Me too Jason, all afternoon, hunting for crossbill and mealy to get a a photo but no joy, a female crossbill was seen this morning by the warden, only new bird to add to the birds already seen is 1 treecreeper

Hi Judith,

i can fill a form if you like though like i said i did not get a great view and when i tried to move position for a photo the bird flew off, 4-5 lesser redpolls flew in together and one of them was very very light grey in colour compared to all the usually brown coloured lesser redpols it was with, i stayed for a furthur two hours but did not see the mealy or crossbill, i have seen this a few times before when mealy and lesser fly in together and for me you get a even better comparison when these birds are together as these were, this bird was strickingly lighter, greyer and brighter in colour than the duller looking lessers, i also mentioned this bird to a friend of mine Ian from the bolton rspb who just turned up as i was leaving so i will ask him when i see him if he managed to see it and i also mentioned it to rachael, one of the rspb wardens up there, she mentioned that other sightings of a mealy have been mentioned to her recently though she had not seen one herself,

Best Dennis

I should of stayed longer, i had no sightings in the morning though i did see a mealy mixed in with nice flocks of lesser redpols knocking around, i was only 95% on my mealy sighting as i did not get a great view so nice to see someone else saw it too,

Graham Beverley wrote:

---

14.00
Male crossbill showing well in binn green car park- reports of possible female and others but not confirmed
Mealy redpoll at bottom of steps on road

---

Thank you Ian will be visiting very soon.

Cheers Danny.(Not seen crossbill)

Were is Binn Green?Were are the crossbills.
Went to Dovestones 2 weeks ago.
Regards Danny

P S Sorry for my lack of knowledge.

1300hrs - 10 x Grouse on moorland above Yeomans Res between the stone cross and Greenfield Brook. Sadly could have seen more, however the weather closed in on the tops and visibility became poor.

Andy

Hi Keith , yes , the crossbill was definitely taking buds off the tree, we were stood about 15' away . We must have just missed you , because we also met the female rspb worker ,as we were going down the steps to the reservoir .


Cheers Chris

Late post for yesterday 16/03/11 @ 12:00hrs...
Much the same as the previous post , amazing numbers of siskin , on and around feeders, also cracking undisturbed views of a stunning male crossbill , which appeared to be feeding on leaf-buds , in a small tree at the far corner of Binn Green car park..Also two redpolls in trees near toilets... the ones left standing , that is !!!
Also four pied wags and two mistle thrush around res .
Five male and four female red grouse ,single sex parties,( coveys ?? ) about 10 yards apart , seen on hillside above the old - house ruins , during a break in the mist ...


Cheers Chris

Binn green Managed to get mark Rigby up and he got some good photos

-- Edited by Graham Beverley on Tuesday 15th of March 2011 05:31:48 PM

13.25-15.15
Single male crossbill around car park and puddles still present and as been for last forty-five mins
Lesser redpoll present all time
Siskins lots
Brambling 1f
Bullfinch m/f
Nuthatch
GS wood m/f
Blue/great/long tail/coal tits
Robin blackbird chaff gold green finchs
late post
Two curlews see at upperwood farm Monday

Binn Green feeders 14.45-15.45
Brambling 
Siskin
Nuthatch 
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Long tail tit
Goldfinch
Treecreeper 
Woodpigeon 
Blackbird
Greater spotted woodpecker

I am informed that this apparently random and entirely unauthorised tree felling has not been restricted to Binn Green either and has also occurred very recently at Dovestones too.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 7th of March 2011 09:35:35 AM

Cheers Graham! Went up there today, up the chew road, across from chew res to the peregrine quarry and back again. Relatively quiet, but a nice sunny with a few birds:

Dove Stone:
8 Red Grouse (2 seen, 6 heard)
2 Peregrine
4 Raven
1 Dipper (in Greenfield near the kingfisher pub, nice treat on way from train)
Not strictly relevant, but cracking views of 3 near fully white mountain hares from the chew road

Binn Green:
4+ Siskin
1 GS Woodpecker
2 Bullfinch (a pair)
5 Greenfinch
1 Nuthatch
4 Goldfinch
loads of tits, chaffinches, etc.

