Dipper singing from ramp then flew up to mill Fieldfare 13 in trees above fishing pond and flew off
fredford said
Thu Feb 24 5:32 AM, 2022
Small flock of lapwing and three curlew , one calling .
Peter Whitehead said
Thu Feb 17 6:01 PM, 2022
First curlew of the year for me here. Heard briefly across deep moss towards deeply vale from the bridle path continuing from castle hill rd. Also a steady stream of skylarks from the west, approx 15 in all.
fredford said
Thu Sep 16 8:11 AM, 2021
Deep Moss . Dozens of swallows and house martins carving the air in pursuit of flys . As I walk along dozens of meadow pipits rise from the heather to join them , sometimes chasing each other . Never seen so many together , seemingly enjoying the warm conditions . An enchanting spectacle . We disturb a sparrowhawk , who flies off a short distance then returns to give me a very close inspection . I can see his eye turning . Marvellous !
Peter Whitehead said
Fri Jul 23 12:24 PM, 2021
From birtle edge to Buckhurst And return via deep moss.
birtle edge. Pair of kestrels with a youngster, swallows, meadow pipits, reed bunting juv.
valley floor past wash wheel mill, greenfinch, linnet, jay, 2x buzzard, another kestrel, Raven over
deeply vale, Chiffchaff, willow warbler, reed bunting, common sandpiper, great black backed gull over.
deep moss had only carrion crows and gulls( herring & g b b juv) on cut fields. The whole moss is now under grass cultivation, not even any cattle, no lapwings & only 3-4 pairs of curlew, 4-5 pairs of skylark this year. Very Sad!
Peter Whitehead said
Sun Apr 25 4:17 PM, 2021
From deeply vale to nabs wife.
4x calling green woodpeckers, numerous sightings of Ravens (max 4 at one time), swallows, buzzard, 2x kestrel and a sparrow hawk.
woods along valley from birtle dean to nabs wife were very quiet with only blue, great and long tailed tits, 2x linnets (over)& a treeecreeper seen.
Tom OShea said
Mon Jan 25 10:06 PM, 2021
Had a full walk yesterday from pack horse up to Ashworth Moor rez and back down again.
The valley is one of the best places to find Green Woodpeckers in GM I think, they're always obvious with their loud calls:)
Also had a Kestrel, 2 male Pheasants, a flock of Long-tailed Tits, and four out of the five winter thrushes, just missing Redwing.
2 pair Reed Bunting, single Wheatear, up to 10 singing Curlew down the valley, 6 Grey Wagtails, Dipper, 2 Sand Martin, Willow Warbler Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, 8 singing Skylark, 4 Lapwing Several Pheasant
Ian Boote said
Sat Feb 23 11:42 PM, 2019
dipper, grey wagtail, curlew, 2 singing skylarks, sparrowhawk, few meadow pipits coal tit, and that was it.
Ian Boote said
Mon May 28 4:50 PM, 2018
large flock 50+ adult and juv starlings, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Raven, Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Lapwing, Skylark, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler Sand Martins, Swallow.
4 singing skylark, Meadow Pipits, Heron, 4 Curlew, Sparrow Hawk, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Heron, Jay 8 Lapwing Pheasant, 10 occupied nest in the Rookery at Birtle.
Ian Boote said
Sun Mar 5 12:57 PM, 2017
2 curlew kestrel and bullfinch
Ian Boote said
Sun Feb 5 1:37 PM, 2017
Upper Valley
200 Pink Footed Geese flying west
Mixed flocks of Fieldfares / Redwing Kestrel, Buzzard, 1-2 Goosanders on all lodges Dipper, Bullfinch
Ian Boote said
Sat Oct 1 12:43 PM, 2016
Upper Valley
2 Dipper, Pair of Stonechat, Flocks of Lesser Redpoll, Willow VWarbler, Long Tailed Tits, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, 50 Lapwing, few Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtails, Jay, Pink Footed Geese, Reed Bunting, and a Skylark
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 1st of October 2016 07:10:01 PM
Ian Boote said
Sun Aug 28 5:30 PM, 2016
Female Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, 20 Rooks, 2 Linnet, Heron, several Teal, flock of 100 Goldfinches and Reed Bunting.
