Late post from Saturday 5th January (additional to Adam's sightings).

Morning Visit

Wigeon - 5 (3 males)

Afternoon Visit
with Zoe Barrett
Canada Geese - 153 most arriving after sunset to roost
Teal - 6
Common Gull - 30
Redshank - feeding on the shoreline by the Windsurfers' club house at 14:10 hrs. Still present at 16:45 hrs.
Snipe - 20 left the hide pool roost from 16:30 to 16:40 hrs
Tawny Owl - pair calling to each other
Treecreeper - 2 feeding close together along the path to the hide
Goldcrest - 1
Reed Bunting - 3

Redshank is a fairly scarce bird in GM at this time of year. There are only 14 January records in the GMBRG database from 2012 to 2018, so an average of 2 per year. However, they do show an interesting trend with number of records in brackets: 2012 (0), 2013 (2), 2014 (1), 2015 (0), 2016 (0), 2017 (6), and 2018 (5). Maximum counts of five on the Manchester Ship Canal at Weaste on 27th Jan 2013 and 5 at Audenshaw on 12th and 19th Jan 2018.

Many thanks to Nigel and Tucker for setting up the feeding station again this winter and keeping it well stocked with food. Brambling used to be mainly a spring and autumn migrant here but the provision of food is undoubtedly the reason why there is now a small over wintering flock.

Late post from Christmas Eve.

Morning visit:
Wigeon - 8 (5 males) on the reservoir at 09:00 hrs, still present at 15:30 hrs
Teal - 11 feeding along the shoreline
Canada Goose - 200+ feeding on the shoreline
Great Crested Grebe - 1
Cormorant - 2
Grey Heron - 1
Lapwing - 70 roosting on the north shore
Tufted Duck - 1 female
Fieldfare - 22 feeding on fields to east of Steward Barn
Brambling - 3 by the feeding station

Afternoon visit:
Snipe - 26+ left the day roost on the hide pool 16:31 - 16:37 hrs. I missed a few, as the first flock split into two groups and flew either side of the hide.
Goosander - 5 redheads flew north
Dipper heard calling in flight after sunset presumably heading to its roost site
Raven - landed in the usual roost tree
Bullfinch - 4
Tawny Owl - female heard calling ke-wick from plantations

Late post from Friday 26th October

A pair of Whooper Swans with a cygnet were roosting on the edge of the island at 17:40 hrs until dislodged by 39 Canada Geese. Still present at 18:35 hrs but gone this morning.

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Saturday 27th of October 2018 12:52:09 PM

9 Wigeon and 3 Pochard together just out from the dam at 18:00 hrs

Also a flock of 60+ Lapwing and a Dipper heard calling in flight.

3 male Wigeon and an eclipse male Pintail on the reservoir this evening from 18:45 to 20:00 hrs. The first of the autumn here.

Green Woodpecker flew across the quarry from the SW of the resr and lost to view over East Hill, so covered almost a kilometre in about a minute!
Green Woodpecker flight line

Grey Heron - 2

Sunday morning
Lapwing - 47 roosting on the old Ramsden Road island which has emerged in recent weeks as the water level has continued to drop
Swallow - 6
Chiffchaff - 2
Blackcap - 2
Bullfinch - 2
Lesser Redpoll - 9

Late post from Sat 25th August
A Spotted Flycatcher in trees in the NW corner of the reservoir. A traditional location which is sheltered and catches the early morning sun.

Even better than yesterday. Wood Warbler singing in Ramsden Rd plantation just to the north of the windsurfers club house. My first ever for the site, Rochdale and GM Also Cuckoo heard calling by the hide.

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Wednesday 9th of May 2018 09:14:25 PM

A good morning for bird song with sunshine, clear blue sky and a light easterly 08:35 - 11:35 hrs

Willow Warbler - 26 singing from the plantations around the reservoir, well down on last year's record of 37 on 23rd Apil. However, perhaps there are still more to arrive given the late spring.
Chiffchaff - 1 singing
Grasshopper Warbler - 1 reeling from an area of Juncus on the moor and showing well.
Skylark - 4 singing
Song Thrush - 1 singing
Robin - 8 singing
Wren - 6 singing. They seem to have been hit badly by the harsh weather in March, as there was a maximum of 19 singing in April 2017.
Dunnock - 2 singing
Coal Tit - 2 singing
Chaffinch - 6 singing
Goldfinch - 2 singing
Lesser Redpoll - 2
Reed Bunting - 1 male
Bullfinch - 2
Kestrel - 2
Buzzard - 1 soaring to the SE
Raven - 1
Tufted Duck - 2 pairs
Great Crested Grebe - 1
Canada Goose -1 sitting on nest at a traditional location
Lapwing - 2 displaying

Not many other migrants around. No sign of any Curlew or Wheatear. 1 Blackcap was singing yesterday evening near the hide. A late male Siskin was in the treetops on the 18th. The water level is very high at the moment, so no shoreline to attract waders.

