Now 7 Ring Ouzels (3m, 4f) in the same area

(Info thanks to John Ireland)

Cheers, John

OK Forget editing, it wont let me;

18 Golden Plover
1 Wheatear
3m and 2f Reed Bunting
1 Kestrel
2 Raven
Curlew Heard
2 Canada Geese
4/5 Willow Warbler
Good numbers of Lapwing, Meadow Pipit and Skylark.

Called in today from 12-2. Headed up to the Picking Rods and then down to the quarry. Bumped into Mr Rayner early on so we headed round together. 18 Golden plover in two small flocks of 9 up the picking rods path 1 Wheatear up the PR path 3 Male 2 Female Reed Bunting 1 Kestrel 2 Raven Curlew Heard 2 Canada Geese 4 possibly 5 Willow Warbler Good numbers of Lapwing, Meadow Pipit and Skylark 3 Swallow flitting around the Kennels in Derbyshire. Cheers Mark

-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Friday 14th of April 2017 04:27:03 PM

Circular walk on a superb sunny morning: Larkhill - Smithy Lane - Far Bradshaw - Gun Road - Picking Rods - Quarry - Cloughend - Larkhill

Swallow 2 east over Larkhill
Brambling 1 (male coming into summer plumage)
Tree Sparrow 2 (away from Larkhill at Smithy Lane Farm)
Herring Gull 3
Chiffchaff 8
Curlew 4
Golden Plover 1
Wheatear 2
Snipe 6
Reed Bunting 6
Skylark 12
Meadow Pipit 10
Lapwing 15
Green Woodpecker heard
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1

Cheers John








-- Edited by John Rayner on Monday 3rd of April 2017 04:31:54 PM

Called up 3 or 4 times over the past week or so but not really had much to report until today;

Managed to get my first Wheatear of the year (a very bright male) in the field on the left as you head up the Picking Rods path, though it did then hop over the path into GM.

3 Chiffchaff in song
More Reed Buntings in with 4 males seen
Green woodpecker heard
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Curlew heard
22 Fieldfare
4 Mistle Thrush
4 Tree Sparrow
1m and 1f Bullfinch
3 Golden Plover
Plenty of Meadow Pipits displaying
8-10 Skylark in song
20-30 Lapwing displaying
2 Snipe

1m and 1f Teal also seen on the 20th.

Other than that the only other thing of note was bumping into a fellow birder enjoying the weather on Saturday, I'd hoped for Wheatear then but no luck.

Cheers

Mark

-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Monday 27th of March 2017 11:41:10 AM

-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Monday 27th of March 2017 11:45:23 AM

A fair cross-section of birds, but not that exciting. Best was at least one brambling at the feeders of the first house at Larkhill. Other species inc. rook (10), stock dove (12), chiffchaff (2/3), buzzard (3), kestrel, fieldfare (2) and about 120 black-headed gulls (inc the odd common) which were taking a rest before departing high NE mainly. The down side was that even though it was p.m., the amount of 'song' from skylarks, lapwings, meadow pipits was the worst I can remember.

-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Saturday 25th of March 2017 09:36:33 PM

Julian Winstanley wrote:

---

Curlew (at least 4), lapwings and skylark all seen / heard as I cycled over Ludworth this morning

---

 

I was going to say that I passed a few cyclists out today and so might have seen you Julian, then I noticed the time you were out I didn't get up there till 10ish



On to todays sightings;

28 Lapwing
7 Skylark (all along the PR path)
8 Meadow Pipit
4 Buzzard over Cloughend area
2 Pied Wagtail
1 Heron
1 Curlew (Heard over towards Far Bradshaw)
Plenty of Dunnocks in song and the usual tits etc.

Bumped into Mr Raynor on my way back to the car as well.

Cheers

Mark


-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Wednesday 15th of March 2017 03:30:14 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 15th of March 2017 04:07:03 PM

2 hours spent walking from Larkhill to the Picking Rods and back.

32 Lapwing (a good number displaying)
6 Goldfinch
5 Starling mixed in with the Lapwing
5 Redwing over
4 Skylark singing
4 Chaffinch
3 Meadow Pipit
3 Buzzard
3 Curlew
1 Jay
1 fly past from a Sparrowhawk

Mark

26th Feb AM.

Larkhill area:
Brambling 1
Tree Sparrow 6 (minimum)
Reed Bunting 1
Redwing and Fieldfare c20 in mixed flock
Carrion Crow 22

Brownlow area:
Buzzard 3
Raven 3

Cloughend area:
Raven 1
Lapwing 1 (the only one seen)

Quarry area:
Crawling with trail bikers

Cheers John

Fieldfare 7
Brambling 3
Tree Sparrow 4
Reed Bunting 3
Chaffinch 13
Rook 14
Raven 1
Lapwing 9
Buzzard 1

Cheers, John

30 & 31 Jan mostly around Larkhill and Brownlow.

