I am Bob, but mainly in Bolton / Rammy etc (see my earlier posting). I've not managed to get over to Summerseat though.
Whilst digitising John Sykes' Rossendale Rook Censuses from 1976, I was struck by how many other rookeries there were, although mainly small, that were used from time to time. I'd forgotten there used to be one at Wood Top, for instance.
Fascinating stuff, if only for the way it documents the species' inexorable decline.
This gives a Grand Total of 307 nests in 14 Rookeries.
I've dug out my 1980 ROC Report and there is a good summary of Rook nests in 'Rossendale' as we used to count it and shows a total of 765 nests in Rossendale and that figure did not include Healey Dell as there was no count taken. Clearly we've seen massive declines in our Rook numbers although there must be some more nests that need to be included?
Some notable Rookeries from the 1980 count included:
Holcombe Church: 80 (22 today)
Summerseat: 80 (16 today, Is there another Rookery in Summerseat I missed?)
Stubbins: 51 (0 now?)
Crawshawbooth : 76 (34 today)
Waterfoot: 84 (0 today)
Broadclough: 98 (44 today but still our biggest)
Acre:52 (14 today)
As I understand it Summerseat had 3 rookeries at that time, though I don't know the exact sites. I think John Sykes may have given the total figure.
One query - is Healey Corner the one referred to as Healey Dell in the past? I think it was in the trees on the right at the top of the road down to the Dell. Is the other Healey one further South towards Rochdale?
I only found the one in Summerseat and all nests were in a single tree in a private garden. There are lots of trees down there so could have been another site I missed.
Healey corner is indeed Healey Dell and much reduced from its glory days. The other Rookery down there is just south past Healey Dell on the left as you say but quite definitely in Rossendale...by 3 yards!
Hi David
Judith Smith very kindly sent me her Rook data from the time she was GM recorder, up to about 2010 I think. For Summerseat she has several sites listed: Rowlands Road (SD798147), Peel Hall (SD788146), Newcombe Road (SD787146), the Old Sewage Works (SD791147) and Bass Lane (SD800150).
It would be useful to know which is the one you found if possible.
We used to have several rookeries in Edenfield and at Stubbins, which were definitely in Lancashire, but they are not used now. All the other Ramsbottom, Holcombe, Shuttleworth and Summerseat sites were in GM, though John Sykes continued to report on them in the Rossendale report.
Judith also claimed Healey Dell although the rookery is clearly in Rossendale and therefore in Lancashire. I think this was because the major part of Healey Dell is indeed in GM and it was simpler to record anything from the whole site as GM.
John Sykes also listed a rookery at Healey Grove, Broadley and another just as Healey which may have meant it was further south and within Rochdale. They were used in the mid 80s but I doubt they exist now.
GM did a county-wide rookery survey in 1996 and from time to time since then, so I have been able to extract records for the Ramsbottom, Holcombe etc, rookeries.
I'd forgotten just how much detail John Sykes had recorded in the mid to late 70s. I'm typing them up from paper copies I had sent to Bob. Once I have them ready I can email you copies if you like.
