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Post Info TOPIC: HORWICH MOORS


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RE: HORWICH MOORS


Will be at Walker Fold Woods at some point tomorrow, depending on outcome of Little Auk episode.
BTW I have already tried Binn Green once, Gale Brook 3 times and Walker Fold 4 times in the last few weeks.


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I think you'll find that Richard Else found these birds (although Phil Rhodes had 2 early in October too and Andy Makin has been seeing them on and off for a while), see his thread further down, they just needed time and effort which you all seem to have put in to finally catch up with them, well done to all the X-Crossbill dippers.

P.s. come Alan, pull yer finger outwink.gif

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Reminds me of the Scillies Paul, a young whippersnapper locating everything for you? wink.gif

It seems they maybe visiting Wilderswood aswell, with the direction you had them flying off.


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having dipped crossbills about has many times as warfy has over the last few years and twice in the last 2 days i am determined to finaly nail these and get them on my gm list. please keep the reports coming in, im on nights this week but will somehow get up there again soon.

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Crossbill galore at 14.00 hours at least 12, flew all around walker fold wood then headed off back towards slack hall farm, nice to meet you mike harwood,
thank you warfy for finding them many thanks mr woosey for keeping an eye out this am,
mr warford Senior get your butt up there soon otherwise I will be level pegging with you,biggrin.gif

MANCHESTER CROSSBILLS OH YESbiggrin.gifbiggrin.gifbiggrin.gif

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dipped the crossbills that ian found , heard green woody call in sheep fields next to walker fold wood.

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I always said that "Dipper Woosey" tag was unjustified biggrin.gif

Well done and good numbers of Bramblings too.

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12/11/07 07.30 - 10.15

Walker Fold Wood ;

6 Crossbills - 3 m. & 3 f. Perched up. In the scope. In the sunshine. Rock On Tommy ! smile.gif
20+ Brambling - 4 near Newfields Fm. At least 18 on path @ Holdens Plants.
2 Stonechat (pr) @ Holdens Fm.
Raven over Holdens Plants.
flushed a Snipe near Dean Brook.
27+ Fieldfare nr Newfields Fm.

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Yes from the height they dropped in at i would put money on it they are commuting between Walker Fold Wood and areas like Delph and Belmont(in Lancs).

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Probably all and the same as the ones Richard had on the 6th too hmm.gif

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11/11/2007 11.30-3pm - Finally, after over 10 attempts jammed in on some Crossbills biggrin.gif

From the main track up to Burnt Edge at about 1.30pm near the top end of Walker Fold Wood, probably between 7 and 9 Crossbills dropped out of the sky from a northerly direction from a fair height (100 foot up) immediately i thought these looked interesting! They then flew close enough to hear them calling and see the bills, they then dropped into the wood itself. Despite looking in the wood and looking over the wood from the hillside i never saw them again up to when i left at 3pm. I suspect these could well be the ones seen near Belmont a few days ago as they came from that direction.

Simon (No longer a Crossbill dipperbiggrin.gif)

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Simon Warford has just text me (1:38pm) to let me know he's just had 9 Crossbill at Walker Fold today, finally the boy's nailed them smile.gif


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Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum.

This afternoon:
12+ Common Crossbills in Walker Fold Wood.
6 Bramblings near Holden's Farm.
2 Ravens over Burnt Edge.
2 Stoats in Walker Fold Wood.
5 Red Grouse near Mast Road.
Also 2 Stonechat, G S Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, several Siskins etc

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4/11/07 mid afternoon

Walker Fold Wood ;

Buzzard.
4+ Siskin.
2+ Coal Tit.
Goldcrest.
G.S.Woodpecker.
c18 Fieldfare.
Sparrowhawk.

And before you ask - NO, there weren`t any ! bleh.gif

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29/10/07 mid morning

male Brambling with Chaffinches - Walker Fold Wood.

