LUDWORTH MOOR

John Rayner · Status: Offline

RE: LUDWORTH MOOR

John Rayner · Status: Offline

10.00 - 13.00

Linnets 18
Willow Warbler 3 (1 in full song)
Kestrel 2 (1 carrying prey)
Swallow 26 (Feeding up not passing through)
Raven 2
Goldfinch 18
Jay 1
Pied Wagtail 2
Meadow Pipit, 6 only (All rose silently and, after reading Ian's latest excellent article where silent birds, "should always be pursued just to check!" I pursued and checked each one - all were Mipits)

+ sundry corvids.

Not really good butterfly weather but I noted 7 species best of which were 2 fresh Wall Browns (these have become quite scarce round my way!). Full list on Manchester Wildlife website.

Cheers, John

PS Andy,
I thought my party of Whinchats held 1 juv, 1 adult and 2 not aged so, assuming yours were also in the Far Bradshaw area best to make it a maximum count of 4.

-- Edited by John Rayner on Wednesday 18th of August 2010 01:27:47 PM

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

John,

Am glad you got to see Whinchats. I have to say that I really struggled to age the ones I saw, but if pressed would have said juv male, ad male in moult, and a fem type. This might help sort out how many there were. I'm just glad there weren't any stonechats around to confuse things even more as there have been in other Autumns recently.

Andy

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Far Bradshaw: 4 Whinchats together (I don't know if these are the same as, or additional to, Andy's sightings of yesterday so the count from Ludworth may be 4 - 7)

Quarry area: 4 Ravens

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Monday 16th of August 2010 01:32:28 PM

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

Taking advantage of the sun to search for insects, but birds made their mark.

A 'flock' of 9 ravens over together
3 whinchats

plus all the usual stuff like whitethroats, linnets, bullfinches, redpoll, reed buntings etc...
Also, an unusual piece of behaviour (I thought). There were thousands of winged ants emerging from seemingly everywhere, and as I drove along the road I saw a bird on the tarmac picking them off. It was a great spotted woodpecker: obviously copying the green woodpecker that was up here last week.

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Mon 21st.
I spent a nice hour watching.
51 lapwings in the field on the right of the track to the picking rods, and gray wag in the field on the other side of the track.
Fortunately swifts and skylarks had more sense and were over on the GM side.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

16th June 19.00 - 20.15

This evening was warm, calm and sunny - just right for Hobby. So I had an idea to go to Ludworth Moor and search there. My idea was to scan from a good vantage point so I ended up at the old quarry area. I'd not sat down for more than 5 minutes when alarm calls from a family party of Swallows alerted me and there was a Hobby flying by at no more than 80m range! It then twice had a go at a Meadow Pipit before disappearing southeast, roughly in a line from Cloughend to Far Bradshaw. No further sightings.

As Hannibal Smith once said - I love it when a plan comes together

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

11th June. 11.30 - 13.45 (reaslly must get up earlier!)

A circular walk and the best bits were

Willow Warblers (9 singing)
Reed Buntings (5m 1f)
Canada Goose (10 flew through then 2 family parties with 2 and 5 young at Lake Side Farm)
Mipit (18)
Tawny Owl (H)
Song Thrush (4)
Skylark (4)
Curlew (3)
Snipe (1)
Buzzard (1)

Best bird was a fly-by female Peregrine that scattered a large flock of Starlings (c100) before shooting off east.

Also a small number of Small Heaths (4)

Far Bradshaw now looks (at least partially) occupied so best keep to the footpaths around here

Cheers, John

Robert Adderley · Status: Offline

Mon - 31/5/10.

2 Grasshopper Warblers this am.

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

On a butterfly/dragonfly safari, but did hear garden warbler along the 'plantation road' near Clough End Farm. Also a whitethroat there and another in the garden of Larkhill cottage. Curlew seen and heard from the pond area.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Very quiet this morning. Those elusive chats remain just that. 3 Snipe drumming in a single tight party was unusual. 4 ravens over. Usual Buzzard, Mipits carrying food, Skylarks, Willow Warblers etc. but no Curlew seen or heard.

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

A search round Far Bradshaw, Cloughend and Larkhill (09.00 - 12.00)

Willow Warbler 11
Kestrel 2
Linnets 16
Snipe 1
Meadow Pipits 13
Reed Bunting 9
Canada Goose (pair + 3 goslings)
Skylark 6 singing
Wheatear 2 females
Swift 11
Song Thrush 6
Whitethroat 1
Buzzrards 2
Raven 2
Coal Tit 2 (carrying nesting material - Brown Low)
Tree Sparrows 3

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Cloughend and Far Bradshaw

4 Golden Plover
11 Wheatear
21 Swift flew NE

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

29th April 08.30 - 12.00

A total of 36 species which is a decent tally for up there. Notably 3 LBB Gulls (flew SW), 4 Wheatear, 46 Golden Plover and 1 Tree Sparrow.