Ian Boote said
Sat Nov 15 2:23 PM, 2014
12 Rooks, Kestrel, several Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Jays, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long Tailed Tits, Large Flock of Goldfinches Meadow Pipits, Heron, Cormorant, 100 Fieldfares and a Common Buzzard.
Ian Boote said
Thu Feb 21 12:13 AM, 2013
very qas uite, parts of the valley not even a tweet, otherwise Peregrine betwenn Birtle and the valley, Heron, flock of long tailed tits song thrush goldfinches, In lancs around Deeply Vale and Dene 4 Goosander, back in GM huhe flock of 100 mixed rook jackdaw and carrion crow above golf course several lapwing, Birtle mill odge 70 canada goose 5 tufted duck 6 mallard more goldfinches and long tailed tits.
Ian Boote said
Sat Sep 8 11:49 PM, 2012
In the GMc part of the valley 2 Jays, Goldcrest, Kestrel, Meadow pipits, rooks Green Woodpecker, sparrowhawk.
Ian Boote said
Wed Mar 14 10:44 PM, 2012
Long Walk Two Nuthatches Birtle Herd of Curlews and Exaltation of Skylarks calling all the way up the valley Heron Great Spotted Woodpecker Lots of Coal tits A Spring of Six Teal at Deeply Vale (In Lancs) Kestrel and a deceit of Lapwings at Deeply Deane (In Lancs) Coming back into Birtle Little Owl Meadow Pipits Flock of Linnets Large Parliament of 20 Rooks Large train of 50 Jackdaws And a web site for collective nouns found sounds so much better than group
Ian Boote said
Sun Jan 15 9:33 PM, 2012
Very cold everything covered in frost Not much only things of note Two flocks of bullfinches usual tits and other finches One dipper first seen for some time
Ian Boote said
Sun Oct 30 1:24 PM, 2011
all in GMC
In the Valley Raven, Sparrow Hawk, Reed Bunting Long Taile Tits Bullfinch. Back of Golf Course Rook, flock of snipe and meadow pipits Birtle Mill Res two goosander two tufted duck
Steve Atkins said
Fri Jul 22 7:54 PM, 2011
A productive four hours spent in the Cheesden area this afternoon (tetrad SD81I). Since the start of the Atlas 14 species had been recorded in the breeding seasons 2008-11, of which only three were confirmed.
Unless otherwise stated birds were in Rochdale.
4 Meadow Pipits carrying food Reed Bunting - 2 singing Kestrel Wheatear - 16 (mainly juvs) including a family party consisting of an adult in moult and 3 juvs following it.
A juv Curlew flew up from the ground a few feet from where I was standing, struggling to get airborne. Then an adult started circling and alarm calling. Skylark - 2 Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling Little Owl (Rossendale) Pied Wagtail collecting insects then fed one of two juvs (in Rossendale but the nest could have been in Rochdale!) 7 juv Swallows on fence being fed by adults (same comment as PW)
Greenfinch - male & 2 juvs (Rossendale) 3 juv Goldfinches begging to be fed by adult Whitethroat collecting food (what looked like a moth) for 2 juvs Willow Warbler collecting small caterpillars (unusually for this species it was not calling)
The warbler species were not present in this tetrad in 1979-83 (BBGM), so further evidence of range expansion. Possibly the highest in GM at 270 M above sea level!
So as you can see there's still time to pick up some more confirmed breeding records for the Atlas
Steve
Ian Boote said
Fri Apr 22 2:22 PM, 2011
walk in lower half of valley from birtle past deeply vale and back into birtle, all sighting are in manchester part unless stated otherwisem
Birtle Green to valleyt Blackcap skylarks curlew willow warbler chiff chaffs swallows
in valley NO dippers seen, heron, more willow warbler, kestral carrion crows two reed bunting.
coming back into birtle flock of jackdaws gold finches, fly over rook meadow pipits more curlew skylarks and a peacock calling out of someone grounds
Hope I didn't make it sound more serious than it is - I was in grumpy old man mode at the time. I will have to put one on behind the bar at the Packhorse for you to make amends.
