Best from a short evening circuit:

Presumably the same Red-legged Partridge as seen by Rob, but it was inadvertently flushed from the western edge of the Moor and flew down into the valley.

Also 1 Little Owl, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Wheatear, 1 reeling Grasshopper Warbler and 1 Lesser Redpoll.

Cuckoo in Saplin Wood this morning ..2 Grasshopper Warbler also in the valley ..

5 Ring Ouzel, Grasshopper Warbler, Swallow, 2 Stonechat, Wheatear, Skylark, Willow Warbler, Nuthatch, Chiffchaff and loads of Green Hairstreak butterflies.

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 20th of April 2019 11:46:46 AM

At last! 2(1m,1f) Ring Ouzel at the north end of the Red Brook valley. Not in previously reported locations but in the broken ground east of the stream. Best of the rest:

1 Curlew and 5 Lapwing.

4 Buzzard, 2 Little Owl.

Willow Warbler everywhere with a few Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

12 Wheatear, 5 Stonechat.

6 Lesser Redpoll.

5 Ring Ouzel this evening together in one of the steep rocky gullies on the eastern slope above Moorbottom Road..still plenty of Fieldfare in the sheep fields.

09:35 am Moorbottom rd with Ian C
3 Ring Ouzel 2f 1m possibly another male.
130+ Fieldfare..
2 Stonechat.
2 wheatear
12 Linnet.
1 Green woodpecker.
1 Willow warbler.

Cheers Steven

Best from a short late morning circuit:

42 Fieldfare still present, but couldnt find anything else among them. Also 2 Buzzard, 5 Lapwing, 1 Stonechat, 2 Wheatear, 2 Swallow and 1 Lesser Redpoll.

A good total of 42 species on a morn8ng circuit from 7.10 to 10.45 with the highlights being:

2 Buzzard.

4 Lapwing.

2 Green Woodpecker ( no Great Spotted)

25 Fieldfare and a Mistle Thrush on a nest.

5 Wheatear.

4 Chiffchaff, 2 Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Bullfinch and 1 Lesser Redpoll in Redisher Wood.

 

My first Wheatear of the year during a short afternoon circuit. It was singing on the western side of the moor. Also 1 bubbling Curlew and 2 Lapwing.

39 species during a morning circuit 7.20 to 10.10 with the best being:

1 Buzzard, my first here for a while, and 2 Little Owl.

5 Lapwing.

3 Green and 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Still good numbers of Skylark on the higher ground.

1 Dipper.

Bullfinch, Goldcrest and Treecreeper in Redisher Wood.

A bit cooler than last week!

3 Lapwings on the water opposite Redisher Lane Male and female Goosander on Simons Lodge Number of Long Tailed tits

Highlights from a longer circuit this morning 7.30 to 11.00:

Singing Skylark everywhere! Probably 40 birds in total.

Stock Dove singles or pairs in 4 locations.

Grey Wagtail.

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

2 Little Owl.

2 singing Reed Bunting.

Highlights from a morning circuit 8.00 to 10.20:

2 Stock Dove, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Dipper in Redisher Wood. Also 6 Song Thrush in full song!

5 Redwing, 3 Fieldfare and 1 Mistle Thrush.

1 Raven and 1 Little Owl.

 

37 species noted during morning circuit 8.30 to 11.30 including:

Kingfisher, Dipper, 2 Grey Wagtail and a Stock Dove in Redisher Wood.

Great Black- backed Gull on sheep carcass.

c30 Fieldfare and 1 Redwing on the rifle range.

Prolonged views of Peregrine including a spell of aerial combat with a Raven.

1 Little Owl and 1 Kestrel.

Best from a morning circuit 9.00 to 11.00:

1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and 2 Little Owl.

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest in Redisher Wood.

Good sized mixed flock near the stables that included 8 Mistle Thrush together, a few Fieldfare, 30 Goldfinch and 50+ Starling.

3 Lesser Redpoll and 4 Greenfinch.

Couldnt find any Dippers today. 