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Curlews bubbling, Snipe drumming plus

Willow Warblers (6 singing)
Swallows (7 through north)
Fieldfare (26)
Golden Plover (c8 visible - probably more)
Wheatear (2)
Whitethroat (1)
Grasshopper Warbler (1 showy reeler)

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Tree Sparrow (2 Larkhill, 2 Green Gates Farm)
Willow Warbler 4
Golden Plover c30 (next field to Pool Field)
Swallow 4
Buzzard (display flight)

I had a lengthy conversation with the farmer at Green Gates Farm and it wasn't good news. They have recently bought the fields holding last remnants of moorland habitat between Far Bradshaw and Cloughend Quarry (anywhere round there with new fencing is probably theirs). He was just back from topping the reeds in this area and followed "can't spray 'em till they're topped" with "plenty of Snipe in there". This is where I enjoyed them drumming a couple of days ago

. When I mentioned this I got the usual "don't make any money out of birds". There is also a programme for drainage and filling in field pools. I also learned that he has a total of 1200 Ewe and released 700 Pheasants last year but only shot 100 of them.
After dipping RR Swallow by 20 mins it turned into a depressing day all round

Cheers, John

John Rayner · Status: Offline

No Ring Ouzels this morning unfortunately.

23 Golden Plover still. Just over the fence line in field next to Pool Field.

Cheers, John

Phil Panton · Status: Offline

You've stolen my thunder Robert.
Just back from a walk from Rowarth to Glossop Rd.

Ring Ouzel was a real surprise.
Also 2 Wheatear, plenty of Lapwing, Meadow Pipits & Skylark.
Grey Heron, Kestrel, Raven & Swallow & Curlew

Robert Adderley · Status: Offline

Sun - 18/4/10 early am

Ring Ouzel - 1 between Clough End and the Pool field ealy am but mobile.
Fieldfare - c100+.

Swift - 1 through north at 7.30am.

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

3 or so Wheatear in the field, my first of the year. Lapwings wheeling around, and Skylarks singing.

Robert Adderley · Status: Offline

130+ Fieldfares this evening and 1 Redwing.

Robert Adderley · Status: Offline

30 Fieldfare and 1 Redwing by Clough End this morning.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Now 5 Wheatear in same field as yesterday
17 Golden Plover

Cheers, John

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Friday Afternoon

2 Pied Wagtails in first field on right of bridleway to Picking Rods
2 Gadwall flyig over
1 Curlew flying
lots of Lapwings
Skylarks singing

John Rayner · Status: Offline

At least 6 Willow Warbler mostly around Cloughend
Wheatear (2m, 1f) in first field on right of bridleway to Picking Rods
Skylark (c15 singing)
Curlew (3)
Golden Plover (c6 visible from road)
Swallow (1)
Meadow Pipits + Lapwings (many)

Cheers, John

Chris Knight · Status: Offline

3 Wheatear this morning- one in the field in front of Larkhill (where paid respects to the tree sparrows), two in the field to the right up dirty lane where the footpath cuts across (currently with smart highland cattle in it). All male. Felt very springlike- an enjoyable, if brief, first visit to the area.

Also a flock of 50+ meadow pipits two fields up from the Wheatears, chiffchaff singing further up Sandhill lane, 5 teal in pool field, along with intermittently vocal lapwings, entirely missed golden plover though.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Far Bradshaw:
RL Partridge 2
Curlew 2
Linnet 4 (males now singing on territory)

Pool Field:
Teal 4
Golden Plover 56
Skylark 3 singing
Mipits parachuting + single flock of 61

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Friday 2nd of April 2010 11:38:16 AM

John Rayner · Status: Offline

An excellent count of Golden Plover (98) commuted between Derbyshire and Greater Manchester.

Lapwing (12)
Teal (2)
Meadow Pipit (c20 in a single flock)
Curlew (2)
Snipe (1)

Cheers, John

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Andy Bissitt wrote:

Geoff,

I agree. It was terrible up there today. I hope it was just the strong NW wind that kept things hidden.

In good conditions, you can usually see the curlew flying around to various feeding spots which I think range rather widely. If they do still breed on the 'moor', it will be around the Far Bradshaw area as it is the only site with fields that still have any sort of cover. That is a good place to scan when it is calm.

Thank you Andy.

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

Geoff,

I agree. It was terrible up there today. I hope it was just the strong NW wind that kept things hidden.

In good conditions, you can usually see the curlew flying around to various feeding spots which I think range rather widely. If they do still breed on the 'moor', it will be around the Far Bradshaw area as it is the only site with fields that still have any sort of cover. That is a good place to scan when it is calm.