Good Birding.
Colin
Paul Cliff said
Sun Jun 6 12:14 PM, 2010
http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Bury/Birtle/index.html
this is where i think i may have founded my misunderstanding...
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Sunday 6th of June 2010 12:15:45 PM
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Jun 6 11:34 AM, 2010
Colin Ramsden wrote:
Ian McKerchar's summation of last year referred to the 'Birtle Eider' being the bird seen on the River Roch. It was cited as one of the amazing Birtle records. Now if the hamlet of Birtle stretches down to the Roch that's news to me - I don't think so.
All I can say is that it's a shame it has taken this long to be brought up then. I take the advise and opinion of the local birders as I don't know the area particularly well at all so clarification at the time would have been advantageous
David Winnard said
Sun Jun 6 10:33 AM, 2010
And the eider was at first in Bury before moving into Rochdale, so it was a Bury and Rochdale tick for me!
Dave
Paul Cliff said
Sun Jun 6 10:23 AM, 2010
it had nothing to do with flash sports cars, horseboxes or snobbery, just it seems i've always been a bit rubbish at geography...
listening to colin and looking at his references he's right - heywood, rochdale is both north and south of fairfield and jericho, bury.
so strictly speaking the rose coloured starling was jericho, bury and not birtle, heywood - for the records.
Ian Boote said
Fri Jun 4 7:50 PM, 2010
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh
Some touchy touchy people about. But so you should be if people are nicking records for Heywood even if they do call it monkey town.
It gets even more confusing when the name has several spellings Birtle, Bircle, Birtle Cum Bamford and Heywood.
Placename snobbery both the poshing up bit and reverse can be fun. Gee Cross in Hyde has similar problems. One chap I know tried to claim it stretched as far as Kingston Bridge on the Denton Border. That elastic snapped a long time before that.
Colin Ramsden said
Thu Jun 3 8:39 PM, 2010
Ian
Whilst I am not saying that you were confused its worth bearing in mind that the area is a bit of a Bermuda Triangle. Up and over the hill from where you were and straddling the same boundary there are people citing records for Birtle - Bury, despite the fact that Birtle is in Heywood and therefore Rochdale. Reference to clear boundary signs on the main road or an A-Z, the cheapest of which clearly shows the boundaries, or even to Wikipedia, which clearly states that Birtle is in Heywood and the date from which it became part of Heywood, would clarify the matter.
This 'Triangle' effect is however contagious and in such way myths are born. Ian McKerchar's summation of last year referred to the 'Birtle Eider' being the bird seen on the River Roch. It was cited as one of the amazing Birtle records. Now if the hamlet of Birtle stretches down to the Roch that's news to me - I don't think so.
As far as 'Birtle - Bury' goes I think the Birtle residents are getting confused with postal addresses and as far as I know birds don't use these and sitings of birds are not referenced to them. Of course when you are manouvering your 4x4, flash sports car or horsebox out of the Birtle hills there's less prestige or feel good factor in thinking 'how pleasant to be in Heywood' (Monkey Town) - I suspect 'Birtle near Bury' looks better in the estate agents window as well.
These things may only matter to Heywood Monkeys like me, but I 'm damned if i am giving up Heywoods records to toffs who would rather think they are in Bury!
So perhaps if you stick to the published boundaries Ian, Birtle will revert to Heywood as well. Failing that we will rush up the and put the Boote in!
Ian Boote said
Thu Jun 3 10:10 AM, 2010
Thats what happens with obsessional border disputes. Has started wars you know.
Mark Rigby said
Tue Jun 1 12:09 AM, 2010
Clear as mud
Ian Boote said
Mon May 31 11:46 PM, 2010
OK I'll do my best as it is very complicted boundary area an I was walking in the bottom of the valley.
Washwheelmill area at botom of valley east of old Birtle going north Generally if on the east of the vally in GMC in the areas seen.
