Late post from Monday 18th April (4pm to 7pm) with Zoe Barrett
Tufted Duck - pair on High Lee Slack dam Grey Partridge - a male heard calling from the Juncus Lapwing - 4 displaying over improved field and the moorland Meadow Pipit - 5 Skylark - 2 singing Swallow - 6 flying together singing and one perched on wires by farm Raven - a silent bird flying low over the moor Willow Warbler on the edge of the moor in an isolated hawthorn was being harassed by the male Stonechat. Stonechat - a male and a female seen at two separate locations and a male singing to the east of Watergrove Reservoir suggests the species is re-establishing itself in the area after the cold winters of 2008-9 to 2010-11. Wheatear - 9 (including a group of 5 males and one female foraging together close to sheep) Linnet - 1 flying over
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The Watergrove Skyline (January 2010) - before desecration.
A walk from Hills Clough (east of Watergrove) to Owler Clough, Summit (GM county boundary with Calderdale) and back via Ringing Pots Hill / High Lee Slack produced the following:
Skylark - 23 singing, 5 carrying food (FF) and 6 just flying around Meadow Pipit - 3 carrying food Reed Bunting - a pair and 4 singing Linnet - 2 pairs and 3 singing
Wheatear (the main target of the trip) - I was delighted to confirm breeding in SD91J Shore Moor with a female seen collecting food, disappearing into a nest cavity (ON) and reappearing a few seconds later. Meanwhile close by were 2 males (one calling, the other singing occasionally). Clearly, either helping with the feeding was too much effort, or maybe one male wanted to keep the other away from its nest site.
In the adjacent tetrad SJ91I Littleborough West a pair of Wheatear was watched for several minutes. The female was seen twice collecting food and feeding a recently fledged juv. (FL) On the 2nd feed she flew off carrying a faecal sac whilst the male just flitted about seemingly uninterested in proceedings. Two other males were singing / calling on the opposite hillside.
Also seen: male Stonechat - a welcome sight given the previous 3 harsh winters. male Kestrel carrying prey 200 + Starlings (including many juvs) foraging amonst the new bracken shoots Blackbird - 1 singing at 315 metres above sea level Lapwing diving at crow + 3 adults with a well grown juv (approx. 50% of adult size) 20+ Jackdaws feeding on grazed field
Steve
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The Watergrove Skyline (January 2010) - before desecration.
