2016 was a good year with 4 new ticks for Grane. First was a Marsh Harrier in April, then 2 Common Terns in June, and a much belated Common Redstart in August and then a Hen Harrier in October. Not only new ticks for Grane but for Rossendale too. On top of that an Iceland Gull at Ashworth Moor (self found :) ) in February and the Scaup at Clowbridge in December were 2 new Rossendale ticks.
The thread will include Musbury, Alden, Musden Head Moor, Haslingden Moor and Heap Clough areas as well.
Holden Wood:-
6 Goldeneye - 1 drake , 5 females
14 teal
1 Grey Heron
approx. 30 Lapwing in field feeding with min 40 Starlings, 8 Fieldfare, 2 Carrion Crows, min 30 B H Gulls, min 20 jackdaw, 1 Herring gull, 2 Meadow Pipit
1 Backbird
1 Mistle Thrush feeding undr Ogden dam wall with 3 immature common gulls
3 large gulls - prob herring
stonechat female
0 reed buntings
ogden
1 great black backed gull
1 kestrel
Calf hey
12 herring gulls over all adult or near adult
1 snow bunting not far from burnt aea...flew form musden head .....in direction of haslingden moor.....although could have dropped onto slope above calf hey as view was obscured
Holden Wood today morning for an hour with Craggy:-
2 Great Black Backed Gulls - adult and an immature
1 Herring Gull associating with Black-headed Gulls
8 Common Gulls
lots of Black-headed Gulls
1 male Sparrowhawk who caught a Meadow Pipit
1 Grey Wagtail
min 10 Teal
2 Goosander
min 2 Goldeneye
min 6 Mallard - 4 duck day with 4 species on the water at same time
1 Coot
min 3-4 Meadow Pipits
a few Goldfinch
mi 7 Magpies feeding on sheep carcass
1 Buzzard seen by Craggy
min 8 lapwing
1 Redwing in trees near dam wall
in 20 Starling
min 12 Fieldfare
2 mistle thrush in song
1 song thrush singing
3 nuthatches at feeders in car park
min 8 long tailed tit at feeders with lots of coal, blue and some great tit
2 goldeneye on res
min 12 mallard
1 Wren
could see 2 Goldeneye on top end of Ogden too
Holden Wood Res - 20/01/17
2 dunnock in little car park by dam wall
1 grey heron
min 10 cormorants
6 teal
min 100 black-headed gulls
1 immature Herring Gull over
great tits, 1 song trush, a few robins in song
2-3 meadow pipits
min 12 common gulls including on field across road
min 12 goldfinch
2 reed buntings
lots of Canada Geese
27 Mallard - 13 pairs and 1 extra male
1 Goosander flying east wards
2 Goldeneye - pair
8 Teal
3 Grey Heron
4 Mistle Thrush
2 Dunnock near Dam Wall
1 Grey Wagtail
3-4 Meadow Pipits
80 approx. Lapwing
6 immature Herring Gulls
1 adult Lesser Back Backed Gull
2 Common Gulls
1 Great Black Backed Gull swooping at a Mallard which "ducked" under water a few times, it spooked the Canada Geese
100 plus Black-headed Gulls - many coming to bread which I threw along with 2 Immature Herring Gulls
1 Coot
3 Moorhen
2 Male Sparrowhawks
1-2 Snow Bunting around foot of old train track which leads Musbury Heights Quarry
1 Reed Bunting
Musbury Heights:-
1 Wren
Moorland above Calf Hey:-
16 Reed Bunting
1 Wren
a few Goldcrest in the woods
2 Bullfinch
1 Goldeneye on Reservoir
1 Great Black-Backed Gull immature
Heap Clough:-
min 30 Redwing
min 30 Fieldfare - got close to some
min 30 Starling
feeders at Clough Head busy with Tits
Nothing on Haslingden Moor
1 immature Herring Gull over heap Clough
1 Reed Bunting
1 Wren
Holden Wood from 10am-12pm with Andy Young and 2 loaves of reduced price granay bread.
Prob about 150 Black-headed Gulls around in total - 81 coming to bread
1 Great Crested Grebe - almost in summer plumage
3 definite Coot......maybe 4......
