Up on the moor for an hour early this morning for a proper look - minus 1C

At least 4 Golden Plover on the Greater Manchester side of the Pennine Way - plenty of calling and some singing.

Plenty of Red Grouse as usual.

Saddleworth Moor - 15.00:

stopped briefly at the car park on the county boundary on A635 for a scan of the moor.

One splendid male Golden Plover in full breeding plumage just inside Greater Manchester

Male Merlin Flying by the side of Huddersfield Road near Albion Foarm this morning at 07.45am

70 Wawings on Hillspring Road, Springhead yesterday
35 Waxwings today

Female Mandarin on Diggle duck pond this morning-still there at 1130hrs.

also 2 Moorhen and c60 Mallard

Greenfield and Royal George
Sunday 30th Dec.
9 Heron Roosting in Field opposite Royal George
3 Dipper on the River all singing, one ringed
50-60 Long Tailed Tits in 2 seperate groups
4 Siskin feeding on Alders next to the canal adjacent to the Sewage Works
15 Goldfinch with the Siskin
3 Cormorants

Female merlin flew over Huddersfield road at the albion farm cafe Delph this afternoon

Saturday 19th May. 08.15 hrs.

Kiln Green.

7 Linnets (all male) on a fence + 6 over.

Roger

Delph

Late news from yesterday (Phil Kenyon)

Chiffchaff singing at 9am in Delph.

A rather crazy hour or so bog-trotting on the moor with Stephen Young. We were supposed to be checking out likely wader breeding sites for a survey later this spring, but the low cloud meant we could hardly see the next peaty morass

Only birds present were Golden Plover and Red Grouse - and we only heard most of them!

Steve

Kingfisher on Huddersfield Canal, Diggle nr ward lane this morning.

2 Whinchat on Dark Lane just below Heights. 2 GOldcrest in trees at junction of Heights Lane and dark Lane. Before we went to the pub!!!

Apologies if this is the wrong thread, but I couldn't find a pure Uppermill topic

18th September 12:00 - 13:45
walk along the River Tame and the Canal from the centre of Uppermill to the Brownhill Countryside centre (closed for the day), over towards Dobcross and then back down the donkey track and along the canal towards the big Tesco , before turning back towards Uppermill.

2 Nuthatch, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Blue Tit, Great Tit, 3 Goldfinch - all on the feeders at Brownhill

pr Canada Geese, 100+ Mallard - all on the canal

Plenty of Robins and Long-tailed tits calling from the woods and hedges en-route

Grey Wagtail - on the River Tame

Up on the hills in the distance (pots and pans)
- 1 Buzzard circling high above the hill
-10+ Swallow
- lots of Crows and Jackdaws

As with all other visits to the area and Dovestones this year, I totally failed in my quest to find a Dipper. :(

-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Sunday 18th of September 2011 07:13:46 PM

-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Sunday 18th of September 2011 07:14:58 PM

I've just got hold of a copy of " The Birds of Saddleworth" published in 1975 which states that only one Canada Goose had ever been seen in the area until 4 pairs were introduced in 1973.

Will we have flocks of several hundred Pintail/Muscovy hybrids all over Greater Manchester in 30 years time?

Steve

Escaped Pintail still on Diggle duck pond. Has black plastic ring on right leg 619 AVF.

Diggle Brook - off Ward Lane - Moorhen and 6 juveniles.

Linnet -2 below Pots n Pans. No Little Owl in area after much scanning.

Diglea - Wheatear

New Years Bridge res - Canada Goose - 3 goslings

Denshaw - 3 House Martins in vicinity of last years colony

Wharmton Hill 09.30 Monday: 12 Golden Plover - presumably on migration.
Also 1 Whitchat, 3 linnet, 3 wheatear, 1 buzzard, 1 Green woodpecker plus lots of jackdaws, magpies and crows as usual.

Dave S

Buzzard being mobbed by 4 crows as it flew along Wharmton Hill - heading towards Grasscroft - approx 12.30

Dragged away from the DIY by the gorgeous spring weather

Running Hill Gate and Broadstone Hill:

Several pairs of Lapwing & Curlew displaying,
Skylarks & Meadow Pipits singing like mad,
2 Raven over
1 Hare.

Enjoyed the stroll, and the views, so much I went to meet my "better half" and did the same walk again with her after lunch! Added Snipe and distantly-calling Golden Plover in the afternoon.

Steve

2 Curlew and 3 Tufted Duck from Tame Lane, Slackcote

28th February.

A lovely visit to Denshaw and Slackcote this afternoon in the excellent company of Maggie and Pat Culkin.

Highlights- 1 redhead Goosander, 1 Male Reed Bunting and a lovely male Stonechat found by Maggie.

Also 2 Stock Dove, 2 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, c60 Starling, c100 Jackdaw and very large but distant and stretched out flock of Fieldfare - several hundred but impossible to count reasonably accurately.

Cheers,

Bill.

14th January.

Song Thrush singing near Slackcote this morning - the first I have heard this year. Also Mistle Thrush singing - welcome signs that the breeding season is just around the corner.

Also 8 Stock Doves in same general area on 9th. Also on same date - mixed flock of c35 finches near Denshaw - roughly c30 Greenfinch and c5 Goldfinch.

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 14th of January 2011 02:06:51 PM

Running Hill Lane 1810-1915

3 Wheatear
2 Curlew
13 Mistle Thrush
Pheasant
2 Kestrel

walk from uppermill to pots and pans produced a large number of lapwing, at least 4 curlew, 5 LBB Gulls heading towards Castleshaw, meadow pipit, skylark and possible twite (flyby with no bins ).