I am planning on getting up onto the moors this weekend and would love to see some Golden Plover and Snipe if possible, does anyone have any suggestions of where to go. I am thinking of either Haslingden Moor or Cowpe, but I am a bit unsure of routes etc. I do have a OS map so will be checking that tonight but if anyone has any advise that would be great.
To get onto Haslingden Moor there is a footpath from Clough Head visitor Centre. Cowpe Moss is accessible from several areas (through Cragg Quarry, and off Rooley Moor Road). I went on to Cowpe Moss last week and only had 7 golden plover, 1 snipe and just a few crows. With the frosts we have had this week it might be even more sparsely populated this weekend. It's worth remembering that Haslingden Moor is where we saw the hen harrier on the bird race.
i would love to see ravens personally - i may have seen them but nothing confirmed - i would love to see golden plover too as i have never seen them before. i did manage to go martin mere yeserday and i saw ruff - a species which i have probably never seen before.
where is the best chance of seeing ravens in rossendale?
Yes Ravens are quite spectacular, especially when doing the aerobatics they are well known for. The main diagnostics, apart from sheer size, are the deep "pruk" or "gronk" call, much deeper than any Crow and the diamond-shaped tail. It's mainly a case of being in the right place at the right time, but from records it seems that they can be seen almost anywhere in Rossendale as they range pretty widely for food.
People are unlikely to let you know via a forum message where they might be breeding because, like large raptors and owls, they are liable to be disturbed by unwelcome attention at the nest and even be targeted by egg-collectors.
Even if your own "bona fides" are good (which I just don't know, never having met you) there are others who lurk in these forums without joining who are definitely of ill intent and they can easily read replies to you.
You seem to get around in Rossendale quite a bit. If you can't get to a ROC meeting (one last night unfortunately), make yourself known to other birders you may see about, chances are they'll be in ROC.
Another possibility is to use the private message facility of this forum to send a message to one or more members to arrange to meet up somewhere.
Sorry if this seems unhelpful in your search for birds but we do have to put the birds' welfare first.
there is quite a large cance i hae seen ravens but nothign definite. i have seen quite large crows but then they lack the diamond shape tail. etc. i know if i saw a raven i guess i would know. size and tail is what i would of course look for. but even these can be confusing. i have seen a medium/large crows at 3200m in pakistan - ie alpine country. they could have been ravens but then again they could have been thick billed/jungle crows which are sized between carrion crows and ravens. the bird was seen at such an angle where tail and size really did nt. althogh thick billed.jungle crows are mre forest species and that area was not forested.
if i see a rook - now rooks are quite spectacularly sized - they appear bigger than carrion crows - maybe its their jet black colouring that makes them more prominent.
i suppose they would not descend lower down right?
