An hour spent struggling along the Pennine Bridleway from Carrbrook to Brushes, and back, being constantly battered by snow drifting from the moor, driven by a ferocious, gusty wind. The only birds seen were 2 Carrion Crows and 2 Red Grouse. A few of the "garden species" were around, in the shelter of the clough next to the houses at Carrbrook. No Lapwing heard today.
Then on to Printworks Road Pond.
1 pair of Goosander 1 Little Grebe, coming into breeding plumage. 4 Coot 2 Moorhen 6 Canada Geese
Harrop Edge, 9.30 - 11.15am. Blustery and very quiet.
2 Skylark 1 Lesser Redpoll 2 Meadow Pipits 1 Kestrel 1 Curlew flew over east, carrying on up Longdendale Valley, until it was a speck.
Printworks Road, Heyrod, 11.30am.
Similar sightings to Roger's, minus the Geese. Also, a pair of Greenfinch in the surrounding Bush 1 Grey Wagtail in the horse paddock Several Nuthatch calling
Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook, 4.30 - 5.30pm.
11 Lapwing seen, all on the ground. c 20 Redwing. There seems to have been a clear out of Fieldfare since the weekend. Not one seen this evening. 15 Starlings 26 Pheasant 2 Pied Wagtail
Similar fare to Thursday, with an accurate Lapwing count again proving difficult. On the way up, 12 birds were in the air together, doing a wide circuit of the moor, but it was at a point before I could view the fields where the birds are on the ground, so I have no idea whether this is the total population or not. One bird seems to be sitting tight in the middle of the beet field. At least six birds were displaying.
Fieldfare and Redwing numbers were slightly down, and around 10 Chaffinch were mixed in with the Goldfinch and Starlings. Again, most of the action was in and around the beet field.
3 Meadow Pipits back on territory were new for the site this year.
13 Lapwing, minimum, but difficult to count when on the ground, due to a combination of the field contours below the Bridleway, and the heavy snow, which restricted visibility. At least five birds displaying.
The old beet field at Shireclough held the following:
c 70 Fieldfare c 40 Redwing, both difficult to count accurately 20 Goldfinch 12 Pheasant 3 Song Thrush 2 Mistle Thrush 1 Lapwing
In a field further towards Millbrook, a smaller flock feeding on the ground contained approximately:
I received a couple of strange looks whilst stalking through swirling snow, putting fat balls in the hedges of Cotton Street East car park, behind Boots.
Around 25 House Sparrows, a Dunnock, and a Robin didn't seem to mind, though.
An unusual sighting for the area early this afternoon, 2 Lapwing flew low across Dukinfield Park and then over our house.
A few Redwing have been frequenting the park over the last few days also just across Pickford Lane on our garden feeders in the last week or so, couple of Siskin and Redpoll, male Blackcap, male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Goldcrest, daily mid teens of Goldfinch and Greenfinch, 4 Chaffinch, c10 House Sparrow. Also around the garden 4 Blackbird, 3 Robin, 3 Dunnock, all 4 of the commoner Tits, a few Starlings and probably the best for me a Song Thrush that has been around since late autumn although it has been seen less frequently lately.
Good weather today made walking to/from Stalybridge Station more enjoyable than recent times
A pair of Goosander were on the canal by Tesco this morning.
This evening two Dippers on the Tame downstream from Melbourne St bridge. Whilst upstream near Corporation St were two Grey Wagtail and some Long Tailed Tits
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 23rd of February 2018 06:45:09 PM
Kestrel perched on a telegraph pole, just before dusk 3 male Tawny Owls hooting, one at Shireclough Farm, the other two from Cowbury Dale. Lapwing calling from the fields below the Bridleway.
2 Buzzards, in the same tree. 4 Skylark, calling from the rough grass around Paddock Farm 12 Fieldfare 6 Chaffinch (4 singing) 1 Greenfinch singing 1 Lesser Redpoll over 4 Goldfinch Several Dunnock singing 100+ Black-headed Gulls in the fields 2 Raven being mobbed by Carrion Crows
Always good to see challenging vocabulary on the forum .... ...and always good to see Peewits!
Thanks Steve. Use it or lose it, as they say
Any literary expression from this morning would relate to fog, mist, drizzle, and grime, so I won't bore you with it.
Printworks Road Pond, just visible, held the following:
4 Coot, again moving around as two pairs 1 Little Grebe, moving around the pond today. Normally it skulks around in one area. 6 Mallard 10 Canada Geese Couple of Mistle Thrush singing around the area
Also, a pair of Goosander on the canal at Grove Road
A Vanelline deceit ushered in springtime in Stalybridge this morning, despite the icy rain blowing up the hill, with 26 Lapwing moving around the fields below the Bridleway.
