Well both the main carpark and the carpark at Binn Green were open when we arrived at 6:25AM this morning, though we noticed that the entrance to the main carpark was manned, when we left 2 hours later.
6:30 - 8:20AM - Lovely clear, bright, dry and still conditions.
Binn Green: The feeders were not stocked, but someone had put some feed on one of the Bird Tables, which was being consumed by some Chaffinch and Coal Tit, otherwise that area was fairly quiet. - 2 Coal Tit - Pheasant - 1 singing Willow Warbler. - distant and quiet singing Cuckoo
Dovestone Reservoir It was a pretty quiet walk round in terms of encountering other humans and most of the occupants of the cars in the main carpark at least, appeared to b heading off to walk over the moors. Plenty of singing Willow Warbler and a few other species - c12 Willow Warbler - 3 Blackcap singing - 2 singing Chiffchaff - 1 Swallow around the main dam - 1 Common Sandpiper on the main Dam - c6 Pied Wagtail - Song Thrush - c4 Mistle Thrush - Reed Bunting - Bullfinch - c6 Meadow Pipit (1 displaying) - c6 Lapwing displaying (uphill towards the farm from the sailing Club) - 1 or maybe 2 singing Cuckoo in the plantations uphill from the sailing club - although nothing showed itself
Lots of Chaffinch, Mallard and the usual corvids plus a few Gulls, Cormorants
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 25th of May 2020 01:42:00 PM
A visit this morning to a very misty Dovestones. But did manage to spot a couple of birds of interest as the fog cleared.
3 Whooper swans (I think) dropped in on the reservoir and an odd looking wagtail (see below) - can anyone let me know what it is.
Hi Andrea! Fantastic sighting. Would it be alright if we posted your photos on the RSPB DoveStone twitter and social media? with credit to you of course.
Chew Reservoir and surrounding moor. Cold and overcast.
2 Golden Plover 1 Dunlin 2 pairs of Curlew 1 pair of Common Sandpiper 1 pair of Wheatear Grey Wagtail at a nest site Pair of Pied Wagtails Plenty of Skylark singing
Chew Valley path.
7 singing Reed Bunting 2 Cuckoo Two pairs of Stonechat, one pair feeding at least three very young fledglings 7 singing Willow Warblers 3 singing Blackcap 1 singing Song Thrush 2 Curlew Dipper feeding young in the brook
Lower down.
Pair of Common Sandpiper on Dovestone Reservoir Another Cuckoo singing Spotted Flycatcher
A promising site, ruined for me by its ease of access, resulting in a theme park atmosphere. Nevertheless, a satisfying morning, until the crowds appeared after 9am
1 nuthatch 5 siskin 1 lesser redpoll (another over from path leading to res) Goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch 1 bullfinch 1 song thrush 1 jay 1 great spotted woodpecker heard drumming
A quick look at the Binn Green Feeders had just Coal Tit and Pheasant showing, but on our return, it was a little more interesting with
- 3+ Great Tit - c4 Chaffinch - 1+ Brambling and - c6 Siskin
adding to the Pheasants and Mallards making the most of the seed on the ground under the feeders
Along past Yeoman Hay and Greenfield Reservoirs and then up the valley at the end (Is this still Greater Manchester), there were no Dippers but we did see - 2m Wheater - 1m Stonechat - c6 Meadow Pipit - 1 Grey Wagtail - 1 Buzzard - 2 Canada Geese - 1 Grey Heron
and heard quite a few Coal Tits, Goldfinch etc and a single Willow Warbler.
Usual suspects included Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Robin, Goldfinch, Chaffinch (many singing), Dunnock, Blackbird, Black-headed Gulls, Mallards, Canada Geese.
Plus: Female Goosander on Yeoman Hey, Male Reed Bunting singing, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Raven, Grey Wagtails in the spillway, several Skylarks singing on the hill.
-- Edited by James Minchin on Monday 25th of February 2019 01:44:44 AM
-- Edited by James Minchin on Monday 25th of February 2019 01:45:27 AM
Sun 10th Feb: (12:00 - 14:00 ish) Chilly walk in changeable conditions that ranged from being fairly clear and bright to driving sleet and hail. Generally very quiet around the woodlands and on the hillsides, so not a lot to see birdwise.
- 1 Buzzard over the hillsides - 1 Dipper - Channel around Greenfield Reservoir - 1 Pied Wagtail - further along the same channel as the Dipper
Around here today; very windy, so little in evidence, but still a glorious place to wander around. Very atmospheric at the top with the smattering of snow (where the only bird to show itself at all was a single meadow pipit); it was fresh up there, to say the least! Also of note:
Couple of siskin amongst a reasonably sized goldfinch flock in the Life for a Life wood Dipper in the outflow channel adjacent to Yeoman Hey and on Chew Brook Grey wagtail over near Ashway Gap Red grouse heard calling along Chew Brook valley Kestrel near Life for a Life wood and again at Ashway Gap
Wed 26th Dec First visit in ages and the place was busy with both families walking off Christmas excess and blokes with guns laying waste to the local Pheasant population.