Curlews SD 84082 13462 3 flying from the Bury/Lancs Side to the Rochdale GMC side and 1 circling on rochdale side SO IN GMC More heard both sides SD 83593 13368 one circling Bury/lancs side so OUTSIDE GMC Dipper Green Wood pecker flying from heather into woods both on rochdale so IN GMC Linnits sen in valley but also in lane from OLd Birtle so IN GMC
Canada Geese were on th lodges outside GMC
two curlew Heard only Just SD 82316 15901 rochdale side of brook These would be in GMC as they came from the east side of the valley boundary 50 yards up the valley side Dipper ETC this was outside just GMC as it was in the brook area or lane above
Sighting back down into birtle seen from lane in Lancashire for this purpose. GMC boundary again about 100 yards west from lane in fields
started at SD 82030 14478 toSD 84082 13462 One curlew each sides of the lane circling and two flying over towards Bury GMC side So that one outside GMC and three in GMC
Chiff Chaff Lapwing etc were seen/heard at several location so would both be in and out and flapping all about GMC
I'm aware that the Bury Rochdale boundary arounf Deply Dene is transgressed by Lancahire. I said I wasn't bothered about boundarys (!) as I find it hair splitting. But lines have to be drawn
Hope that helps
cheers
Ian
Judith Smith said
Mon May 31 7:49 PM, 2010
The county boundary runs along the Cheesden Brook. Are these records in GM or Lancs, Ian? Can't see the names of the areas on the map.
Ian Boote said
Mon May 31 2:20 PM, 2010
Wash Whel Mll area Dipper 5 curlews circling more heard Green Woodpecker flushed from heather Linnets WillowWarblers Chiff Chaff Pied WAgtail Canada Goose with chicks
Usuals
Lumb Car Mill area Dipper Skylarks More Curlew heard Lapwing Meadow pipit Pheasant Grey Wagtails Swallows Swifts
Back Down into Birtle 4 More curlews circling more heard Lapwing Meadow Pipit skylarks carrion crows Linnets Lapwing Mallard Moorhen
And some chaps hidden in nets shooting wood pidgeons. Not that I'm against shooting if done in a proffessional manner like these.
That could be a start of a thread
cheers
ian
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 31st of May 2010 02:21:45 PM
Ian Boote said
Sat May 8 1:10 PM, 2010
Greenwoodpecker Dipper linnets bullfinch Washwheel Mill area
Lower Valley IE GM Loads of willow warblers 1 blackcap 2 Green woodpeckers calling, Bullfinch Some wheatears and mistle thrush lapwing further up not sure if in GM Back of Walmsley golf club few linnets
Cheers
Ian
Ian Boote said
Sun Apr 4 2:51 PM, 2010
Lower Chesden Valley 4 Curlew 2 Kestral Nuthatch chiffchaff kestrel tuften duck fly over cormerant dipper
Ian Boote said
Mon Feb 22 3:51 PM, 2010
From Deeply Vale to Cheesden Pasture Lot of Snow Snipe cArrion Crow Cheesden Pasture Carrion Crow, Kestrel, L Owl Near Cheesden lower Mill Ruins Above Deeply Vale Heron 18 Bullfinches and usual chaffinch Gold finches Blue Great Tits House Sparrows ETC
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 22nd of February 2010 04:10:59 PM
Ian Boote said
Sun Feb 21 5:21 PM, 2010
Was in the lower portion from Birtle to Deeply Vale
Green, Gold, Chaffinch
Blue Geat LT Tit
Dipper Heron
Large flock of Jackdaws
I expected/hoped for a bit more
Dipper singing from ramp then flew up to mill
Fieldfare 13 in trees above fishing pond and flew off
First curlew of the year for me here. Heard briefly across deep moss towards deeply vale from the bridle path continuing from castle hill rd. Also a steady stream of skylarks from the west, approx 15 in all.
