Today - Reservoir frozen but ice not thick. Held a medium size dog though. Very eay to get around the res as mood fozen solid although around the bankls some muddy spots.
10 Mallard
1 Grey Heron
4 Pied Wagtail maybe Greay Wagtail too
6 Common Snipe
3 Teal
2 Wren - one at near side, other where it widens
some Robins, Tits, Stock Dove in flight, Blackbirds getting ready to roost, Magpies, Woodpigeons
17 min Meadow Pipits - some might be duplicate, flock of 11 seen
1 male Kestrel
a pair of StoneChat - must be same pair from December - must survive near the trickling water at far side. chased by a Robin too at one point.
should hang up a fat ball feeder there. i am sure they would like it.
i threw 2 loaves of brown bread and a bag of peanuts over the frozen res to see what Gulls might come down. Have had good numbers of black-heads and some common gulls but today mainly Crows. Not many Gulls around and passing over - less than 30.
I forgot to add a flock of 3 Redpoll flying south yesterday.
Holden Wood from 2pm - 4.15 pm today
16 mallard seen, a flock of 16 flew over also which may have included some Goosander......i highly doubt these were the same birds so 32 Mallard 3 Teal, 1 Grey Heron Meadow Pipits in good numbers 10 Snipe......1 possible Jack Snipe...smaller bird, shorter bill.......flew from 4-5 metres away landed 6-7 metres away.....other Snipe scattered far 2 Goosander flying up
no Stone Chat....but 2 Lapwing present.....flushed from very close
Good numbers of B H Gulls came to feed on brown bread, peanuts and some fish throw on the frozen res.......with Crows and some Magpies....
on Holden Wood approx 6 Mallard, 1 snipe, kestrel, 2 goosander flying up male and female
plenty of black headed gulls and carrion crows coming from all over to feed on bread on the fozen reservoir......some fish thrown too......grey heron joined them but was not observed picking any bread or bits of fish unless it did so later, later on magpies joined in too
decent numbers of meadow pipits at least 10, some robins around
female stone chat at top end....i have put up a coconut fat feeder on a small tree next to the wooden bridge .....i wonder if they will try it out.....the robin might not let them though
nothing on tops.....
at Ogden.....well..at least 1 cormorant, 10 mallard min, 2 teal, goldeneye possibly, plenty of black headed gulls, female kestrel on the slope
as i walked i got a very interesting sighting....a short eared owl flying and sitting on a post by the reservoir.....then 2 jostling on the slope not that far from the old railway track........then one flew down along the reservoir where it jostled with most likely the owl on the post.....and flew up northwards.....to far end to be mobbed by black headed gulls.....to get 3 in rossendale in winter .......very satisfying!
