Spotted a number of strangely coloured pheasants from Binn Green area yesterday (photos attached). Are they a usual phase or something else?

1/9/17

Lower hillsides and valleys:

Buzzard 1
Stonechat 1

Higher hillsides and moorland tops:

Red Grouse 21
Kestrel 1
Meadow Pipit <10
Raven 2

No sign as of 5.00pm, but Adrian one of the RSPB volunteers had a good view from the Sailing Club car park and is pretty certain it was a Cattle Egret. It flew further up the farmers field with all the sheep.

Male Ring Ousel active along Chew Reservoir Road. I heard the alarm call first and then found the bird.

Among the usual at Dove Stone (26th May)

Spotted Flycatcher (been hanging around for a few days)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Common Sandpiper

Sparrowhawk

Treecreeper

 

 

Around Dove Stone site 12-6pm

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Blackbird

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Siskin

Willow Warbler

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Mistle Thrush

Song Thrush

Robin

Goldcrest

Ring Ouzel

Mallard

Canada Geese

Cormorant

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat

Wheatear

Jay

Treecreeper

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Golden Plover

Red Grouse

Dunlin

Curlew

Skylark

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Raven

Pheasant

Red Legged Partridge

-- Edited by James Minchin on Thursday 18th of May 2017 11:09:47 PM

My first swallow this afternoon in a quick visit, plus a ring ouzel, fairly quiet otherwise.

all day here having a good mooch around..

no signs of any ring ouzel or wheatear that had been seen in the week.
2-3 dippers
plenty of red grouse around
1 brief view of a crossbill, more heard in one of the plantations.
lots of siskin around with several redpolls
2 stonechat
1 skylark
plenty of meadow pipits around
1 kestrel
1 buzzard
1 sparrowhawk
1 raven
4 grey wagtail
5 pied wagtail
1 oystercatcher
mistle thrush sat on nest
3 grey heron
2 golden plover up at chew reservoir
plus all the usuals around.

Had a red kite drift over Binn Green Car Park at about 3pm today

Also a male wheatear up at Chew Reservoir

Cold and dreary today (11.00-15.00)

Finches galore at Binn Green including a Greenfinch, one Brambling and a lot of Siskin.

Usual variety of tits present around the feeders with a single treecreeper and 4 pheasant. 

Andrea 

Sun 29th Jan (09:45 - 12:00):
Another nice day, with clearblue sky and warm sunshine - at least around the Binn Green area. This time the path alongside the reservoirs was open, despite it still being shooting season (until 1st Feb), however the lack of sightings of Pheasant and Partridge (other than the odd carcass) suggests that perhaps there is not much left to be shot at.

Binn Green - very busy with finches
- 2 Mistle Thrush
- 2+ Coal Tit
- 12+ Siskin
- 15+ Goldfinch
- 6 Chaffinch
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Pheasant

Later 2 Buzzard to the north. 1 Peegrine on rock face high above Dovestones Res.

1 Dipper in channel alongside Yeoman Hay.

Binn Green today, approx 3:15-3:45pm Brambling- 2m, 2f- lifer for me, made the decision to go despite the snow and ice worth while, even though I worried about getting my car out of the car park! As I was leaving someone was struggling to get their car up the hill at the bottom car park... Mistle Thrush x2- feeding on berries on a bush in the top car park. Treecreeper- round the feeders. Other species seen: Blue Tit Chaffinch (at least one of each sex) Coal Tit Great Tit Robin

Feeders fairly quiet, but still a couple of Bramblings about.

8.30-9.30 a.m. 2nd visit in the last week looking for Crossbill, 6 over car park at 9.20, ( GM Year list now 171). Also 10+ Brambling below feeders.
Cheers Ian

Sunday 23rd October 2016, 12.00 - 12.45pm

Binn Green, following a cold and windy blank around Higher Swineshaw

Goldfinch and Chaffinch dominated around the feeding area, but there were also around a dozen flighty Brambling, and I managed to pick out a couple of Siskin. Without the trees, nothing was flying due to the strong wind.

Day spent around here today.

Binn Green:

4 goldcrest
c15 coal tit
10+ goldfinch
5+ greenfinch
20+ chaffinch
1 great spotted woodpecker
2 cormorant over
1 buzzard

Yeoman Hey / Dove Stone and surrounds:

10+ goldcrest (lots in Ashway Gap wood)
1 nuthatch
30+ lesser redpoll (the dominant species in a large mixed flock that also contained goldfinch and siskin)
c15 meadow pipit
3 pied wagtail
2 dipper (one in the channel alongside Yeoman Hey, one on the overflow channel coming down from Greenfield Reservoir(?) at Ashway Gap)
2 song thrush
3 jay
A few rook coming in to roost late on when leaving
2 raven

Chew Valley Path:

1, probably 2, stonechat (brief distant view, with the male standing out)
16+ meadow pipit
1 grey wagtail
2 dipper (or the same dipper twice)
3 raven
11+ red grouse
1 kestrel

Meadow pipits, red grouse, and a flock of around 15 goldfinch at Chew Reservoir.



