Highlights of 8am until midday today; Andy Makin present 7-9am but low cloud didn't really clear until 8am:
A tight flock of 11 Twite flew low north across the moor at around 09:40.
2837 Meadow Pipit (including 472 which Andy Makin had from Georges Lane 8-9am, the rest were spread on a broad front from Two Lads Hill to Deans Ditch 8-11:30) heading low north across the moors; a fantastic sight.
11 Wheatear, included 3 Andy Makin had moving quickly through near Georges Lane pre-9am (one male of which landed on his scope!) and I had 8 in less than five minutes just after 9am which moved briskly through Two Lads Hill, consisting of four males and four females ('phonescoped male attached).
3 Greylag Geese headed over SE (Andy had one from Georges early on and I had two from Two Lads Hill mid morning).
Heard a red grouse , flushed a woodcock on top of winter hill , 2 heron hunting frogs in a small pool next to mast road , 4 crossbill flew from wilderswood area towards the pike .
Pleasant day around Holdens Farm, 2 pair of lapwings behind farm, single snipe on moor field behind farm and the nicest sight a pair of English partridges in front of the farm.
Amongst visible migration totals from Georges Lane this morning were 32 Chaffinch, 17 Siskin and 3 Crossbill NW over plus another 6 Crossbills (including 5 males) briefly down in trees just on the Lancashire side of the road.
Cooold up on t'moors this morning! Probably not surprisingly - fairly quiet.
3 Mistle thrush over Walker Fold Woods and 2 more singing high in the trees.
50 Redwing flew over from Walker Fold towards Holdens and were then seen perched along the overhead wires until a single Kestrel swooped across and sent them all up and off to the north.
Fair few Great Tit and Blue Tit around the trees, 2 Coal Tit right on the edge of the woods in the larches and pines but little else seen. Looked hard for Dipper from Barrow Bridge up along the brook, but saw none. Extremely muddy there!
-- Edited by Paul Richardson on Saturday 13th of February 2016 10:46:35 PM
I have been sent details of a survey on future usage of Smithills Estate conducted by the Woodland Trust who have recently taken over administration of part of Horwich Moors. Regular visitors may be interested in taking the survey:
Late news for yesterday when three Snow Buntings were flushed from the moor on the top of Winter Hill within Lancashire and flew towards the rocket shaped mast but could not be relocated.
13 skeins of Pink-footed Geese E/SE totalling 2478 birds 2 flocks of Whooper Swans E 636 Woodpigeon 64 Redwing S 106 Fieldfare S 77 Chaffinch S 1 Brambling N 1 Crossbill N 13 redpoll S
70 Pink-footed Goose SE at 08:07 Single Green Woodpecker high south, continued without stopping! 88 Woodpigeon 465 Fieldfare S in 7 flocks 56 redpoll S 4 Brambling 13 Crossbill S
Visited the moors on Saturday from 11.00 until 2.30. The conditions were dreadful! However, I still managed to see:
Stonechat (in 3 seperate areas- Burnt Edge, both on the right end and left end, and up on mast road.
Kestrel (Hovering over Burnt Edge)
Redwing (Start of Walker Fold Wood)
Mistle Thrush (Start of Walker Fold Wood)
But the highlight was a Raven on my way back down just off Mast Road. The cloud had completely descended on me by then so visibility was poor. A raven was on the path around 20m in front of me before I could even see him (or him me for that matter!)
I was hoping to see some Brambling in Holdens Plantation as I have seen them there for the last 2 years but no such luck!!
165 Pink-footed Geese NW in 3 skeins and 140 SE in 2 skeins 243 Woodpigeon SSW 416 Fieldfare S in 12 flocks 93 Chaffinch 33 Brambling 26 Greenfinch 1210 Starling W
Visible migration watch from Scout Road yesterday morning 7-9:30:
5 skeins of Pink-footed Geese totalling 724 birds 22 Whooper Swan E over Bolton heading towards Holcombe at 9am, one a immature 168 Woodpigeon SW 2 Stock Dove S 101 Fieldfare S 19 Redwing 19 59 Chaffinch S 75 Brambling 75 130 Goldfinch 130 S 16 Crossbill S
18 skeins of Pink-footed Geese totalling 2536 birds 1 Red Kite circling above Belmont yacht club at 08:30am; flew low west down the valley still in Lancashire 1325 Woodpigeon S/SW 136 Redwing S 4286 Fieldfare S shifting to SW and then W later on 1 Tree Sparrow S 168 chaffinch over 152 Brambling over 43 Greenfinch and 119 Goldfinch over 7 Crossbill Short-eared Owl still around Adams Hill
Upto 14:30 with Andy Makin (partly joined by Phil Rhodes and Dan Brown), fog to begin with then clearing to leave a very warm and sunny day.
On the move were;
1 Swallow through south 2,641 Fieldfare south and west 28 Brambling 1,372 Pink-footed Geese SE and 189 NW 9 Crossbill flew NW
Present was a single Short-eared Owl, in the Adam Hill / Two Lads area, 8 Crossbill Wilderswood, 1 Stonechat and 3 Goldcrest around the Mast Compounds.
Vis Mig Watch, Scout Road, 06:35 to 12:15, with Andy Makin, Phil Rhodes and Dan Brown.