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Having decided to venture out into the countyidea.gif I went up to Horwich moors today with Pete Stevens, another Rochdale birder. Very grateful to Ian, who despite the trauma of the rugby still managed to send me details of where to park late last night. Pity i didn't bump into the moorman- as we were there 10-1.00. Parked at Walker Fold wood and walked over to Wilderswood and back along various paths. Didn't make it to Holden Farm -must have took a wrong turn and didn't know where gale brook plantation was unless it was where i had a break to read the newspaper. Didn't see the ring ouzels or any crossbills but had a great day.Usual moorland and woodland stuff
6 stonchat
6 reed bunting
1 red grouse
18 mipits
2 fielfdare
2 great spotted woodpeckers
2 goldcrests among mixed tit flock
25 goldfinch
kestrel
Great birding area and will be back especially with all those cones- crossbill must be around sometime.
Also had a quick look at Doffcocker lodge and Rumworth lodge( No idea where to park or the best places to go -Help gratefully received) and rounded off calling in at pennington flash where a water rail was showing well from the new hide. Great round trip!
Cheers
Steve

-- Edited by Steve Collins at 19:42, 2007-10-21

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I had a stomp around Walker Fold and Gale Brook Plantation this afternoon only managed 30 Pheasants, 20 Siskin, 5 Redpoll, 2 Treecreepers and a few Goldcrests with a LT Tit flock, 2 Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk and a tramp reading a newspaper deep within Gale Brook Plantation.

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21/10/07 07.45 - 10.30

Burnt Edge & Walker Fold Wood ;

2 Ring Ouzel - flew up the valley towards Smithills Moor.
4 Red Grouse perched on walls - Adam Hill.
f. Stonechat, 3 Reed Buntings, Redwing, and 16 Fieldfare at Holden`s Farm.
2 Kestrels, 2 GSWoodpeckers, and 120+ Wood Pigeons heading NE

I heard a Snipe calling overhead, but at this particular juncture in time a rather peculiar fog descended..........like a ghostly shroud..............The very air chilled, like death itself.............Through the gloom, the church bells in Horwich were pealing their melancholy music, therin sounding a doom-laden curtailment to my solitary wanderings on these desolate, barren, God-forsaken moors.........................................

(With apologies to Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Emily Bronte.)



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sunday 21st october

2 ring ouzel on burnt edge moor early am

Info per ian (moorman) woosey

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Spent an hour 12pm-1pm scoping over Walker Fold Woods for Crossbill but on luck.

70+ Fieldfare
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Gt Sp Woodpecker
Several Pheasant
12 Jackdaws over South
15+ Coal Tit

Alan





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17/10/07 mid morning

Heard at least 2 Crossbills calling in Walker Fold Wood, but couldn`t see them - VERY frustrating !
Also, 2 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, and a Sparrowhawk over.

2 Stonechats on Wilder`s Moor.

25+ Fieldfare near Holden`s Farm.

Several Coal Tits in Wilderswood.

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Sunday 11am-1pm Burnt Edge/Holdens Farm

Male Red Grouse
30+ Redwing over heading west in small flocks
Great Spotted Woodpecker
30+ Meadow Pipits in flock
3 Pheasant



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Thursday 11th October, 10:45am

Very poor visbility, especially right on the top and down in Burnt Edge, half the time I didn't have a clue where I was, luckily I had more than a few hours to spare, blindly wandering around spooking sheep biggrin.gif

Fieldfare- 60, in fields just to the north of Wilderswood
Siskin- 25 heading SE over Wilderswood
Red Grouse- 7+, including my best views ever, which went like this....

...whilst walking back up towards the car parking place on Mast Road having come up from Burnt Edge moor I'd heard a couple of Red Grouse calling at quite a distance and having nothing better to do decided to get out my mobile phone which has every song and call of every Western Palearctic (and many beyond) bird species loaded onto it's memory card and playback the call of Red Grouse. Using the phone's built in speakers I played back their brilliant call and within 5 seconds one was flying straight at me! It landed 50 feet away on top of a tussock, it's brilliant red eyebrows glowing like beacons in the low cloud we were both stuck in and continued to call back to my phone. After 20 seconds there were 5 calling around me, although they were more distant as I was obviously in this birds territory as it flew right at me, veering away but coming past still within 20 feet, landing behind me. Now crouching on the path (and grateful for the poor visibilty, what a sight it must have been!) I played the call one more time and the grouse flew straight onto the path 30 feet in front of me, allowing me marvellous views of it complete with it's little white 'booties' for at least 30 seconds before whizzing straight past me once again. I then left the birds alone as the cloud started to clear slightly but as I approached Mast Road there were another 2 grouse perched on the stone walls there calling away too biggrin.gif

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10/10/07 mid afternoon

f/imm Ring Ouzel in a hawthorn tree, between Wilderswood and Pike Cottage.
2 Ravens wandering about Mast Rd/Wilders Moor, one flushing 2 Red Grouse from near the cattle grid.
pair Stonechat.
35+ Fieldfare.
G.S.Woodpecker in Wilderswood.