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Nothing around this afternoon, apart from a couple of lapwings, who appeared to have one leg in Cheshire and the other in Derbyshire

It was very quiet.

Is there any specific place where you all see the curlew, or are they flying?

Robert Adderley · Status: Offline

27/3/10 pm

Golden Plover - 121, by far the largest count I've ever had in this area. I counted 65 in the usual field with the pool,before everything was put up by a Buzzard. The 65 were joined by 2 other flocks, and the birds flew around for several minutes crossing the county border on several occasions, flying as far as the fields by Clough End.

Curlew - 4
Teal - 1
Buzzard - 1
Raven - 2
Meadow Pipit - c50.
Reed Bunting - 1

A very emaciated Bird's wing found near Far Bradshaw Farm interestingly appeared to be that of a Barn Owl.

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

You need only have asked me about the boundaries!! I've had to be aware of them for about 20 years so as not to claim stuff for Grt. Manchester when it is in Derbyshire. However, Judith Smith was of the opinion that we should count whatever we see up there as ours as no Derbyshire recorders are going to bother coming to this remote corner in the hope of seeing something they can't see elsewhere in the Peak District.
Pity is, it's getting less worth anyone's while due to landowners tidying things up and farmers turning out stock onto marginal feeding areas. Long live the EEC farming subsidies.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Thanks Steve,

'Where's the Path' is a nice website, I hadn't come across this one before.

Regrettably it does prove that the field the Golden Plover are favouring, and the pool in the corner of that that field, are in Derbyshire.

Cheers, John

Phil Panton · Status: Offline

Thanks for that Steve,

Well, that proves conclusively that the map i was looking at is incorrect, as the boundary isn't shown as running partway down the path & then following the fenceline of the field.

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

John Rayner wrote:

Hi Ian,

It's difficult to judge this one from the A-Z as it doesn't show all field hedge/fence lines. Doubly difficult as, at its nearest point, the pool is only 10 yards outside the county boundary. Just to be precise the pool I'm on about is at SJ99759093.

I'm judging this from the 2.5 inch/mile map on streetmap.co.uk which does show field boundaries. I hope I'm wrong because there were 31 Goldies in this field this morning and the pool looks interesting.

Cheers, John

Hi John,

I've had a look at this grid ref on a GIS map of Greater Manchester with the county boundary overlayed. SJ 9975 9093 is 10 metres north of the county boundary. The county boundary at this point is at SJ9975 9092.
There is an excellent website which enables you to check the grid ref of a location and shows OS map and aerial photo side by side Where's the path
If you type the 6 figure grid ref into the search box i.e. SJ997909 it will bring up a map and the aerial. If you move the cursor on the aerial to the field boundary, there is another cursor on the OS map which duplicates the position.
By the way if you want to submit records from this area to the BTO Atlas the tetrad ref. is SJ99V. You can use the tetrad convertor on the BTO website to convert any grid ref to a tetrad ref Tetrad Convertor
So far only 4 species have been confirmed as breeding in this tetrad - Dunnock, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit. I'm sure there must be many other species breeding. You can download a copy of the 10km sqaure summary from this website
10km Breeding Summaries

Steve

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Friday 26th of March 2010 08:00:55 PM

John Rayner · Status: Offline

25 March pm: Best bits were:

21 Golden Plover - but probably more out of sight (and probably all in Derbyshire)
4 Ravens
c70 Meadow Pipits in a single flock

Cheers, John

Phil Panton · Status: Offline

When i say Cheshire, i mean Stockport, which is regarded as Greater Manchester to some (it'll always be Cheshire to me !), so if the Plovers were in close proximity to the pool, then techically they're in Greater Manchester

Geoff, there are usually Lapwing in the fields on the run up to Pistol Farm from the Rowarth end so they count as being in GM territory.

-- Edited by Phil Panton on Tuesday 23rd of March 2010 07:28:08 PM

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Spoilsport Phil

John, we will have to take blank gun, fire it, and hope they fly over GM?

Where did you see the curlew please, our side our foreign parts? and where do we see lapwings in that area now?

Geoff

Phil Panton · Status: Offline

I go by the Ordnance Survey street atlas for Derbyshire & the boundary runs along the centre of Shiloh Road & Gunn Road until it reaches Pistol Farm.
From there, it runs across the fields to the Robin Hoods Picking Rods, then back down the track to Gunn Road.
It then bisects the field with the pool, emerging approximately half way along the far perimeter, so i've always taken the pool as being within Cheshire, but the adjoining fields closer to the road junction of Gunn Rd & Sandhill Lane (which had a large number of Lapwing when i was there a week ago), is in Derbyshire

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Yeah, you've gone and gotten yourself the pocket version there John

I have Ian Woosey to carry mine around, that's how big the BIG version is...

