Rossendale Birding Thread Part 2

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Rossendale Birding Thread Part 2

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Redstart immature or female at the Quarries on 20 July.

21st July - very ill Lesser Black-backed Gull adult which could not fly was on bank and still there alive on 22nd - but died by 29th. Interestingly another adult of this species was present with this bird both days.

31 July - approx. 150 Lapwings at Holden Wood and min 20 Mallards.

04/08/18 - 1 juvenile Kittiwake was on bank at Holden Wood about 7.40pm but flew West towards Ogden as I approached. Picked up by it's larger size, dark beak, collar and wing pattern. Sadly no photograph or even video footage of it. Was not noticed at 7pm with Gulls so may have flown in, dropped down and flown off again. A Rossendale first for me.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

23/08/18 - 3 Whimbrel and 1 Curlew flying over together both calling Westwards over Ogden then Calf hey. What could only have been a Jack Snipe flushed near path - flushed very close and flew up then dropped down 2 metres away - bill too short for Common Snipe.

24/08/18 - 2 Green Sandpiper on Holden Wood which then flew off followed by a bird which sounded like a Wood Sandpiper just called once. min 30 Meadow Pipits - some movement? 30 Mallards on Holden Wood. Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler at Holden Wood. What sounded like a different species making a very high pitched Hoo-et and much faster too flitting around.

Not many passerines around = no Chats or Thrushes. 30 Lapwing at Holden Wood. 2 Great Crested Grebes - 1 each on Ogden and Calf hey. 9 Cormorants on Ogden. 1 Great Black-Backed Gull. 6 immature Herring Gulls over and landing on Holden Wood. 1 Linnet. 4 Reed Buntings. 1 Little Ringed Plover on Holden Wood. No Oystercatchers seen. good numbers of Swallows and Martins still except sand Martin - 3 seen. 4 Grey wagtails on Calf hey. 1 Buzzard at calf hey. 1 Common sandpiper at Ogden.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Sunday 26 August - about 50 Meadow Pipits at Holden Wood - looks like some movement and min 10 Pied Wagtails at Calf Hey

Tuesday 28 August - Highlight of the day was a single Swift at Holden Wood. A month ago there were lots of screaming Swifts then all of a sudden the skies fell silent. 2 Willow Warblers singing. 1 Little Ringed Plover. min 30 Goldfinch - I actually wrote Goldfish but corrected myself. Min 200 Swallows in the sky as a male Sparrowhawk chased one around which I felt ended unsuccessfully for the raptor. Tit flock - min 10 Long tailed Tits with Blue, Great and Coal Tit. Chats and Thrushes still quite silent and barely any seen. 1 Green Sandpiper in the channel at top flew off to Ogden?

The water has risen at Calf Hey so I am guessing over the next week not many waders sadly. 1 Common Sandpiper on today, a family of Stonechat , 10 Meadow Pipits, 4 Grey Wagtails.

In Whitworth today so had a look at Spring Mill for Little Gull but sadly not there.

-- Edited by sarfraz on Tuesday 28th of August 2018 10:16:30 PM

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Robin singing Haslingden 29 August

Trip up Grane today morning

Holden Wood:-

2 Linnet

0 Waders on

20 Mallard

15 Meadow Pipits

40 Goldfinch

2 Chiffchaff

1 Willow Warbler

2 Wren

2 Dunnock

1 Greenfinch flying over on 29th..

approx. 20 Swallows

4 Great Tits

1 Blackbird

2 Grey Heron

1 Grey Wagtail

3 Pied Wagtail

Ogden:-

1 Linnet

1 female Wheatear

2 Great Crested Grebe

2 Bullfinch on side

Calf Hey:-

2-3 Buzzards 1 family

1 Kestrel

6Stonechat

approx. 80 Pied and White Wagtail

approx. 80 Meadow Pipit

2 Grey Wagtail

0 Waders

approx. 20 House Martins over

1 Green Woodpecker

1 Mallard with 1 large young

Quarries:-

min 11 Kestrel together as well

1 Buzzard

1 Sparrowhawk

1 Green Woodpecker

1 Chiffchaff

3 pairs of Stock Dove

Bit quiet for butterflies except 3 Speckled Wood, 1 large White, 4 Green veined White. The season does not appear to have been the best for Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper at Grane. 2 Wall browns today. 1 red damsel/dragonfly - the common one - the season appears to have been poor for dragonflies too.

-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 31st of August 2018 10:59:57 PM

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Stonefold 02/09/18

6 Common Gulls, 30 tarlings, min 40 Goldfinch,

Grane 07/09/18

1 Yellow Wagtail at Calf Hey

min 100 Pied/White Wagtails around Grane and Quarries

min 150 Meadow Pipits around Grane and Quarries

min 120 Goldfinch around Grane and Quarries

min 200 Swallows - many recently fledged birds especially around Quarries - could it be a 3rd brood - especially with many juveniles noted in mid-June?

