Autumn migration is alive and well in Greater Manchester

At approx. 5:30pm tonight I headed through the almighty downpour towards Smithills Moor and found the roads looking like fully flowing rivers! As a neared Mast Road the skies to the west were beauifully clear and the rain was now subsiding, I pulled the car over on a small layby along Mast Road to view the the two small short grass fields along the road's northern edge, often a productive spot and I was not disappointed!

The fields were alive with birds and as the last of the rain cleared, I could clearly hear some very distinctive calls (from the car window initially!) coming from the wire fence 30 feet away, Twite and no less than 3 of them were along the fence, stone wall and flying into the field hopping along the grass noisily, giving great views. Pipits were seemigly all over the place, with at the very least 60 Meadow Pipits in the fields alone and then a Tree Pipit over and into the same field, although once down it was nigh on impossible to re-find but another, or perhaps the same was seen and heard in flight a little later on. Wheatears in the fields alone numbered atleast 8 and possibly as many as 11, 3 Whinchats were conspicuous along the edges of the taller grassy fields bordering the short grass ones, using the dry-stone walls to fly back and forth from. All this from 15 minutes of birding in just 2 small fields!

Obviously the rain had forced them all down (it really was one hell of a downpour), as the Twite moved off south-east after 10 minutes or so, all but 2 Wheatears were left in the fields after 15 minutes and nearly all the pipits had moved on, with many heading up along Mast Road, sat around on the road infront of the car as we headed further up to turn around. Only the Whinchats remained, roughly moving to the field opposite the car park at Wilderswood.

But what a 15 minutes, some of my most exiting county birding for ages with a real feeling of migration

Female/immature Redstart this early afternoon, at the very northern edge of Wilderswood. Follow the footpath off the road to the left, just before the road breaks out into the fields, the bird was roughly around where the telegraph wires cross this path but was very elusive though vocal. Nothing else of note other than 2 Ravens and a family of noisy Sparrowhawks in Wilderswood itself.

I saw a possible family group of 4 Peregrines flying over the A6 near Portofinos restaurant between Adlington where I had been visiting and the motorway at the Reebok junction Horwich at 5.15pm
Also a Buzzard was soaring very high up over Adlington for over 30 minutes until the rain came down.

Atleast 6 Crossbills in Walker Fold Woods this early pm.

Info thanks to Simon Johnson

This am:

a very late Fieldfare between Holden's farm and plantation (one for the Mayhem list ), flew towards Burnt Edge with 2 Mistle Thrushes
also in the area: 2 pairs and a male Stonechat. 1 male Wheatear. 3 Curlews. 1 Raven. 2 Gropplers. GS Woodpecker. 2 Cuckoo. 2 Kestrel.

So did I on an expedition with Tony Darby No Red Grouse or Raven either.

Wheatear pair
Stonechat pair
Mipits 40+ seen many many more present
Curlew 2 over
Peregrine over
Kestrel


-- Edited by Tim Wilcox at 17:20, 2008-04-13

4 Male Wheatears this am plus Buzzard mobbed by 2 Ravens; also Stonechat, Green Wodpwecker calling loudly and repeatedly, and at least 5 Curlews

I met up with Woosey at Wilderswood around 1pm and it was definately appearing to lift then but it's always touch and go when it's low cloud. Strange atmosphere up there in those conditions though, I love it

Thursday 3rd April, visibility down to 100 yards at times due to low cloud, with occasional, temporary clearings then began to lift from aprroximately 1pm.

Male ring Ouzel at the top of Holdens Plantation at 11:15 but was very elusive (typically) and may have 'cleared out' as the visibility improved.

