Out at 6.10 until 715 - was going to go onto the tops but rain stopped play. Ended up doing a circuit of Sunnyhurst Hey Res and coming back via the Water Board plantation, inbetween the res and Sunnyhurst Woods. Grey and cool, bits of rain.

Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Skylark, Red Grouse (heard), Lapwing, Bullfinch, LT Tit, Jackdaw, Swallow, Reed Bunting, amongst others.

3/5/10 (am)

After tickling the nearby Wood Warbler, and admiring the local Redstarts, I set forth ont Lanky moors for a good owd-fashioned mooch:

Ryal Fold/Tockholes/Tower area:

1 Raven
2 Wheatear (pr)
5 Red Grouse (4m)
1 Grasshopper Warbler (heard only)
4 Curlew
2 Skylark
1 Kestrel
1 Grey Wagtail
6 Lapwing
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Goosander (drk) on Sunnyhurst Hey Reservoir (the only thing on the Res...)
1 Nuthatch (Tockholes visitor centre)
2 Mistle Thrush
Meadow Pipits and Swallows aplenty...

First visit here in a birding capacity, and the views alone were well worth it - could even see the ship-yards at Barrow-in-Furness !

(Thanks for the recent info Mark )

Grasshopper Warbler reeling at yesterday's spot and showing well. Male Wheatear on tops above Aggie's Staircase. Red Grouse (4), Redpoll and several Lapwing in fields below moorland edge.

Been onto the moors two or three times this week and it has been very quiet with nothing really of note. On Tuesday it was bitterly cold and a one and a half hour walk provided nothing other than a Skylark. No signs of Wheatear in the Sunnyhurst Hey Res area nor any Ring Ouzel.

Today had a walk over to the Royal pub at Tockholes. Wheatear (2) in the fields below Higher Wenshead farm and another in the field adjacent to the res on the way back.

Wak onto the tops tonight, over the back of the moors for a mile and back down to Sunnyhurst via Stepback. Out for an hour and a half. Very quiet with a few Meadow Pipit, 2 Curlew, 3 Red Grouse, a coupe of Lapwing and nothing much else.

The moors were 'torched' yet again late yesterday afternoon. Me and a friend only commented on Thursday evening on how dry the grass was. The first really warm and sunny weekend of the year and you know what to expect from the town low lifes.

It's usually the area from Higher Sunnyhurst Res up the slopes to the tower. An annual event (at least) and it's been done so many times that around 70% of the heather has disappeared in that section of the moors. It's now mainly just grass.

Luckily, the best part of the area, immediately to the south east of the res, is damp enough not to catch fire. A reedy area by a small stream with various bushes, gorse and heather, the spot where Grasshopper Warbler is normally seen each year.

I'll have a mooch up there later on to assess the damage.

First field on lhs after the quarry - Wheatear (4), Skylark (2), Lapwing (1).

Field to west of Sunnyhurst Hey Res - Wheatear (1), Lapwing (3).

Linnet, Redpoll, Kestrel, Goldfinch, Pheasant and another Skylark also about.

Back home for a week. Had two walks over the moors and to be honest it has been extremely quiet. Two Red Grouse on Saturday and three Red Grouse & a pair of Goosander on Sunnyhurst Hey Res today were the only birds worth mentioning. A Short eared Owl was seen near Darwen Tower on Friday.

Nice two hour walk this afternoon. Plenty of snow - stumbled off the path at one stage taking a photograph and snow level was up to my knees.

Not a lot of bird life - around 6 Red Grouse, 5 Fieldfare, 14 Jackdaw, c.15 Bullfinch amongst other stuff. No owls today although I was told of a Short Eared above Stepback.

Need to go up again shortly to check for Snow Bunting - seen in the past here - after 28 were today noted on (relatively) nearby Pendle.

Usual walk with dog this morning and amongst other stuff :-

Reed Bunting
Whitethroat
Redpoll
Chiffchaff
Swallow
House Martin
Swift

Walk at dinnertime in Jacks key area, southern end of Darwen :-

Garden Warbler
Blackcap
Cuckoo (heard from moors)

Hobby seen yesterday in Darwen area (not by me, unfortunately!)



-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 2nd of June 2009 03:43:58 PM

Set off to walk to work via Darwen Tower and the south eastern moorland edge. Had my first cuckoo of spring going up to the tower and in the upper Bury Fold area had two separate reeling Grasshopper Warblers, one on the moors and one in damp farmland. Also had a minimum of five Red Grouse in three different areas along with two Curlews. Having misjudged the length of time it would take, I arrived at work 15 mins late...oops, but who cares!

Moorland edge 6.20 - 7.50 and 17.45 - 18.45 sunny & warm :-

Very quiet this morning, specifically looking for Ring Ouzel and Grasshopper Warbler but wasn't to be.

Additions to stuff seen yesterday were Red Grouse (2) and Stonechat (3). The single Wheatear had moved through by this morning to be replaced with another 4 this evening.

Moorland edge :- 17.50 - 19.00 Fine & mildish

Pretty much as yesterday with the addition of Redshank (1) near Sunnyhurst Hey Reservoir. Wheatear (4) in usual field.

Moorland edge, 6.50 - 7.50, cool & still :-

Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Red Grouse, Pheasant, Green Woodpecker, Lapwing (12) & Wheatear (1) amongst other stuff.

Hi Mark,

It was nice to meet you. Knew you had to be a birder when your first question was "have you seen any Wheatears up there?" Rather envy where you live as Sunnyhurst Wood and that area of the Moors adjacent to the Tower seemed to be teeming with birds and the views from the tops were fantastic yesterday.

Cheers,

Alan.

Walk through Sunnyhurst Wood and up to Tower via Reservoirs from 9am to 12.30pm

Pied Wagtail (1)
Grey Wagtail (1)
Great Crested Grebe (2)
Kestrel (2)
Lapwing (8)
Curlew (2)
Redwing (3)
Wheatear (5)
Stonechat (2 Pairs)
Skylark (1)
Meadow Pipit (10+)
Red Grouse (3)
Mistle Thrush (1)
Song Thrush (1)

Walk up to Sunnyhurst Hey Reservoir and part of moorland edge 8.50 - 9.50 cold and blustery :-

Wheatear (5) - Not same 5 as seen on 19th
Skylark (4)
Meadow Pipit
Curlew (2)
Lapwing (9)
Bullfinch
Heron
Kestrel
Jackdaw

Lovely clear views of Ribble Estuary, Blackpool Tower, Morecambe Bay, Howgill Fells, Bowland Fells, Three Peaks & Pendle.

Moorland Edge 6.50 - 7.45 :-


Wheatear (5)
Ring Ouzel (1f) Flyover northwards - very early record - never in March previously
Reed Bunting
Lapwing
Skylark
Meadow Pipit

Last couple of days :-

Stonechat
Lesser Redpoll




-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Thursday 19th of March 2009 07:54:35 PM

First sighting of Long eared Owl tonight for a good few weeks, sat right out in the open on a fence post. 17 Lapwing flew west.

Two Skylark holding territories on Sunnyhurst side of the moors. The odd Reed Bunting has returned, just waiting now for return of Redpoll, Linnet and Stonechat with the first Wheatear a week or so away along with Ring Ouzel thereafter.

After a quiet few weeks there's a feeling of anticipation again!

Two Short eared Owls yesterday with an adult male Merlin today at Sunnyhurst Hey Reservoir which is on the northern edge of the moors above Sunnyhurst.

Two Short-eared Owls hunting, but twice in aerial conflict, on the west side of Darwen Moor, just below the Tower, at 2pm this afternoon. Only saw them when they were put up by a passing Peregrine!