Highlights from a morning circuit:

Small numbers of Redwing, Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush in Red Brook valley.

Treecreeper, Goldcrest and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the woodland.

1 Snipe flushed from the high ground of the moor, my first record since the spring.

1 Little Owl.

Best from a morning circuit 8.00 to 11.20:

2 Dipper in Redisher Wood.

2 Treecreeper, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Stock Dove, also in the Wood.

150 Pink - footed Goose over to the south east.

First site record of Great Black-backed Gull.

5 Raven.

1 Little Owl.

And a new record count of 37 Mallard on the Redisher Wood pond!

Best from a morning circuit 7.30 to 10.30:

1 Green Woodpecker.

5 Redwing and 3 Mistle Thrush.

Still lots of Jay activity with at least 10 birds.

3 Grey Wagtail In Redisher Wood.

c130 Woodpigeon.

1 Little Owl and 1 Kestrel

 

Of interest during morning circuit 8.30 to 12.00:

Two flocks of Fieldfare, 50 and 30. 1 Redwing among them and 5 Mistle Thrush.

c20 Meadow Pipit still on the higher ground. 1 Grey Wagtail.

2 Raven and still plenty of Jay activity.

1 Little Owl and 1 Kestrel.

Highlights from a high level walk over Holcombe Moor and Harcles Hill this afternoon:

Still good numbers of Meadow Pipit on the high ground, but now mainly in flocks, 80+ birds in total. 2 Skylark.

2 Raven.

1 Sparrowhawk north and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker east, both over the open moorland.

1 Little Owl and 2 Kestrel.

Biggest surprise was 2 Wheatear on the top of Harcles Hill.

Morning circuit 7.40 to 11.00:

Migrants included:

Flocks of 8 and 16 Fieldfare south through Red Brook Valley.

6 Mistle Thrush.

Flocks of 12 and c80 Goldfinch.

Only 5 Meadow Pipit and 2 Skylark.

Also:

2 Stonechat and 1 Grey Wagtail.

1 Green Woodpecker.

1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Kestrel and 1 Little Owl.

 

Highlights during morning circuit from Redisher Wood, up the Red Brook valley and over the Moor to Holcombe from 7.00 until 11.15.

Much evidence of moving birds with:

3 Cormorant, my first site record.

155 Meadow Pipit.

2 Mistle Thrush.

6+ Wheatear and 2 Stonechat at the north end of the valley.

3 Skylark.

Compact flock of 6 Jay.

3 Swallow.

3 Goldfinch.

3 Bullfinch.

Single Reed Bunting and Alba Wagtail.

Also 1 Buzzard, 4 Kestrel, 2 Raven and 3 Green Woodpecker- including one well above the tree line.

 

Excellent morning loop around the moor with much evidence of migration.

A very large flock of mixed passerines on the eastern side, with the hillside being alive with small birds. It was impossible to count or identify all the birds but Goldfinch (25+), Blue Tit (20+) and Chiffchaff (10+) were most evident. Mixed in were 7 Mistle Thrush, a few Great Tit, 4 Bullfinch, 3 Starling, 1 Whitethroat and a Green woodpecker that seemed to be moving south.

c40 Swallow and 3 House Martin.

No less than 10 Kestrel in the air together on the updraught on the western side of the moor, 1 Sparrowhawk and the star bird was a Hobby that zipped straight through.

2 Raven, 1 Jay, a 2nd Green Woodpecker and 3 Wheatear around the firing range area.

-- Edited by Roger Halsey on Thursday 16th of August 2018 02:45:38 PM

Walked a long circuit from Redisher Wood up the Red Brook valley, over Holcombe Moor to Peel Tower and down Holcombe Old Road this morning. Just about everything has stopped singing on the high ground so birds a bit harder to find now. Some birds of interest though:

At least 4 Raven, 4 Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk.

2 Little Owl in different locations.

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

2 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat with fledged young and a Lesser Redpoll.

1 Grey Wagtail.

Swallow starting to gather in small flocks with maybe 60 birds seen. A few Swift and House Martin too.