8 -12 from brushes road around country park and up to 1st quarry
3 collared doves
4 jackdaws
7 backbirds
5 bullfinch 3 m 2 f
3 house sparrow
6 jays
14 crows
7 magpies
5 great tits
8 robin
1 dunnock
3 coal tit
2 long tailed tits
5 magpies
17 chaffinch 10 m 7 f
24 woodpigeons
7 blue tits
2 nuthatch
5 goldfinch
2 sisken
3 greenfinch
7 redwins
4 feildfare
8 mistle thrush
1 buzzard
1 sparrow hawk m
c40 pheasants m/ f seem to be everywhere !!
35 black headed gulls
1 juvenile lesser blackbacked gull (thanks god for the concise bird guide)

-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 01:53:40 PM

top of besom lane to 1st quarry and back along the track to carrbrrok 9-12
6 redwings
14 mistle thrush
8 house sparrows
12 blackbirds
8 collared doves
11 robins
9 black headed gulls
20+ canda goose
30 + crows
40 +jackdaws
5 magpies
2 jays
12 blue tit
5 great tit
7 coal tit
8 chaffinch (5m 3f)
4 nuthatch
2 tree creeper
3 dunnock
2 wren
50 + wood woodpigeons
2 goldfinch
1 bullfinch (m)
not one long tailed tit seen or heard

-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Sunday 28th of November 2010 05:55:59 PM

-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Sunday 28th of November 2010 06:00:48 PM

7.45-1145 from fishing hut to 1st quarry and back the pine wood way . .
1 whooper swan
58 canada goose (19 in the field at the end )
17 blackheaded gulls
3 mistle thrush
1 buzzard
3 pheasant
6 chaffinch
21 blue tits
17 long tailed tits
8 great tits
2 coal tits
5 nuthatchs
2 bullfinch
9 robins
2 wrens
3 dunnocks
4 wood pigeon
plus magpies crows rooks

had a quick drive up due to not be able to go and see the waxwings
whooper swan and one cormorant still on walkerwood itself

20/10/10 15.30 hrs

Walkerwood Reservoir.

Whooper still present. Seemed very lively and had a very vocal 15 minutes.

Was in centre of reservoir when I arrived but then came close to bank on dam-head, eventually climbed out and began preening for 30 minutes+.

Nice sunny autumn afternoon, if it settles in any more it'll be wearing shades and rubbing in the Factor 2.

Plenty of Jay activity in the Oaks.

Roger

Could this just be a peat stain? Sometimes they show this on head and neck.

'Whooper Swan still present 1700 on Walkerwood.
Looks like it may be a little oiled on the neck near the chin, but otherwise seems fine'

thanks Ian

Whooper swan still present at 8.45 am when I left site plus one cormorant. Plenty of Jays around as well as wood pigeon, jackdaw, carrion crow, two ravens, six BH gulls and magpie.

1.45 -6.00 from fishing hut up to higher swineshaw only counted on way up .
1 whooper swan on walkerwood
1 cormorant on lower swineshaw
plenty of blue great long tailed tits everywhere
2 coal tits
3 mallards
12 jays
1 wren
4 dunnock
3 nuthatch
1 sparrow hawk
1 kestral
2 buzzard
2 mistle thrush
3 robins
6 goldfinch
1 chaffinch
plenty of other corvids about to

4.00 till 6.30
parked at the fishing shed and walked up to the 1st quarry
20+ long tailed tits
30+blue tits
15 great tits
1 chiffchaff
5 robins
7 jays
3 nuthatch
1 dunnock
2 tree creepers
4 gold finch
and around 50 pheasants mostly young in the field at side of 1st gate just before the house !!!!
glad i rushed hone from work now !!
forgot about the 2 buzzards to

-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Monday 11th of October 2010 07:54:02 PM

Bill Myerscough wrote:

---

12th September.

What sounded like a family party of Pheasants were calling from the heather moorland above Carrbrook.

---

Pheasant are regularly released at the top of Brushes valley, and I'm sure there are a few breeding wild as well. Glad to see you looking after "my" patch while I was away

Steve

Sat 4th Sept 07-00 09-00

Heyheads to Carrbrook Village (Heyheads New Rd...... Swallow Lane)

Overall nice walk with plenty of activity in the hedges.

4 Swallows
1 Willow Warbler
Plenty of Tits, Blue & Great
4 maybe 5 Song Thrushes......long time since I have seen this many on one walk.
Lots of Greenfinches.
Green Woodpecker on walk back. Yaffling on a dead tree. Only about 50 yds from Huddersfield Rd, on L/hand side.

Roger

if anyone happens accross a pair of specs with reactolite lenses between brushes carpark and lees hill could they let me know, my mother has lost hers up there on a walk today.

they have a browny marroon coloured arms with flecks in is her description, thanks.

will up date with sightings later.

went up and got thoroughly barbecued today. walked from brushes capark to the end of rouzel hill.

blackcap
greywagtail
housemartins
willow warblers still singing in droves even up as far as higher swineshaw.
lots of blckbirds
woodpigeons
songthrush with new fledglings in woodland
4 calling chifchaf
family of 5 robins (4young )
grey heron
23 total canada goose
jay
longtailed tit
kestrel
buzzard
meadow pipits
3 common sandpiper
pheasnant
curlew
6 swallows (5juvenile)

loads of grasshoppers chirruping
and marsh orchids.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 21st of June 2010 06:36:03 PM

several blackcaps plus song thrush, robin, willow warbler, jay, 1 kestrel and 1 buzzard and chaffinch between walkerwood and lower swineshaw.