1 Goosander drake coming close to us might have been seeing what the commotion was about
maybe 4 Teal
1 Moorhen
1 Grey Heron
1 Common Gull immature coming to bread
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 1 with Common Gull but turned back when it saw us
usual Canada Geese, Cormorant, min 10 Mallard
1 Snipe
min 20 Lapwing ,maybe upto 40
min 40 Staling maybe up to 60
1 Reed Bunting
1 Buzzard
Holden Wood and Scrubber chimney area form 10am -12.45pm
1 Great Crested Grebe
maybe 2 Coot now
1 Raven
2 Reed Buntings min - 1 singing
2 Oystercatcher - flew down from Ogden side calling loudly - the nuisance neighbours are back!
min 80 black headed gulls
1 common gull
min 20 Cormorants around
min 10 Mallard
min 3 Moorhen
min 3 Teal
min 5 Mistle Thrush, maybe even 7 .......1 singing past near farm, 4 having a territorial skirmish around top end of Holden wood
1 singing song thrush, wren, robin, blue tit
2 Stonechat
min 50 lapwings in air and another approx. 8 in breeding field - starting to display!
Canada Geese mating on Holden Wood and territorial skirmishes between them
approx. 4 Meadow Pipits
Around Chimney:-
Skylark heard
min 2 Meadow Pipits
On Ogden :-
Goosander drake
1 immature Great Black Backed Gull
1 immature Lesser Black Backed Gull
a flock of about 40 birds flying up the valley - flying a bit more jittery that Starlings - could have been Waxwings?
6 Great Black Backed Gulls flying above OgdenDam Wall area
min 7 lesser black backed gulls heading up the valley
min 15 herring gull over
min 6 Mallard
I ripped up 2 loaves of bread into small pieces and threw it on the water from the top end. Result:-
3 Coot coming in to take the bread
5 species of Gulls - min 50 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, min 6 Herring Gulls and 4 Great Black-Backed Gulls - 2 of them were sitting together very close and one lunged at a Black-headed Gull but it got away. Crows trying to pick bread from water too. Strong westerly wind sent bread right out to centre of the res.
stonechat
singing mistle thrush
1 snipe too
Went to Calf Hey because Neil Burke saw 6 Scaup at somepoint in last few days on Ogden but none today. 1 Herring Gull flying up the valley, Nuthatch on feeder in car park, small raptor hurtling over car park, 2 Oystercatcher in field by side of Ogden
Min 2 Brambling with min 10 chaffinch hanging around copse when you enter Holden Wood just past Duke of Wellington
Min 25 Lapwing
3 Coot and 2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Goldeneye including 2 Drakes
4 Teal
Min 8 Mallard
Min 4 Blackbird in copse with 2 Song Thrush and min 8 Redwing , 1 Dunnock, min 11 Goldfinch
Fed the Gulls min 100 Black - headed Gulls, 1 Great Black Backed Immature, 3 Herring Gulls, 2 Lesser Black - 1 adult and immature, 1 Common Gull immature
2 Moorhen
A victim of my own success - got some reduced price Hot Cross Buns and they were torn apart into small pieces and thrown onto the water. Westerly breeze pushed them out towards wide point. First session just 3 Coot min 100 Black-headed Gulls in and Crows trying to pick off the water. Then some larger gulls appeared quite low and I fed them again. First about 10 appeared mainly Herring with 1 Great Black-backed but then more funnelled in and were downed by the site of the others. Over 200 large Gulls - max 3 Great Blacks maybe 20 Lesser and the rest Herring stopped to feed or just passed over. The swirling mass was difficult to monitor but definitely no White Wingers although one possible adult Yellow Legged Gull and one quite dark Gull which was a 2nd cycle of some sort but looked so different to the others. About 10 of the Herring Gulls were pure adults.
Flock of 7 Common Gulls passed West also. 2 Redpoll and 1 Curlew bubbling.
minimum of 100 Starlings around
-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 12th of March 2017 08:49:33 PM
walk around Holden Wood, Ogden, Calf hey and Heap Clough on Monday:-
4 Great back backed Gulls - one had a black mark on it's head like a faded mask somewhat like a P****s Gull when I caught site of it in bins nearly gave me a heart attack but the dark back gave me a bit of a recovery
7 Herring Gulls around
No Summer migrants
3 Buzzards soaring with 3 Herring/lesser black-backed Gulls
Heard little Ringed plover once at holden wood yesterday
Today moning
highlights :-
3 great crested grebes on holden wood and 2 on calf hey
most mallards are drakes so females must be sitting
no bids of prey seen at all
3 large white birds on Ogden which were much bigger than the adjacent Canadas...could have only been Whoopers - sadly no camera at moment and by the time I got to far side gone
min 20 lapwings if not much more
2 pairs of goldeneye - 1 pair on calf hey and other holden wood
4 teal calf hey
lots f meadow pipits on tops but less skylark
no curlew heard anywhere
3 pairs oystercatcher - holden wood, ogden and jamestone
1 song thrush and mistle thrush in the fields behind calf hey car park
things got interesting at jamestone with over 40 large Gulls on no2........15 Great Blacks, 1 adult Yellow Legged Gull......seen very well.........one pale looking bird which appeared to look Caspian...pale underwings, black bill, whitehead but no camera so no pic taken.....I put the latter at probably only as gulls are so complicated..
