Not a lot more to add to that in a walk from Coal Pit Lane > Walker Fold > Burnt Edge > Mast Road > George's Lane > Three Lads > Holdens Farm > Coal Pit Lane Sunday 14th 9.15 to 12.30.
A good morning today up on the moors with the following highlights from first light to midday:
3 Pied Flycatchers (one Wilderswood clearing and two at the bottom on Burnt Edge) 5 Spotted Flycatcher (three at the bottom of Burnt Edge, two in Brownstones Quarry) 8 Tree Pipit (three singles south over Higher Meadows pre-9am, three very showy in the trees at the bottom of Burnt Edge and another two at Holdens Farm) 52 Willow Warbler, many clearly on the move early am 1 Garden Warbler at Walker Fold
A Whinchat which landed briefly on fence Higher Meadows before flying of high south towards Horwich. 3 Spotted Flycatcher in willows below Burnt Edge by Sugar Loaf Plantation. 26 Wheatear. 57 Willow Warbler scattered. 1 Siskin over wilderswood.
Layby off Matchmoor Lane - Burnt Edge - Holdens Farm - Gilligants Farm - Winter Hill - Mast Road - Holdens Plantation - back over Burnt Edge - and return
Stonechat x 5 (including 2 juveniles) Wheatear x 1 Meadow Pipit x 10 Kestrel x 4 Swallow x 7 House Martin x 5 Carrion Crow x 8 Magpie x 10 Woodpigeon x 1
Good numbers of Swift moving south then later SEW with a total of 1318, the majority from 06:45 to 08:30. Quite a bit of movement in first two hours of light in very low cloud with 5 Black-tailed Godwit N, 2 Oystercatcher and 7 Lapwing N, 1 Dunlin over calling, 3 juvenile Common Tern high N. Also 2 Wheatear along Mast Road.
Two Stonechats by the metal barrier on Mast Road and a further male and 6 juveniles on Burnt Edge 4 Wheatears in the Mast Road pony fields 134 Swift south between 11:05 and 11:30 1 Curlew south
Good numbers of Swifts with 473 moving south from Edge Lane and Burnt Edge between 10:45 and 12:15, with over half in last 30 minutes before heavy rain moved in. Small numbers of hirundines south included 40 House Martin and 130 Swallow. 2 Wheatear were in the Mast Road pony fields. 4 Crossbill flew directly south over Edge Lane. 8 Curlew flew NW together over the tops of Winter Hill.
30 juvenile Swallows landed on Mast Road around 10am today, 10 Swift went SE and 6 Wheatear included one which continued SE over the moor. Best of all a juvenile Black Redstart landed on the border wall along Georges Lane just after 10am, then flew up on to the border tower where it rested for 5 minutes before it worked its way to top before flying of towards the mast buildings.
The moors this morning included 3 Wheatear in the pony field along Mast Road, 12 Willow Warbler in the bracken along Burnt Edge with a male Stonechat here and along Georges Lane.
Layby off Matchmoor Lane - Burnt Edge - Holdens Farm - Gilligants Farm - Colliers Row - Walker Fold Wood - return via Burnt Edge
Linnet x 3 Yellowhammer x 1 Curlew x 2 Skylark x 3 Meadow Pipit x 7 Reed Bunting x 1 Willow Warbler x 5 Lapwing x 4 Mistle Thrush x 2 Pied Wagtail x 2 Swallow x 10 Swift x 2 Goldfinch x 10 Great Tit x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Chaffinch x 3 Carrion Crow x 10 Magpie x 5 Woodpigeon x 7 Pheasant x 3 (all male) Canada Geese x 2 Black-Headed Gull x 8
Grasshopper Warbler,Willow Warbler,Chiffchaff,Whitethroat,Reed Bunting,Kestrel,Raven,Buzzard and Blackcap all seen and heard on Bike ride around Horwich Moors today.
Saturday, 14th May 2016. 12:30 - 16:00 hrs. Sunny with little nip in air. Quiet birdwise with perfect walking conditions.
