Strinesdale, Oldham.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

RE: Strinesdale, Oldham.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

25/06/17 12.20 - 14.20

Golden Steps
Grey Wagtail 1 juvenile no sign of any adults anywhere around the site.
Dunnock 1 at least flitting across the channel trying to confuse the issue biggrin

Bottom Res:
Mallard 13 adults (11 moulting males) one of the two females had 6 large ducklings with her)
Moorhen 1
Canada Goose 2 - non-breeding pair.

Top Res:
Mallard 4 females, 1 with a very small duckling, and one older, independent duckling doing circuits of the reservoir.
Tufted Duck 2 - M & F
Coot 1 at least, possibly 2 as second sighting was of an adult feeding fairly new chick at the opposite end of the reservoir to the 1st bird
Moorhen 1 at least, skulking under overhanging branches
Little Grebe 1 adult.

Also:
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Jay 1 heard scolding in thick vegetation
Blue Tit contact calls
Robin contact calls and several in sub-song
Wood Pigeon
Blackcap mimicking Song Thrush and Quail(!) among others
Willow Warbler several singing and a bird with food in it's beak contact calling -with response
Chiffchaff at least 1 singing
Long-tailed Tit 1 seen with several more contact-calling nearby
Blackbird 3(minimum) in song
Mistle Thrush 4 over
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 calling near original nest site
Chaffinch 1 singing
Swallow family party of at least 5 hawking low over the path and fields. Nice to stand and watch them whizz past at low levels, with the young birds sitting up on the fence from time to time, calling to be fed.
Goldfinch 2 having an aerial chase and 2 juveniles sitting on the same fence as the Swallows also calling to be fed.
Wren
Swifts 2 low over the fields to the east of the top reservoir.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13.35 - 15.00 Very quiet, even the dog walkers were reduced in numbers biggrin

Golden Steps
Grey Wagtail 2 1 juvenile for certain, the other bird was obscured and flew out of sight before I could get a good look.

Top Res:
Mallard 39
Canada Goose 5 - all the birds seemed to be of similar size and age of plumage, so as I haven't seen any goslings all summer I assume the 3 new birds are 'incomers'

Top Res:
Tufted Duck 3 - 2 males
Mallard 6
Little Grebe 3 - 2 adults and a 'post-humbug' chick. Thought they might have failed completely this year. smile smile smile

The rest were mostly LBJ's creeping quietly through the willow understorey. One bird which did cause me some puzzlement turned out to be a young Robin in the process of attaining adult plumage, mainly because of it's call. It was giving the chick's begging call but with an adult note and tone of voice -like the first note of an adult's song. Luckily there was enough of a rosy tinge to the breast to tell what it was when it finally showed itself.
Robin 3 (minimum) including 2 sub-adults as above
Jackdaw 12, mostly in the top pastures
Magpie 4
Willow Warbler contact calls from several birds around the site but none seen
Wren 3 (minimum) including 1 going ballistic at something in the grass, which it followed into a wooded area
Long-tailed Tit 4 (minimum) near the viewpoint with others heard around the site
Wood Pigeon 1
Blackcap 1 female/juvenile
Coal Tit 1
Great Tit 1 heard only
Blue Tit several heard around the site
Black-headed Gull 1 over.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13.00 - 15.00

Lower Res:
Canada Goose 5
Mallard 25
Moorhen 1

Upper Res:
Mallard 13 min - the restricted view from the viewpoint meant it is no longer possible to check general movement on the reservoir when viewing the S.E. corner, so birds appearing there may have alreay been counted.
Tufted Duck 2
Little Grebe 2 adults and 2 chicks
Black-headed Gull 2
Coot 1 heard only - the presence of some small children playing around the dam outlet seemed to have kept some birds under cover of overhanging vegetation.

A bonus bird was the 1CY Grey Heron lurking in the small mud-clogged pool beside the main E-W bridal path. Not sure who was the more surprised - it or me biggrin

Single Swallows were passing South throughout my visit, with a party of 5 drinking from the Top Res.