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Tuesday 9th October, all afternoon until c6pm

Hen Harrier- 1 ringtail over Smithills Moor moving at a fair rate on knots with the wind behind it!
Crossbill- 5, dropped into Wilderswood at c5:30pm, possibly to roost?
Raven- 1

Other than a couple of Song Thrush, 3 Red Grouse, 1 Stonechat and 4 Meadow Pipits, pretty quiet!

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 19:16, 2007-10-09

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8/10/07 mid morning

5 Stonechats round Holden`s Farm.
f. Wheatear - Burnt Edge.
G.S.Woodpecker - Walker Fold Wood.

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5/10/07 mid afternoon

Burnt Edge ;

4 Ring Ouzels ( 1 male & 3 female/imms )
9+ Stonechat
f Wheatear
2 Goldcrests
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk

Heard one of the Ravens, and also heard a Tawny Owl cry/call/shriek once, from trees near Newfields Farm, though couldn`t locate it.

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Tuesday 2nd October 11am

All sightings at Holdens Clough

Crossbill- 2
Golden Plover- 2
Redwing- 80
Curlew- 20 (west)
Meadow Pipit- 113
Siskin- 8
Nuthatch- 1
Chiffchaff- 1

All info thanks to Phil Rhodes

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 18:57, 2007-10-02

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6+ wheatears
50+ meadow pipits
swallows moving through
2 ravens flew down valley from winter hill
2 Grouse,
excellent morning out many thanks for the local info geoff, did try to ring you this morning but seems you were out
got rained off but was told the harrier is still around.


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Ian, you will soon be in the "GM 200" club biggrin.gif

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14/9/07 early afternoon

male HEN HARRIER - over Burnt Edge @ 14.35 heading N.E.
pair of Wheatear - Adam Hill
Snipe - N.W. over Smithills Moor
singing Chiffchaff nr. Dean Brook.

(County birding is tops ! ! smile.gif)

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indeed i did find a ring ousel at burnt edge this morning,it was in the valley a little to the left of the field they were in during spring passage,had exellent views of this male untill it was disturbed by fell runners and flew behind the farm,watched for another hour but couldn,t relocate.also 2 grouse flushed, lots of meadow pipit,large flock of goldfinch near quarry
cheers geoffbiggrin.gifbiggrin.gifbiggrin.gif

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mm



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Also I learned something new today ; a horse farting sounds very much like a Raven calling in the distance !




Would a Shetland Pony farting sound like a distant Jackdaw?

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Geoff Hargreaves has just informed me that he's had a Ring Ouzel at Burnt Edge Moor, 9am this morning.

Thanks for the quick call Geoffwink.gif

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Wilderswood
07.55 - 08.55
flock of about 40 birds
consisting mainly of Coal Tits and Goldcrest but also at least 1
Willow Warbler
2 Snipe flying above


09.05 - 12.55 including a 3 hour walk with Andy Makin

Red Grouse 3 plus 1 calling. Obligingly sat on the walls

Smithills moor - low clouds
Male Hen Harrier a short distance the other side of Walkers
Plantation flying east

Walkers Fold
Spotted Flycatcher

Brownstone Quarry
2 Spotted Flycatcher

Coal Pit Road
Sparrowhawk
5 Stonechat
Whinchat

Roscoe Tenement
Green Woodpecker

Mast Road
2 Stonechat

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Ian I must have just missed you. I was there in the morning until c.12.30. Saw the female Whinchat, plus 4 Wheatear, but they were difficult to pick out amongst the 300+ Meadow pipits on the moor. No raptors seen however.

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Great minds think alike, however not certain mine is so great, I also went on the moors today, but the oldham moors

castle shore hill, then onto Denshaw Moor I also saw a female whinchat ..however that was it oh no I tell a lie 2 crows as well... intense birding on the moors,

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3/9/07 mid afternoon

adult fem. Whinchat perched on fence with a juv. male Stonechat close by - Holden`s Farm.
Buzzard flushed from Holden`s Plantation by Crows.
4 Stonechat in low flight near Holden`s Plants.
fem Sparrowhawk tussling with a fem Kestrel along Burnt Edge Lane.
a few Swallows lingering by the farm buildings.

