Great start to the year with the first Slavonian Grebe I have seen in Rossendale. I wonder if this is where the Rossendale birding year will peak? It is now on Fishmoor Reservoir. Having added Black Necked Grebe and Red Necked Grebe locally.
Although the Red Necked Grebe was at Ashworth Moor Reservoir which isn't in Rossendale.
Snipe 1 at Holden Wood Reservoir on 19th January and 5 Teal at Mitchell's House Reservoir.
02/02/25 - 1 Golden Plover calling over Ogden heading North-ish, lots of Siskin at Clough Head feeders - Paul Jackman counted approximately 140 - quite an experience, approx 5-6 Kestrel around,
The highlight of the visit being 2 Oystercatchers at Ogden Reservoir. 1 seen but 2 heard. Spring is on the way. Savour the last of the winter before it disappears.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Monday 5th of February 2024 10:49:19 PM
Sunday 24 December - 1 Chiffchaff singing in trees near St Peters playing fields
Friday 29 December - 30-32 Oystercatcher in field at Ogden Reservoir, min 2 Little Ringed Plover - (4 wader day) at Jamestones and 0 Wheatear seen! Approx 40 Pied Wagtails at Ewood Bridge Sewage Works about 6pm
Sunday 31 December - approx 60 Fieldfare heading East and the 65 approx Pink Footed Geese Kevin saw heading west flew over, 1-2 Sand Martins over Jamestones, min 2 Linnet over Jamestones, Chiffchaff at Clough Head centre, 1-2 Wheatears too at jamestone East. Looke like an influx of Meadow Pipits too. Plenty of Siskins at Clough Head feeders but much reduced, Brambling still there. Mediterranean Gull photographed at Jamestone East.
April 1 - 2 willow Warblers at Holden Wood - 1 near car park in sub-song and other at far side in full son.
April 5 - 2 Willow Warblers at Calf Hey and another at Crow Trees cottage, 2-4 Sand Martins at Jamestone West, 1 Dunlin over Jamestone West calling,
April 10 - Holden Wood Reservoir - min 4 Willow Warblers, 8-12 Mallard, 1 Greylag, 1 Blackcap, 7 Oystercatchers heading over high North East, 1 Drake Teal, 2 Great Black Backed Gull immatures, min 3 Cormorants, Raven and Buzzard tussling and the former looking considerably larger
min 10 Willow Warblers
3 Swallows
approx 10 Sand Martins around Jamestone West
Sedge Warbler in sub-song near tram track above Holden Wood Reservoir
Greylag still at Holden Wood
a few Linnet around Jamestones
1 female Wheatear at Jamestone East
6-10 Kestrels
6-10 Mistle Thrush
14 April - Holden Wood Reservoir - 1 White Wagtail, 1 Mallard with 4 ducklings, min 8 Willow Warblers around the reservoir. Male Blackbird collecting worms at Paytons Farm, Holcombe Road
17 April - Mallard with now 1 duckling although I was told 1 week ago there were 6
19 April - walk around reservoir and quarries:- min 10 Wheatear - 3 at Calf Hey Reservoir and at least 5 behind Jamestone East, 1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling behind Jamestone East, min 2 Common Sandpiper at Calf Hey Reservoir, 1 White Wagtail at Jamestone East, min 10 Sand Martins at Jamesone West, only a handful of Swallows present. Mallard still with 1 duckling at Holden Wood Res. 4 adult / near adult Great Black Backed Gulls over Holden Wood Reservoir but weren't on any of the other reservoirs when I walked over that way.
14 April - 4 Ring Ouzel aboce Calf hey reservoir - 3 males and a female - seen by an observer who doesn't use the forum.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 19th of April 2024 11:16:38 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Saturday 20th of April 2024 10:52:07 AM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Saturday 20th of April 2024 11:14:20 PM
24 April - 3 Wheatear and Drake Teal on Holden Wood Reservoir and a Green Sandpiper on Ogden Reservoir
26 April - 1 Redshank on Ogden Reservoir, approx 30 Wheatear around Grane all but 3 around the Quarries, 2 Ringed Plovere flying North/North West from Jamestone East, min 10 Swallows over Holden Wood Reservoir and min 15 Sand Martins at Jamestone West,
1 Curlew Brookside Nurseries
28 April - Duck with 1 duckling still at Holden Wood Reservoir, lots of Hirundines at Holden Wood Res today - including my first 2 Rossendale House Martins of the year, min 20 Sand Martins and min 40 Swallows
First few House Martins over Haslingden today That I have seen and Starling feeding noisy chicks in guttering
Ewood Bridge Sewage Works late afternoon - on arrival - min 20 House Martins, 20 Swallows but Swallow numbers built up and I assume birds were feeding and moving on. At least 30 sand Martins arrived and they moved on. More Swallows and House Martins came - in total probably 30-40 House Martins and 100 Swallows approx
Common Sandpiper pairs at Holden Wood Res, Ogden Res and Calf Hey Res.
