Manchester Birding Forum

axletree edge

C Brown said
Fri May 6 9:56 PM, 2016

Hazy on the moor this evening, with a soothing breeze from the east:

wheatears (2 or 3)
meadow pipits (a few)
skylark (lots)
curlew (heard distantly).

Regards, Chris Jepson - Brown

C Brown said
Wed May 4 9:16 PM, 2016

An evening on the moor, with clear conditions, plus a pleasing south westerly:

skylark,
meadow pipit and.....
wheatear, pair (male exhibiting Greenland - type characteristics).

Also, most odd, another bird person up here too.

Regards, Chris Jepson - Brown

C Brown said
Mon May 2 4:06 PM, 2016

Bright, with a fresh westerly:

Skylark,
Meadow pipit,
Wheatear and...
...raven.

Regards, Chris J - B

C Brown said
Thu Apr 30 8:14 PM, 2015

Beautifully clear evening on the moor, between 19:00 and 19:45, though with a biting 'nor' easter'. Here is what I encountered:

3 wheatear (2f and 1m, m showing Greenland characteristics),
a few skylarks and meadow pipits,
golden plover, over, crossing the watershed into the West Riding, heading NE for Rishworth Moor and a
peregrine low over the moor, also heading NE.

Regards, Chris J - B

Roger Baker 3 said
Thu Apr 30 4:49 PM, 2015

April 30th. 12.30 - 15.30 hrs.

Did about 1/2 mile past trig point and back, gave it a good coat of looking at.

Set off in sunshine .... walked back in a hail storm ..... got back to car and sun came out again. Typical !

Curlew 8. Three pair and two singles.
Skylark. 20+
Meadow Pipit. 10+
Carrion Crow. Surprisingly only the one.
Golden Plover ........ heard whistle only.
Pied Wagtail pair in the lay-by.

Roger.

C Brown said
Sat Apr 25 3:41 PM, 2015

Whilst up here this aft', in cool, blustery and showery conditions, I saw:

several skylarks and meadow pipits,
three wheatears and
golden plover (heard).

Regards, C. Jepson-Brown.

C Brown said
Thu Apr 23 8:24 PM, 2015

Lovely eve' on the moor again, with a refreshing westerly breeze..... but no dotterel. However, I did see:

lots and skylarks and meadow pipits,
a curlew,
male, 'Greenland-type' wheatear and best of all,
a red grouse, well on the Milnrow side of the border.

There has been much moorland regeneration work been done up here of late, with lots of heather brash spread across the peat hags. If it takes, perhaps there will be more red grouse in years to come.

Regards, Chris J - B

C Brown said
Wed Apr 22 9:15 PM, 2015

Here we go again.......one from yesterday evening:

multiple skylarks in song,
a few meadow pipits,
a single curlew over and
two golden plover (one firmly in the West Riding).

Regards, Chris J - B.

C Brown said
Fri May 2 9:22 PM, 2014

On the moor in bright conditions, with a chilly easterly, between 15:30 and 16:15 were:

several meadow pipits and skylarks singing and displaying,
two golden plover and
a lone curlew heading towards Norman Hill.

Regards, C. Jepson-Brown

C Brown said
Tue Apr 29 8:37 PM, 2014

A serene evening on the moor, between 7:00pm and 8:00pm yielded:

a couple of meadow pipits
one skylark
two or three wheatear
a golden plover
and a red grouse could be heard 'go-backing' on the West Riding side.

Regards, Chris J-B.

C Brown said
Sat Apr 26 5:13 PM, 2014

A visit this aft' between 15:30 and 16:15, in bright and breezy conditions (SE wind) produced 4 - 5 golden plover, a few skylarks and meadow pipits and a single wheatear.

Regards, Chris

C Brown said
Fri Apr 25 5:56 PM, 2014

In a shortened visit late this afternoon, moorgrime and drizzle made visibility very poor and consequently I didn't see or hear a single bird.

Regards, C. Jepson-Brown

C Brown said
Thu Apr 24 4:19 PM, 2014

Martyn Jones wrote:

Hi Chris
I'm keenly awaiting your every report for Dotterel sightings - keep up the good work!
Cheers, Martyn

Thanks Martyn. It's nice to know my efforts are appreciated! I'm going to nip up tomorrow. The passage golden plover the other night have given me a new lease of life, so fingers crossed. smile

Regards, Chris J-B.

-- Edited by C Brown on Thursday 24th of April 2014 04:20:06 PM

Martyn Jones said
Thu Apr 24 8:33 AM, 2014

Hi Chris
I'm keenly awaiting your every report for Dotterel sightings - keep up the good work!
Cheers, Martyn

C Brown said
Tue Apr 22 8:38 PM, 2014

And so the yearly charade begins.......

Between 19:15 and 20:00:

Two red grouse (unusually for Axletree, well inside the Milnrow border), a couple of meadow pipits and best of all a very skittish party of 10 golden plover, at least three of which showed clear, 'northern-type' characteristics. They were real belters.

Regards, C. J-B.

C Brown said
Wed May 1 9:20 PM, 2013

May Day on a moorland edge, 19:30 to 20:15, cool and clear; single female wheatear, two skylarks singing and a lone meadow pipit.

C. Jepson-Brown

-- Edited by C Brown on Wednesday 1st of May 2013 09:21:12 PM

C Brown said
Fri Apr 26 3:20 AM, 2013

Just got in from a chilly, if pleasant evening stroll on the moor, with not much to report really:

2 wheatear, couple of meadow pipits, lone singing skylark, pair of golden plover and five lesser black-backed gulls that flew over the watershed from the east.

C. Jepson-Brown

C Brown said
Thu May 3 9:09 PM, 2012

19:15 to 19:45 - Another flight of fancy up on th' Edge this evening, yielded: two wheatears, a few meadow pipits, a skylark and a red grouse.