Matchmoor Lane layby - Burnt Edge - Holdens Farm - Gilligants Farm - Winter Hill - Mast Road - back via Holdens Plantation
Curlew x 6 Raven x 2 Skylark x 5 Meadow Pipit x 3 Reed Bunting x 2 Willow Warbler x 1 Whitethroat x 2 Swallow x 10 Swift x 2 (seen on drive up near Beaumont Lane) Great Tit x 1 Chaffinch x 3 Carrion Crow x 10 Magpie x 3 Woodpigeon x 7 Pheasant x 3 (all male) Black-Headed Gull x 8
Had a few hours this morning but it was really quiet. 06:00 - 09:00 Top end of Smithills near Adam Hill, Georges Lane and Matchmoor Lane. No Wheatears and hardly any sign of movement. A few Redpolls seemed to be the only things moving. 3 Willow Warblers were singing along Georges Lane, and a Pied Wagtail along Matchmoor Lane were sadly the most interesting things I saw in three hours of the quietest birding I've had up here.
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1200-1400
2 Coal tit
2 Great tit
1 Goldcrest
1 Curlew
20 Meadow Pipit
1 Carrion Crow
2 Song Thrush
2 Jackdaw
2 Robin
2 Blackbird
2 Willow Warbler
Still no sign of the elusive Ring Ouzel after many visits looking for it!
Cracking weather this am from 07.30 - 12.00 George's Lane up towards Two Lads then over into Holden's area, Walker Fold woods, and back up and over between the quarries.
Of note
Wheatear 13 in field north of Coal Pit Lane, 4 more at George's Lane 1 female Whinchat near the big group of Wheatear Willow Warbler - numerous in all areas except obviously the high moors Curlew - 2 feeding in horse paddock near Holden's, 2 others heard Mistle Thrush 2 in horse paddocks Coal Tit - 2 in Larches George's La, 2 Coal Pit Lane, more heard in Roscoe's Tenement Clough Lapwing 1 Common Buzzard 2 Peregrine 2 Raven 2 Kestrel 1
Fairly numerous Meadow Pipits on the higher areas Swallows - 1 over George's Lane, 2 on the roof of Holden's Barn and 2 more lower down.
Skylark 3 heard
-- Edited by Paul Richardson on Saturday 23rd of April 2016 05:44:55 PM
Four Ring Ouzels (two adult males) this morning at Georges Lane/Higher Meadows, two of which flew towards the Hawthorns at the bottom of the Pike in Lancashire.
Very little to add to the reports for today on the moors.
Male Stonechat along Burnt Edge, 2 Willow Warblers along Coal Pit Lane.
No Hirundines apart from the mentioned Swallows at Holdens and no Raptors apart from one Common Buzzard coming off the moors (us not the bird) along Coal Pit Lane and very low numbers of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks.
Walk Coal Pit Lane, Holdens, Burnt Edge, George's Lane, back via path up near Three Lads and Holden Plantation, 9.00 - 12.30
Nice to meet you too Steve, I'm just glad that the Ring Ouzel was still around when you got there. Whilst I was there it flew into the willows behind the barn with most of the Fieldfares.
Walk from road off Matchmoor Lane - along Burnt Edge - Holdens Farm - Gilligants Farm - Winter Hill mast and return via Mast Road and Burnt Edge.
Nice to meet you John (must have been you!) - and thanks for tip off about male Ring Ouzel.
Ring Ouzel (M) x 1 (in field to left of Holdens Farm) Fieldfare x 5 Raven x 1 Swallow x 1 Curlew x 3 Pied Wagtail x 1 Meadow Pipit x 15 Skylark x 4 Long Tailed Tit x 3 Red Grouse x 1 Blue Tit x 5 Great Tit x 3 Chaffinch x 3 Pheasant x 1 Carrion Crow x 8 Magpie x 4 Woodpigeon x 1 Lapwing x 1
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Saturday 9th of April 2016 04:52:26 PM
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.