Grasshopper Warbler at Holden Wood Res, Calf Hey Res and Jamestone East this week but only Calf Hey bird has stayed on.
Whitethroat - first of year for me at Holden Wood Res on 30 April and maybe 2 at Calf Hey Res today. The Holden Wood bird seems to have moved on since.
4 Tufted Duck on 30 Apri - 3 drakes and a duck.
Drake Teal on and off at Holden Wood Res
2 female Mallards seen one with 8 ducklings and another with 6 on Wednesday 1st May
May 1 - Cuckoo heard at Calf Hey Reservoir and probably at Ogden Res that day - but no sign since then.
Tuesday 7 May - 5-6 Swifts over Haslingden, my first of the year. 1 Whimbrel and min 10 Orange Tip butterflies at Holden Wood Res. 2-3 Cuckoos at Calf Hey - 1 Hepatic female and possibly 2 males with different calls but they never called at the same time. 1 Green Sandpiper at Ogden Res. Min 4 Whitethroats at Grane - 2 each at Holden Wood Res and Calf Hey
Wednesday 8 May - 1 Redshank heard from Holden Wood Res at Ogden Res.
Friday 10 May - 1 Sedge Warbler at Holden Wood Res and a Whitethroat at Crow Trees Cottage - a new location for a singing bird. 1 Green Hairstreak butterfly above Ogden Res and 5 Great Black Backed Gulls on Calf hey res.
Sunday 12 May - min 30 Canada Goslings and 1 female Mallard with maybe 8 ducklings till.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Monday 13th of May 2024 10:09:42 PM
1 Sept 1 Snipe over road just before Brookside Nurseries
2nd Sept min 2 Redstart and 10 Willow Warblers at Holden Wood Res
3rd Sept 5 Teal at Holden Wood Res
Six September visit Grane Musbury Heights Quarries
Holden wood
Robin six
Dunnock 4
Reed Bunting 2
Crow 3
House Sparrow min 10
Magpie 1
Pied wagtails 18 min 14 moving south
Woodpigeon 21
Goldfinch 41
Greenfinch 1
Meadow Pipit min 50 heading south mainly
Cormorant 4
Jackdaw 2
Willow Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 1
Wren 4
Mallard 39
Grey Heron 1
Black Headed Gulls 5
Blackbird 1
Bullfinch 4
Song Thrush 2
Linnet 1
Swallow 19 in 3 parties moving south
Blue Tit min 2
Long Tailed Tit min 2
Great Tit min 1
Lapwing 1 w
Kestrel min 1
Jay 1
Merlin 1 probable
Ogden
Great Black Backed Gull 4 2 adults and 2 juveniles present over a week
Cormorant 5
Grey Heron 1
Lesser Black Backed Gull 2
Coal Tit 2
Meadow Pipit min 20
Lapwing approx. 70
Common Gull 1
Skylark 1 over
Sparrowhawk 2 males
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1
Musbury Heights
House Martin 5 over south
Swallow 6
Meadow Pipit min 40
Skylark 2
Wheatear 2
Stock Dove 1
Calf Hey Res
Robin 10
Wren 10
Meadow Pipit approx. 20
Nuthatch 4
Goldcrest 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Coal Tit 5
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 3
Chaffinch 4
Great Crested Grebe 1
Magpie 3
Pied Wagtail 3
Siskin 1
Song Thrush 1
Grey Wagtail 1
Stonechat 1
Heap Clough and the Quarries
Magpie 3
Sand Martin 6 1 and party of five 0 at the colonies
Robin approx. 10
Chaffinch min 10
Goldfinch min 20
Wren 4
Siskin min 10
Treecreeper 2
Jay 1
Blackbird 2
Song Thrush 1
Stock Dove 1
Linnet min 9
Pied Wagtail 2
Kestrel 3
Raven 3
Coal Tit 4
Swallow fifteen min
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 1
Bullfinch 2
Nuthatch 2
Meadow Pipits approx 50
7 September 1 Redstart and 2 immature Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler min at Holden Wood Res
8 September 4 Teal, 1 Whinchat juvenile and min 1 Spotted Flycatcher at Holden Wood res
9 September 70 Lapwing at Holden Wood Res
11 September 34 Pink Footed Geese West and 1 red Breasted Merganser non breeding adult drake type. Pink Footed geese travelling over Haslingden at 9.30pm heard
12 September Pink Footed Geese over Holden Wood heard but not seen
-- Edited by sarfraz on Thursday 12th of September 2024 10:53:29 PM
Holden Wood Res highlights include min 20 maybe up to 40 Long Tailed Tits at the far end of res coming out on to the wires with Chiffchaff and blue Tit, 1 Whinchat too, min approx 17 Swallows probably 3 family parties, min 7 Chiffhcaff, min six Sand Martin heading west
Quarries highlights include min 12 Swallows, 1 female Wheatear above Jamestone West.
