Friday. 11th July. 22.00 hrs.

Golden Plover.
Lapwing.
Little Owl.

All heard calling at dusk up on Hobson Moor.

Roger.

Hollingworth hall fm-Lees Hill-Upper Swineshore Reservoir-Hobson moor
9.15-12.15:
Stonechat
4 Curlew
15 Wheatear
3 Red Grouse
Common Buzzard
2 Common Sandpiper
Jack Snipe
2 Swallow
2 Reed Bunting
6 linnet
Many meadow pipit and willow warbler
Blackcap
Many skylark in song

-- Edited by Chris Harper on Sunday 27th of April 2014 01:44:31 PM

Tiring session walking up from Stalybridge to Hobson Moor Road and on to Swineshaw and back. It was epically windy but wonderful up on the top

Wheatears male and female
Linnet pair, beautiful summer plumage on the male
15 or so Skylarks, got some nice close views
Lapwing bombing about calling
40+ Meadow Pipits, not a surprise!
Red Grouse female (I think)
Curlew pair, on the ground then off
Best for me was 10 Golden Plover on the way back down, flew into the broken up field near the road and started feeding, then a nice flight formation when the farmer and his sheepdog turned up
1 male Ring Ouzel at the same place, probable female flushed too, but wouldn't fly back and play nicely

Thursday 17th April 2014, 7.30 - 10.30am

As the forecast rain hadn't arrived, I decided to chance a wander up from Hobson Moor Road to Higher Swineshaw, rather than wait for the better forecast tomorrow and Bank Holiday crowds. What a good decision!

8 Ring Ouzels on Lees Hill. I tried counting them a few times, but they are so mobile, wandering behind marsh grass, flying over walls, that 8 is the total I could be sure of seeing all at once. Not quite Roger's jackpot of Tuesday, but I didn't have a bird scarer to call upon - my dogs are too well-behaved!

4 Wheatear
4+ Skylarks calling over towards Brushes
Plenty of Curlew displaying and calling down in Ogden Clough
Green Woodpecker heard in Clough
Little Owl on a wall near Hall Farm
Several Nuthatches near Hollingworth Hall

And the rain held off

-- Edited by David Walsh on Thursday 17th of April 2014 05:12:53 PM

Rob,

It is about half way between Arnfield Res and Higher Swineshaw.

Roger

Tues April 15th. 06.30 - 09.15 hrs.

Best local mornings birding I've ever had !

The 6 Ring Ouzels were in the field below the rocks on Lees Hill at 06.45 hrs but had all dispersed by 07.45 hrs.
I then carried on towards Swineshaw, more to have a look at the pylon work .... been told they are renewing all the cables ?

As I was heading back I heard an Ouzel calling from Middle Bank and located (2) at the top of the trees ...... I then noticed a lad walking a dog down the track from Hollingworth Hall Farm direction so hung on a bit ..... he closed the metal gate at Middle Bank with a hell of a bang ... flushing a pile of Ouzels out of the juncus growing in the field .... I counted 11 flying up Lees Hill then the 2 in the tree followed them plus another 2 that I flushed off the ground ... giving a grand total of 15. Magic !

4 Wheatear.
2 singing Skylark.
Plenty of Curlew calling and a few displaying.
6 Jay squabbling at Middle Bank.
Green Woodpecker yaffling but not seen.
Male Brambling (still in winter plumage) in the U.U. drum compound.


Roger.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Wednesday 16th of April 2014 11:15:19 AM

Hobson Moor Road

2 Willow Warbler
1 Nuthatch
c10 Goldfinch

Lees Hill (south side)

Male Black Redstart
4 Wheatear
13 Curlew
Green Woodpecker 3 seen and 1 heard
Jay
2 Raven

Info thanks to Phil Kelly

10/4/14..late am/early pm....

4 Ring Ouzels and a Wheatear at Middle Bank.

Walk mid afternoon in sunshine

20 approx Brambling on Hobsons Moor Road in beeches
21 Fieldfare over

1 female Sparrowhawk and also 1 Red Grouse heard on tops

C20 Bramblings by Higher Landslow Green Farm and another 10 by Hollingworth Hall Farm this am.