From birtle edge to Buckhurst And return via deep moss.
birtle edge. Pair of kestrels with a youngster, swallows, meadow pipits, reed bunting juv.
valley floor past wash wheel mill, greenfinch, linnet, jay, 2x buzzard, another kestrel, Raven over
deeply vale, Chiffchaff, willow warbler, reed bunting, common sandpiper, great black backed gull over.
deep moss had only carrion crows and gulls( herring & g b b juv) on cut fields. The whole moss is now under grass cultivation, not even any cattle, no lapwings & only 3-4 pairs of curlew, 4-5 pairs of skylark this year. Very Sad!
From deeply vale to nabs wife.
4x calling green woodpeckers, numerous sightings of Ravens (max 4 at one time), swallows, buzzard, 2x kestrel and a sparrow hawk.
woods along valley from birtle dean to nabs wife were very quiet with only blue, great and long tailed tits, 2x linnets (over)& a treeecreeper seen.
Had a full walk yesterday from pack horse up to Ashworth Moor rez and back down again.
The valley is one of the best places to find Green Woodpeckers in GM I think, they're always obvious with their loud calls:)
Also had a Kestrel, 2 male Pheasants, a flock of Long-tailed Tits, and four out of the five winter thrushes, just missing Redwing.
Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Curlew, Sand Martin, Swallow Swift, Female Stonechat, Mistle Thrushes, 6 Reed Bunting, Fledged Dippers, Grasshopper Warbler, Willow Warblers, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat.
2 pair Reed Bunting, single Wheatear, up to 10 singing Curlew down the valley, 6 Grey Wagtails, Dipper, 2 Sand Martin, Willow Warbler Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, 8 singing Skylark, 4 Lapwing Several Pheasant
dipper, grey wagtail, curlew, 2 singing skylarks, sparrowhawk, few meadow pipits coal tit, and that was it.
large flock 50+ adult and juv starlings, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Raven, Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Lapwing, Skylark, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler Sand Martins, Swallow.
Drake Goldeneye, Buzzard Kestel, Curlew, Heron, Meadow Pipits
Heron, Dipper, pair of Goosanders, Kestrel, single Meadow Pipit, and flock of 30 Lapwings
Common Whitethroat Reed Bunting 4 Swift, Swallow, 2 Dipper 4 Grey Wagtail, several Curlew 2 Wheatear, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Kestral, Sparrowhawk, Raven, Long Tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and 2 Fieldfare.
No Ring Ouzel today but a little owl on a post as well as moe usuals
Willow Warblers, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, 3 Buzzard, Curlew Reed Bunting Bullfinch, Goldcrest, and male Ring Ouzel
Buzzard, Kestrel, Curlew, Lapwing, Reed Bunting, Teal, Jay, Raven, Green Woodpecker.
4 singing skylark, Meadow Pipits, Heron, 4 Curlew, Sparrow Hawk, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Heron, Jay 8 Lapwing Pheasant, 10 occupied nest in the Rookery at Birtle.
2 curlew kestrel and bullfinch
Upper Valley
200 Pink Footed Geese flying west
Mixed flocks of Fieldfares / Redwing Kestrel, Buzzard, 1-2 Goosanders on all lodges Dipper, Bullfinch
Upper Valley
2 Dipper, Pair of Stonechat, Flocks of Lesser Redpoll, Willow VWarbler, Long Tailed Tits, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, 50 Lapwing, few Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtails, Jay, Pink Footed Geese, Reed Bunting, and a Skylark
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 1st of October 2016 07:10:01 PM
Female Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, 20 Rooks, 2 Linnet, Heron, several Teal, flock of 100 Goldfinches and Reed Bunting.
Two Nuthatches Birtle
Herd of Curlews and Exaltation of Skylarks calling all the way up the valley
Heron
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Lots of Coal tits
A Spring of Six Teal at Deeply Vale (In Lancs)
Kestrel and a deceit of Lapwings at Deeply Deane (In Lancs)
Coming back into Birtle
Little Owl
Meadow Pipits
Flock of Linnets
Large Parliament of 20 Rooks
Large train of 50 Jackdaws
And a web site for collective nouns found sounds so much better than group
Not much only things of note
Two flocks of bullfinches
usual tits and other finches
One dipper first seen for some time
In the Valley Raven, Sparrow Hawk, Reed Bunting Long Taile Tits Bullfinch.