Also:
Jackdaw
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Robin - mostly now 'ticking' in the undergrowth but one still in full song and one thinking it was a Great Tit!
Coal Tit - at least one heard in a flock on Holgate Street
Blue Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff 1 juvenile seen and at least 3 contact calling
Willow Warbler 1 contact-calling
Magpie 2
Wren 2
Chaffinch 1
Great Tit 1 seen
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 male
Meadow Pipit 6 in the fields below Roebuck Low were a sign of vis. mig.
Sparrowhawk 1 female seen twice as she hunted the circuiting flock of tits and other small passerines, confirming again that Long-tailed Tits have a specific alarm call for avian predators in general if not specifically for Sparrowhawks.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13.25 -14.25 somewhat curtailed by problems with buses - spent longer waiting than walking today cry

Bottom Res:
Mallard 20

Top Res:
Coot 1
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 2 - adult and independent youngster

Grey Heron 1 heard flying over but I was under the trees and had no clear view to see if it was last month's sub-adult.

Also
Magpie - heard
Long-tailed Tit 3 heard
Jay 1
Blue Tit 3 heard
Wood Pigeon 6 sightings in total but all singletons
Blackbird 1 heard
Wren 1
Jackdaw 2 with more just off site on Huddersfield Road
Swallow 20 minimum as birds fed along a line of trees in the dip on the south side of the eastern horse pastures.
Goldfinch 200 minimum in at least three flocks feeding in the dead sorrel, ragwort and thistles high up on the western horse pastures.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11-35 - 13.00.

Off to an interesting start with a Carrion Crow having a go at a Black-headed Gull over the roof of the school - which then reversed as the birds headed off down Lees Brook. After that, rather quiet for a relatively undisturbed autumnal day here.

Bottom Reservoir:
Mallard 24
White Duck 3
Moorhen 1

Top Reservoir:
Coot 2
Little Grebe 2 both in non-breeding plumage
Moorhen 2

Also
Pied Wagtail
Feral Pigeon
Goldfinch a few at Waterworks Road with much reduced numbers (<50) on the horse pastures at the top end of the valley
Magpie
Jackdaw
Robin several in sub-song, at least one of which seems to have picked up some Cetti's Warbler notes - and volume!
Jay
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Bullfinch
Wren

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.25-12.55

Bottom res:
Mallard 18
Canada Goose 7
Black-headed Gull 15 (part of a small flock - the first here for ages - disturbed by an uncontrolled dog running along the bank)
Domestic White Duck 3

Top Res;
Mallard 14
Goosander 10 (5 adult males 5 redheads)
Tufted Duck 1 male
Black-headed Gull 11 (the other half of the flock)
Little Grebe 1

Jackdaw c200 in one of the pastures at the top of the reservoirs with
Carrion Crow c20
Rook 6 (a site first for me)
Magpie 2 (other birds around the site)
Starling C30

Also
Blackbird 4 min
Robin 8 min
Long-tailed Tit party of 8 by Lower Res, another group heard on the opposite side of the Top Res.
Chaffinch 2
Wren several, including a group of at least 4 working the upper stream into the Top Res.
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 heard
Bullfinch 1 male at least, which may have ranged most of one side of the valley
Pheasant 1 wandering through the feeding corvids
Goldcrest 2 Male and Female
Grey Wagtail 1 female/immature on the upper run of theGolden Steps

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.35 -13.55 Mild enough for a couple to be picnicking by the top res dam but very quiet away from the two reservoirs

Bottom Res:
Mallard 21
Canada Goose 5
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 37
Domestic White Duck 3

Top Res:
Mallard 16
Goosander 15 (now 7 adult males)
Black-headed Gull 4 (briefly)
Grey Heron 1 sub adult.
No sight or sound of any Little Grebes, but I noticed they kept out of sight a lot last year as the Goosander numbers built up, and with a Grey Heron about as well.....

After last month's big gathering of corvids there was just 1 Carrion Crow around, plus the usual flock of Magpies. Even the local Jackdaws had disappeared until just as I was leaving when 4 well spaced pairs followed each other south-east over Huddersfield Road from the direction of the church.

