Common Gull
12 Black-headed Gull

2 Ringed Plover and 89 Lapwing next to JJB.

Skylark blasting out its song overhead

2 Ringed Plover and 18 Lapwing by the giant JJB sports spaceship.

14th December.

A Kingfisher today.

Also 16 Teal, 6 Moorhen and 1 Song Thrush.

Cheers,

Bill.

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

Bill Myerscough wrote:

---

22nd November - am.

Perhaps not too surprisingly this site has "evolved" somewhat since its glory days and now houses one industrial unit so enormous that it can probably be seen from outer space

---

But has the unit got a Lapwing and Golden Plover roof, Bill?

Steve

---

Not entirely sure Steve, as I don't think it has ever been seen, as it is usually shrouded in inpenetrable cloud or mist with the building being so enormous. Makes the nearby Pennines look like mere molehills.

Cheers,

Bill.

Bill Myerscough wrote:

---

22nd November - am.

Perhaps not too surprisingly this site has "evolved" somewhat since its glory days and now houses one industrial unit so enormous that it can probably be seen from outer space

---

But has the unit got a Lapwing and Golden Plover roof, Bill?

Steve

22nd November - am.

Perhaps not too surprisingly this site has "evolved" somewhat since its glory days and now houses one industrial unit so enormous that it can probably be seen from outer space

Still a visit this morning was rewarded with a really good count of c60 Snipe.

Also c22 Teal, 3 Fieldfare, c10 Meadow Pipit, 20+ Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Reed Bunting, 3 Goldfinch, 4 Greenfinch, a few Robins and Wrens, 1 Moorhen and a Mistle Thrush was singing from somewhere nearby.

Cheers,

Bill.

A Green Sandpiper was a nice surprise on the overgrown pool which I believe is known as Fenn's Pond this evening

A good showing this morning of Fieldfares, Redwings, Mistle Thrushes and Blackbirds all actively trying to feed whiile protecting their diminishing food supply. A dozen Lapwings all stood around on an iced up pool but no other signs of any other waterfowl or waders.

Passed that way this morning. No show for the Water Rail but most of the pool(s) fringes are now free of ice and there were quite a few people about. (Although I'll admit to a Moorhen getting me quite excited until it revealled itself fully!) 6 Teal on one pool and 4 on another. 13 Redwing seen in that little park (maybe called Stanny Brook Park) which flew off over Milnrow but there were more up around the ruined farm. 5 Lapwing flew over and 1 Kestrel.

25th November.

Cracking views early afternoon of the Water Rail again, even though the pond that it was on was mostly frozen.

Also 2 Moorhen and at least 3 Teal.

Cheers,

Bill.

Many thanks for the Water Rail information,Bill.Can count myself lucky to have seen the bird before what seemed like an army of "dog walkers" passed by and flushed the rail into the dense undergrowth.

24th October.

7.50 to 8.15 am.

Just returned from a weeks holiday in coastal Northumberland and a real feast of birds - came back full of enthusiasm and thought I would venture out early to Piethorne hoping to catch sight of a stray Eider or even a Brent Goose! Called in at Kingsway on the way over to Piethorne and along with a flock of c16 Teal, adult and immature Moorhens and 2 Snipe on one of the ponds was a Water Rail! It showed really well for a couple of minutes and was seen a little later this morning by Dave Ousey.

Also c15 Redwing over, 1 Jay over, 1 Lesser Redpoll over, 1 Sparrowhawk over and 1 Bullfinch calling.

More on my Northumberland sightings in the out of county section later.

Cheers,

Bill.

Fri 24/9 10:30 - 10:50

At least 8 Skylarks on flooded field by massive warehouse build

11 Linnet by Marketing pod

1 Moorhen and 2 (MF) Kestrel on overgrown pool opposite

A Whinchat this evening flitting on and off the fence posts, showing its white tail flashes, in the field at the bottom of John Milne Avenue. Could be a new species for the site.

Rochdale's former wader hot-spot is now a construction site. Most of the pools have now gone replaced by the steel framework of a large building.

Still we had 2 great years. It looks like Rochdale's birders will have to go back to searching upland reservoirs for their waders.

3 Wheatears this evening looked likely to be 'Greenland' birds

visit this morning...

1 house martin
8 ringed plover
2 wheatear
2 lbb gulls
1 pied wagtail
usual corvids, skylark, mipits and lapwing.
1 singing whitethroat before the last roundabout motorway end

1 Dunlin this evening

5 Black-tailed Godwits this afternoon in stonking summer plumage - appeared to be icelandic race birds - they were on the pool at the back of the main mudflats accessed from the roundabout nearest to Gordon Riggs garden centre.

also 1 Redshank
2 Stock Doves

2 White Wagtails here this p.m. in pristine spring plumage.

A Dunlin this morning

Yesterday a male Wheatear

Male and female Wheatear this evening on grass bank to north of middle roundabout.
20 Lapwing
7 Meadow Pipits flew north.

Just a quick visit tonight but not a great deal spotted.

Ringed Plover - 6
Pheasant - 1
Crows - 10+
Magpie - 1

A redshank was present tonight about 5.30 along with over 50 Lapwing, but didn't spot any Golden Plover.
Steve

Very nice to meet you as well Matt - great to have some good company, as well as some interesting birds to watch.

We just need a bit of rain now to try and attract some interesting waders for spring passage.

Best wishes,

Bill.