Always good to see challenging vocabulary on the forum .... ...and always good to see Peewits!
A Vanelline deceit ushered in springtime in Stalybridge this morning, despite the icy rain blowing up the hill, with 26 Lapwing moving around the fields below the Bridleway. The target species for the morning, and four days earlier than my first record of 2017, although I don't visit this area every day. Despite the weather, a fantastic sight and sound
Again, the old beet fields held good numbers of winter thrushes, as well as other species as follows:
1 Cormorant over, downriver. 4 Coot, looking like two pairs 10 Canada, as five pairs 6 Mallard 1 Moorhen Nuthatch in the trees Coal Tit and Great Tits singing
Pair of Dipper (unringed), on the River Tame, downstream from Grove Road.
A mixed flock of winter thrushes in the old beet field, almost impossible to count accurately on the bare earth littered with beet fragments. My best estimate would be 70 Redwing and 15 Fieldfare. 5 Mistle Thrush 4 Chaffinch 4 Goldfinch 2 singing Greenfinch 2 singing Dunnock 13 Starling 13 Pheasant 1 Buzzard
Printworks Road Pond, 2.00pm
4 Goosander swimming as two pairs 1 Little Grebe 3 Coot 4 Canada Geese 6 Mallard 1 Cormorant on the pylon Nuthatches calling in the surrounding trees
Two flocks of winter thrushes. Approximately 20 Redwing and 5 Fieldfare in the beet field at Shireclough, and approximately 70 Fieldfare with around 25 Redwing in the fields towards Millbrook. 5 Mistle Thrush (one singing) 1 Buzzard feeding amongst molehills 4 Chaffinch 10 Goldfinch 1 singing Greenfinch 2 singing Dunnock 4 Long-tailed Tits 1 Coal Tit 5 House Sparrows 8 Pheasant 2 Red Grouse
This area is often a good bet for winter thrushes at this time of year.
c 40 Redwing around the old beet field 10 Fieldfare 3 Mistle Thrush; 2 harassing the Redwing, a third doing a little singing. 10 Goldfinch 1 Chaffinch 4 Starling 12 Pheasants 1 Red Grouse A flock of approximately 80 Woodpigeon over towards Brushes 12 Long-tailed Tits
Carrbrook Pond
1 redhead Goosander 1 Moorhen 25 Mallard 13 Canada Geese Plus several hybrid "farm" ducks
Pennine Bridleway, from Carrbrook to Brushes, in dry, bright conditions.
1 Buzzard 1 female Sparrowhawk, having a dig at a flock of Redwing, feeding in a recently turned field of fodder beet 60+ Redwing in the one field, with a few Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, and Blackbirds mixed in 10 Starlings in the same field, which also contained 25 Pheasants. 16 Fieldfare were feeding together at Millbrook 8 Mistle Thrush 2 Jay at Shireclough 2 Red Grouse 2 Pied Wagtails 10 Goldfinch 10 House Sparrows at Shireclough 5 Great Tits
Dipper on Tame along Coopers Ride 4 Grey Heron on roof of Tulip Foods building, 1 on Tame and a further 2 flew over towards the canal 3 Common Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls Goldcrest among a small mixed tit flock Cormorant over
1 female Stonechat 1 Buzzard, feeding in the fields 9 Fieldfare; 8 over together, and a single having a dispute with a Mistle Thrush over holly berries 1 solitary Redwing in a berry-less Hawthorn 2 Mistle Thrush 10+ Blackbirds 1 Jay 2 Rook at the Harrop Edge Road side 3 Pied Wagtails 70 Canada Geese feeding in the fields towards the A57 45 Black-headed Gulls in the same fields
Printworks Road Pond, Heyrod, 11.30am.
6 Goosander (2 males) 2 Moorhen 2 Mallard 6 Cormorant on the pylons
1 female Stonechat. I did see another bird around fifteen minutes later, about 150 yards further on, but I could see no plumage, as the sun was directly behind it, and it was at a distance, so I couldn't discount it being the same bird relocated. 4 Mistle Thrush c12 Redwing A flock of c50 Starlings were moving around the fields 8 Bullfinch together 4 Goldfinch At least one Raven 1 Sparrowhawk, being harassed by the Raven 1 Kestrel 1 Grey Heron 1 Pied Wagtail 2 Jay
Printworks Road, Heyrod, 11.45am
7 Goosander (2 males), on the pond 2 Cormorant on the pylon (yesterday, 6 were present)
Pennine Bridleway between Carrbrook and Brushes. Very windy and quiet.
1 Kestrel 1 Buzzard, feeding in the fields 1 Mistle Thrush 12 House Sparrows Great and Blue Tits, and Dunnock, around the cottages 1 Red Grouse 1 Starling