Also I learned something new today ; a horse farting sounds very much like a Raven calling in the distance !

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24/8/07 mid afternoon

juv. Whinchat near Holden`s Plantation.
Buzzard heading north over Wilderswood.
3 Ravens over Two Lads hill.
juv. Stonechat near Montcliffe quarry.
3 Wheatear (2 m.) around Smithills Moor.

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13/8/07 mid afternoon

3 Stonechats - an adult male on Smithills Moor, and 2 juv males near Holdens Farm.
pair of Wheatear - Burnt Edge.
Green Woodpecker flew up from the edge of the stream that runs into Walker Fold Wood.
2 Kestrels
Sparrowhawk being mobbed by Swallows ! ?
juvenile Linnets, Greenfinches, Meadow Pips, and Swallows round Holdens Farm.

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19/7/07 mid afternoon

Two of the Ravens flew in from the north-west over Wilder`s Moor towards the quarry. About an hour later they were off again, heading east, high up, calling. Where had they been....where were they going ? confused.gif
Kestrel hunting over Smithills Moor and another one over Burnt Edge.
3 Stonechat - 2 males along Mast Road and a juv. up towards Adam Hill.


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16/7/07 mid afternoon

3 Ravens & at least 4 Kestrels roaming about all over Burnt Edge, with presumably young involved.
flock of 18 Goldfinch.
4 Linnet.
Swallows going in and out of Holden`s Farm barn.

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Thats commitmentbiggrin.gif

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Simon, after being cooped up for so long through the weather, and today being my first full day off in seven I thought `Sod It` - I`m going out today even if Noah sails past in his Ark ! And yes, I did get a soaking bleh.gifbiggrin.gif

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You must have good waterproofs Ian biggrin.gif

I just got drenched in Manchester at lunchhmm.gif

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4/7/07 early afternoon

2 Raven - on walls behind Slack Hall Farm, Burnt Edge (presumably part of the Quarry family)
ad. m. Stonechat - Smithills Moor.
juv. Stonechat - Burnt Edge.
12 Linnet (inc. juvs.) - on wires, Burnt Edge.
Curlews calling.
Kestrel.
lone Lesser Black-backed Gull roaming over Smithills Moor.

-- Edited by Ian Woosey at 15:25, 2007-07-04

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6/6/07 mid morning - mid afternoon

pair of Whinchat - location witheld (this is the first time I`ve seen Whinchat up here in the breeding season, others always being in the autumn)
m & f Stonechat along Mast Rd but long way apart
m Wheatear - Adam Hill
3 Curlew - Smithills Moor
Sparrowhawk chasing a family of Mistle Thrushes, but was itself chased off by a Crow
3 Kestrel - 2 over Horwich Moor
handful of Linnets by Holden`s Farm
f G.S.Woodpecker - Holden`s Plantation. Also here a pair of Reed Bunting
2 Stock Dove on wires along Matchmoor Lane

Considering it`s coming into the `quiet` period, not a bad few hours worth - more than I normally see up here smile.gif

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18/4/07

First of all the Ring Ouzel situation ;

Only counted 4 (and couldn`t sex them - looking into sun and only had bins..... bad skills  bleh )
They were perched in treetops at Newfields Fm. but flew off at 06.40 towards the direction of Smithills Dean / Horrocks Moor. Perhaps this is where they go when they aren`t seen at Burnt Edge ? ?

Also about ;

12 Wheatear (8 males) together on the walls below Adam Hill Plantation
m. Stonechat
Raven
5 Curlew
2 Grey Partridge
Sparrowhawk
several Willow Warbler

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10/4/07

Smithills Moor / Mast Rd. ;

2 Wheatear (pr.)
2 Raven
3 Stonechat (2 m.)
2 Red Grouse
Curlew
3 Lesser Redpoll - Wilderswood

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16/3/07

3 Curlew - Burnt Edge
Raven - Wildersmoor
2 m. Stonechat - Smithills Moor
Kestrel
several Coal Tit - Wilderswood

a Grey Heron over the top of Two Lads Hill had me quivering momentarily !  bleh.gif

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 14:44, 2007-07-17

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