Cannot believe I have not added for 3 years. A Redwing flying from the east with a Song Thrush, both calling, was an extremely nice surprise and in a way most unexpected as they have only started to arrive now. I will add some of the unusual sightings from the last 3 years soon. Not that much has been missed.
Can't believe I have not added anything since September 2018.
Sightings since then:-
Grey Phalarope in the 3rd week of September 2018. 2019 was probably quite uneventful too.
Highlights of 2020 include - Osprey circling over last weekend of March. Ring Ouzels in the Alden, Musbury and Grane Valleys - A peak of 12 on 10th April is a personal best for me. the 10th of April saw the arrival of 2 other migrants - Sedge Warbler and Common Sandpiper. Ringed Plover and Dunlin were the only migrant waders using the exposed mud as water levels lowered.
May saw the arrival of 2 Cuckoos. The first time I have heard 2 Cuckoos at one time anywhere in Rossendale.
In June I and another Rossendale Ornithologist club member took part in the Rossendale bird race and we stuck to the Haslingden and Grane area. It was on the first Sunday in June (June 6th) and we managed to see 69 species - of which 65 were at Grane. Collared Dove, Rook, Tawny Owl and Great Spotted Woodpecker were recorded out of the Grane area. Collared Doves are rare in the Grane Valley as are Rooks even though both nest nearby. Rooks do visit Grane to feed or pass over but not regularly. The other 2 species we just had bad luck with.
We failed to get Wheatear, Sparrowhawk and Coots - the first 2 do breed at Grane and the latter is an occasional visitor. Strangely Herring Gull was seen a day before the bird race but not on the day so could not be counted. A family party of Wheatear were seen 2 days after the bird race as were Crossbills!
Highlights were Redpoll, Siskin, Whitethroat, Dunlin on the reservoir and a Rossendale Bird Race first - Mediterranean Gull at Grane.
8 Mediterranean Gulls were at Grane on the 8th of June - a record for the area. 4 Had been recorded in 2017 and 2018. Let's hope for double figures in 2021. Mediterranean Gulls are only ever recorded at Grane from February to August. They fly over from Belmont.
A maximum of about 45 Crossbills were recorded at Grane. If any Greater Manchester Birders who visited want to post photos please do add them. Some nice photos were uploaded on various sites.
Another highlight of June was a Shoveler. I saw a bird fly off which I thought was different and noticed the light blue spectrum patch and took a photo. The bill looked quite small as it was flying away and for sometime I thought it ould be a raer visitor from America. I caught up with it and it was my 2nd record of Shoveler at the site. A Redshank is so far the only record this year sadly. Common Scoter numbers were much higher at the Grane Reservoirs this year - increased observer coverage because people spending more time locally?
Sightings in July included 6 Mediterranean Gulls on the 10th, a Marsh Harrier on the 21st and more Crossbills. The Marsh Harrier or a Marsh Harrier was sighted a few miles to the North of Grane in Rossendale and then a few days later at Grane and the Alden Valley. I believe the sightings over a 19 day period are of 1 bird - 3 sightings were within 1 week. a Little Egret also visited - so far the only record this year!
August was a month where I missed a Red Kite by probably 5 minutes. It was seen a few times over the week and once later on. I need Red Kite for my Rossendale list. If I had seen Red Kite it could have been my 11th non-owl Bird of Prey recorded in Rossendale. What made up for it was the fact I did not see 1 but 2 Lesser Whitethroats - one in an exposed area with rushes and stones for cover! This species is a Rossendale first for me. 7 Swifts on the 26th were the last i ever saw. Nice to see they went out with a bang. The 20th saw the arrival of 4 Whinchat - the first I have seen at Grane since 2017. 2 Tree Pipits on the 16th were the only ones seen this year at Grane.
September saw the confirmation of Red Grouse on the moors but seen by other observers not me. I managed to see a ring tail Hen Harrier - my 2nd ever here. They are not that rare visitors but just I never seem cross paths with them locally.
The 11th saw a minimum of 500 House Martins over the Grane Reservoirs. What a sight that was!
From the 17th we had a bit of a super week resulting in Super Tuesday. The 17th saw the arrival of 6 Ring Ouzels above Ogden reservoir with lots of Mistle Thrush! The 18th saw a Cetti's Warbler recorded - a first for Rossendale and a late Grasshopper Warbler. 5 Ring Ouzel hung about with approx 25 Mistle Thrush. On the 20th 45 Mistle Thrush were counted, a Merlin and a very late Whitethroat. On the 20th 1000 plus Meadow Pipits seemed to be heading south over the course of the day.
