The golden plovers were on the left hand side of the first lane that runs from the Far Slack farm to the Near Slack farm path to Pistol farm. aboveThe Picking Rods.I saw a pheasant near there too.
Walk from Gun Road to Picking Rods and Far Slack,then lane to Pistol Farm and back from 11.ooam to 12.15pm
Mallard and two chicks and two Canada Geese on pool.fair numbers of pipits,skylarks and lapwing.Two pied wagtails and goldfinches, about 30 golden plover,a curlew in flight,a willow warbler heard and my first swallow of the year.
Spent most of the day up at Ludworth witha break for some lunch in Marple.
Grasshopper Warbler reeling in the field above the quarry, close to Gun Road 4 Wheatear, 3m and 1f 6 Curlew 4 Willow Warbler 3 Chiffchaff 2 Oystercatcher 2 Linnet 1 Stonechat
A decent number of displaying Lapwing, Skylark and Meadow Pipit.
Managed 3hrs or so today and well worth the trip,around 150 Starlings with around 100 Lapwings flying together North of the Picking Rods,as well as 3 Skylarks and a Stonechat.Then going on the track from Pistol Farm towards Far Slack Farm ,from the field to the left,around 50 Lapwings up and with them 3 Golden Plover in non breeding Plumage and 1 Curlew over.
Midday wander again mainly around the quarry and PR path.
Flock of 93 Lapwing with about 80 Starling mixed in 6 Canada Geese on the Derbyshire Pool with 2 Greylag 6 Skylark, most of which were in song 1 Curlew over A few Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch along the valley from Cloughend up to Hillside. Just 2 Buzzard's so far as Raptors were concerned.
Had a couple of hours wandering around yesterday from about 11am;
About 85 Fieldfare near Hillside Farm 20 Redwing over by the Kennels Severel Skylark along the PR path with a couple braving the wind to display 1m + 1f Stonechat 2 Kestrel 1 Tawny heard 1 Buzzard
Spent a couple of hours around Midday wandering around the Cloughend/Quarry area with a few small flocks but not much else.
A mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare about 60 strong, primarily Redwing A small flock of about 23 Siskin just up from Cloughend 12 Goldfinch 8 Chaffinch 6 Greenfinch 1 Bullfinch and 1 Kestrel on the lines near April Cottage
About 100+ Canada Geese in one of the fields as I was driving up.
Cheers
Mark
-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Friday 28th of January 2022 02:48:25 PM
-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Friday 28th of January 2022 02:48:45 PM
Frequent but brief sightings of a Ringtail Hen Harrier this week, seen 26th, 27th, and 28th but not on 29th despite good coverage. Seems to be an afternoon bird usually seen in the quarry to Picking Rods area.
I have constantly missed it this week but tried again today. At 14.30 a splendid male flew through the predicted area and disappeared over the ridge towards Rowarth. It re-appeared 16.30 to 16.40 viewed from Picking Rods and flew towards stone circle towering and circling like a Sparrowhawk. It drifted left over Cown Edge then further left until it disappeared down the valley.
Two Harriers in the area at the same time is pretty special and a welcome borough tick.
The weather didn't look great but I decided to head down for a midday wander and was rewarded with a Hen Harrier up near the Picking Rods, saw the bird 3 times with the last time watching it head over towards Gun farm being mobbed by crows, even got a short video.
Other than that 1 male Stonehat on the fence heading up the PR path, 28 Redwing, 3 Raven and 5 Snipe.
-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Sunday 17th of October 2021 06:55:09 PM
Wasn't concentrating on birds too much, but did notice 4 snipe (flushed from field above quarry), 4 buzzards (3 together), 1-3 ravens mostly heard, a flock of finches on the conifers included a few siskins, 1-2 redpoll and more goldfinches. 5 mistle thrushes was a pitiful reminder of when the Autumn flock here was in the 40's. Things are in a bad, bad way.