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Well my A-Z is 4A0 size (that's 8' x 6.5') and I have to carry it on the roof rack cos it won't fit in the boot. It shows all the frog spawn patches round this pool but that's a bit out of date now as it was printed in 2006. Still doesn't show field boundaries however...

Robert and Andy have both mentioned pools in this area - what do they think?

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

What you need is the really BIG A to Z John

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

John Rayner wrote:

Ian McKerchar wrote:

John Rayner wrote:

However, I have found some minor boundary differences on different maps so perhaps I'm wrong. Any comments?

I don't know the area very well John so certainly can't comment on the field in question but with regards Manchester Birding's current borough birding, the GM A to Z street atlas remains the boundary bible

Hi Ian,

It's difficult to judge this one from the A-Z as it doesn't show all field hedge/fence lines. Doubly difficult as, at its nearest point, the pool is only 10 yards outside the county boundary. Just to be precise the pool I'm on about is at SJ99759093.

I'm judging this from the 2.5 inch/mile map on streetmap.co.uk which does show field boundaries. I hope I'm wrong because there were 31 Goldies in this field this morning and the pool looks interesting.

Cheers, John

Hi John,

Looking at Ordnance Survey online, your little pool is just on the wrong side of the county boundary!

Matt

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

John Rayner wrote:

However, I have found some minor boundary differences on different maps so perhaps I'm wrong. Any comments?

I don't know the area very well John so certainly can't comment on the field in question but with regards Manchester Birding's current borough birding, the GM A to Z street atlas remains the boundary bible

Hi Ian,

It's difficult to judge this one from the A-Z as it doesn't show all field hedge/fence lines. Doubly difficult as, at its nearest point, the pool is only 10 yards outside the county boundary. Just to be precise the pool I'm on about is at SJ99759093.

I'm judging this from the 2.5 inch/mile map on streetmap.co.uk which does show field boundaries. I hope I'm wrong because there were 31 Goldies in this field this morning and the pool looks interesting.

Cheers, John

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

John Rayner wrote:

However, I have found some minor boundary differences on different maps so perhaps I'm wrong. Any comments?

I don't know the area very well John so certainly can't comment on the field in question but with regards Manchester Birding's current borough birding, the GM A to Z street atlas remains the boundary bible

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

John Rayner wrote
"because of 'Borough Birding' I've been paying close attention to the exact Stockport Borough boundaries. The Golden Plover were in the field with a pond in the corner (just about opposite the start of a footpath to Robin Hoods Picking Rods).

Standing at the junction of this footpath and the road, and looking almost due west, the first field to the right is, in fact, in Derbyshire according to my map. This is the one with the pond and Golden Plover in so they shouldn't be reported as GM.

However, I have found some minor boundary differences on different maps so perhaps I'm wrong. Any comments?

Cheers, John"

You have got me there John. My copy of ";a walking map of MELLOR and district", appears to shows the Picking Rods outside of Mellor, but Gun Road from Pistol Farm(sharp bend at the top of the hill) as in, and then Gun Road in for a fair way, running past the PR's path, also including Gun Farm, which looks like the farm a few hundred yards up the path to the Picking Roads.

EDIT

After I wrote, this, I looked at page 111 in my new GM Street Atlas, and it shows the Picking Rods as in, but the pond field out.

So!!! looks like both lapwing fields are in High Peak(corner of Shiloh and Hollinsmoor Rd.

-- Edited by Geoff Walton on Tuesday 23rd of March 2010 02:11:12 PM

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Geoff Walton wrote:

Lapwings and golden plover in the pond field again 2pm.

07.30 - 10.45. An extensive but fruitless search for migrants but a very pleasant walk none-the-less.

Curlew 6
Meadow Pipit 14
Skylark 16 min
Reed Bunting c10
Tree Sparrow 5
Snipe 4
Fieldfare 65
Golden Plover 31

Because of 'Borough Birding' I've been paying close attention to the exact Stockport Borough boundaries. The Golden Plover were in the field with a pond in the corner (just about opposite the start of a footpath to Robin Hoods Picking Rods).

Standing at the junction of this foopath and the road, and looking almost due west, the first field to the right is, in fact, in Derbyshire according to my map. This is the one with the pond and Golden Plover in so they shouldn't be reported as GM.

However, I have found some minor boundary differences on different maps so perhaps I'm wrong. Any comments?

Cheers, John

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Lapwings and golden plover in the pond field again 2pm. The gp have not been around for a week and a bit for me.
A single skylark, and that was about it. Walked up to the picking rods, and saw nothing at all.

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Lapwings wheeling in various places. I stopped and watched for an hour.