Super Tuesday on the 22nd of September saw another observer record Yellow Wagtail at Holden Wood Reservoir and myself finding a bird that made me so excited and ecstatic - a drake Pochard. My first ever here! I had to wait so long for this species to turn up but it did not stay too long! This was with a Ring Ouzel as support and a Shoveler! Since early September a Shoveler has taken up some sort of residency at Holden Wood Reservoir occasionally going missing now and then. A Willow Tit at the Calf Hey reservoir feeders on the 29th is a second record at Grane this decade!
-- Edited by Sarfraz Hayat on Thursday 1st of October 2020 10:22:08 PM
Not really updated this much. An Osprey was sighted today let's hope it stays a few days. One stayed 2 weeks from late May until early June in 2017. Sighting was not publicised because of the receding water levels meant that Lapwing were nesting on the shoreline. They suffered enough disturbance already without inviting more. A Red Kite was seen too - I have yet to see one in my local area of Rossendale. Be quite something to see Red Kite and Osprey together in my local area.
Got a patch first with 2 Whooper Swans present in December 2017. A Great White Egret was present for a few days too sighted by another observer and some fishermen. A Stoat in ermine was present. Around February 22 a Mediterranean Gull turned up then followed by a Barnacle Goose. The first was the earliest date one has been recorded in the Grane area of this species which has first been recorded here in 2015 and then 2017 - a number of records have been recorded throughout the breeding season. The latter appeared when there was considerable movement of Swans, Geese and Ducks - hard to prove it was an actual wild bird but in my eyes harder to improve it was feral. It stayed with Canada Geese but then disappeared westwards to Fishmoor Reservoir. It did not come to bread unlike the Mediterranean Gull!!!
The Beast from East delivered a pair of Gadwall that stayed a few days. Many people would not be bothered about Gadwall BUT they are a scarcity in the East Lancashire area and we have had less than 10 records in Rossendale I believe. One of my personal highlights was a Glaucous Gull which turned up and flew off when it spotted us. Once again the species is scarcely recorded in East Lancashire away from Fishmoor nowadays. It was with a Great Black-backed Gull and flew off with one too. The Great Black-Backed Gulls hang around on Ogden Reservoir which is the middle reservoir probably robbing the Cormorants of the fish they catch. This particular Glaucous Gull was probably the giant recorded at Rishton Reservoir, then fields by the Calder River, Dean Clough and Parsonage Reservoir too. It was also recorded in early May at another site in Rossendale - Mitchells House Reservoir and then Dean Clough and Parsonage Reservoirs.
A single Common Scoter, some Ring Ouzels, a Marsh Harrier and a Red Kite provided some Spring surprises. The surprise of the year so far has been a Great Grey Shrike in the Musbury Valley - where one was present in Autumn 2014. A Common Cuckoo called in May but who knows if this bred? Two Dunlin were the only waders which passed through and sadly no Redshank recorded!!! I got my first Crossbills at Grane and had Twite flying over. 4 Common Terns were a nice July record - it pays to wake early in birding and from that statement it s obvious I did not find them.
August has been very productive with 4 Little Egrets seen on 2 dates. These were followed by a juvenile Kittiwake on Holden Wood Reservoir - the most easterly of the reservoirs - the one closest to Manchester City if you drive up from the M66. It flew west. Water levels had dropped considerably around the 3 reservoirs. With so much mud on Calf Hey Reservoir - the reservoir closest to Blackburn, it was not long before it attracted some waders. The highlight was a Wood Sandpiper and this or another was seen on Holden Wood 10 days later. 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin and a Ringed Plover were nice to see. 3 Whimbrels call in gin flight with a Curlew were another patch first along with the Wood Sandpiper and Ringed Plover.
A couple of Tree Pipits also passed over which is always a highlight. Rossendale has had a good September overall with a Little Gull and 65 Common Scoter in Whitworth and 3 Pintails at Bacup. Grey Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and a Marsh Harrier in the Clowbridge area. An Osprey was recorded around the Irwell.
