Brambling at Higher Tunstead barn feeders, along with lots of other species, in heavy snow

David Morris wrote:

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Went for a guided walk there today looking for mountain hares up the path to Chew Reservoir.

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I passed you coming down when I was walking up, then. :) Spoke to the gentleman who lead the walk (I believe he's the RSPB's warden for the site; I've spoken to him there before), and he said there may be another in March, which I'll look into going on. Never seen any hares up there myself, either, and certainly didn't today (it had turned pretty grotty by the time I reached the top), so I headed down pretty quickly.

Binn Green yielded multiple coal tit, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, goldfinch and blackbird, but other than that:
2 dunnock
1 great Spotted woodpecker
2 pheasants

Around the various reservoirs and walks between them:
1 dipper
several coal tit
c30 mallard
30+ black-headed gulls
2 kestrel (one making a kill; spectacular, but had to feel some sympathy for the poor furry that she got)
1 raven
7 red grouse (one giving beautiful views, and others heard calling)

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 25th of January 2015 06:41:34 PM

Still a couple of Bramblings amongst the usual birds at the feeders at Binn Green.
A quick look up on the moor above produced only Red Grouse before the cold took over.

Ooh Great! Glad to be of help! Maybe I'll see a Merlin there one day! :)

Many thanks Charles for a most useful guide and Simon for the additional info. That's really helpful and sounds like a good walk.

It looks like it is going to be a bit of a dingy wet and windy Saturday, though. Will report any sightings when I'm back.

R

Topaz wrote:

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Hi all, I'm an out of towner looking to spend the day (10.30 til dusk) around Dove Stone. Any advice for a walk that takes in some of the best spots would be gratefully received.

The last two dipper spots mention the overflow; is that the rather impressive knobbled (official architectural term) weir between Yeoman Hey and Dove stone? Is this regularly the best place for dippers or are there others nearby?

And if there's still a rough-legged buzzard around in the area that's got to be worth staking out for.

Cheers!

T

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I'd start with a map and the details on the RSPB website. I don't live in Manchester, but visit my folks there and usually visit Dovestones 2 or 3 times a year, so I'm by no means an expert.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/dovestone_tcm9-317350.pdf

if you follow the Blue and Red outlined walks then that will give you some idea. I usually start at the Binn Green carpark as there are usually some birds on the feeders. Tits and finches mainly, in my experience with the odd Great Spotted Woodpecker. From there, you can look out over the valley for raptors, Pheasants etc.

Walk down the hill from Binn Green and then take the road down towards the reservoirs. I usually then take a left and continue up the left-hand side of Yeoman Hay. The Dippers I saw were in the channel that runs alongside the path, but on that occasion the top Reservoir (Greenfield) was full, so water was running down the overflow. When there's no water, then the overflow channel tends to be empty. The Woods oalongsde the path tend to be quiet, save for Siskins, Jays and Tits. When you get past the current wooded section, then there is moorland - usually some Pheasants, Pigeons, Corvids and maybe a Kestrel or two.

The top reservoir (Greenfield) is usually empty of life in my experience though there were a few Mallard there on my last visit and I have seen Common Sandpiper around there in the Spring. beyond the Reservoir there is a steep path with a further stream, but I've never been luck to see any Dippers on it. I didn't see the Rough-Legged Buzzards but I believe that they were up this send of the reserve, when they were seen back in November.

I usually take the path between Greenfield and Yeoman Hay reservoirs and then walk back towards Dovestones over the moorland (boggy). Not much around here usually save for some Meadow Pipits and Pheasants. When you get back to the top end of Dovestones, there are usually some Wagtails around - Generally Pied Wagtails, but also possibly some Grey too.

When you arrive at Ashway Gap there is a picnic area and during the summer the Rspb usually have a presence here. The stepped channel which comes down the hil at this point may also have Wagtails and Dippers on it and the RSPB has a sign here suggesting that you look out for Dippers here. I then usually follow the path around Dovestones towards Chew Brook and the 'Life for a Life' Woods. You could follow the path of Chew brook up to the reservoir on the top. There are Red Grouse up there and possibly also Dippers on Chew Brook. The Life for a Life wood is quiet in my experience though I've seen Siskin in there and Reed Bunting. I think that Brambling were also seem there last winter.

I usually then follow the path back around the reservoir and then head up the hill back to the Binn Green carpark.

