Top Res
2 Curlew, Lapwings Meadow pipits cormorants pied wagtails

Middle
2 Oystercatcher 2 Great crested grebes lots of pied wagtails house sparrows cormorants.

3 Oystercatcher, Pheasant, fly over goosander, usuals and about 100 Jackdaws roosting in trees around rest home

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 18th of February 2012 07:17:17 PM

Walked over from home via Burrs and Bolholt Lodge.. 0600 till 1230.. Saw the following of note,
Kestrel
2 Sparrowhawk
Buzzard nr Summerseat
Dipper
5 Cormorant over Burrs
1 Woodcock in Kirklees Valley
2 Grey Heron
17 Teal and 3 Tufted Duck on Bolholt Lodge

On Lowercroft Upper Res 1 Wigeon, 2 Goosander and a single Green Sandpiper in the flooded fields by the Upper Res inlet stream..
11 Redwing

Rob Archer

Lane accross cocky moor
Flock of Rooks and House Sparrow and a Willow Warbler
Top Res sky lark Lapwing canada goose with gosling reed bunting male singing.
middle res 3 Great crested Grebes whitethroat another willow warbler swallows and swifts

nightime curlew just heard warbling

Walked over from home. Saw the following;
Two Brooks;
1 Kestrel
1 Pheasant

14 Fieldfare and 1 Curlew near Gary Nevilles house!
2 Stock Doves

On the Res; 1100hrs
1 ad Mediterrean Gull
c50 BH Gulls
3 GC Grebes
2 Reed Buntings
2 Oystercatcher
c30 Redwing

Bolholt Lodge; 1215hrs
Saw presumably the same Med Gull in a larger BH Gull flock in fields adjacent to the Lodge
1 LBB Gull
4 Common Gulls
1 Cormorant
1 Oystercatcher
12 Teal
4 Snipe visible in short reed bed at W end of Lodge. Great views stationary.
Canada Geese, Moorhen, Coot and Mallards

3 Linnet and 2 Reed Bunting on Wood Lane, Summerseat

Rob Archer

Early pm visit.

11 Moorhen, 3 Coot, 3 Tufted Duck, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Cormorants, 3 Goosander on the reservoirs.

Pair of Grey Wagtails seen, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Oystercatchers - an obvious pair that became very agitated when a single unattached bird landed. After much alarm calling and agitation, they flew at it and chased it away. 3 Lapwing - one giving a lovely, but silent display flight over the upper reservoir.

A large flock of Redwings - 140+ in the lightly wooded area between the lower res and Gisburn Drive. Spending some of their time foraging on the ground and at other times having a communal singing session in the trees. Their communal song was loud enough to be heard from several hundred yards away. A single Mistle Thrush was singing. 1 Kestrel seen.

Some very large flocks of commoner species around the upper res and before the Harwood Golf Course. c250 Fieldfare, a separate feeding flock of 200+ Starling. At least 40 Rooks and 15 Jackdaws. Not sure where the nearest rookery is and I notice from an earlier post that Rooks are usually scarce birds here. c60 Woodpigeon.

A flock of c80 Black-headed Gulls resting on a bank above the middle res, amongst which were 2 Common Gulls.

In a woodland not too far away had an enjoyable 20 minutes watching the antics of a pair of Nuthatches investigating a freshly drilled hole in a mature tree, presumably made by a Great Spotted Woodpecker. They visited the hole several times, cached food around the potential nest site and vigourously chased away any Blue or Great Tits that dared to want to have a look for themselves! This will presumably become their nesting location.... provided the woodpeckers don't see them off!

Cheers,

Bill.





-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 22nd of February 2011 04:39:32 PM

Walked over from Ramsbottom via Affetside and back up the Irwell. More miles than birds.
1030 to 1745. Saw the following;
84 Canada Geese by middle res
7 Mallard
4 Moorhen
2 Grey heron
2 Goosander m & f
Little Owl (h)
1 Kestrel
1 GBB Gull with 7 LBB Gulls over SW
Many Crows, Magpies, 4 Jays, a few Rooks and lots of Jackdaw south pm
Plenty of Woodpigeons
2 Pied wagtail
2 Fieldfare
11 Redwing
LT, Blue and Great tits
Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Bullfinch.