Back of Golf Course Rook, flock of snipe and meadow pipits
Birtle Mill Res two goosander two tufted duck
Since the start of the Atlas 14 species had been recorded in the breeding seasons 2008-11, of which only three were confirmed.
Unless otherwise stated birds were in Rochdale.
4 Meadow Pipits carrying food
Reed Bunting - 2 singing
Kestrel
Wheatear - 16 (mainly juvs) including a family party consisting of an adult in moult and 3 juvs following it.
A juv Curlew flew up from the ground a few feet from where I was standing, struggling to get airborne. Then an adult started circling and alarm calling.
Skylark - 2
Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling
Little Owl (Rossendale)
Pied Wagtail collecting insects then fed one of two juvs (in Rossendale but the nest could have been in Rochdale!)
7 juv Swallows on fence being fed by adults (same comment as PW)
Greenfinch - male & 2 juvs (Rossendale)
3 juv Goldfinches begging to be fed by adult
Whitethroat collecting food (what looked like a moth) for 2 juvs
Willow Warbler collecting small caterpillars (unusually for this species it was not calling)
The warbler species were not present in this tetrad in 1979-83 (BBGM), so further evidence of range expansion. Possibly the highest in GM at 270 M above sea level!
So as you can see there's still time to pick up some more confirmed breeding records for the Atlas
Steve
Birtle Green to valleyt Blackcap skylarks curlew willow warbler chiff chaffs swallows
in valley NO dippers seen, heron, more willow warbler, kestral carrion crows two reed bunting.
coming back into birtle flock of jackdaws gold finches, fly over rook meadow pipits more curlew skylarks and a peacock calling out of someone grounds
in lancashire heron more curlew etc
Nuthatch, Gold crest, 3 large flocks LT tit, 2 GS Woodpecker, Female Sparrow hawk, Buzzard, Raven, Redwings, 3 bullfinch, 12 flyover goosander heading SW.
Into Birtle
30 Fly over Fieldfare & Kestral Bullfinch
2 kestral
1 GSW
1 Dipper
1 Willow warbler
1 Wheatear
lots of jays
usuals
Paul
Hope I didn't make it sound more serious than it is - I was in grumpy old man mode at the time. I will have to put one on behind the bar at the Packhorse for you to make amends.
Good Birding.
Colin
this is where i think i may have founded my misunderstanding...
sorry for the confusion.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?x=382909&y=412279&z=115&tl=St+John+the+Baptist+%28CofE%29,+Birtle,+Bury&ar=Y
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Sunday 6th of June 2010 12:15:45 PM
All I can say is that it's a shame it has taken this long to be brought up then. I take the advise and opinion of the local birders as I don't know the area particularly well at all so clarification at the time would have been advantageous
Dave
listening to colin and looking at his references he's right - heywood, rochdale is both north and south of fairfield and jericho, bury.
so strictly speaking the rose coloured starling was jericho, bury and not birtle, heywood - for the records.
Some touchy touchy people about. But so you should be if people are nicking records for Heywood even if they do call it monkey town.
It gets even more confusing when the name has several spellings Birtle, Bircle, Birtle Cum Bamford and Heywood.
Placename snobbery both the poshing up bit and reverse can be fun. Gee Cross in Hyde has similar problems. One chap I know tried to claim it stretched as far as Kingston Bridge on the Denton Border. That elastic snapped a long time before that.
Whilst I am not saying that you were confused its worth bearing in mind that the area is a bit of a Bermuda Triangle. Up and over the hill from where you were and straddling the same boundary there are people citing records for Birtle - Bury, despite the fact that Birtle is in Heywood and therefore Rochdale. Reference to clear boundary signs on the main road or an A-Z, the cheapest of which clearly shows the boundaries, or even to Wikipedia, which clearly states that Birtle is in Heywood and the date from which it became part of Heywood, would clarify the matter.