Brambling 2 splendid males (on feeders at Brownlow)
Treecreeper 1 (on feeder at Larkhill. can't remember seeing a Treecreeper taking seed from a feeder before)
Chaffinch 14 minimum
Greenfinch 3
Goldfinch 2
Reed Bunting 2
Raven 3
Buzzard 1
Fieldfare 31

Cheers, John

Today12.00 till 1.30. C 80 Lapwing 1 Sparrowhawk 2 Raven 10 Meadow Pipit 1 Grey Wagtail around quarry area. 4 Mislte Thrush and 10 Redwing and c200 Starling. Nice to find a pair of Stonechat near the gate up to the picking rods although they were in Derbyshire i believe.

Fair weather had me out looking for something out of the ordianary, and the barn owl fitted that bill. Seen for about 30 minutes from 2.00 p.m. at close range in perfect light, it was a brilliant first site record for me. It was using the scrub and rough grass on the opposite side of the road from Clough End Farm.

Also at least 5 ravens entertained as they flew around the area the whole time I was up there. 5 tree sparrows at Larkhill too. Finally, as I was taking my boots off back at my car, a kestrel came in and began to hover just 20 feet away and less than 20 feet up over a scrawny piece of rough grass by the parking area. It was as close as I think I've ever been to one, and a perfect ending as the sun set behind it. 

Fieldfare 45
Redwing 75
Starling 7-800 (single flock)
Meadow Pipit 2
Bullfinch 1m
Kestrel 1
Buzzard 2

Shotguns 2
Snipe 0

Cheers John

A couple of hours this morning.

No barn owl, sadly, but some winter thrushes (of which I've seen little around Romiley) which was nice. Difficult to count, as kept coming and going, and were in mixed flocks, but over 100 of them, 90% fieldfare (about 80 most seen at once).

c12 siskin, which are also non-existent nearer to home.

1 snipe, kestrel, sparrowhawk, buzzard, wigeon (outside county, so I don't count on my Ludworth list), 20+ goldfinch, 40+ meadow pipits plus other stuff. Needed a surprise really.

A pleasant walk on a crisp sunny morning (till I filled my boots with icy water)

Raven 5-6
Wigeon 1 (still)
Snipe 6
Meadow Pipit 13
Fieldfare 23
Blackbirds 9
Redwings - zero
Tree Sparrow 2
Buzzard 2
small numbers of Gold, Green and Bullfinches.

Cheers John

Shooting underway below the SBI area as I arrived - 3 guns, 2 dogs. Sweeping abreast through the rushes they looked like they were after Snipe. Nevertheless scattered over the whole area were:

14 Snipe
251 Fieldfare
Only 5 Redwings
3 Stock Doves
2 Tree Sparrows
30 Meadow Pipits
1 Skylark
c800 Starlings
48 Common Gulls
13 Rooks

Cheers John

Called in briefly today for an hour;

c150 Fieldfare in one flock heading NE, quite low so whether thy had been startled I'm not sure.
20 Fieldfare a moment later
1 Reed Bunting
53 Wood Pigeon
5 Meadow Pipit

While sat near the quarry I noticed a strange patch of white on the ground about 10 meters in front of me, turned out to be a Stoat on it's hind legs watching me. We had a short staring contest before it headed back off into the bracken.

Cheers

Mark

Redwing 18 (My first of the autumn)
Lapwing 96
Meadow Pipit 65
Goldfinch 16
Chaffinch 13
Mistle Trush 1
Chiffchaff 2
Jackdaw c200

Cheers John

Meadow Pipit 276 (including three largish flocks of c80, 64 and 27)
Skylark 7
Swallow 14 (heading south and mostly only a few inches from the ground)
Bullfinch 5 (flying high)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (a long way from any trees and apparently migrating)
Chiffchaff 2
Pied Wagtail 5
Sparrowhawk (circling high then plunged onto Meadow Pipits in a Peregrine-like stoop)

Cheers John

A couple of hours walking around the quarry/picking rods areas produced a few meadow pipits but not much of anything else.....

43 Meadow Pipit
2 Skylark
4 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk
5 Snipe
1 Swallow
1 Reed Bunting

Cheers

I was up midday Sunday and noted that they seemed to be spraying something onto the ploughed area, so as you mention John most likely an attempt to create the perfect pasture. We all know that getting rid of those last few rushes is going to improve the income of those sheep farmers.

Coincidentally nothing worth noting while I was up there, no Wheatear even.

More extensive visit but nothing new.

Meadow Pipit 36
Wheatear 1
Chiffchaff 2
Raven 2
Kestrel 1
Reed Bunting 6
Buzzard 2

The only change was the extent of the ploughed area which is now about 7-8 football pitches in size and is still growing. Can't see arable farming working up here so maybe just ploughing in the remnant rushes to create the perfect grassland sheep pasture.

This area held 21 Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, c100 Jackdaws and 6 Carrion Crows.

Cheers John

First time in a week that I managed to get to Ludworth yesterday due to car problems, did a short circuit around the PR path and down to the quarry; 8am start.

Good numbers of Swallow passing through midday mainly (181 south)
Smaller numbers of House Martin mixed in (33)
I only managed to count the migration for about 20 mins so the numbers passing through would have been much greater.

Other than that;

2 Linnet
20 Meadow Pipit
4 Skylark
5 Pied Wagtail
2 Snipe
2 Raven
2 Chiffchaff
1 Wheatear

And finally after thinking I'd go without for the year 1 Hobby - unfortunately in Derbyshire near the Kennels.

Cheers

Mark