1 male Sparrowhawk around quarries - chased some Magpies around who then chased it, then it chased a Green Woodpecker which really started calling

1 Kestrel at Quarries

2 Chiffchaff at Holden Wood

40 Mallards at Holden Wood

20 House Martins over reservoirs

2 Reed Bunting at Holden Wood

Stonechat family below ruin above Ogden

10 Goldcrest I plantation around Quarries

1 Redpoll over Holden Wood

22 Cormorants min at Ogden on at one point

2 Great Black backed Gulls at Ogden

Usual suspects at Calf hey - 4 species of the commoner, Nuthatch , 60 Starlings

min 20 Magpies around Quarry.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

A few visits to Grane this week. Noting of note. Full circuit Friday morning

min 150 Goldfinch around reservoirs and quarries

approx. 100 Swallows around reservoirs and quarries

approx. 100 Mallards on Holden Wood alone

2 teal

approx. 80 Lapwings around

min 60 Pied Wagtail. Must add claimed White Wagtails a week or 2 ago but had a look and they are hard to tell apart from Pied wagtails in autumn so I retract that.

No waders seen except Lapwing

Quite on finches front - couple of Reed buntings and Chaffinches

a few Wrens

4 Robins in song

Tits - mixed flock of about 20 Tits - Great Blue and Long Tailed around Holden Wood

Great Spotted Woodpecker flew from heap Clough to King Hillock Wood near Ogden.

2 Blackbirds at Holden Wood.

4 Great Black backed - 2 adults and 2 immatures.

approx. 10 Meadow Pipits around

1 Buzzard

2-3 Kestrel

1 Sparrowhawk

approx. 28-29 Cormorants on Ogden

Visited Holden Wood Sunday 16 Sept

0 Swallows seen

min 200 Black-headed Gulls with many heading to Fishmoor

Min 20 Cormorants at Holden Wood - min 15 in roosts

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Made a few visits to Grane mainly Holden Wood this week but very quiet.

I thought the highlight of the week will be 4 Rooks flying over towards Hutch Bank from Musbury on Thursday 20 Sept.

Today 21/09/18 a small wader landed with white wing bars with dark edges. As I inched closer to it seemed to disappear. It flew up calling with palish plain looking under wings. The call matched that of SANDERLING. A first for Holden Wood and Grane for me.

Nothing of note of Ogden and Calf Hey.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Made a few visits to Grane mainly Holden Wood this week but very quiet.

I thought the highlight of the week will be 4 Rooks flying over towards Hutch Bank from Musbury on Thursday 20 Sept.

Today 21/09/18 a small wader landed with white wing bars with dark edges. As I inched closer to it seemed to disappear. It flew up calling. Only after a discussion with 2 other birders who pointed out that Grey Phalaropes also have wing bars and listening to the call I realised that the bird seen was GREY PHALAROPE and not a Sanderling. I had not checked the call of the Grey Phalarope because one I had no idea they had wing bars and that they called. I am 100% satisfied with the call even though I said Sanderling fits the call.

Nothing of note of Ogden and Calf Hey.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Grane today:-

Holden Wood:-

The usual suspects - 3 Dunnock, 1 Common Gull, 6 Teal on 23/09/18, 3 Reed Bunting, 0 Waders, 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Stonechat - pair and a female.

Musbury Heights and Musden Head Moor:-

2 Little Owl, 2 Skylark , small numbers of Meadow Pipits moving, 1 Wheatear, min 50 Goldfinch, 3 Kestrel, min 3 Sparrowhawk, 2 Pied wagtails over, 4 Linnets moving, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Blue Tits high up

Calf Hey and Ogden:-

Water nothing new on ..highlight 2 Great Black backed Gulls. Woods around Calf Hey alive - Nuthatch, Treecreeper , Goldcrest, the 4 Common Tits all flocking together, Wren, Chaffinch, Jay

So far last Swallow sightings - 3 on 17th Sept and then 1 on the 18th both at Holden Wood.

House Martins seemed to have disappeared about 7 days ago.

approx. 10 Wren around Grane in song or calling today and min about 10 Robins singing.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

A wander around the Grane Reservoirs on Friday 5/10/18 - highlights:-

2 flocks of Pink Footed Geese heading West-ish - 34 and then 177 - the latter veering North West-ish maybe the 150 seen over Longridge 12.20 that day.

11 Teal at Holden Wood

7 Great Black backed Gulls - 4 adults of which 2 appear to be a pair and 3 immatures - the latter get chased around by the adults.

1 the not so common Common Gull

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Walks around Grane on Wednesday 10th oct and Friday (today)

Wednesday 10th October highlights:-

Good day for butterflies - 3 Peacock seen, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Green-veined White?

