5 species of Gull present at Gull feed at Holden Wood - 2 Great Black Backed adults, 2 Common Gulls, 1 Lesser Black Backed adult, min 10 Herring Gulls, and min 100 Black Headed Gulls
lack of waterfowl - a handful of Mallards and Goldeneye
min 4 Stonechat - at 3 spots - above Ogden Calf Hey and Deep Cough
min 10 Siskin at Calf Hey feeders
2 Snow Bunting above Ogden and Calf Hey
min 50 Fieldfare at Heap Clough with 30 redwing and 30 Starling
A couple of Song Thrush in song this week and 1 Dunnock - in Haslingden and Rawtenstall
Sunday 17 January - 5 Bullfinch on upper path above Calf Hey on bird race day must have been attracted by Heather?
Monday 17 January - 2 Great Spotted woodpeckers squabbling on Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall/Newchurch plus some Redpolls too - both missing from our bird race list the day before.
Thursday 20 January walk around Reservoirs, Chimney up Scrubber and Crow Trees - 4 Goosander (missing from our bird race list) and 14 Mallard on Holden Wood, 1 call heard which sounded like Teal but no calls or sightings after at Holden Wood, min 4 Reed Buntings at Holden Wood but on the bird race we got 1 Reed Bunting which was on the fringes of the woodland above Calf Hey bordering the moorland, Grebe not seen at Ogden, 5 species of Gulls, small numbers of Thrushes except Fieldfare of which there were 80 plus at Calf Hey, Greenfinches wheezing just over a week. No sign of any Raptor today.
Lots of Tits out - min 10 Coal Tit at Calf Hey feeders and min 10 Siskin, I don't think I saw a Chaffinch. No Wagtails but a handful of Meadow Pipits. Min 30 Starlings and not big numbers of Woodpigeon for a change - maybe max of 20?
Biggest surprise today was a Peacock butterfly sunning it self at Crow Trees - might be first sighting submitted to Lancashire in 2022?
Sunday 3 April Holden Wood Reservoir - 3 pairs of Teal, 2 Goosander pairs, min 10 Mallard, Curlew pair on the 2nd April, 2 Little Ringed Plovers the only summer migrants, 3 Common Gulls - non adults flew over west, Lapwings, Meadows Pipits, Pied Wagtails - 12 Pied Wagtails in the air when a Sparrowhawk flew over on the 2nd, Moorhen feeding on the exposed shoreline - water levels have dropped considerably. A few Reed Buntings around, 1 Chaffinch calling, a couple of Robins, 2 Mistle Thrush, a few Wren, 1 Greenfinch singing
-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 3rd of April 2022 09:03:22 PM
Thursday 14th April visit to Holden Wood - highlights were singing male Redstart little car park and Holcombe Road and 2 Swallows - first of year for me! Willow Warblers up to 4 - day before none in song.
Thursday 14 April - 1 Chiffchaff singing at St Peter's Fields, Haslingden
Friday 15 April visit to Holden Wood and Heap Clough - highlights were 2 firsts for 2022 - 1 singing Blackcap at Holden Wood and 11 Wheatear at Heap Clough and Quarries. 2 Teal at Holden Wood, 9 Willow Warbler - 5 around Holden Wood and 4 at Heap Clough/Quarries, a few Linnet, Siskin and 1 Redpoll over Heap Clough. Quite a few coal Tit and Goldcrest around Troy. 2 Greylag over Holden Wood. No Swallows, Sand Martins, Ring Ouzel - the latter 2 not seen this year.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 15th of April 2022 09:17:53 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 15th of April 2022 09:18:57 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 15th of April 2022 11:51:54 PM
Sunday 17 April - 1 Swallow and 1 Sand Martin at Mitchell's House Reservoir
Wednesday 20 April - 3 White Wagtails on the south end, 1 Grey Wagtail collecting food in it's beak for it's young, 2 Goosander drakes, 1 male Kestrel, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull flew in from the south, min 30 Sand Martins and 1 House Martin at Ashworth Moor Reservoir
Thursday 21 April - min 6 Swallows - been low numbers regularly, 1 Greylag, min 15 Starlings collecting food in the fields around Holden Wood Reservoir, min 6 Swallows - been low numbers regularly, also 2 Orange tip males and 2 Green Veined white
Friday 22 April - 3 Sand Martins at Calf Hey Reservoir and 1 at Jamestone East, a couple of Swallows over, 2 Mistle Thrush at Calf Hey singing, min 2 fledged Robins in the gorse above Crow Trees Cottage. No Warblers other than Willow Warbler sadly.
Friday 22 April - min 20 Pied Wagtails at Ashworth Moor Reservoir
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 22nd of April 2022 08:06:49 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Saturday 23rd of April 2022 12:19:42 PM
Saturday 23 April - Lapwings in field with dip behaving as if they have young - 1 young observed Sunday, Monday and today Tuesday.
Sunday 24 April - Common Sandpiper seen at Holden Wood Reservoir by another observer
Monday 25 April - my first reeling Grasshopper Warbler of the year at Holden Wood Reservoir
Tuesday 25 April - a day of some more firsts. 5 Species of wader on Holden Wood Reservoir including my first Dunlin and Common Sandpiper of the year - only 1 of each sighted but there may have been more Dunlin. 6 species of wader in total including the fields. 1 pair of Teal still present. 2-3 Sand Martins and a handful of Swallows over Holden Wood too. A walk around Heap Clough and the Quarries resulted in my first 2 Wall brown of the year, also 9 Wheatear, 7 Sand Martins.
Thursday 28 April - 1 White Wagtail and 10 Pied Wagtails minimum at Mitchells House, 1 Blackcap in song, quite a few Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits feeding on the bank. 7 Redpoll min and 2 White Wagtails at Holden Wood Res. Blackcaps at Victoria Park and back of my house too.
Friday 29 April - 12 Wheatear around Heap Clough and the Quarries with 1 singing bird,
Saturday 30 April - 1 female Teal, 7 Lapwing chicks - broods of 3, 3, 1 in the fields of Holden Wood - the oldest over a week old - a good start for the year, 1 Chiffchaff in song
Trickles of Swallows and Martins all week - according to the Portland Birds Observatory Website spring is running 7-10 days late.
End of April - no House Martin seen in Rossendale, not seen the Whitethroat at Grane or the Cuckoo or Ring Ouzels yet.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Sunday 1st of May 2022 08:16:44 PM