Also:
Mistle Thrush 1 S
Blackbird 2 M
Robin 3
Blue Tit 2 seen more heard
Great Tit 1 seen more heard
Wood Pigeon 4 over
Wren 4

"That's All Folks!" hmm

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

Early Webs - not just the time! 11.05 - 12.20. Slushy underfoot but quite pleasant otherwise - even the hail was only a very minor distraction.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 33
Goosander 1 redhead -I wonder if they're paired already as there was a spare redhead last month and all the others have gone.
Domestic Duck 3 White
Moorhen 2 minimum
Black-headed Gull 44
Common Gull 5 (4 adult - mainly summer plumage, 1 2nd winter)
Herring Gull 2 (1 1st winter, 1 2nd winter) - an uncommon visitor here now the local tip has closed. In fact the most gulls and widest range of species since around 2012.

Top Res:
Mallard 11
Moorhen 2 (apparently already paired up)
Grey Heron 1 (sub-adult)
Little Grebe 1 (winter plumage - not sure if it's an early returnee or just kept out of the way while the flotilla of Goosanders were here.

The rest:multiples except where indicated.
Pied Wagtail 1 Holgate Street
Magpie
Goldfinch - several locations around the site
Robin- including 1 singing.
Wood Pigeon
Jackdaw
Great Tit
Bullfinch (heard only)
Blue Tit
Blackbird
Pheasant 1

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30-13.45 Nice 'Spring' day smile

Bottom res:
Mallard 14
Canada Goose 7 (5 together and an isolated pair)
White Farmyard Duck 3
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 32
Common Gull 1

Top Reservoir:
Goosander 8 (4 each M & F)
Mallard 4 (looked like 2 pair under the overhanging branches on the south shore)
Tufted Duck 2 (pair)
Black-headed Gull 2
Little Grebe 1

also:
Bullfinch
Feral Pigeon
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Carrion Crow
Robin -several singing
Dunnock
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Goldcrest 1
Woodpigeon
Jackdaw
Starling.

The Robins were the only species in full song but there was plenty of noise from the other passerines and this evening around dusk I heard a couple of Blackbirds almost in full song.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

14.00 - 15.30

Bottom Res:
Canada Goose 5
Mallard 11
Coot 1
Moorhen 3
Black-headed Gull 2
Common Gull 1

Top Res:
Canada Goose 4 (2 pairs)
Goosander 4 (1 M)
Mallard 7 (1 F)
Coot 2
Moorhen1

Also:
Jackdaw
Robin
Lesser Black-back Gull (2 over Culvert Street)
Robin -several singing
Magpie
Long-tailed Tit
Bullfinch 4
Pied Wagtail
Chaffinch
Blackbird
Carrion Crow
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Good to see plenty of cut timber piled in the mature woodland, with a lot of the Rhododendron cleared. Lets hope some understorey can get established before the Himalayan Balsam runs riot.

James Walsh · Status: Offline

Drake Goosander & drake Tufted Duck Strinesdale Upper Reservoir

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

10.00 - 11.00 The offer of a lift from a friend meant a slightly quicker pace to today's visit but the much quieter time compensated.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 8 all males
White Domestic Duck 3 (2M 1F)
Canada Goose 4 the Water Bailiff confirmed that a pair successfully reared 3 young last year and the family group has remained at the res all winter.

Top Res:
Mallard 4 all males
Canada Goose 2 (pair)
Little Grebe 2
Coot 2
Moorhen 1

Also a pair of Mallard on the outfall from the top res.

Around the site:
Chiffchaff 2 singing
Willow Warbler 2 singing
Robin S
Chaffinch S
Bullfinch 1 over calling
Nuthatch S
Long-tailed Tit
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush 1 S
Wood Pigeon
Magpie 4 minimum
Carrion Crow
Jay 4 having a squabble in the scrub along the east side of the lower reservoir.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

18.05.2018 11.50-13.30

Golden Steps:
Mallard 3 2M 1F
Grey Wagtail 1F

Bottom Res:
Mallard 14 - 2F
Canada Goose 2
Moorhen 1
Domestic White Duck 3

Top Res:
Mallard 1M
Canada Goose 1M
Coot 1
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 2 - patrolling the opposite sides of the reservoir.