-- Edited by Sarfraz Hayat on Saturday 1st of September 2018 10:42:29 PM
-- Edited by Sarfraz Hayat on Saturday 1st of September 2018 11:00:17 PM
Completely shocked to see a Caspian Tern on my local patch at Holden Wood Reservoir today. Got my first Rossendale Terns ever , 2 Common on 22nd of June 2016 - to get a Caspian on my year anniversary even if it as 2 days early is not something to moan about is it?
A great find Sarfraz, I guess this could be the bird that has been reported present at Leighton Moss today the 21st.
Completely shocked to see a Caspian Tern on my local patch at Holden Wood Reservoir today. Got my first Rossendale Terns ever , 2 Common on 22nd of June 2016 - to get a Caspian on my year anniversary even if it as 2 days early is not something to moan about is it?
2 Great White Egrets flew in from the East ..could possibly have come from Greater Manchester area. It was windy but the birds did not settle on Holden Wood Reservoir, they carried on West. I picked them up again on far end of Ogden viewable from Calf Hey. One is spectacular but a multiple sighting away from the Lancashire coastline is more than enough to make me happy.
Other special sightings form the area include 10 Ring Ouzels just over 2 weeks ago, 3 which stayed until 10 days ago. An Osprey stayed for a week at the end of August. Hen Harrier been sighted once too.
Been quite an exciting few months with at least 4 sightings of adult Mediterranean Gulls in March, April, June and July. Little Grebe and Greylag in April both quite rare here. Others have had Marsh Harrier and Yellow Wagtails. June and July have ben quite exciting by usual standards with a minimum of 11 Little Ringed Plovers present one evening, a juvenile Shelduck dropping in for over a week. A Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Black Redstarts - a male and what almost certainly appeared to be a female present last week and 3 Greenshank present today.
Nearby in Rawtenstall a Bittern showed very well in a tree by a small lodge on private property. Last record of Bittern in Rossendale was in January 2013. 2 records of Bittern so close even though there was just a few reeds, literally. My first in Rossendale and I will not be expecting to see another. The Martin Mere bird was showing at the same time so they were two different birds. It was my birthday on the 26th too.
-- Edited by Sarfraz Hayat on Monday 27th of July 2015 09:57:08 PM
A quick walk around Calf Hey Reservoir this morning (9-10am). I saw two Great spotted woodpecker, a Treecreeper. a Great crested grebe, 3 Cormorant, 2 Canada geese, a Pied wagtail, 3 Goldfinch and a Nuthatch heard in the woods.
-- Edited by chrisfg1 on Saturday 7th of March 2015 12:32:16 PM
-- Edited by chrisfg1 on Saturday 7th of March 2015 12:33:21 PM
Nice find! I dreamt of a Great Grey Shrike this week locally. I hope I was in that dream and make it reality! I am not that familiar with the area sadly. I spend more of my time a bit further north in the valley.
Janice and I did a 5.5 mile circular walk starting from Helmshore Mill car park up onto Musbury Heights along the Rossendale Way. Wheatears, Meadow Pipits, Crows and Jackdaws a plenty. Wagtails and good numbers of Goldfinch. One Kestrel was seen but the highlight of the day showing very well at the foot of the valley in the cragg between Burnt Hill and Musden Head Moor was a Great Grey Shrike. A bogey bird & lifer for the two of us.
Great White Egret been present since last Sunday on Holden Wood Red, will fly to Ogden which is next res on north side. Was away on Wednesday and Thursday but came back. Gets a lot of grief from Herons. Bigger than Heron's when standing close.
Quite a few Whinchat around at least 10 seen on o e day by 2 different observers.
Other birds reported over the last two weeks include Kingfisher, Osprey, mind of 11 Cormorants, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover. Redshank, Snipe, 40-50 Lapwing, in excess of 20 Mallard, at moment about 15 Teal, Great Crested Grebe, the occasional larger Gull, 1000 plus Meadow Pipits one morning grounded and flying south and west. Good numbers of Wren, Goldcrest. Breeding Stonechat and other passerines. Raven and other Corvids barring Rook are commonly seen. Peregrine, Sparrowhawk's. Kestrel, Buzzards can be seen on occasion and I have had two sightings of a Merlin in last 6 weeks.
The odd Spotted Flycatcher. Redstart. Chiffchaff , Whitethroat have been sighted in the last two weeks. I was fortunate enough to see a Willow Tit on Friday and even luckier Dave Ousey confirmed the ID.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 20th of September 2014 11:33:20 PM
