A speculative walk up to Pots and Pans this morning to see if Ring Ouzels were in...2 seen but presumably more will rock up in the coming weeks. Also several Wheatears, Meadow Pipits and 2 each of Oystercatcher and Red-legged Partridge. Disappointing to see 2 traps with Magpies in...a pathetic, medieval thing in 2023

In addition to the Kite, a walk up to Alphin Pike and back via Buckton castle gave 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Raven, 2 Common Buzzard, Kestrel, 4 Red Grouse, Mistle Thrush. 

Did WeBS counts yesterday after looking at the weather forecast!

Surprised to see a Moorhen sitting on a nest already at Manns.

Along Chew Valley Road this morning on the way to Dovestone:

1 blackcap
2 nuthatch
1 house martin
3 grey wagtail
1 dipper
4 swift
1 great spotted woodpecker

General roam around the area today with Mike A.

Good start on the lower slopes of Pots and Pans with a flock of thrushes in one of the sheep fields downhill from the footpath extension of White Brook Lane (Long Lane?), containing a minimum of 12 Ring Ouzels (including at least 2 females), 2 Mistle Thrushes, a male Blackbird and a female Wheatear. They were flushed onto the lower slopes of Alderman's Hill by a passing cyclist then started to feed back onto the fields when everything was scattered by a female Sparrowhawk powering through.

Made our way round to Binn Green where there was still some food in the feeders to attract a variety of species including at least 4 Siskin (2 smart males), Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blue, Great and Coal Tits and Nuthatch. Usual rainbow of male Pheasants cleaning up under the feeders, with Dunnock, Robin and Wood Pigeons. From there around Yeoman Hey to Ashway Gap where a couple of young Mistle Thrushes were feeding in the picnic area. Following the quieter path through the remains of the woodland produced another pair of Siskin drinking at a hidden pool, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and an unseen Chiffchaff. We headed on Kinder Intake Plantation for a bit of a fungal foray then back down to Dovestone Reservoir (3 Canada Geese, 2 Black-headed Gulls and around 20 Mallard), along Bradbury's Lane (a Raven gronking along above the plantation in the opposite direction) and down again to Chew Brook where at least 3 Dippers were having territorial disputes with a lot of calling and splash-downs. Two birds in particular really doing for it over a few yards of river with one in particular doing a lot of posturing with drooped wings as it bobbed incessantly. A Jay seen from the bus pass on Chew Valley Road was a nice end to the day.

Intake Lane: 09.00 - 11.45

A much more successful day than yesterday (see Mossley thread).

Five Ring Ouzels in field with hawthorns near the old barn. All seemed to be males.

Also: pair Stonechat, pair Little Owl, Lapwings and a Raven overhead... and several more Red-legged Partridges! Still no Wheatear though.

Febuary WeBS counts:

Waterside Mill (Tanners): two anglers - one human, one avian (Grey Heron). Dipper and Grey Wagtail on Chew Brook.

Royal George Mill + Manns:
27 Canada Geese
21 Mallard
3 Goosander (2 male, 1 female)
1 Little Grebe
5 Moorhen
2 Mute Swan (usual pinioned bird + another)

January WeBS counts:

Waterside Mill (Tanners): nothing at all again on the lodge - apart from five anglers!

Royal George Mill + Manns:
83 Canada Geese
13 Mallard
1 Tufted Duck (male)
1 Little Grebe
8 Moorhen
1 Cormorant
1 (pinioned) Mute Swan

This site has suffered from the loss of anglers. Since fishing was banned by the owner, most of the footpaths have become completely overgrown and now the dilapidated footbridge has been removed, preventing access to most of the lodge. Don't know whether accurate wildfowl counts can continue...

November WeBS count: Waterside Mill (Tanners): just one Moorhen

Also two singing and displaying Dippers on Chew Brook.

October WeBS counts: lovely weather for ducks - pity there were so few!

Waterside Mill (Tanners): just one Grey Heron and one Moorhen

Royal George Mill + Manns:
2 Canada Geese
9 Mallard
8 Moorhen
1 (pinioned) Mute Swan
32 Black-headed Gulls

This site used to be a farm with a few caravans. Now it's a camping site with a few fields

Cuckoo, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler this evening.

Wednesday 25th April 2018, 2.00pm.