By the way, the dipper seen in Greenfield was colour ringed, with a red and a grey ring on the right leg (red above grey), and a white on the left


-- Edited by Joe Wynn on Sunday 6th of March 2011 08:52:43 PM

Hi, I was going to go up to dove stones and on to the moors there (if this good weather holds!) and was just looking at the os map and realised there were loads of paths up there. I was going to walk up the chew road to the reservoir, and then across dove stone moss, and down through the forest on the lakeside. Is this a good route, and what would be up there, about this time of year (could it be called early spring?)? Also, if all else fails, is the binn green feeding station the one down bank lane, its been ages since i went!
Cheers,
Joe

Weather: Sunny and clear but increase in cloud as the day progressed.

WED 16/02/2011 12:00 17:00

Hey Farm Mossley to Binn Green

Hey Farm to Dovestones Reservoir

1 Fieldfare
4 Pheasant: one pair and single male and female
Others noted mainly around the farms Greenfinch, Blue and Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Black-Headed Gull.

Dovestones Reservoir

Canada Geese, Mallard and Black-headed-Gull

Binn Green: on feeders 15:50 - 16:30

2 Goldfinch
1 Nuthatch
2 Robin
2 Pheasent one male and a very exotic puple (male ?) this bird has to be seen to be believed. Watching a male Pheasent at very close quarters and admiring its plumage is one thing, and then a metallic purple one arrives along side.

Also present: in large numbers Coal Tit and in less numbers Chaffinch, Blue and Great Tit.

Whilst watching the frenzey of activity Lee Griffiths arrived to restock the many feeders. It is always a pleasure to meet fellow bird watchers and especially people like Lee and others. Who go out of their way and spend time and money to stock feeders in areas other than their homes. This is a great responsibilty and they are to be commended for their commitment. Also to be singled out for praise are the birders who stock the feeders on Coopers Ride and Bank Top on my local patch.

Heads up and many thanks from me and all the well feed birds to all concerned.

Regards David

went up today at 1.30 to fill them altogether 6 seed 4 nut 3 fatball and 1 suet feeder were pinched bloody gutted !!!!
i have just put up another 2 seed and a fat ball feeder at binngreen and 1seed and fatball up at dovestones lets see how long these last

Think feeders been stolen........... what nice people !

Probably end up on a car-boot sale.

Roger B.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Monday 14th of February 2011 03:10:29 PM

Friday 11.2.11-14.15/16.20
Siskin
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Chaffinch
Blackbird
Goldfinch
Robin
Brambling
GSWoodpecker
Woodpigeon
Pheasant
Nuthatch 
Long Tail Tit
Treecreeper 
Magpie
Mistle thrush
Any RSPB members visiting Binn Green car park, parking is free if membership card is displayed in car window this does not apply to the main DoveStone car park

3.30 till 4
sisken
g s woodpecker m / f male drumming
bullfinchs 1 m 1 f
longtailed tits
great tits
blue tits
coal tits
goldfinchs
chaffinchs 3 m 1 f
Pheasant.
treecreepers
Brambling 2 m
robin 1
sparrowhawk over
also i have put a couple of suet square feeders up now to







-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Sunday 30th of January 2011 08:43:21 PM

I've sent you a private message Graham

Late post for yesterday ,Wednesday 26/01/11 , between 12:00 and 13:45 hrs ...
Very lazy birding session , sat in car , in Binn Green car park ...constant rain/ drizzle ,cool breeze ...Put some seed ,nuts etc on flat rock and watched ...
Chaffich 40 + (including up to 9 males on the rock , 6 feet away , at any one time ! )
Siskin 30 +
Coal Tits 15 +
Blue Tits
Great Tits
Flock of 12 Long Tailed Tits
2 Nuthatch
3 Treecreepers
3 Brambling ( including a cracking male ! )
Up to seven male blackbirds at once
Five cock Pheasants ( including one purple form )
One Robin
20+ Goldfinch
4 Greenfinch
woodpigeons
One male sparrowhawk through ....missed everything, birds returned to feed within a minute !!!
Cheers Chris

Binn green 14.45-15.15
Clear blue sky above the mist
Nuthatch
Brambling
Chaffinch
Blackbirds
Mistle thrush
G S woodpecker
Siskin large numbers
Goldfinch also large numbers
Ltt/bt/gt/ctits

Binn green 14.50-15.20
Lesser redpoll
Bullfinch 1m 1 f
Siskin
Goldfinch
G S woodpecker
Chaffinch
Brambling
Long tail tits
Blue coal great tits
Blackbird
Woodpigeons
Pheasants

Didn't see any redpoll at the binn green feeders between 12.30 and 1pm but there was a GS Woodpecker and a Treecreeper. Otherwise, same as before but slightly less Siskin