3 Song thrush, 1 redwing and 2 Blackbirds in bushes at holden wood car park....bit of an arrival...

approx. 10 Goldcrest in plantations around Jamestone's

min 10 Stonechat around Grane reservoirs - 2 family parties at Ogden and Calf Hey

3 Skeins of Pink Footed Geese over Jamestone's around mid-day - 132, 41, 94 ...in 5 minutes

Treecreeper, 4 species of Tits, Chaffinches at Calf Hey

6 Reed Bunting - 3 at Holden Wood, 2 at Ogden and 1 Calf Hey

Friday 12 Oct highlights :-

min 100 Mallards at Holden Wood....water levels have risen a lot....

min 2 Gadwalls at Holden Wood

min 10 Teals

4 Ring Ouzel at Calf Hey in hawthorn scrub flew to Ogden......for the last 4 years I and others and probably way before 2014 have had Ring Ouzel here.....in October....could they be continental birds......?

3 Wrens at Calf Hey

0 waders present,

-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 12th of October 2018 11:39:29 PM

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Trip around Grane and Quarries 19/10/18

Full set of thrushes - 2 fieldfare near tram tracks above Holden Wood, min 2 Mistle Thrush there too, min 1 Song Thrush there, 1 Ring Ouzel in Hawthorn scrub above Calf Hey, Redwings in trees around Holden Wood, Blackbirds at Holden wood too

1 Wigeon at Holden Wood, min 100 Mallard....min 10 teal,

2 tufted Duck Drakes in Jamestones,

2 Red Legged Partridges above Crow Trees

2 raven

min 4 Kestrels dotted around - 3 males and 1 female.

min 2 Stonechats at jamestone's alarming!!

a few Pied wagtail and Meadow Pipits

Mixed flock consisting 2 Treecreeper, 2 Nuthatch, min 5 Goldcrest and Blue, Great and Coal Tits at calf hey Car park

Mixed flock consisting of 10 min Goldcrest, 10 min long Tailed tits, a few Coal tit in plantations around Heap clough car park

3 Robins in a single bush together - chasing each other

1 Dunnock at Heap Clough Car Park

min 50 Goldfinch around

2 possible Common Darters in field which people cross to get to heap Clough from Holden Wood.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

A number of trips made to Holden Wood, Grane and Musbury over the last 2 weeks but nothing special of note

Grane and Quarries today;-

Holden Wood;-

approx. 15-20 Teals
2 Reed Bunting
3 Pied Wagtails
2 Meadow Pipits - very low numbers of these round
2 Dunnock
much smaller numbers of Mallard
2 Moorhen - 1 feeding in stream between Ogden and Holden Wood

Ogden:-

1 Great Black Backed Gull
min Lesser/Herring Gull complex juveniles
min 10 teal
min 2 Lapwing
2 Mistle Thrush
2 Stonechat

Calf hey:-

lots of small birds such as Long Tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Goldcrest, a few Wren, Chaffinch, Goldfinch
min 20 Woodpigeon
maybe a Serin, Redpoll
Good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare

Quarries:-

min 33 Crossbills - flock of approx. 14, then 31, then 2, then 8........almost certainly the 31 and the min of 2 were not double counts but the others not sure
4 Bullfinch at Clough Head
Lots of Redwings and Fieldfares at Clough Head
Lots of Tits - Great, Blue, Long tailed, Coal, Goldcrest in decent numbers, Goldfinch in not so high numbers as usual, Chaffinch in decent numbers around Clough Head and the Quarries,
small numbers of Robins around,
1 Goldeneye on Jamestone
1 Buzzard
1-2 Kestrel

Usual Mapgies, Black-headed Gulls, Crows, min 3 Jays quite active around the area.

A very good day birding today even if no Local megas were seen.

sarfraz · Status: Offline

There is a bit of a Rough Legged Buzzard invasion taking place. We are not going to get 40 in a tree at Groundwork's or dozens feeding in supermarket car parks or on a housing estate but worth keeping a look at those Buzzards. Easier said than done with Buzzards. Here is an article that can help.