Robin several singing
Blackbird 1 singing - several more seen
Wren 1 singing
Willow Warbler 4 minimum - 4 birds heard singing at once
Blackcap 2 minimum
Coal Tit 1
Jackdaw
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff 1 singing
Garden Warbler 1 singing and loudly alarm calling, probably at a passing Grey Squirrel
Bullfinch 1 pair
Treecreeper 1 pair feeding in parallel on adjacent branches
Mistle Thrush 4 - at least 2 juveniles
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon
Starling 1
Nuthatch 1 heard
Jay 1 heard
Long-tailed Tits heard

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30 - 15.00

Bottom Res:
Mallard 16 adult inc 1 F with 7 large ducklings (fledged)
Canada Goose 4 - 2 pairs, one pair with 3 fluffball goslings being vigorously defended from -
White Domestic Duck 3

Top Res:
Mallard 5 adults - what looked like an eclipse pair, a pair with 9 small ducklings (downy) and a single female with 7 downy ducklings
Tufted Duck 2 - a pair
Coot 2 failed pair?
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 1

Also
Blackbird -at least 1 singing
Song Thrush 1 singing
Blue Tit quite a few adults and young
Great tits ditto
Wren several, mostly young birds contact calling throughout the site
Wood Pigeon
Chiffchaff 1 singing (minimum)
Willow Warbler 1 singing (minimum) and contact calls heard
Blackcap 1 singing (minimum) possibly up to 3 males
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Jay 1
Chaffinch 3 1 singing male, plus female feeding a fledged youngster
Bullfinch 2 (minimum)
Long-tailed Tits - a few contact calls heard
Greenfinch 1 heard only
Jackdaw minimum 10 probably many more as I counted the 10 together sharing a take-away outside the bakery on Huddersfield Road itself

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

14/07/2018. 11.3 0 - 13-15

Bottom Res:
Mallard 37 inc 3 quite young ducklings
Canada Goose 7 inc 3 medium-sized goslings
Moorhen 2 juveniles constantly contact-calling
White Domestic Duck 3

Top Res:
Little Grebe 5 including 3 quite small chicks
Moorhen 2 adults
Coot 1 large, independent juvenile - no sign of any adults
Tufted Duck 1 male almost into eclipse
Grey Heron 1 flew over and dropped toward the back pools at 12.57 as I was heading off site.

Also:
Jackdaw - 50+ gathering in the top pastures, plus a dozen on the school on Culvert St.
Woodpigeon a few, as usual
Mistle Thrush heard
Robin several heard
Pied Wagtail 1
Magpie
Willow Warblers at least 2 contact calling
Blackbird
Goldfinch
Wren
Jay 1
Chiffchaff 1 singing
Swallow 1 or 2 low over the trees, with one bird alarm calling, but I couldn't see any raptors
Nuthatch 1 heard
Blackcap 1 female or more likely juvenile in a mixed flock up in the canopy with
Coal Tit min 2
Blue Tit min 2
Long-tailed Tit min 4

James Walsh · Status: Offline

Upper Lake

2 adult and 3 juvenile Little Grebes
1 eclipse drake Tufted Duck

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.30 - 13.15

Bottom Res:
Mallard 27
Canada Goose 6 - family group of 4 and another pair
White Domestic Duck 3
Moorhen 1 immature

Top Res:
Mallard 3
Tufted Duck 1 eclipse male
Coot 1 Juvenile
Little Grebe 5 1 adult with 4 juveniles - one of which was venturing well away from the group and attempting to dive for its' own food before coming back to be fed by the adult.
Black-headed Gull 5 4 adults dropped in to bathe and a juvenile->1st winter was trying unsuccessfully to rob the Grebes.
Kingfisher 1

Fairly quiet (after the cannonade of fireworks!!!) with the main interest being a large flock of mainly juvenile passerines. Lots of Willow Warblers and Long-tailed Tits with minima of:
Great Tit 2
Blue Tit 4
Robin 2
Wren 1
Goldcrest 2
Coal Tit 1

