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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> All other Greater Manchester wildlife sightings -> Stalybridge country park- Brushes (other wildlife)
Post Info TOPIC: Stalybridge country park- Brushes (other wildlife)
David Walsh


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RE: Stalybridge country park- Brushes (other wildlife)
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Tuesday 27th September 2016, after dark

At least 4 Noctule bats hunting on the moor between Higher Swineshaw Reservoir and Turf Pits
Pipistrelle species the length of the valley
Also bats hunting just above the surface of Walkerwood Reservoir, which could well be Daubenton, but impossible to verify without a detector

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David Walsh


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Tuesday 30th August 2016

Noctule bat hunting over the moor above Lower Swineshaw Reservoir at dusk

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David Walsh


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Monday 29th August 2016

A few Odonata sightings around Higher Swineshaw Reservoir over the past two days.

Common Hawker
Brown Hawker
Black Darter

Couple of Peacock butterflies over the moor

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David Walsh


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Tuesday 23rd August 2016

Noctule bat hunting over the moor above Lower Swineshaw Reservoir after dark
Cowberry plants now bearing fruit on the moor

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David Walsh


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Friday 12th August 2016, 9.30pm

Noctule bat hunting over the moor above Lower Swineshaw Reservoir

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David Walsh


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A few sightings from this week around the Swineshaws and Lees Hill

Butterflies:

Small Heath, abundant, which is not surprising, given the habitat
Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper, just emerged this week
Large Skipper
Small Skipper, mainly around Lower Swineshaw quarry
Green-veined White
Large White

Moths:

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet at Lower Swineshaw quarry
Cinnabar
Common and Map-winged Swift mainly around Higher Swineshaw
Antler moth this morning at Higher Swineshaw, a species that caused devastation to the Cumbrian fells a couple of decades ago
Northern Spinach on Irontongue Hill

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David Walsh


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Thursday 30th June 2016, 10.00 - 11.30am

Millbrook Dam

6 Ringlet
1 Large Skipper
1 Large Brown rat swimming across the dam

Brushes Rangers football pitch

4 Ringlet
4 Large Skippers
4 Meadow Brown
15+ Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths

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David Walsh


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Saturday 4th June 2016

My first Small Heath butterfly of the year, on Boar Flat this morning

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David Walsh


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A few sightings from the past few days around the area.

Weasel high up on Wild Bank

Butterflies:
Speckled Wood in Brushes Valley
Green-veined White
Large White
Small White
Peacock, including one on Boar Flat on Saturday
Small Tortoiseshell

Several Sexton beetles burying a Mallard corpse last night at dusk on Boar Flat was a fascinating sight. My best stab at a species ID from my photos is Nicrophorus vespilloides. I came across this intriguing article on the role of dopamine in parenting behaviour of these insects

http://m.cz.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/03/28/cz.zow032

Well, I found it intriguing bleh

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David Walsh


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Friday 9th October 2015, 6.45 - 7.30pm

Noctule bat hunting over the moor above Lower Swineshaw Reservoir, quite an entertaining sight.

Couple of Pipistrelle spp further down the valley

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David Walsh


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Friday 2nd October 2015, 7.00 - 8.00pm

Harridge Moor, up around the Swineshaws

I don't usually post bat sightings because: a) they are likely to be one of the Pipistrelle species, and b) I would require a bat detector to confirm it.

However, tonight just after dark I am reasonably confident that I watched a Noctule catching insects over the moor for over half an hour. It's size and flight reminded me of a Snipe, fast and direct, with regular dramatic dives down into the heather, presumably for moths.

Also many presumed Pipistrelles on the walk back down to Walkerwood

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David Walsh


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Saturday 19th September 2015

1 Red Admiral at the pump house beyond Higher Swineshaw Reservoir. I cannot remember a year when I recorded more of this species than Peacocks. I haven't seen a single Peacock in GM this year
1 Brown Hawker in Higher Swineshaw overflow

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David Walsh


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Roger Baker 3 wrote:


...................................................................................................................................................................

David, your generosity know no bounds !

Must be something that has rubbed off on you since your move to Gtr Manchester !

Roger.



I have in fact lived for longer in Stalybridge than in Sunderland, but did feel an affinity for a fellow economic migrant smile

-- Edited by David Walsh on Sunday 16th of August 2015 09:52:35 PM

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Roger Baker 3


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David Walsh wrote:



I pointed out the numerous Birch Bolete mushrooms, and he started on those, too.
...................................................................................................................................................................

David, your generosity know no bounds !

Must be something that has rubbed off on you since your move to Gtr Manchester !

Roger.



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David Walsh


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Sunday 16th August 2015

Flaxfield and Wild Bank, Butterflies

20+ Gatekeeper
25+ Meadow Brown
2 Large Skippers
6 Small Skippers
10 Small Heath
2 Ringlet
1 Speckled Wood, in the heather at 1000ft, not its usual habitat
6 Green-veined White
1 Large White

1 Large Romanian, hiding in a Birch tree, with a carrier bag full of bilberries, until I explained that it was OK to pick them. I pointed out the numerous Birch Bolete mushrooms, and he started on those, too.