Many Ravens (12-16) still around Ernocroft Farm area. 4 on a carcass before the farm and minimum 12 over the conifer wood, but possibly some overlap. Buzzard and Sparrowhawk separately tried to harrass the Ravens whilst they were in tumbling display.
Rook. c13. Coot. 2 Whitethroat. 2 Chiffchaff. 1 Reed Bunting. 1 Goldfinch. 30+. All juveniles feeding on the thistle-heads. Stonechat. 12+. Couple of nice males but mostly moulting juvs.
At first glance the area seemed devoid of birdlife but fortunately for me the sun came out and the bracken below the quarry suddenly came alive with chats ... 12 is a conservative count, I'm sure there were more ?? Try as I might I couldn't convert one into a Whinchat !!
Roger.
__________________
Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
Went up for dragonflies, but the breeze was evidently not to their liking. Instead, saw 2 whinchats, 2+ stonechats and a whitethroat still in the quarry area; whilst opposite Clough End Farm there was a spotted flycatcher (my 1st of the year!!), and a female blackcap. Skies were very quiet though.
Thanks Ray, I was not aware of that thread ( No activity on it since last February though ) My House and garden is probably equidistant between the two locations. Clos eto the Oddfellows and with views up the hill to 5 lane ends.
My garden is at the top end of mellor and faces a lot of open countryside. This evening , I saw what appeared to be a Little Egret flying at about 60 to 80 feet over the garden from East to West.
Hi Ted, there is a thread entitled 'Mellor Moor' which may be closer to your house and worth posting your sightings on that one, I post on that a few times for most of the area inside GM that is west of Broadhurst Edge Wood.
Walk this morning, 8.30 to 10.30. 6 stonechats in the quarry, a sparrowhawk being mobbed by swallows above my head on Sandhill Lane. I heard plover calling repeatedly but didnt spot.
My garden is at the top end of mellor and faces a lot of open countryside. This evening , I saw what appeared to be a Little Egret flying at about 60 to 80 feet over the garden from East to West.
Below the quarry the group of Chats were showing well. Difficult to count as they were very mobile but at a guess at least 2 Whinchat and 6 Stonechat including juveniles (see pics below).
A flock of Lapwings and Starlings around Derbyshire pool and 3 juvenile Moorhens.
The Redstarts were in the Rowan trees below quarry (not yesterday though). The Spot Fly was in the scattered hawthorns opp April Cottage. 3 Stonechats and 2 Whinchats on the drystone wall that runs by side of quarry. Wheatear and other chats were over towards Far Bradshaw Farm. More Wheatears by Picking Rods.
Up yesterday for a few hours. No redstarts or whinchats for me in the quarry; instead just a large, very vocal goldfinch flock. Watched two buzzards and a kestrel hunting.
Also a merlin which tried to take a starling mid-air by the electricity pylon at Clough End, then sped off S-E before dropping over a wall on the horizon.
A couple of hours early afternoon, a good number of Swift moving through West, probably around the 300+ number. A pair of Chiffchaff were the only Warblers that gave themselves away, a single Kestrel was hunting inbetween Cloughend and April Cottage. Other than that a distant Buzzard, a Raven heard over towards Cown Edge and a single Swallow made up the rest of the birds....oh and a few Goldfinch over.
I really should get out earlier.
Not sure how I missed you Mark, as I was up there about the same time! The only thing I saw worth the walk was a 'flock' of 7 golden plover down in the first field on the Derbyshire side of the Picking rods path. A common whitethroat briefly in flight was in the quarry area. Just needed to get out of the house after a couple of days mainly indoors, but I can see why I wasn't tempted out before now!
A couple of hours early afternoon, a good number of Swift moving through West, probably around the 300+ number. A pair of Chiffchaff were the only Warblers that gave themselves away, a single Kestrel was hunting inbetween Cloughend and April Cottage. Other than that a distant Buzzard, a Raven heard over towards Cown Edge and a single Swallow made up the rest of the birds....oh and a few Goldfinch over.