At least a dozen each of Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon and Feral Pigeon spooked by the fireworks around 11.35 around Culvert Street and the same or a similar sized flock flushed from the western horse paddocks by a female Sparrowhawk

plus
Magpies
Blackbird 1 female
Swallows 1 seen and several heard above the canopy
Robin 1 adult in sub-song in the conifers.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.30 -12.30 Soggy

Bottom res:
Moorhen 3 -1 juv
Mallard 11
Domestic White Duck 3

Top res:
Coot 1
Tufted Duck 3 -1 eclipse male
Little Grebe 4 1 stripe-headed juvenile was sufficiently independent to be catching its' own fish and may have been the bird being chased off by a summer plumage adult, but there was a second well developed juvenile shadowing the adult as it headed north across the reservoir. At the north end a fourth grebe looked like it was a winter plumage bird but before I could age it it disappeared into the rushes to avoid the attentions of
Black-headed Gulls 2 1 Adult and 1 first winter bird, trying unsuccessfully to rob the grebes, but getting nowhere near them

Very quiet otherwise. The only other birds actually seen were:
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Magpie 2
Wood Pigeon 2
Long-tailed Tit 2
Great Tit 1 These last two were part of a much smaller mixed flock than last month at the south-west corner of the Bottom reservoir, where a couple of Phylloscopus warblers were chasing each other around in the background, but with Willow Warbler 'huitts' from the undergrowth and a Chiffchaff doing its' Gene Kelly impersonation I couldn't make a positive i.d. to species level

The other 'heard only' species were
More Long-tailed and Great Tits
Blue Tit
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.10 - 13.10

Another soggy Sunday slog around sodden Strinesdale, with not even a surprise Starling species to savour, the Starling flock having sagely sought more salubrious surroundings. Even a short sojourn sheltering in the shrubbery yielded unsatisfactory results. biggrin

The male Grey Wagtail certainly found the car park more to his liking than the Golden Steps. He, or another was at the Top Res outflow about 20 mins later.

Bottom Res:
Moorhen 2
Mallard 3
White Domestic Duck 3

Top Res:
Mallard 5
Black-headed Gull 2 again trying to rob the
Little Grebe 3(min) but failing. By the time the gulls had spotted the grebes and flown over the grebes had dived again.

More successful corvine piracy up in the horse pastures, where 2 Carrion Crows harassed a single Jackdaw. A third Carrion Crow suddenly showed interest in things but too late.

Otherwise:
Robin 5 seen or heard
Wren 2 scolding each other
Magpie 2
Wood Pigeon 1
Bullfinch 2 (1 seen)
Chaffinch 1

A dozen Starlings, 8 Jackdaws and 5 Black-headed Gulls all appeared over Huddersfield Road while I was waiting for my bus home.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30 - 14.30

Golden Steps:
Grey Wagtail 1 male

Bottom res:
Mallard 27
White Domestic Duck 3
Black-headed Gull 26
Common Gull 1

Top Res:
Mallard 7
Goosander 4 red-heads
Tufted Duck 1 male
Little Grebe 2 (both looked to have some summer plumage colour on their heads)

Elsewhere:
Jackdaw
Starling
Blue Tit
Mistle Thrush 1 over
Bullfinch 2 heard
Magpie 9 min
Long-tailed Tit min 12 )
Great Tit 3 min ) These all part of a roving flock also including Blue Tits.
Chaffinch 1 )
Jay 2 heard
Nuthatch 1 heard
Carrion Crow
Robin 2 min
Wren
Blackbird
Canada Goose 17 - this month's surprise. feeding on the horse pastures at the top of the reservoirs, in 2 distinct groups of 5 and 12
Fieldfare 6 over as I was leaving

and a pigeon sized mid-brown bird which erupted from the leaf litter in the small copse of mature woodland with a clatter of wings (but no alarm call) and just cleared the tree line. Unfortunately I'd just been scanning the tit flock so my specs were on my forehead and my bins were lowered meaning I didn't get good view of it until it was back end on and well away. cry