Its probably also worth your while checking out the (infrequently updated) blog at the RSPB site.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/dovestone/default.aspx



-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Thursday 8th of January 2015 08:37:31 PM

Sunday 4.1.15. Beautiful sunny day. Walked up to Pots and Pans through Dick Clough. Hawthorns and holly still have a good crop of berries attracting mistle thrush, fieldfare and redwing in flocks. Small flock of bullfinch with a lovely male prominent. Small flock of little brown jobs with forked tails, brown streaked, black bibs, on closer inspection turned out to be redpoll. Juveniles with no red cap a bit difficult to identify. Overhead a raven was mobbing a female sparrowhawk, then a buzzard near the ruined farm. A great site, shelter and food for lots of species.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 8th of January 2015 08:13:21 PM

Two and half hours late morning /early afternoon on the moors above Dove Stone optimistic raptor watching produced only
Kestrel 4
Stonechat 1
Raven 3+
Red Grouse 30+
Meadow Pipit 4

At least 1 Brambling at Binn Green at 10am this morning also a Common Buzzard being mobbed by a Merlin on the otherside of the valley.
It was hovering but was definitely a Common Buzzard.

Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard once again in Saddleworth Moor above Greenfield Reservoir, at 12:20 today.

Info thanks to Mark Rigby

Mark Rigby wrote:

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No sign of any Rough-legged Buzzard this morning. Not seen in Greater Manchester since last Sunday as far as I aware.

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Just my very brief sighting on Monday Mark

at least 5 Brambling at Binn Green - more around.

Meanwhile just down the road at Bonn green and before traffic works in greater manchester

4 common buzzards hovering and dropping on to moor got me excited for a while

Several pairs of raven

Pair of peregrines

Fem kestrel

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Three Rough-legged Buzzard by the Holmfirth Road above Digley Reservoir near to the Holm Moss transmitter, the way to Holmfirth this afternoon but probably fairly well into Yorkshire.

Info thanks to Judith Smith

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for "probably" read "definitely"

Ad Rough-legged Buzzard on Saddleeorth Moor above Greenfield reservoir at 1230hrs. It was joined by a juv Rough-legged Buzzard at 1300

Also

Merlin
4 Kestrel
2 Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
50 Starling over
50+ Red Grouse
Meadow Pipit

2 buzzards over Intake Lane, Greenfield this afternoon at 3pm. Distant views through a scope from my back garden. One hung in the wind for a long time and showed occasional glimpses of white and black in the tail before disappearing over the ridge. It was presumably a juvenile Rough Legged. The other was a very pale individual that landed on a distant rock. I got in the car and drove across the valley managing to locate it on Intake Lane. It was very pale looking black and white but eventually it flew revealing it to be a common buzzard.

Sarfraz Hayat wrote:

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Rough Legged Buzzards Absent from 12 to 2.15. Had to stop at Binn Green to use the public toilet, opened the door to find two men buttoning up their trousers. Door was not locked. It was a bit of a shock. One of them literally flew out like a released pheasant. Does this happen a lot? Where can it be reported?

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Its a well known site I'm afraid and should be reported to the Police.

1 juv Rough-Legged Buzzard off the plateaux of the moor (Featherbed Moss? Apologies, unsure if that's the area) and N over Holmfirth Road between 11:40-11:50
Min 26 Red Grouse along the road there to the car park on the W Yorks boundary
1 Redpoll W over the moor

Three for myself and others today (lifer) - but all had vacated and by 2.30pm no further sign, inclusive of a drive towards Holmfirth. Good day out with great company.

90% sure I saw one of the Rough Legged Buzzards at about 1.30, but i was by myself and can't be certain. it had the light/white tail patch, but I'm not confident enough to say for definite. Later quite a few birders turned up, but no Rough legged Buzzards showed up to give 100% positive ID. Gutted.
Nice to meet Simon Gough, fingers crossed they re-appear and stick around till Friday for you Simon.

Steve Suttill wrote:

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I've had a look at John Tymon's photos on Flickr (usual excellent shots from him) but the upper tail pattern doesn't match that of the bird I first reported from Intake Lane. I've checked with John and he hasn't got any other pictures which show a differing tail pattern between the two birds seen above Yeoman Hey.

Has anyone got good photos showing the upper tail pattern of either or both birds? It might help sort out just how many Rough-legged Buzzards we've had in the area!

Cheers.

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Has anyone got good photos showing the upper tail pattern of ANY of these birds? It might help sort out just how many Rough-legged Buzzards we've had in the area!


Thanks to all who have sent me photos already.

The dead pheasant are around because they're released prior to the game season.
They release so many that they inevitably end up as road kill. Most of the shooting up there is organised drives run by upperwood farm.
It's not unusual to see red-legged partridge at DS to for the same reason.
In the past I've seen (both plans and occasionally the birds) all kinds of exotic galliformes on the moor up there.

I've had a look at John Tymon's photos on Flickr (usual excellent shots from him) but the upper tail pattern doesn't match that of the bird I first reported from Intake Lane. I've checked with John and he hasn't got any other pictures which show a differing tail pattern between the two birds seen above Yeoman Hey.

Has anyone got good photos showing the upper tail pattern of either or both birds? It might help sort out just how many Rough-legged Buzzards we've had in the area!

Cheers.

An alternative explanation is that they're shot out of season, and dumped in the road. I've heard that's done with badgers.