2 little ringed plover
min 20 black headed gulls chasing large gulls and a grey heron .,...breeding this year?
3 visits to Grane this week. Tuesday walk around Holden Wood, then onto Troy and Jamestones. Wednesday just Holden Wood. Friday (today) same as Tuesday.
Highlights of Tuesday:-
2 Sand Martins at Jamestones
4 Little Ringed Plovers
1 Wheatear behind Clough Head - first I have had in March in Rossendale
approx. 60 large Gulls - most probably immature Herring Gulls
10 Pied wagtails - 5 at Holden Wood, 5 at Heap Clough and Jamestones
3 Grey Wagtails - 2 Heap Clough and 1 Jamestones
4 pairs Oystercatcher - 1 Holden Wood, 1 Ogden and min 2 pair Jamestones
2 Great Back Backed Gulls
min 20 Black-headed Gulls mobbing Great Blacks ad Heron
Wednesday
nothing much to add
Friday:-
5-6 Blackbirds around
1 singing Mistle Thrush at Holden Wood
1 singing Song Thrush
3 Chiffchaff - 1 singing at Dam wall of Holden Wood, 1 in trees at far side, 1 in trees at side of Jamestones 2
20-30 woodpigeons - in flocks
Greenwoodpecker yaffling at Jamestomes and Calf Hey
maybe 8 Sand Martins
3 Stonechat at Jamestones- 1 pair and a singing male.
1 Curlew on the moor
skylark heard, lots of meadow pipits, good numbers of Lapwing - maybe 6 already sitting if not more
min 7 drake mallards and 1 female
3 Reed Bunting
Monday 10th April - nothing much to add, Tufted Duck gone though.
Monday 17 Feb - Holden Wood and Musbury from 8 - 12.30 with Paul Burke
Holden Wood:-
Teal calling
Green Woodpecker yaffling min 8 cormorants 1 common sandpiper min 15 Lapwing 2 Curlew on farm 2 Oystercatchers 2 Moorhen 5 Wagtails - min 2 were White and 3 Pied 2 Grey Wagtails 1 Wheatear male on farm
mn 30 Swallows and Martins - 2/3 were Swallows - may have been moving West so figures not known for sure min8 Mallard - all Drakes bar 1 or 2 3 Willow Warblers in song 3 Reed Bunting min
Musbury :-
min 6 Pied wagtails 3-4 birds of a similar on rocks but in poor light - one if not all I could only assume were Ring Ouzels min 1 Wheatear just a few Skylark 1 Buzzard 10-20 Swallows min 2 Linnet on Tor
Green Woodpecker yaffling
WATER LEVEL DROPPED CONSIDERABLY AT HOLDEN WOOD.....QUITE A BIT OF MUD SHOWING......MAYBE THEY HOPE TO DRAIN IT IN INTO THE IRWELL.......Moorhen, Canada Geese and Oystercatcher already using it.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Monday 17th of April 2017 09:08:26 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Monday 17th of April 2017 09:35:02 PM
First of the Lapwing chicks have hatched - might be a couple of days old maximum - approx. 3 adults
2 little ringed plover and 2 common sandpiper on ever increasing mud
3 willow warbler
Blackcap heard which was first heard on Monday
2 Reed Bunting
Linnet Pair
3-4 Pied Wagtails
a few Cormorant
12-15 mallard all males barring 2
3 teal - pair and a female
3 Moorhen
4 chaffinch at near car park
blue tit pair near car park
1 mistle thrush and 1 song thrush
2 great crested grebe
1 grey heron
min 60 Hirundines - approx. 35-40 sand martins
Monday - walk around Holden Wood, Ogden, Calf Hey and Jamestones
6 species of wader - Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Curlew 2 on Haslingden Moor, Lapwing and a Snipe near Jamestones 2.
min 6 Chaffinch near Car Park at Holden Wood 3 Teal - pair and a drake
Linnet around Jamestones
Wednesday late afternoon - min 20 Pied Wagtails feeding - quite a few moving West towards Ogden - lots of birds on mud Oystercatcher, Sandpiper, Moorhen, Teal,Mallard, Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipit, min 3 reed bunting Friday 7-8am - not much activity - pair Teal, min 15 Mallards mostly Drakes, 2 Great Crested Grebes asleep.