Meadow Pipit numbers weren't particularly high and there seemed to be no sign of any moving birds
One bird missing from my Friday count last week was Mistle Thrush which have I have not sighted since July or even late june around Grane. Anyhow 2 were sighted near Holden Wood Car Park at on the 7th and 4 flew over today Saturday 14 Sept from probably Mary's Wood towards Musbury
-- Edited by sarfraz on Saturday 14th of September 2024 07:32:27 PM
I forgot to add that an Osprey was seen over Ogden some days before the August Bank Holiday over Ogden Res.
Today walk around Grane Reservoirs and the Quarries highlight being a Lesser Whitethroat in the little hedge that runs from the dam wall at Holden Wood Res to Holcombe Road. Also 2 Kingfishers at Calf Hey reservoir with 1 perching on rocks, poles and pipes near the shoreline these are the first post breeding Kingfishers I have had at the reservoirs this year. Usually they started visiting from July. about 4 Chiffchaff around and 0 Swallows and Martins seen today.
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 20th of September 2024 05:04:39 PM
Sunday 29 September 2 Swallows over Holden Wood Res
Monday 30 September 2 Sand Martins over Holden Wood Res
Friday 4 October 4 Red Wings over Holden Wood. min 1 Ring Ouzel, approx 36 Pink Footed Geese flying west about 10am, min 10 Redwing and 10 Song Thrush, 2 Swallows at Calf hey Reservoir, Little Grebe at Jamestone West. 20min linnets around reservoirs and quarries. 100 plus Meadow Pupits mainly at Calf Hey and Quarries Im guessing some movement as 2 large flocks flew off southwards.
min 4 Red Admiral, 2 Speckled Wood and 3 Common Darters
-- Edited by sarfraz on Friday 4th of October 2024 11:20:03 PM
-- Edited by sarfraz on Saturday 5th of October 2024 09:38:32 AM
23 October a Tree Sparrow seen and photographed at Clough Head Info Centre Feeding station
25 October a female Merlin over the Raptorwatch point across to Ogden Reservoir , 2 Brambling, 1 Chiffchaff min 20 Greenfinches, 1 Scandinavian type Blackbird and 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers at Clough Head, 18 Linnet at Jamestone Quarry area
The cold weather has pushes Thrushes to move on with only small handful of each species seen.
Robins are active and obvious but not in great numbers although 5-6 were at top end of Holden Wood alone.
A walk up to Musbury Heights to look for Snow Bunting resulted in min 6 Meadow Pipits, 2 Wren and some Goldfinch only. However a surprise was a Great Egreton Ogden Reservoir.
A 4 Duck day min 40 Mallard, 7 Teal, Goosander pair and my first Goldeneye of autumn with 1 pair on Ogden
On further inspection The Great Egret from last week was in fact a Little Egret which looked much bigger than the nearby Mallards.
Six Teal on Monday 25
Male Merlin today at Holden Wood Res just below the farm, 70 Plus Redwings must be one of the better counts I have had so far this autumn , 3 Goldeneye on Ogden Res
Min of 1 Snow Bunting over flying west at the start of where the stone path starts, Wet Moss. 2 wrens on tops too. Except Corvid and Gulls nothing else seen if heard on tops