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13.30 -14.45 Mild, dry, very quite (even the wildlife seemed to have gone Christmas shopping biggrin

)

Bottom Res:
Black-headed Gull 24, with about 7 more overhead. I'd just managed to count them when the birds on the res decided to join their mates and head south
Mallard 2
White Domestic Duck 3
Moorhen 2

Top Res:
Mallard C 24 It's now impossible to get a comprehensive view of the reservoir because of the trees blocking the view from the viewpoint.
Moorhen 1 heard
No Coot, Little Grebe or Goosander, but the water looked particularly muddy and with both the brook from Bishops Park and the Golden Steps in spate conditions, may have become too poor for them. The Mallard were certainly surface feeding quite avidly.

Around the site:
Jackdaw 30 minimum
Wood Pigeon 5
Blue Tit several heard
Wren 2
Goldfinch 2 -and 6 over
Magpie 2 (luckily biggrin

)

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

26/01/2019

11.00 - 12.15 very quiet

Bottom Res:
Mallard 32
Canada Goose 4
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 20
Common Gull 10(9 adults 1 1st winter - best count of Common Gulls here for quite a long time)
Domestic White Duck 3

Top Res:
Mallard 8
Goosander 1 redhead
Coot 1

Also:
Great Tit several heard
Blue Tit ditto
Robin 1
Coal Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 4
Magpie 2
Wren 1 heard

Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons and Black-headed Gulls over

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30 - 14.00 Pleasant, if rather quiet, day

Bottom Res:
Mallard 26
Canada Goose 2
Coot 1
Moorhen 1
Black-headed Gull 6
Domestic White Duck 3

Top Res:
Little Grebe 1
Coot 1
Black-headed Gull < 4 when one of an overflying trio dropped briefly onto the reservoir.

So quiet up by the top reservoir that at one point the loudest noise in the surrounding trees was
Treecreeper 1

Blue Tits
Great Tits all calling and very active by the car park
Coal Tits

Goldfinch 6/7 in one of the hedges were quite noisy in contrast to
Bullfinch 1M 1F also feeding there

Also:
Robin 2 minimum
Blackbird 1
Carrion Crow 2
Magpie 1
Wood Pigeon 2
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 2nd winter fly over

Nearby 60 Jackdaw around Majestic Mill on Dunham Street

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.00 - 12.30

Bottom Res:
Mallard 10 (9 males)
Canada Goose 2 (pair)
Moorhen 1
Coot 1
Grey Heron 1 (1st calendar year bird)
White Domestic Duck 2 (don't know if the 3rd has got lucky with one of the Mallards biggrin

or unlucky with a predator cry

)

Top Res:
Mallard 2 males
Little Grebe 2 (pair)
Coot 1
Grey Heron 1 - probably the bird from the Bottom Reservoir but I didn't see it fly up and the relevant part of the lower res isn't visible from either viewpoint on the top.

Also.
Robin several singing
Blackbird at least 2 S
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Jackdaw
Blue Tit several singing
Great Tit several calling at least 1 S
Long-tailed Tit several heard, 1 seen
Nuthatch 2
Jay 1 with another just off-site as I was walking over from the bus stop
Mistle Thrush 2 (minimum)
Redwing 6 (minimum)
Wren 2 -1 S
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 heard 'chipping' near the Golden Steps, then it or another was drumming in the small area of mature woodland to the east of the top dam.
Possible Grey Wagtail flew off from the Golden Steps as I was leaving, but a definite singing bird nearby, around the Majestic Mill complex.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.00 - 13.00

Goldfinch (S), Jackdaw, 2 Magpies which might explain the alarm-calling Robin, all on Culvert Street. The Robin, or another, was seen shortly after with food.

Bottom Res:
Moorhen 2
Coot 1
Canada Goose 2 (a pair)
Mallard 8 (6 males, 2 females including what may have been a pair disturbed from the bank by a mooching dog.)