This 'Triangle' effect is however contagious and in such way myths are born. Ian McKerchar's summation of last year referred to the 'Birtle Eider' being the bird seen on the River Roch. It was cited as one of the amazing Birtle records. Now if the hamlet of Birtle stretches down to the Roch that's news to me - I don't think so.
As far as 'Birtle - Bury' goes I think the Birtle residents are getting confused with postal addresses and as far as I know birds don't use these and sitings of birds are not referenced to them. Of course when you are manouvering your 4x4, flash sports car or horsebox out of the Birtle hills there's less prestige or feel good factor in thinking 'how pleasant to be in Heywood' (Monkey Town) - I suspect 'Birtle near Bury' looks better in the estate agents window as well.
These things may only matter to Heywood Monkeys like me, but I 'm damned if i am giving up Heywoods records to toffs who would rather think they are in Bury!
So perhaps if you stick to the published boundaries Ian, Birtle will revert to Heywood as well. Failing that we will rush up the and put the Boote in!
OK I'll do my best as it is very complicted boundary area an I was walking in the bottom of the valley.
Washwheelmill area at botom of valley east of old Birtle going north
Generally if on the east of the vally in GMC in the areas seen.
Curlews
SD 84082 13462 3 flying from the Bury/Lancs Side to the Rochdale GMC side and 1 circling on rochdale side SO IN GMC
More heard both sides
SD 83593 13368 one circling Bury/lancs side so OUTSIDE GMC
Dipper Green Wood pecker flying from heather into woods both on rochdale so IN GMC
Linnits sen in valley but also in lane from OLd Birtle so IN GMC
Canada Geese were on th lodges outside GMC
two curlew Heard only Just SD 82316 15901 rochdale side of brook These would be in GMC as they came from the east side of the valley boundary 50 yards up the valley side
Dipper ETC this was outside just GMC as it was in the brook area or lane above
Sighting back down into birtle seen from lane in Lancashire for this purpose.
GMC boundary again about 100 yards west from lane in fields
started at SD 82030 14478 toSD 84082 13462
One curlew each sides of the lane circling and two flying over towards Bury GMC side
So that one outside GMC and three in GMC
Chiff Chaff Lapwing etc were seen/heard at several location so would both be in and out and flapping all about GMC
I'm aware that the Bury Rochdale boundary arounf Deply Dene is transgressed by Lancahire. I said I wasn't bothered about boundarys (!) as I find it hair splitting.
But lines have to be drawn
Hope that helps
cheers
Ian
Dipper
5 curlews circling more heard
Green Woodpecker flushed from heather
Linnets
WillowWarblers
Chiff Chaff
Pied WAgtail
Canada Goose with chicks
Usuals
Lumb Car Mill area
Dipper
Skylarks
More Curlew heard
Lapwing
Meadow pipit
Pheasant
Grey Wagtails
Swallows Swifts
Back Down into Birtle
4 More curlews circling more heard
Lapwing
Meadow Pipit
skylarks
carrion crows
Linnets
Lapwing
Mallard
Moorhen
And some chaps hidden in nets shooting wood pidgeons. Not that I'm against shooting if done in a proffessional manner like these.
That could be a start of a thread
cheers
ian
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 31st of May 2010 02:21:45 PM
Curlew Wheetear Swifts Swallows 4 grey wagtails pheasant lapwing Lumbcar area
Loads of willow warblers 1 blackcap 2 Green woodpeckers calling, Bullfinch
Some wheatears and mistle thrush lapwing further up not sure if in GM
Back of Walmsley golf club few linnets
Cheers
Ian
4 Curlew 2 Kestral Nuthatch chiffchaff kestrel tuften duck fly over cormerant dipper
Lot of Snow
Snipe cArrion Crow Cheesden Pasture
Carrion Crow, Kestrel, L Owl Near Cheesden lower Mill Ruins
Above Deeply Vale
Heron 18 Bullfinches and usual chaffinch Gold finches Blue Great Tits House Sparrows ETC
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 22nd of February 2010 04:10:59 PM