Sand Martin- 5 over and through the gloom

Small flocks of Chaffinches flying north through Holdens Plantation and out across the moors (in extremely poor visibilty)

Wheatear- 1 female

30.03.08 -2-5pm-same as jimmy plus 4 stonechat,1 female wheatear,and 2 dipper at barrow bridge

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 19:07, 2008-03-30

17/3/08 (14.00-16.20)

2 Ravens displaying high overhead.
4 Curlews back on territory.
4 Stonechats (2pr.) by the Dean Brook, below Holden`s.
2 Siskin & 25+ Goldfinch in Walker Fold Wood.
2 Mallard over Smithills Moor.

5 and a half hours sat on a wall the man deserves a medal, he was there when me and warfy walked passed then we went harrier hunting,after two hours bashing the moors we had seen 2 grouse and a crow,got back to the wall and found he was still there with Mr Woosey , we therefore renamed this spot as the new GM raptor watchpoint, all four of us concentrated hard and tried to re-locate the harrier then warfy declared it was offically dinner so we buggered off to burger king Oh i believe Mr woosey went to a pie shop.
it was fun and we had a laugh
keep birding

Thursday 07 Feb 08

Walker Fold/Burnt Edge/Two Lads area

11:00 - 15:00

Hen Harrier (male) hunting between Burnt Edge and the Winter Hill Road at about 12:20.
also, possible female Hen Harrier drifted west, quite high over Winter Hill @ 12:00, too far away to confirm though

also on't moors today:

Red Grouse (6)
Raven (2)
Stonechat (pair)
Snipe (3)
Grey Heron (4)
Skylark
Kestrel
Magpie
C. Crow
Reed Bunting

and in the woods:

Sparrowhawk
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Siskin (13)
GS Woodpecker
Blackbird
Robin
Wren

but no Crossbills

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 18:01, 2008-02-07

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 18:02, 2008-02-07

26/1/07 (13.30-15.00)

male HEN HARRIER quartering the ridge above Gilligant`s Farm. It drifted off NE @ 14.30

pair of Stonechat, Red Grouse, and a Kestrel also in the area.

that's all folks!

crossbill and 4 twite at burnt edge/wallker fold today

Info thanks to andy makin

23/12/07


A couple of hours this pm.

Flock of Fieldfare 20
Buzzard put a pheasant up.
Chaffinch,Greenfinch,Goldcrest no Crossbills.
Male Sparrowhawk
Heron.

A lovely walk on the misty moors

10 Crossbills today at Walker Fold Wood inlcuding 3 male types and giving very good views.

Info thanks to Andy Makin.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 17:32, 2007-12-13

in search of crossbills and others ,went up to 'the hill' it was raining a 'bit' and the light was poor,went round a corner sideways on black ice just stopped short of a dry stone wall,so please be carefull, it seems the good people of bolton don,t pay to get all the roads gritted.retired early to lick my wounded pride.

cheers geoff

No sign of Crossbills this afternoon 1-2.30pm. Not much of anything for that matter. Sparrowhawk,Coal Tit,Blue Tit and Chaffinch the best we could muster.Might have had something to do with the weather conditions !! persisting it down Damn Crossbills-do they really exist???

Geoff, get up there quick and strike while the irons hot, they wont be there all winter, take "moorman" with ya he knows where to look, he loves it up there, in fact Mr Woosey why dont u just move to Bolton?

2 Crossbills in Walker Fold wood this morning.
Also Redpoll, Siskin, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Redwing, Fieldfare, GSWoodpecker, Stonechat, Reed Bunting and hundreds and hundreds of Wood Pigeons (The sky was full of them at one point!)

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 13:00, 2007-11-17

Hi Paul

Correct, best to either take cobbled path from Walker Fold road alond south west side of wood, then take path up hillside from Burnt Edge to view over wood, alternatively, park on Burnt Edge Lane accessible from Edge Lane, and walk down hill opposite Matchmoor Lane passed barking dogs (cant be missed).

-- Edited by Alan Warford at 14:51, 2007-11-15

12 Crossbills still in Walker Fold Wood at 12 noon, seen from the hillside to the west, they were towards the north end of the wood in the area where there is the biggest concentration of cones, then seen to fly deeper into woods and lost to view.