Top Res:
Canada Goose 2 (a pair)
Tufted Duck 2 M & F
Little Grebe 1
Coot 1
Mallard 5 ( a pair, a single male and 2 males which flew in, probably from the Bottom res

More Robins (several singing), Magpies and Jackdaws around the rest of the site, plus
Carrion Crow 2
Blackbird 1 singing
Willow Warbler 3/4 as a minimum but always hard to be sure I've not double counted on a route which turns back on itself - all were singing
Chaffinch 4 min (S)
Chiffchaff 2 min (S)
Wood Pigeon several including one very amorous male doing his best 'Barry White' routine in the top of a pine. biggrin

Nuthatch 1 calling continuously, initially seeing off a Grey Squirrel , then just sitting on the elbow of a branch in the sun and singing away.
Blackcap 2 singing
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 heard
Bullfinch 2 (pair)
Greenfinch 1 flyover

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.30 - 13.30

A dozen common species recorded while I was getting my bins out of my bag was a good start smile

. Very quite today in terms of people and unruly dogs - even the three Labradors who 'mugged' me for a share of my apple were polite and well-behaved lol. A pleasant walk made up for the now total lack of view from the viewpoint. Now the Friends of Strinesdale have disbanded it seems there's no one left with any interest in site maintenance, certainly not Useless Utilities.

Bottom res:
Canada Goose 2 -unsuccessful pair?
Moorhen 2
Coot 1
Domestic White Duck 3
Mallard 8 -5 drakes, with another 2 drakes and 1 duck on the outflow channel to

Golden Steps
Dipper 2 - Adult feeding youngster
Grey Wagtail 2 - Female feeding youngster

Top Res:
Little Grebe 1
Coot 1
Mallard 9 -4 drakes and 1 duck with 4 ducklings
Herring Gull 1 1st Summer bird fly-catching from the surface
Grey Wagtail 1 female on outflow channel

Other Species:
Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush - several S
Blackbird -several S
Robin- several S
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Coal Tit 3 min inc 1 with food
Goldfinch 5 min
Wren - several S
Great Tit -several S
Blackcap - min 3 singing
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Willow Warbler 6 min singing
Blue Tit
Nuthatch 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 scolding the Grey Squirrels, then it or another feeding young in an abandoned nest box
Chiffchaff 1 possibly 2
Garden Warbler 1 S
Swallow 2
Starling 4 fly-overs
Pheasant 1 - top fields
Bullfinch 1
Long-tailed Tit
Greenfinch 1 singing - a rarity here now.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13.35 - 15.15 (the last 25 minutes very wet!)

Golden Steps:
Dipper 1 juvenile
Grey Wagtail 1 adult (brief glimpse as it flushed just as the path tuns away)

Bottom Res:
Mallard 16 mostly males, including 2 in persistent pursuit of a female, which seemed to continue for the whole of my visit, as a duck and 2 drakes flew over the mature conifers as I completed my circuit.
White Domestic Duck 2

Top Res:
Little Grebe 2 - 1 adult, 1 well-developed juvenile (only the head retaining any humbug stripes)
Mallard 6 1 male on the shingle bar, 1 female at the other end supervising 4 immature birds
Moorhen 1
Coot 3 all adults, 2 engaged in some sort of pursuit from time to time.
Black-headed Gull 1 adult on the shingle bar.

Also:
Blue Tit lots -sounded like a lot of nests had fledged from the number of contact-calling birds
Robin 4 - minimum, including at least 1 singing
Wood Pigeon
Carrion Crow 3 minimum, including a smaller (younger?) bird being harassed by two larger ones on Culvert Street. It seemed unwilling to fly even when a car passed close by
Chiffchaff 2 poss 3 singing birds
Magpie
Willow Warbler 2 singing birds
Blackcap 3 singing birds
Wren 2 - 1 singing
Blackbird 2 singing (minimum)
Song Thrush 1 singing
Starling 2 in flight over fields towards Strine Dale
Nuthatch 1 heard only in mature wood.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

Late start courtesy of Last Bus disbelief

12.10 -14.00

Bottom Res:
Mallard 14
White Farmyard Duck 1 (probably the spare male)
Moorhen 1 heard