WeBS count 11:20 - 12:45 hrs
Later start than usual as I had to walk up due to the snow.
Strong easterly blowing making the reservoir very choppy

The highlight was a male Red-breasted Merganser which gave close views on the east side of the reservoir from the vehicle track round to the windsurfers' club house.

Also on the reservoir
Goldeneye - 3
Great Crested Grebe 1

On the hide pool
Wigeon - pair
Tufted Duck - 3
Teal - 9
Snipe - 2 standing in the snow on the edge of the pool

A good evening for ducks at Watergrove.

5 Shelduck were standing out of the water on the hide spit (north shoreline) and 5 Common Scoter (1 male & 4 female/immature) were on the reservoir at 19:10 hrs. All were still present at 20:10 hrs, the scoter illuminated by a beautiful sunset.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes has bred successfully for the first time since 2012. Both adults were with the well grown juvenile.

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Tuesday 29th of August 2017 08:59:41 PM

One of the best mornings at Watergrove in a long time. 07:45 - 10:30 hrs

Shelduck - 5 were circling over the reservoir, calling before I'd left the car park. They landed and were still present at 10:30 hrs.
Mallard - female with 9 small ducklings (just a few days old) on the pool by the hide
Tufted Duck - pair on the compensation lagoon. There were 7 here yesterday evening.
Great Crested Grebe - a pair displaying and warding off a solitary bird.
Whimbrel - 3 flew low over the dam at 10:10 hrs within 50 metres of where I was standing. One bird called. Unfortunately, due to the high water levels there is no shoreline for waders to land on at present. They flew east low over the moors.
Sand Martin - 3 flew north
Swallow - 1
Willow Warbler - 37 singing from the plantations, in several places four birds could be heard singing against each other. This is a minimum count as not all areas of the plantations were visited. A new site record beating the previous of 32 singing on 20th April 2015. Surprisingly, no other warblers heard or seen.
Goldcrest - 1 singing
Reed Bunting - 1 male
Skylark - 4 singing
Song Thrush - 1 singing
Wheatear - 1 female
Raven - 1 flew south calling

Wigeon 8 (5 males) were on the reservoir at 15:50 hrs
Goosander - 2 males looked like they were going to roost overnight
Great Crested Grebe - 1
Lapwing - c.40 flew off from the shoreline inside the nature reserve at 16:20 hrs heading west, perhaps going to feed overnight on the fields.

Two groups of snipe heard calling as they flew out of the roost on the hide pool. On 19th November, I counted 22 leaving the roost in small groups over a ten minute period, about 30 minutes after sunset. All flying high up to the south, nicely silhouetted against a clear sky, making them easy to count These were presumably going off to feed somewhere.

This morning. just before the "Park" Run hoardes arrived:
Bullfinch - 4 feeding on Rowan Berries
Long-tailed tit - a flock of 13
Treecreeper - 1

21 Wigeon on the reservoir at 18:00 hrs, looking settled, so probably going to roost overnight. Males emerging from eclipse. Typically they weren't present on the WeBS count this morning, nor at 2.30pm. Perhaps they had already been logged on another water and delayed their arrival to avoid being double-counted

Not a lot to report on the WeBS count itself apart from:
Teal - 4
Goosander - 2 red heads (my first of the autumn here)
Cormorant - 1
Lapwing - 67
Snipe - 2

In addition this morning:
Sparrowhawk - 1
Chiffchaff - 1
Raven - 1 flew low over WTW
Lesser Redpoll - 17

David Walsh wrote:

---

Steve Atkins wrote:

---

Whilst both species may be regularly seen elsewhere in GM they are both scarce birds in Rochdale.

---

Almost as scarce as a post from Watergrove Reservoir these days.

---

To be honest David, there hasn't been a great deal to report since the spring, but I will try to update this thread more regularly over the autumn

Two new species for Watergrove in one morning is a rare event. A Willow Tit was calling along Higher Slack Brook to north of reservoir by the steps at SD909188. My initial thoughts were it was the Marsh Tit returning but call was conclusive. Managed to take a poor quality photo. The next surprise was a Little Egret which flew west towards Brown Wardle ( aka Dotterel Hill) at 10:55 hrs. My first ever in Rochdale. Whilst both species may be regularly seen elsewhere in GM they are both scarce birds in Rochdale.