Stayed away from the shooting and just walked from Binn Green around Dovestones Reservoir. Plenty of Woodpigeon taking flight but not a lot else.
- 3 Mistle Thrush, inc 1 singing male - 6+ Siskin - mainly at Binn Green - 10+ Coal Tit at Binn Green with some Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and a few other tits - 100+ Black-headed Gull - small Falcon flying low over the hillside of the east side of Yeoman Hay Reservoir. It was flying low above the vegetation and I wanted to say Merlin rather than Kestrel, but I didn't see it long enough to be saying one or the other.
50 Fieldfare flew west over Dovestones Reservoir this afternoon before heading north over Yeoman Hey Reservoir 5 Red-Legged Partridge around Yeoman Hey Reservoir
Very enjoyable, if very wet, day spent around here today. Didn't head up Chew Valley path today, so Binn Green (which was almost silent, just a couple of coal tit here), Yeoman Hey, Ashway Gap, and various plantations through to the sailing club:
1 goldcrest 2 chiffchaff 2 blackcap 6+ spotted flycatcher (family group, adults carrying food) 3 treecreeper 4 nuthatch 2+ lesser redpoll 6+ siskin (others unidentified in mixed flock) 10+ swallow 7 pied wagtail 2 grey wagtail 1 dipper 1 jay 1 raven 1 or 2 grey heron 4 - 6 kestrel 1 peregrine (extremely briefly, sped through high as I was watching a kestrel) 1 buzzard
What was surely a sparrowhawk trying to take a woodpigeon at Binn Green, too.
There wasn't much obviously around but I managed 35 species. Highlights were a juvenile Cuckoo and Spotted Flycatcher. Of note were masses of fledged Meadow Pipits, I also had my best ever view of a Red Grouse which popped up about 10 feet from me, and rather than flying away stared back and then trotted off.
A very late Cuckoo calling from the bottom of Chew Valley path At least six Reed Bunting territories, with one male seen carrying food 4 Stonechat, a male and three youngsters 5 Golden Plover, showing well out on the moor Common Sandpiper on the reservoir 2 Grey Heron over 5 Lesser Redpoll 6 Goldfinch 3 Willow Warblers singing 1 Dipper 4 Pied Wagtails
Then back down, fighting my way through the crowds at Dovestone
1 Spotted Flycatcher 1 alarm calling Common Sandpiper 1 Grey Wagtail 6 Swallows, two parents feeding four fledglings on a wire
6 Curlew 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull on the shoreline, causing great alarm amongst the Curlew 4 Dunlin 2 Buzzards, towards Hoarstone Edge, and Blindstones Moss One pair of Common Sandpiper Pair of Pied Wagtail 2 Skylark singing Mallard with 8 ducklings 1 Kestrel
Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch collecting food and a Grey Heron along the Brook from The Clarence to the turning to the cottages on Broadbent Lane.
3 Cuckoos in the sheep field by the cottages - all grey birds. Not sure if it was two males trying to court a female or a female trying to see off a courting pair. A male called and flew into one of the hawthorns near the lane as I turned onto it from the footpath by the cottages. While I was failing to digi-bin it a female's bubbling call came from the left, back towards the plantation and the bird flew off. Shortly afterwards a bird flew into a distant tree, there was more cuckoo-ing and bubbling then one bird followed another across to a stone wall where they were joined by the third bird. At that point two birds flew right to a dead tree where one perched normally, with the second bird behind it, facing the opposite way with wings drooped and tail cocked. As I was moving to try to get a better place for a photo the third bird again flew over and two of the birds disappeared behind the sycamores to the right of the track. The remaining bird eventually flew uphill to the southern end of the plantation and cuckoo-ed from there. I'm pretty sure that when the third bird first got involved I'd heard bubbling calls in the direction from which it came, which makes me think the two birds flying behind the sycamore were female.
Also along this stretch 2 male Pheasants, 4 juvenile Mistle Thrushes, a male Sparrowhawk and 9 Lapwings in the fields above Tanner's Business Centre.
Made my way through the obstacle course of the conifer plantation to check on the Bog Beacon. Good showing in its' primary location but only a few specimens in the second spot.
Juvenile Song Thrush in Chew Piece Plantation. Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, Wood Pigeons, Great Tits and Blackbirds also seen. Several Willow Warblers and 1 ChiffChaff heard.
Followed the old railway bed up Chew Valley, crossing over to the road to head up to Chew Reservoir. 4 or 5 Red Grouse advised against this but I stuck to it and added a male Ring Ouzel, 2 Common Buzzards and a pair of Teal in the stream bed at the top, which probably explains the single duckling piping away several small waterfalls down stream.