-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 2nd of October 2016 11:10:32 PM

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

Rather depressing walk from Binn Green along Yeoman Hey to the top of Greenfield Reservoir this afternoon.

Hardly a single wild bird to be seen or heard. Hundreds of recently released Pheasants and dozens of Red-legged Partridges (never seen so many). I suspect that many of the Mallard have also been introduced. Game bird feeders everywhere and corn scattered all over the place. All so some sadistic so-and-sos can have their "fun"...

---

Did a similar walk on Sunday 18th Sep and noticed exactly the same thing. Lots of Mallard sheltering along the edge of Greenfield Reservoir and tons of Red-legged Partridge on the hilsides. a few Pheasant were heard but none seen.

At Binn Green, just the usual tits, Chaffinches, Goldcrests and Siskins. Also a single Kestrel.

Rather depressing walk from Binn Green along Yeoman Hey to the top of Greenfield Reservoir this afternoon.

Hardly a single wild bird to be seen or heard. Hundreds of recently released Pheasants and dozens of Red-legged Partridges (never seen so many). I suspect that many of the Mallard have also been introduced. Game bird feeders everywhere and corn scattered all over the place. All so some sadistic so-and-sos can have their "fun"...

Day off work today, so spent it here instead; much more agreeable. Highlights:

Binn Green:

2 goldcrest
Plenty of coal tit; the only numerous species here.
2 treecreeper
1 bullfinch

Yeoman Hey / Ashway Gap / Dove Stone:

2+ goldcrest (juveniles)
1 willow warbler (juvenile)
3 lesser redpoll (one very confiding juvenile by the sailing club)
2 siskin
5+ swallow (not swift, as originally typed)
8+ meadow pipit
4 pied wagtail
3 grey wagtail
1 raven
1 common sandpiper

Chew valley path:

2 willow warbler heard calling
5 or 6 stonechat (one young juvenile)
7 meadow pipit
2 grey wagtail (pair, both with food)
6 red grouse
6 teal (on pond next to small copse; with 8 mallard)

Chew reservoir:

5+ meadow pipit
2 red grouse
100+ Canada geese
1 common sandpiper

-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Friday 5th of August 2016 11:09:32 PM

Hello all. First post. I hope I haven't made any mistakes with names. I went on a RSPB guided walk of Dove Stone edge on 19 June.


My sightings were:

Mallards. Several males and handful of females. Three ducklings
Great Tits x 2
Chaffinch x 1 (male)
Pied wagtail x 2
Jackdaws x 6
Common Sandpiper
Kestrel x 1 (female)
Wren x 2
Meadow Pipit x 4
Skylark x 1 but heard many more.

There was a stonechat seen apparently but for the life of me I couldn't find it.  We were also on the lookout for Golden Plover but all we saw were the remains of, what I am assuming, was a peregrine's lunch as we came down Ashford Gap.

-- Edited by Mark B-Seifert on Thursday 30th of June 2016 08:01:16 PM

Quick circuit of the reservoir this afternoon. Highlights:

4 Siskin, Common Sandpiper, Peregrine Falcon,  Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Meadow Pipit, 7 Willow Warbler. 

Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, Buzzard and Peregrine at Chew Plantation at 9 am.

Bulk of the day spent around here today. Highlights:

Binn Green:

3 chiffchaff
Coal tit, blue tit, great tit
2 lesser redpoll
6 siskin (one singing)
Goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch (the most numerous finch)
1 brambling
1 great spotted woodpecker

Yeoman Hey / Dovestone & surrounds:

1 goldcrest heard singing
5+ willow warbler
1 pied wagtail
1 grey wagtail
2 dipper (in the usual overflow channel running parallel to Yeoman Hey)
1 jay heard in Ashway Gap wood
1 common sandpiper
2 black-headed gull

Chew Valley path:

6 wren
1 willow warbler (singing from small copse)
3 stonechat (2 singing, briefly)
8 wheatear (one singing)
15+ meadow pipit
1 skylark heard singing
1 ring ouzel
7 red grouse

Chew Reservoir:

4 wheatear
20+ meadow pipit (3 parachuting)
2 pied wagtail
1 dunlin
2 or 3 curlew
2 red grouse
67 Canada geese

Another fantastic day here, in stunning weather.

Walk up to Chew Resvr this afternoon (and back too )

Stonechat x 3 2m 1f
Meadow Pipit (bucket loads)
Kestrel m
Ring Ouzel 1m (in the quarry like structure right at the top of Chew Valley Rd on the left. Flushed it on the way up and with its back to me I was only 95% sure it was a RO (v.unlikely a blackbird at that height). Walked up to the reservoir and back (c.15 mins) and sure enough it had returned. Still v.flighty but saw it long enough for a +ve id.
Grey Wagtail x 2

plus regular bits