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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> Cheshire and The Wirral -> Culcheth
Post Info TOPIC: Culcheth
Mike Baron


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RE: Culcheth
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Wander round Holcroft Moss this morning

42 Grey Partridges (11, 9, 8, 7 & 7)
1 Corn Bunting
2 Jays
14 Long-tailed Tits
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk

At Holcroft Hall Farm

1 Corn Bunting
7 Golden Plovers
130+ Lapwings

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DavidBowman


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Another quick visit to Holcroft Moss on Thursday, with Brian Martin, to keep an eye on the bunting flock using the set-aside crop. Numbers of Yellowhammers have continued to drop, with local birds probably returning to territories in this mild weather - though hard weather may well bring them back again. Reed Buntings were a different story, though, with at least 250 still present. 13 Grey Partridges flushed as we passed the farm buildings and 60 Linnets bounced away into the distance. No sign of the Corn Bunting flock on this brief visit, though.

Masses of corvids and Skylarks were still feeding on the adjacent fields and both Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail added flashes of colour to the little stream which feeds the ornamental pond in front of Frank's Farm.

Cheers David

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DavidBowman


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Another visit to Holcroft Moss (Franks' Farm), with Dave Steel and Les Jones, to check on the impact of the Stewardship scheme on wintering birds. At the moment this area offers some of the best (if not the best!) arable birding in the area. There are plenty of weedy stubbles and a 20 - 30 acre area of set-aside crop, which is acting as a magnet for feeding buntings and finches. The weedy fields are full of Skylarks (with 320 counted), with Meadow Pipits (67 counted) also present. Fifty Lapwings, 375 Starlings, 36 Fieldfare, 3 Common Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks, 24 Grey Partridge, 16 Blackbirds, 2 Kestrels, 2 Song Thrushes, 16 Goldfinches, 850 Wood Pigeons, 300 Jackdaws and 58 Stock Doves were some of the commoner species present.

As we approached the set-aside area we saw the typical dumpy out-line of a group of Corn Buntings in a couple of bare bushes. We counted 17, which is excellent, as we've been struggling to find any on the rest of the local arable mosses. The next minute the sky was full of birds as a Peregrine passed over the set-aside crop - several hundred Linnets, scores of Skylarks and Buntings were whirling among the hundreds of corvids. The numbers of buntings feeding in the crop was difficult to estimate but we ended up with a conservative 250 Reed Buntings and 75 Yellowhammers. Absolutely spectacular! As a last note of interest a Roe Deer emerged from the crop, very unconcerned about us, and slowly wandered away.

Cheers David

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DavidBowman


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Went across Holcroft Moss to monitor the progress of the move to Higher Level Stewardship on Frank's Farm. They've done a fantastic job of it, with numbers exceeding the winter counts I've made there in the past. Key counts were of: 131 Yellowhammers (45 in the weedy rapeseed crop near the entrance to the farm and the rest in a large area of "sacrificial" wheat.), 16 Corn Buntings, 19 Reed Buntings, 23 grey Partridges (7,11 and 5), 6 Fieldfare, 11 Stock Doves, 60 Chaffinches, 94 Skylarks, 32 Linnets, 200 Starlings, 2 Willow Tits and 1 Mistle Thrush plus the other regular stuff.

Cheers David

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Mike Baron


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22 Corn Buntings Holcroft Lane this evening

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Mike Baron


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188 Stock Doves in ploughed field behind Hanging Birch Farm (Holcroft Lane) this afternoon. The birds were in a part of the field not visible from the main road. Also here 140+ Linnets. I had stopped to check out what I though was a flock of Corn Buntings (had 30+ here last 2 winters) but a Buzzard spooked the birds before I got a chance to view them properly.

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Jonathan Platt


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Four yellow wagtails around the driveway to Franks Farm on Holcroft Lane at 6.10am this morning, with at least one more unseen bird calling to the west (probably around the entrance to the field that's blocked off by a felled tree). Also in the area were two corn buntings and a pair of grey partridge.


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Jonathan Platt


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Two yellow wagtails Holcroft Lane this morning by the entrance to Franks Farm - a female was on the road! Usual corn bunts. singing from telegraph wires.

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Mike Baron


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50+ Golden Plover still nr Franks farm but most of plover flock hidden from view

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Jonathan Platt


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200+ golden plover on winter wheat in front of Franks Farm, Holcroft Lane at 2.30pm.

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Mike Baron


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At least 22 Golden Plovers with 350+ Lapwings in fields in front of Holcroft Hall farm this morning. Part of flock obscured so there could have been more.

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Mike Baron


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35 Corn Buntings this morning nr Hanging Birch Farm

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Mike Baron


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Flock of at least 31 Corn Buntings on Holcroft Lane this morning. They were in trees approx 100 yds south from Hanging Birch Farm - they then flew onto the moss. Also a drake Goosander flew over.

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Mike Baron


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Holcroft Lane early afternoon

25 Pink-footed Geese - feeding in field in front of Franks farm
1 Buzzard (pale-phase)
180+ Lapwing
30+ Great Black-backed Gull
50+ Herring Gull
20+ Common Gull
200+ Black-headed Gull

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Mike Baron


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Holcroft Lane this morning:

13 Golden Plover (some in partial breeding plumage)
137+ Fieldfare
1 Buzzard

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Mike Baron


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This morning in fields off Holcroft Lane:

42 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Herring Gulls
2 Common Gulls
250+ Black-headed Gulls

200+ Fieldfare

Yesterday - 3 Buzzards

Mike

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Mike Baron


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Lunchtime - fields around Holcroft Hall Farm

7 Golden plover
250+ Lapwing
210+ Fieldfare
60+ Redwing
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrels

Mikesmile.gif

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