Sunday and Monday - easterly and south-easterly winds - who know what might turn up?
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 28th of April 2017 11:39:16 PM
Visit to Holden Wood yesterday evening before Clowbridge but no real changes except less Wader activity.
Visit today from 7 - 11am to Holden Wood, Ogden, Calf Hey and Jamestones.
Holden Wood:-
2 Grasshopper Warblers - one "showy" near top of lane before small car park and one in rushes just under Ogden - both must have been new in over last 24 hours.
1 Blackcap - species is less in number this year it appears..so far
7-8 Black- headed Gulls
2 Immature Herring Gulls on bank, 4 more flying east - so 6!
2 Moorhen
2 family parties of mallrds - 7 and 8 young each
1 Jay
Ogden:-
3 male Stonechat
1 Wheatear
1 Dipper with small fish at side of res
Possible Tree Pipit at Ogden - very close, fine streaked flanks and flew off Northerly
Calf Hey:-
2 Grasshopper Warblers reeling
Mallard with min 6 young maybe week old
1 Buzzard
1 female Stonechat
Jamestones side:-
3....could have been upto 6 but 3 disappeared.. Ring Ouzel in trees just up track from car park
min 20 Wheatear
min 6 Stock Dove
2 Buzzard
2 Grey wagtail at Heap Clough
-- Edited by sarfraz on Monday 1st of May 2017 09:47:19 PM
4 trip to Holden Wood made in last 6 days - including the Sunday before the Whinchat and the Tuesday after but nothing. Redshank not seen since Sunday but reappeared Thursday. 3-4 Mallard families - 2 with 7-8 young and 2 with 4-6 young 2 Canada geese families but with a few young.
A few visits to Clowbridge in the last week including today and nothing of note. Ashworth Moor today and 100's of Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins over the res.
quick morning visit today - biggest surprise was a Sedge Warbler first singing form rushes near boardwalk but flew to far end - could hear Swallow, Linnet, Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff, Stonechat and Pied Wagtail in his song.
3 Lapwing chicks Sunday 9th July looked a week old. Maybe 4 pairs are still nesting. 4-5 fledged Lapwings on the shoreline 14/07/17.
3 Common Sandpiper territories until 9th July today one looked like it had given up.
Oystercatcher on 15th July with mussel - managing to keep a Carrion Crow off it. The Crow would sneak up behind the Oystercatcher pull its tail, then run. The Oystercatcher would chase it for a while. I was surprised the Crow did not bully it. I have seen Crows a couple of times over the last 2 month dropping the mussels on grass hoping to crack them but..
met up with Craggy and Paul Burke 5-8pm today
Calf Hey:-
min 1 Siskin
1 Sedge Warbler singing
min 3 Grey wagtails
3 Raven
3 Kestrel
dozens of Crows and Woodpigeons feeding on Whinberry
2 Oystercatcher
min 3 Mallard
no shortage of Meadow Pipits
1 Great Black Backed Gull over Ogden
2 Great Crested Grebes on Ogden
Holden Wood:-
walked up from bottom end and spotted a Motley Crew of Gulls - 1 Great Black Backed, about 10 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls - mostly adults, 6 Herring Gulls - 1-2 adults and of course min 30 Black-headed Gulls all on the mud at opposite site to dam wall.
They were with 3 Curlew, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Moorhen, min 2 Cormorants, Lapwings and 2 Oystercatcher
9 Oystercatcher - 2 already on mud, 6 flew in from east and carried on west over other reservoirs, 1 more came in from east later
1 male Sparrowhawk at gates of Ogden
Buzzard and Kestrel on side of Ogden watched from Holden Wood.
1 Willow Warbler
1 juvenile Robin
min 6 Goldfinch
min 10 Pied Wagtails
min 10 Meadow Pipits - on 14th July min 30 Meadow Pipits