Best day of the season for us, which was overwhelming for the first hour. Fieldfares moving south right from the onset, consisted of many small flocks up to 09:00 then going quiet, then a burst of several much larger flocks between 10:30 and midday. Very few pure Redwing flocks; most were mixed in with Fieldfares. Significant broad movement of all finches south, including a site record count of 154 Bramblings (previous highest count was 96 in December 2014), some were mixed in with thrush flocks and several pure large flocks. A number of unidentified finches were also possibly Bramblings and some strange calls from some finch types couldnt be ID'd either. A Ring-necked Parakeet came over high and flew east, could have been a wonderer from one of the local populations. Largest count of Woodpigeons so far this autumn and a site record count of 32 Stock Doves, beating the previous best of 25 on 27th September 2014. Good Meadow Pipit count for end of October. All south unless stated.
Had a walk along walker fold wood, burnt edge and then up to the mast and back again with the family today. We saw the following:
3-4 x kestrels,
2 x Ravens,
4 x Stonechat,
2 x Herons,
21 x Fieldfare(first of Autumn for me)
Several Goldcrest,
Large flock of Goldfinch.
Many Meadow Pipits.
Highlight was an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar near Holdens Farm.
Just to clarify Craig's post.
George's Lane 9:00 - 11:00. 1 Ring Ouzel over South and 3 others in the Big Hedge area. A probable 5th bird calling but not seen. 3 Crossbill over Northeast.
16:30 - 17:00 no sign of Ring Ouzel in Big Hedge but 2 Brambling present.
07:00 to 11:00 am. Started at Georges Lane which was deadly quiet, followed by quick trips to Burnt Edge/Newfields and then Brownstones Quarry before returning to Georges Lane where I met Dan Brown and another birder who's name I didn't get (sorry).
Highlights to 11:00 were: Fieldfare - 54 and Redwing 191 over, Red Grouse 1 along Georges Lane, At least 4 Ring Ouzel seen by Dan in Big Hedge, Chiffchaff - one calling at back of New Colliers Row. I believe Dan also had a party of Crossbills over.
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Wilderswood Car Park - Georges Lane (as far as kennels) - up by side of Mast Road - Winter Hill Summit - back via Gilligants Farm and Holden Plantation
Male Ring Ouzel x 1 (first one seen here after years of walking this area!!! Well chuffed. On path to right from top of Mast Road) Stonechat x 2 Redwing x 15 (Big Hedge - before Kennels) Red Grouse x 1 (on wall to left of Mast Road) Kestrel x 4 separate sightings Meadow Pipit x 5 Goldfinch x 20 House Sparrow x 3 Carrion Crow x 7 Robin x 1 Blackbird x 3 Woodpigeon x 20 Magpie x 3 Rook x 5
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Saturday 17th of October 2015 05:26:45 PM
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Saturday 17th of October 2015 05:29:43 PM
Visit today looking for Ouzels and Black Redstarts, but failed to see either.
Workmen were up on two of the masts which may not have helped.
A mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfares were in the big hedge however which was a compensation, as I have somehow managed to avoid Fieldfares for the past 4 seasons.
Short-eared Owl quartering Wildersmoor at first light 3 Ring Ouzel flew out over Wildersmoor heading east. Most likely the same birds were then seen along Mast Road close to the mast and dispersed onto the moor. 2 Twite alighted briefly along telephone wires south of the Kennels along Georges Lane and flew off NW Single Chiffchaff in The Dell at Higher Meadows 735 Redwing in flocks not exceeding 100 strong over heading SE 11 Red Grouse on the top of Winter Hill, very vocal and many showing really well 11 Raven in two flocks 2 Brambling NW over Higher Meadows Male Black Redstart showed well along the perimeter fence of the rocket shaped mast on Winter Hill, over the border in Lancashire
Merlin 1f - flying fast and close to the ground west to east on the GM side of the mast
Common Buzzard 1 over Walker Fold
Black Redstart 1 - in Lancashire - made a brief appearance (with bright green caterpillar in beak!) on the fence of the large compound on the right as you walk towards the trig point. Flew back down into the scrub, and then 3 technicians started working on the mast after which it didn't appear again.
Rewarding morning!
-- Edited by Paul Richardson on Tuesday 13th of October 2015 02:41:19 PM
1 Ring ouzel this morning, otherwise dreadfully quiet. I wonder what the right conditions are for visible migration up there, because it wasn't what today brought?
3 flocks of crossbill around wilderswood, 8, 10, 17 & a single one past the kennels heading towards rivington pike. no sign of the black redstart at the mast. several siskin around 1 redpoll 6 jay 2 great spotted woodpecker 2 treecreeper 5 stonechat at holdens farm 4 raven 1 sparrowhawk 4 kestrel 67 lapwing 1 grey heron 37 mistle thrush, one larger flock held 22.
Also yesterday, 8th October with Andy Makin, single Ring Ouzel Burnt Edge and 12 Crossbill flew out of Walker Fold Wood with a further group calling from the wood, also 9 Crossbill south from Gale Brook Plantation and 3 Crossbill over Deans Ditch. Also 1 Merlin, 17 Redwing, 2 Fieldfare and 480 Pink-footed Geese SE in 5 skiens.
Black Redstart on the main mast building (just over the border in Lancashire), dropped onto the road at one point but generally very elusive 11 Pink-footed Geese SW at 07:50am Pair of Stonechat at Higher Meadows 2 Wheatear on the top of Winter Hill 10 Redwing S over Bryan Hey Reservoir
This morning 07:00 to 11:00 with Andy Makin and Dan Brown, no Vis Mig due to the very hazy conditions, but the Mast Compounds held lots of new migrants, including up to 15 Goldcrests coming to within a few feet of us in the juncus, and up to 18 Chiffchaffs behind the main building. Also a single Redwing was in the main compound as was 3 Robins, 2 Stonechats, 1 Chaffinch and 1 Pied Wagtail. A female Merlin was also seen on a couple of occasions hunting around the main mast building. No sign of the Black Redstart.