Also good to see my honeybees joining me on the moor, working the heather. smile

-- Edited by David Walsh on Sunday 16th of August 2015 02:42:14 PM

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David Walsh


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Saturday 8th August 2015

Higher Swineshaw

Butterflies

15+ Small Heath
15+ Meadow Brown
10+ Large Skippers
6 Gatekeeper
6 Small Tortoiseshell
1 Large White

20+ Black Darters
Many Cinnabar caterpillars on Ragwort

Lower Swineshaw

4 Gatekeeper
3 Large Skippers
1 Small Skipper
4 Meadow Brown
1 Small Tortoiseshell

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David Walsh


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Saturday 25th July 2015

A good morning for butterflies, when things had warmed up, after 8.30

Higher Swineshaw

40+ Large Skippers - there seemed to be one on every thistle flower
20+ Meadow Brown
15 Small Heath
1 female Large White
1 Small Tortoiseshell
2 Cinnabar moths
1 Brown Hawker Dragonfly

Lower Swineshaw

9 Small Skippers
6 Meadow Brown
5 Small Heath
1 Gatekeeper
1 Small Tortoiseshell
2 Speckled Wood
2 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths

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David Walsh


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Saturday 18th July 2015, 6.00pm

Butterflies

Range House and the rifle ranges

10+ Meadow Brown
3 Small Skippers
2 Small Heath
2 Ringlet

Brushes Rangers football pitch

50+ Meadow Brown
25+ Large Skippers
20+ Ringlet
20+ Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths
1 Gatekeeper

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David Walsh


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Thursday 16th July 2015

Butterflies around Flaxfield and Wild Bank

20+ Ringlet, between Range House and the rifle ranges. My third sighting at separate sites in Stalybridge since Sunday, having never previously recorded them here
25+ Meadow Brown
3 Small Heath
4 Small Skippers
1 Large Skipper
2 Small Tortoiseshell


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David Walsh


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David Walsh wrote:

Tuesday 14th July 2015

Higher Swineshaw

6 Map-winged Swift moths

There's probably only me interested in this, but on further inspection, I think there is a mix of Map-winged and Common Swift moths on the moor. They are difficult to ID as they very rarely land, spending most of the time buzzing around the bracken. As I say, probably only me interested smile



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David Walsh


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Tuesday 14th July 2015

Higher Swineshaw

6 Map-winged Swift moths
1 Cinnabar moth
1 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moth at Lower Swineshaw

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David Walsh


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Thursday 9th July, 2015

Brushes Valley

6+ Small Heath butterflies
2 Meadow Brown
1 Speckled Wood
2 Five-spot Burnet moths
1 Silver-Y moth

-- Edited by David Walsh on Thursday 9th of July 2015 12:43:34 PM

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David Walsh


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Tuesday 7th July 2015

141 Five-spot Burnet moths behind Brushes Rangers football pitch, the vast majority on thistles, with a few on Lesser Trefoil. I'm sure that I missed a few!

-- Edited by David Walsh on Tuesday 7th of July 2015 10:34:21 PM

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David Walsh


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Friday 3rd July 2015

Flaxfield and Wild Bank

Butterflies:
10 Small Heath
8 Speckled Wood
2 Meadow Brown
2 Small Skippers

Moths:
Chimney Sweeper
Common Carpet
Common Heath
Full-grown Oak/Northern Eggar caterpillar






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David Walsh


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Saturday 27th June 2015

Brushes Valley

15+ Small Heath butterflies
A surprising find was a dead, desiccated newt, in the old quarry near Lower Swineshaw Reservoir. I assume it was a Smooth Newt, but acid bog is also right for Palmate, and it was too dried out to ID. The lack of any standing water anywhere near, other than the reservoir, has me puzzled. Another possibility is that it was dropped by a bird carrying food

-- Edited by David Walsh on Saturday 27th of June 2015 12:28:11 PM

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David Walsh


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Saturday 1st November 2014, 9.00am

Weasel / Stoat (didn't see its tail) in and out of the stonework of Higher Swineshaw Dam

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David Walsh


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Friday 4th April 2014, 8.15pm - Dusk

1 stag Roe Deer almost in Flaxfield Farmyard

Butterbur and Russian Comfrey flowering near Walkerwood Dam

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Karen Foulkes


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25/5/13 High numbers of white butterflies

Peacock
Speckled Wood
Large White
Small White
Orange Tip


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Roger Baker 3


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Friday April 26th.

Wild Bank.

3 Roe Deer. A buck and his doe plus one single doe.
I wouldn't have seen them if the buck hadn't started barking.

Roger.

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Steve Suttill


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Sun 27th Jan - 15.30:

at least 5 Roe Deer in trees by Brushes Resr. Highlight of a (virtually) birdless walk!

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Steve "Make your birdwatching count!"
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