7 Redshank circled over the reservoir this morning, calling, before flying off high to the north. A record count for the site.

Whilst walking across the moors this afternoon Zoe Barrett, got on to a female type Marsh Harrier which was flying relatively low in a NW direction, struggling against the strong NW wind. At one point the bird turned to show its cream crown and landed twice on the slope of Brown Wardle before disappearing over the brow of the hill. The first I've seen in Rochdale and only the 3rd record for the borough.

The harrier made up for the disappointment of not finding any Dotterel on Brown Wardle.

2 Wheatear on the hill and four on fields to the south.

A trip out of territory for me today with my first visit to this Rochdale enclave (that I can recall!).

An hour and half wander around midday produced, of note;
5 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
4 Lesser Redpoll
1 Siskin
1 Goldcrest (singing)
5 Jay
4 Meadow Pipit
2 Skylark
1 Coal Tit
1 Lapwing
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Canada Geese
2 Cormorant
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Pied Wagtail
plus the usuals.

and nice to bump into Mr & Mrs Atkins (all records will be input into Mapmate Steve, I promise !!)

A very pleasant area and the locals seemed friendly enough, I'll be back!

3 female Goldeneye on the reservoir at 09:00 hrs were the first I've seen here since the WeBS count in October 2013. They used to be an annual winter visitor but have become very scarce in recent years. Also seen this morning:

Cormorant - 1

Great Crested Grebe - 1

Siskin - 4

Lesser Redpoll - 4

Yesterday afternoon a treecreeper was just outside the hide with 4 Long-tailed tits and a Goldcrest

A Cuckoo was heard calling this evening. From the direction of the sound the bird was covering quite a large area to the north of the reservoir. By a stroke of luck, I chose the right place to look for it, along the track which runs from Ramsden Road (north of Little Town) down to the reservoir.

It was perched low down on the eastern edge of the plantation, north of the reservoir, close to where the pair was seen last May (approx. grid ref SD909185). At one point it dropped down to the ground and flew up onto a fence post with what looked like a very large caterpillar. It was mobbed a couple of times by a meadow pipit and then took flight chased by a crow, finally flew into a tree and began calling.

Also a Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling from the Juncus to the north of the track.

A female Common Scoter was on the reservoir this evening and a Ringed Plover feeding on the eastern spit.

The Marsh Tit was at the feeding station by the club house and intimidated a Lesser Redpoll into vacating the nyger seed feeder. The bird was heard calling early last week but the lack of song makes me think this is a female. According to the article, The Ecology and Conservation of the Marsh Tit in Britain, published in the January issue of British Birds females do disperse further than males.

Little sign of any migrants apart from 3 Willow Warblers singing. Perhaps not surprising, as after the warm weather of a few days ago, it feels more like winter again.

Present this morning
Teal - 3
Oystercatcher - 2
Great Crested Grebe - pair

16 Wigeon (6 males) were on the reservoir at 08:30 hrs calling occasionally

The Marsh Tit was at the feeding station by the club house having celebrated its five month anniversary yesterday.

A single Coot on the main pool by the hide, the first one here in a long time, with 3 Teal and a Snipe

Great Crested Grebe - a pair displaying

Mute Swan - 2 immatures, almost certainly the birds which have been on Brownhouse Wham Reservoir, Syke in recent weeks.

Lesser Redpoll in display flight by the path to the hide.

A pair of Carrion Crows collecting leaves.

Hi Steve,
I've been doing a few "big morning" counts recently at Low Barns (one of my local patches in Co. Durham) with a view to a record attempt in a few weeks time after Easter. I'm hearing our marsh Tits now singing (as opposed to just calling) and consequently rather easier to locate at distance.
I wondered if you still have your Watergrove bird present, and if so, has it started to sing at all?

Regards,
Mike P.

Main sighting were at the feeding station- with Lesser Redpolls Long Tailed, Marsh, Coal, Great, and Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Bullfinch, Jay, Blackbird, Robin Reed Bunting and a Kestrel

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 26th of January 2015 12:36:19 PM

Marsh tit showed briefly just after dinner time today. Other pleasing subjects were a couple of lesser redpoll and a reed bunting. Nice to catch up with Alan Nuttall too.

Cheers, Chris Jepson-Brown

Marsh tit showing well still at 10.50