8 House Martins around Well-i-Hole bridge

Intake Lane 5 Red Grouse 1 Merlin c20 Lapwing River 1 Dipper 1 female Goosander 2 Grey Wagtail George Lodge 2 Tufted Duck (drake & female)

Yesterday morning (3rd March). Walked up from Bockin to Intake Lane and as far along the lane as was sensible given the snowy conditions and increasingly vicious wind.

Collared dove at Bockin.
Red grouse just above the intake wall.

Apart from that, just the usual jackdaws, magpies, blackbirds etc. Numbers small, and all keeping to the lower slopes.

Royal George Mill lodge:

6 Goosanders (3 adult males, 3 redheads)
1 Little Grebe
1 Kingfisher
1 (pinioned) Mute Swan
No Canada Geese!

on River Tame nearby:

1 Dipper (unringed)
2 Cormorants
1 Grey Wagtail

Intake Lane:

Just 1 Red Grouse in rough field but more calling from the moor. Pair of Ravens over.
Foraging in lower fields: c60 Jackdaws, 30 Black-headed Gulls and 20 Starlings.
Also: 3 Mistle Thrush, 5 Magpies, Blackbird, Dunnock, Wren and Chaffinch.

Warlow Clough: Kestrel and another Red Grouse.

Moor edge, Mossley: 2 Buzzards and another Kestrel.

November WeBS counts - very chilly!

Waterside Mill (Tanners):
1 Mallard, 1 Kingfisher and 1 Grey Heron were only waterbirds present.
(also female Great Spotted Woodpecker on pondside tree and Red Grouse calling from the moor)

Royal George Mill + Manns:
76 Canada Geese
82 Mallard
3 Tufted Duck (1 males and 2 females)
4 redhead Goosander
just 2 Moorhen
1 (pinioned) Mute Swan
74 Black-headed Gulls

Another walk around Intake Lane this afternoon - 13.30-14.30:

Life tick for me - never before have I seen a Red Grouse perched on top of a Hawthorn eating what few berries remain

As David Walsh has noted further down the valley, and a few locals have also noted, there has been a poor berry crop this year (with the notable exception of Holly) which may account for the paucity of thrush species: one Redwing, one Blackbird and one Mistle Thrush.

No Stonechats today.

The farmers Larsen traps, which were full of Pheasants last week, were empty, so I presume he's rounded up most of them now.

October WeBS count:

Waterside Mill (Tanners):
1 Kingfisher and 1 Grey Heron were only waterbirds present.
Also female Kestrel hunting and Red Grouse calling from the moor.

Royal George Mill + Manns:
70 Canada Geese
61 Mallard
5 Tufted Duck (4 males and 1 rather Scaup-like female)
1 Kingfisher
12 Moorhen
1 Grey Heron
1 (pinioned) Mute Swan
2 Black-headed Gulls

Also, probable sighting of John Spalding arriving as I left...

7.30 am today. Significant swallow activity at Bockin: flock of 25 - 30 on the phone wires, flying around from time to time and then returning to the wires over a period of about half an hour before departing. I see that I recorded similar activity at a simlar date in a previous year.

Tremendous amount of house martin activity at Bockin this morning between 7.00 and 7.30. Flocks of (mostly, if not completely) young birds whirling around my house twittering. I opened the bedroom window and there were about 20 on the roof right outside my window, and another 50 or 60 on the telephone wires across the lane. These took off and flew around from time to time, always calling, but returning to the same spot, till they gradually moved on, in smaller groups, over a period of about 30 minutes. An hour later, one bird (tired? sick?) remains on my roof - for about 45 minutes others "visited" it in small numbers from time to time, fluttering around it and twittering, but they all seem to have left now. It turns round from time to time, but no more movement than that in the hour or so I've been observing. I'll keep an eye on it from time to time...

UPDATE - it has gone, somewhere around 10.30 am, so was presumably exhausted and resting, unless of course it has been taken by a predator.

-- Edited by Liz Headon on Friday 11th of August 2017 10:52:03 AM

Intake Lane this afternoon:

Couple of pairs of Lapwing still with small chicks, but all the rest have moved on.
Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Goldfinches, Wrens and Mistle Thrushes all with fledged young.
No Stonechats or Whitethroats though.

Seven or eight Sand Martins this morning on the Royal George pond.

6.00 pm today. 2 swifts at Bockin, seemed to be "in the area" and feeding rather than quickly passing through like yesterday's bird.