Thursday 9th January 2014, 9am

A quick dogwalk to Landslow Green, along Hobson Moor Road

10+ brambling around the beeches of Landslow Green. A lot more heard over towards the area between Moorfield Farm and Hollingworth Hall Farm, but unable to investigate further due to having dogs on leads
mixed group of c20 goldfinch and chaffiinch.

-- Edited by David Walsh on Thursday 9th of January 2014 02:46:42 PM

2/1/14 early afternoon

c20 Brambling around Landslow Green Farm, some smart males with almost full black heads

2 Raven over Hollingworth Hall Farm

A few Brambling in the wood beyond the farm

Mixed flock of c150 Fieldfare, c30 Redwing and 250+ Starling feeding in a field adjacent to Hobson Moor Road

Up on the hill near the trig point a Raven flushed a flock of 12-15 Partridge of some sort that flew off down the hill in the direction of Hobson Moor Road but were quickly lost to view.

3 Bramblings this morning by Higher Landslow Green Farm. Also c 40 Pink-footed Geese over SE.

There was a steady passage of over 100+ Meadow Pipits above Hobson Moor on Saturday morning (5th October), mirroring the passage of Meadow Pipits over Horwich Moors.

Plus two chiffchaff at Hollingworth Hall Farm.

Mon 2nd Sept. 06.45 - 07.45 hrs.

Hobson Moor Rd.

Walk (painful hobble) from layby to Moorside Farm.

Kestrel (F). Good close up views as she struggled perching in the wind.
Lapwing. c1 but probably a couple more.
Meadow Pipit. c17
Goldfinch. c10
Bullfinch. Heard but not seen.
Tits. Longtailed, Great and Blue.

Roger.

This morning around Hobson Moor/Lees Hill: -

Whinchat 1
Wheatear 22
Little Owl 1
Curlew 5
Sparrowhawk

Info thanks to Phil Kelly

Tues April 16th. 13.00 - 16.00 hrs.

High winds ...... not much knocking about.

2 Wheatear. 1 on Higher Bank ..... 1 on Middle Bank.
7 Meadow Pipits.
1 distant Curlew.

Spent 10 minutes watching a female Chaffinch gathering lichen.

Roger.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Tuesday 16th of April 2013 05:55:18 PM

Wheatear in the ploughed field on Hobson Moor Road early afternoon
Little Owl in the usual spot

There is a very small quarry or rock face with broken rocks at the bottom on the left as you walk up. The black red start was amongst the broken rocks all the time I was there. Just trying to help people find it.

Regards oli

Black redstart still present in quarry

Regards Oli

Mon 8th April. 13.30 - 17.30 hrs.

I walked across from Swineshaw Reservoir and settled down for a couple of hours below the rocks on Lees Hill. Very windy.

Had 3 separate brief views of a male Black Redstart on Higher Bank ...... it seemed to be keeping company with the Wheatears in the stones.
11 Wheatears.
1 Raven.
Curlew Displaying.
Few Meadow Pipits over.

Roger.

No sign of any Ring Ouzels today.

On the plus side though, it was great to see the Meadow Pipits have finally made it back onto territory with many displaying birds seen.
Curlews aplenty, also displaying
Green Woodpecker yaffling down on Middle Bank
2 Raven
Male Kestrel
2 Redpoll over
2 Siskin
11 Crossbill flew over Middle Bank towards Swineshaw Moor
Little Owl on Hobson Moor Road flew unexpectedly from the wall beside the road as I walked past
Buzzard over Hobson Moor Road
1 pair of Lapwing Hobson Moor Road

Cow Lane is now accessible again!

Any further info on the kite would be appreciated please, parking and access with the snow etc, still need this for gm.

This morning, Hobson Moor

2 Snow Bunting - 1 flew from the left side of the footpath deep into field. The other bird was walking around in deep grass close to the footpath. I only saw one of these birds.

Directions to site

Go to trig point on Hobson Moor, take path to right towards Swineshaw/Lees Hill, down steep hill and slightly up hill to where path levels out. I scattered some seed by a frozen puddle on the left hand side. The birds are on the moor behind Hollingworth Hall Farm and can be incredibly hard to see!

I was informed that apparently a bird has been present in the area since at least Thursday.

Thanks to Roger Baker for the initial info, which came via an unknown third party and was well worth checking out!





-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Sunday 2nd of December 2012 01:46:15 PM