By the Lodge at Bolholt Hotel.
Tawny Owl (h)
1 m Teal

On the Irwell.
6 Goosander 3 m
4 Dipper
1 Kingfisher near Banks farm
1 Goldcrest near Banks farm

Rob Archer

Not much
Several Field fare cockey moor and 30 rooks roosting
On lodges heron pied wags and reed bunter.

sunrise and frosty
jay treecreeper in trest home grounds
4 fly over cormerants
5 fly over teal
4 meadow pippits lots of pied wags middle dam
3 tufted and 3 moorhen heron bottom res
rook cockey moor

not much roost of pied wagtails under top dam
few meadow pipits
and the Harris Hawk was back this time putting the willies up 50 jackdaws who were also roosting. Hardcore. look forward to several new species next year.

Ian Boote wrote:

---

PM
........and on cocky moor a falconer taking his harris hawk with its jesses and bells for a walk or flap and it looked very impressive circling him and put the willies up several wood pidgeon.

---

Should produce some interesting hybrids, then

common sandpiper
large flock of gold finches
few linnets
common tern
grey wags juv
pied wags
some being chased/mobbed by swallows flying up the lodge
heron
carion crows

cheers

ian

Around Lodges
Common Tern GC Grebe House Martin, Swift Swallows etc 2 Oyster Catchers Lapwings Juv pied wagtail Heron. Mallards
Bentley Lane Area
2 Reed Bunting (Rather Odd as there isn't many reeds around to bunting in)
And no linnets not surprising as some arse put a disposable BBQ under the gorse and set it on fire.

Cheers

Ian

knowsley terrace area
goldfinches
swallows 'mobbing' female sparrow hawk with some success
lodges
linnets lapwings 3 gc grebes house martin swifts swallows
bentley lane
skylarks reed bunting

am
knowsley rd blackcap
top lodges
on gorse linnet wheatear
2 oyster catcher
heard 1 curlew
lower res
tufted ducks 4, coot, moorhen, heron, heard pheasant 2 bullfinches
lapwings in most fields goldfinches
1 swallow end of bentley lane

plenty of fishermen some on deck chairs

centre of ainsworth just heard two tawney owls calling to each other. new pair in residence

am
Cocky Moor Skylark
Middle lodge
30 Goosader 6 Cormerant 2 Heron 1 Kingfisher Canada geese mallard BH Gulls
Spooked by dog walker
Lower Lodge Gs Woodpecker Coot mallard BH Gulls
above Top lodge Two Oyster catcher
Later working up Bently lane
LT Tit Gold Finches house sprrow
Large body 100+ Pink Feet flying south
Barrack fold
Large flock of starlings 200+ flock of fieldfares

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 13th of February 2010 02:31:55 PM

sundaypm
very little
flock of LT Tits church
mallards on lodges
BH Guls lodges
Wrens Robins Great Tits etc

Had a quick look about 14:30 Today before picking up Kids.
Not much about
5 Coots
20+Mallards
3 Moorhens
1 Tufted Duck
8 Blackbirds(4 juv)
2 Magpies
100+ Canada Geese with 30+Gooslings
1 Barnacle Goose amongst Canada Geese on middle lodge.
3 Goldfinch

24/10/08 pm

A couple of decent birds for this site today, a pair of Wigeon on the Lower Res, and a Kingfisher.

5/4/2008 pm

Male Wheatear
Oystercatcher 2
Swallow 5
Grey Wag 2
G C Grebe 5

Pink feet have gone now, proving they were wild

8/3/2008 Early am

Pink Feet 2 - still grazing in fields with 30+ Canada's.

Simon - these reservoirs (which once had a drake Long-tailed Duck) are on the database as Whitehead Reservoirs...