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/focus-on-rough-legged-buzzard

Friday 9th Nov - trip around Grane Reservoirs and Quarries with highlights being a single Rook over Holden Wood heading to Hutch Bank and a Merlin on slope at Ogden. 1 Singing Mistle thrush at Holden wood

2 Great Black Backed Gulls flew south over my house Friday16 Nov morning.

Friday 16 November - Grane and Quarries again

2 Common Gulls on Holden Wood

min 200 Black-headed gulls scattered around

1 Goosander in flight over Quarries

min 10 Mallard

min 20 teal - bulk on Calf Hey, 4-5 on Ogden

3 Pied Wagtails

a few Meadow Pipit

1 reed Bunting

min 80 Woodpigeon around

min 60 Jackdaws mainly around Holden Wood

1 Crossbill over quarries

Good number of Tits......min 30 Coal Tits noted...most numerous tit of that day...followed by min 20 Long Tailed tits

min 3 Nuthatch on feeders in Calf Hey Car park

3-4 very showy Jays......result in getting my best pic of a Jay yet

3 Kestrels around

2-3 Wrens

min Fieldfare heading south

3-4 redwing

9 Black birds - 3 on slope of Calf hey feeding in hawthorn and 6 in Heap Clough car park

4 Mistle thrushes - singing birds at Calf hey and Quarries

4 Great Black-backed Gulls over Holden Wood - 2 adults and 2 immatures

min 40 Herring Gulls over - approx half heading to Fishmoor half other way

min 20 Chaffinches around

Sunday 18 November - Stonefold and Mitchell's House

min 10 Common Gulls around Stonefold

min 10 Sparrows

min 50 Starlings

1 Golden Plover called over, 1 Kestrel, 1 Wren and 2 Meadow Pipit on lower slope of Hambledon

min 120 Lapwings around reservoir

1 suspicious bird flying over res shoreline sounded Lapland Bunting-y but no good enough views and I actually have no experience of this bird ...

Lots of Gulls...possibly min 60 large......min 2 Great Black Backed Gulls...all the 2nrd 3rd winter types herring/lesser black-backed size......looked herring....all adult gulls herring too....

5 Goosander - 1 on and 4 joined

2 teal

1 reed Bunting.

-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 18th of November 2018 11:25:00 PM

-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 18th of November 2018 11:26:22 PM

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Today

Grane - Reservoirs and Quarries:-

Holden Wood:- 1 Common Gull, min 20 Teal, min 20 Mallard, 1 Cormorant, Tit flock consisting of min 15 Long Tailed and smaller number of other common ROC area tit species, 1 Moorhen, 2 Jays fighting, 4 Fieldfare, 3 Blackbirds, 1 Stonechat, min 60 Starlings

Ogden:- a nice surprise of 6 Whooper Swans - 2 adults and 4 young of which 5 left at 12 noon in a direction which was south-easterly. Not sure if an adult or a young bird remained and dread to think it has made it this far just not to survive? 4 Teals, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, min 3 Cormorants,

Calf Hey;- min 46 Teal , min 40 Mallard, min 6 Bullfinch, 1 Nuthatch, min 4 Blackbird, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Jay, min 12 Chaffinch, 1 Wren, 1 Buzzard, Bit tit flock with Coal Tit more numerous possibly 20 min- has there been an influx of these this year? , min 12 long Tailed Tit, just a few Goldcrest - less than before for sure,

Quarries :- 1 Kestrel, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Robin, min 15 Coal Tits at Clough Head feeders

No Grey Herons, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Reed Buntings, Dunnock, Meadow Pipits or Pied Wagtails seen or heard today. Only a few Woodpigeon seen. Even Crows and Magpies were in much smaller numbers.

Some good news - water levels on Holden Wood and Calf Hey have dropped again the little island has reappeared at Holden Wood......bit late for wader passage but a minimum of 70 Teals across Grane is a record for me...they clearly like it.. I was told by a regular walked the reservoirs are being drained....

sarfraz · Status: Offline

A walk around the reservoirs and the quarries today produced:-

min 61 Teal at Holden Wood which flew off to Calf Hey reservoir and then when I tried to count there they flew back to Holden Wood.

Min 40 Mallard - as water levels decrease, duck numbers increase.

1 Meadow Pipit at Holden Wood

1 Dunnock at Calf Hey

1 Kestrel - male at Holden Wood the only raptor of the day.

min 150 Black-headed Gulls

2 Common Gulls

2 Great Black-Backed Gull adults, the largest chasing the other away.

Min 30 Woodpigeons

1 Goldcrest at Calf Hey

All 4 tit species seen but in much lower numbers.

2 Fieldfare - 1 near Duke of Wellington and other on slope above Ogden

min 8 Blackbirds all over - with 2 still on slope above Calf hey

1 Mistle Thrush near Calf Hey Car Park

min 16 Chaffinches all over.

1 Woodcock reported last week in woods around Calf hey

1 Grey Partridge flushed by a dog in Deep Clough

1 female Pheasant at Holden Wood.

Just a few Canada Geese

A few Redwings near Duckworth Arms

1 Song Thrush at Heap Clough.

-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 30th of November 2018 11:50:10 PM

sarfraz · Status: Offline

Recent birds if note

1 Brambling and 3 Greenfinch at Calf Hey car park feeders, 1 Crossbill at Heap Clough on 14 December

1 Waxwing on a wire next to Rookery opposite Farmers Glory