There were also three curlew flying around lower swineshaw dam wall.

7 BH gull, mallard, canada goose, reed bunting, linnet, meadow pipit, curlew, common sand and willow warbler on the two swineshaw reservoirs.

Ravens

don't worry about it guys, I'm not worried yet, it would be a Tameside tick for me, but such is the way of life, I'm sure I'll find one eventually before I've walked too far!

Cheers

Karen

was the winchat where we saw it last night ian?

another look at Swineshaw for Whinchat this morning:

1 Whinchat
3 Stonechat
curlew
meadow pipit
skylark
pied wagtail
6 BH gull (lower swineshaw)
5 LBB Gull over
2 buzzard which eventually attracted the attention of the local corvids
2 raven
1 Redshank
reed bunting
3 goldfinch over
mallard with ducklings plus a few random males
canada geese with goslings plus a few random birds scattered around
1 willow warbler
red grouse (heard only)
wood pigeon

Swineshaw Reservoirs late afternoon:

4 stonechat (2 male and 2 female)
1 pied wagtail
canada goose
mallard
1 wheatear (female)
meadow pipits
2 raven being mobbed by rooks
6 curlews inc 4 over together

no sign of the whinchat

plus one buzzard over walkwerwood reservoir where there is a fishery and consequently had me for a few seconds.......

We had a Stonechat (see posting of 18 April) sadly only a male bird though, no sign of any female and I've walked that area several times since and not seen one Stonechat up there. I'll keep my eyes open when I'm on my future forays.

Went up this evening to see what we could find. Never was a sighting of a Tawny Owl celebrated so much!

A walk from Brushes to Hollingworth this morning, which is covered elsewhere on here.

Brushes to Swineshaw

1 Buzzard looking towards Carrbrook
Willow Warbler lots
Chiffchaff
Redpoll
Curlew
Red Grouse
Wheatear (lots of pairs around)
Common Sandpiper on Higher Swineshaw
Linnet

and I managed not to stray Out of County!

I did my early BBS visit this morning

On the way up to where I start there must have been at least 20 singing Willow Warblers, they were literally everywhere, also a couple of Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.

The survey itself included

Lesser Redpoll, surely Tameside's best spot for this bird
Willow Warbler, yep even more
Chiffchaff
low numbers of Lapwing
15+ Linnet at least they've not disappeared
1 Meadow Pipit, poor showing for this species

Some lower than expected numbers for some species

I also had a cracking pair of Grey Wagtails fly over when I was stood by Walkerwood Resr

Wellies no longer necessary, til it rains again!

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 17th of April 2010 08:28:07 PM

1pm till 5pm walk from brushes road to higher swineshaw and return

on way out one male blackcap singing his beak off. plus numerous ususal woodland birds, tits/ chaffinch

one pair of greenfinch

and 5 singing chiff chaff

on the way back heard a couple of drumming woodpecker naving a drumoff.

walkerwood 1 female toad on the dam wall about 30 yards on from the ticket office. one toad in the waters edge clearly visible, on the way back 3 individual female toads plus 2 females in amplexus (obviously the males didn't fancy the walk)

2 pairs of canada geese and a pair of mallard.

brushes reservoir

in the trees numeorus standard woodland birds plus plenty of chiff chaff and one willow warbler.
3 pairs of canada geese and 5 male mallard on the resservoir.

lower swineshaw

2 displaying curlew over the far side.
1 chiffchaff 2 chaffinch, 1 wren, 2 longtailed tits in the walled off garden bit on the right as you walk onto the moor.

another few mallard and 6 canada geese on the resser

higher swineshaw 4 red grouse displaying over the far side, 2 black headed gull 4 canada geese and 3 mallard on the resser. mippits every where.

A trip to Brushes this morning primarily for Red Grouse.

Blackcap, probably earliest I've ever had in Tameside other than overwintering birds and certainly a bird I wasn't expecting to find this morning at Brushes
pr Bullfinch
4+ GS Woodpecker
4+ Chiffchaff
I then hiked towards Carrbrook in the rain out onto the moors and eventually after it had almost stopped raining, I had a male Red Grouse displaying. There were also at least another two in the area which didn't show for me.
10+ Meadow Pipits including displaying birds
Sparrowhawk (female)
Peregrine over the moor
Kestrel
4 Fieldfare came from over the moor and flew across valley
Nuthatch
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
LT Tit
Blue Tit
Also 2 Curlew almost in aerial combat on the other side of Walkerwood reservoir. Great sight to see anywhere and even more fantastic in Tameside

WARNING If you go up to Brushes you really do need your wellies!

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 12:58:16 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:26:43 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:28:01 PM

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 3rd of April 2010 01:28:46 PM