The Teal relocated to the reservoir, joining 2 Canada Geese, 2 Curlews, another Cuckoo, male Grey and Pied Wagtails and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. A Golden Plover and a Wren were heard but not seen. On the way down the only bird of interest between the reservoir and Charnel Clough was a sun-bathing Red Grouse. Lower down the old paper dump had 15 Mallard (4 M 1F 10 ducklings) 10 Teal (1 M 1F 8 ducklings) 1 Magpie and 1 Willow Warbler. A male Cuckoo was still calling somewhere around the conifers as I headed back for the bus.
Yeah he was up here filming the breeding waders for Springwatch, with the wardens and site manager. I said hello briefly, but wasnât able to make it up top that day sadly.
I can confirm Chris Packham, roosted at the Old Bell Inn Delph fed by my daughter apparently travelling the length of the UK filming for some new nature programme. Good record!
I can confirm Chris Packham, roosted at the Old Bell Inn Delph fed by my daughter apparently travelling the length of the UK filming for some new nature programme. Good record!
Slightly bizarre day spent around here today; as some may have heard, unfortunately there was more arson here last night, and today, whilst I was looking around Chew Reservoir, someone (the same people?) decided to set fire to a section of the vegetation along the Chew Brook valley. Several engines, and the fire crews earning their corn (and then some), as they always do. Several RSPB volunteers in there with beaters, too; all credit there. One good thing, though, is that they were caught.
Apart from that, it was another fabulous day around here, with some great species seen. Binn Green still mostly inaccessible, with no access to Yeoman Hey from there (hence I didn't make it to that part of the site).
Binn Green (the little of it I got to see):
1 willow warbler 4+ coal tit 2+ lesser redpoll 1 or 2 great spotted woodpecker
1 willow warbler 3 stonechat 14 meadow pipit 2 skylark heard singing 1 raven 5 red grouse 1 teal (trying gamely to swim up the brook) 2 kestrel
Chew Reservoir:
4+ wheatear 22+ meadow pipit 2 ring ouzel (male giving prolonged view, second bird of unknown sex) 1 teal 71 Canada geese 2 or 3 golden plover (my first here) 2 common sandpiper 1 kestrel
Also whilst at Chew Reservoir, a little way off there was a group of RSPB volunteers and a few others with scopes and whatnot; being nosy, I tried to work out what they might be looking for, and one of the men with them was, I'm sure, Chris Packham. A bit too distant for a 100% ID (and it's rude to stare, especially with binoculars; some people don't like that), but looked like him. A definite patch tick if confirmation is forthcoming, that.
An eventful day, all in.
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Friday 20th of April 2018 10:39:25 PM
Quick bash 'round' the main reservoir today (couldn't do a lap of it as the path between it and Yeoman Hay is closed, as is Binn Green near the feeders, one of my favourite spots!). Among the usual Black-headed Gulls, Mallards and usual songbirds (lot of Robins out today singing) were:
Treecreeper- 1, in the woods by Ashway Gap
Goldcrest- c3, same place
Cormorant- 1, on one of the rafts on the reservoir
Oystercatcher- 1, flew off the reservoir into a field near the sailing club
No access to Binn Green or across the reservoirs at one point, so basically just walked along the paths on the west side of the reservoirs. Despite the dry, if sometime windy conditions, there was not much around, at all. Water levels on the reservoirs and in the overflow channels was high and there was a torrent of water coming down the hillsides at the usual points.
- 1 Common Gull on rafts on Dovestone Res - 100+ Black-headed Gull - c120 Mallard (20 on Dovestone and c100 at the top end of Yeoman-Hay) - 1 Pheasant calling - 1 Siskin calling - 2 Pied Wagtail
7 crossbills 3 male and 4 female in group of mixed finches approx. 14 including greenfinches and goldfinches. Saw twice once at 11.15 and again same group at 13.30
From the road down to reservoir in the larches in front of car park at Binn Green(which is closed to Public due work on Dam commencing this weeks for 3 months!)
Also saw two dark pheasant and a flock of 20+ Goldcrest and Merlin.
-- Edited by Terry Sykes on Monday 6th of November 2017 03:48:05 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 6th of November 2017 04:33:29 PM
Found the attached shot of a Jackdaw taken in the car park at Dovestones on Friday. I didn't notice it was missing a foot at the time. Thankfully it appeared to not be hindered by its disability.
-- Edited by Andrea Wilson on Sunday 5th of November 2017 09:24:41 PM
Thanks for the info and history Rob, there were definitely 2 or 3 individuals on Friday. I've also been told they are classed as a mechanistic mutant of the common pheasant.
Hi Andrea, that dark emerald Pheasant, assuming it's the same individual, has been here since at least November 2nd 2014 (Ref my post on this thread), or at least there was one of the same colour here on that day. You quite often get black ones, albino's, ones with white patches on (Leucistic tendencies?) and a few odd looking ones around Binn Green but it certainly doesn't look like a Mikado, that surely would've been a stunning dark royal blue colour for a start with different plumage markings. Hope this helps. Rob
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 5th of November 2017 07:34:33 AM