Regards, C. B

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 3rd of May 2012 09:31:04 PM

C Brown said
Tue May 1 8:09 PM, 2012

May Day 19:00 to 19:30: On my second visit of the 2012 dotterel season, nowt, save for a rather harassed looking wheatear, that the easterly gale had blasted in from the West Riding. It looks like it could be heading for the third year in a row with no dotterel.
Despite the high winds and drifting moorgrime, it was strangely invigorating up here.

Regards, C. B

-- Edited by C Brown on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 08:11:24 PM

Mark Rigby said
Sat Apr 16 2:25 PM, 2011

Early afternoon

2 Wheatear
Skylark
Curlew
Meadow Pipit

Bill Myerscough said
Fri May 7 12:55 PM, 2010

May 7th.

A balmy 3 degrees C at 7.20 this morning - which felt even colder in the very brisk wind! 7 Wheatear, 3 Skylark and 1 Meadow Pipit but no Dotterel

- looks like being a blank year?

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 7th of May 2010 12:55:40 PM

Iain Johnson said
Thu May 6 11:54 AM, 2010

had a brief wander yesterday afternoon: 2, maybe 3 wheatear, 2+ meadow pipit, 4+ skylark, 1 curlew (heard only).

Bill Myerscough said
Sun May 2 8:22 AM, 2010

2nd May

Difficult birding this morning - very windy and cold! No Dotterel!

Cheers,

Bill.

Paul Cliff said
Sat May 1 5:49 PM, 2010

today 2 til 4pm

2 raven
2 wheatear
2 swift
5 skylark
3 mipit
1 buzzard
a few crows

Bill Myerscough said
Thu Apr 29 12:50 PM, 2010

29th April.

Visit 10.40 to 11.40 - low cloud/driving drizzle drifting in and out - visibility at times almost non-existent. Some good upland birds

but not the intended quarry!

Cheers,

Bill.

Mike Chorley said
Tue Apr 27 10:09 PM, 2010

Matt Potter wrote:

Mike Chorley wrote:

I can never remember if Dotterel are supposed to move on the New or the Full Moon, but if it's the latter that's on Wednesday night.
(and before Messers Potter & Rigby ask 'yes but I'm alright nooowwwww')

I don't know if your notes include weather for preceding days or not Bill, butI remember Riggers & I noticing a correlation between wet weather and the birds' arrival on at least two previous occasions

You have never been alright!!!!!

True, 50% of me has always been left

Wetter weather forecast for Weds & Thursday, Bill

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Tuesday 27th of April 2010 10:11:48 PM

dave broome said
Tue Apr 27 9:28 PM, 2010

Paul Cliff wrote:

Up hre at the minute eating my lunch... Not much to report so far 5 skylark
1 mipit
1 wheatear
1 distant curlew

That's some lunch Paul. Did you stick 'em on a barm?

Paul Cliff said
Tue Apr 27 12:35 PM, 2010

Up hre at the minute eating my lunch... Not much to report so far 5 skylark
1 mipit
1 wheatear
1 distant curlew

will update if anything else pops up.

Matt Potter said
Tue Apr 27 11:32 AM, 2010

Mike Chorley wrote:

I can never remember if Dotterel are supposed to move on the New or the Full Moon, but if it's the latter that's on Wednesday night.
(and before Messers Potter & Rigby ask 'yes but I'm alright nooowwwww')

I don't know if your notes include weather for preceding days or not Bill, butI remember Riggers & I noticing a correlation between wet weather and the birds' arrival on at least two previous occasions

You have never been alright!!!!!

Bill Myerscough said
Tue Apr 27 7:35 AM, 2010

Mike Chorley wrote:

I can never remember if Dotterel are supposed to move on the New or the Full Moon, but if it's the latter that's on Wednesday night.
(and before Messers Potter & Rigby ask 'yes but I'm alright nooowwwww')

I don't know if your notes include weather for preceding days or not Bill, butI remember Riggers & I noticing a correlation between wet weather and the birds' arrival on at least two previous occasions

Thanks for that interesting info on moon phases Mike. In 2009 the weather prior to the 26th had been pretty settled - not too dissimilar from what we have had so far in April this year, although the 26th was wetter and the birds were found in decent weather conditions on the following day 27th. The birds in 2008 were found in very poor weather conditions and the run up to the finding date (28th) date, from what I can recall, had been quite similar. Reading Paul Heaton's report in the 2006 county bird report I think they were also found in unsettled weather conditions on 30th April of that year.

Cheers,

Bill.

Mike Chorley said
Mon Apr 26 11:27 PM, 2010

I can never remember if Dotterel are supposed to move on the New or the Full Moon, but if it's the latter that's on Wednesday night.
(and before Messers Potter & Rigby ask 'yes but I'm alright nooowwwww'

)

I don't know if your notes include weather for preceding days or not Bill, butI remember Riggers & I noticing a correlation between wet weather and the birds' arrival on at least two previous occasions

Paul Cliff said
Mon Apr 26 2:29 PM, 2010

up there in the mist for a couple of hours this morning. when it eventually cleared 2 wheatear, 2 curlew, lots of skylark and mipits.

Bill Myerscough said
Sun Apr 25 3:41 PM, 2010

25/4.

I did the 7.20am to 8.10am shift this morning. No sign of any Dotterel........just yet! For info

- first sighting last year was 27/4 and the year before (2008) was 28/4. The record from 2006 was on 30/4.

Also 2 Ravens, 1 Curlew and 1 Swallow over.

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 25th of April 2010 03:41:22 PM

Paul Cliff said
Sun Apr 25 3:20 PM, 2010

skylark, mipits and a single crow was it this lunchtime was it.

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