Top Res:
Mallard 14
Tufted Duck 2 (1M 1F)
Coot 2
Little Grebe 1
Black-headed Gull 2

Other species:
Blackbird 4 M
Robin 12? quite a lot of young birds flitting about
Jackdaw 10 including at least 2 tailless juveniles
Magpie 14? A family party with 2 adults and 5 short-tailed juvs in the pastures east of the top res and probably as many adults in other parts of the site
Carrion Crow 5 minimum
Coal Tit 3 minimum
Chiffchaff 1/2 The bird singing close to the Golden Steps could be heard interspersing a string of chiffs between its' regular bursts of song but the bird singing in the old woodland wasn't close enough to detect this
Song Thrush 1/2 A bird singing full tilt on Culvert Street was probably the same one singing to the west of the Bottom Res earlier, complete with Nightingale croaks and trills!
Swallow 2
Goldfinch 5
Long-tailed Tit minimum 5 seen in a mixed flock in dense Birch saplings between the reservoirs. Also in the flock
Goldcrest 1 juv and
Blue Tit 4 juveniles - at least 5 more birds flew into a large Hawthorn in the top Horse pastures and there were several more seen/heard around the site
Great Tit 2 1 adult and 1 juvenile
Bulfinch 2 a pair
Swift 1 high over
Grey Wagtail 1 heard in flight between the old treatment works and the Golden Steps

Nearby:
Jay 1
Lesser Black-Backed Gull 1

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.35-13-40

Bottom Res:
Moorhen 3 -2 juv
Canada Goose 4 - 2 pairs
Mallard 33
White Domestic Duck 1 seemingly paired with one of the Mallard.

Top Res:
Moorhen 2 adult
Coot 2 Adult
Black-headed Gull 4
Little Grebe 6/7 2 Adults and probably 5 young. The adults seem to have got wise to the antics of the gulls to rob them and are feeding the young under the overhanging waterside trees. Also saw one of them dive to avoid 1 begging chick to go and feed a second one. Nice swerve biggrin

Mallard 7
Tufted Duck 1 m
Grey Heron 1

Also:
Jackdaw 2
Wood Pigeon
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin a couple, one in sub-song the other still putting some effort into the song.
Willow Warbler - several contact-calling
Wren 1 singing
Blackbird 1
Magpie 2

Over the western horse pastures a kettle of birds hawking for insects was mainly Black-headed Gulls, with a few Common Gulls, 3 Swifts and 1 House Martin

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.10 - 14.30 Pleasant but slightly damp - once the cloud had lifted enough to see biggrin

A Grey Wagtail flew up the lower res outflow channel from the Golden Steps, then later between the reservoirs heading north.

Bottom Res:.
Mallard 28
White Domestic Duck 1
Moorhen 1

Top Res:
Little Grebe 3 adult, 2 together 'wickering' and there appeared to be some courtship feeding
Moorhen 4 -pairs of adult and juvenile on either side of the res
Grey Heron 1 juvenile
Mallard 2 females
Black-headed Gull 3
Canada Goose 57 a flock commuting between the horse pastures at the top of the valley and the reservoir.

Also;

Appeared to have been a fall of Robins, with birds heard everywhere and a minimum of 6 following a foraging party of small passerines comprising (minima of)
Great Tit 2
Blue Tit 2
Goldcrest 1
Chiffchaff 2 ( one of which sang briefly)
Dunnock 1
Nuthatch 1
Long-tailed Tit 3
Wren 2

Magpie 6
Feral Pigeon 3
Jay 2 minimum
Bullfinch 2 heard
Coal Tit
Willow Warbler 1 contact calls
Raven 1 over NW > SE and another heard shortly afterwards from further north which sounded as if it was heading in the same direction.
Meadow Pipit at least 1 heard in or over the fields to the north of the reservoir
Goldfinch flock of30 on eastern side of top res

A flock of gulls in the horse pastures to the north of the reservoir contained
Black-headed Gull 27
Common Gull 24
Lesser Black-backed Gull 11 adult and 1 1st winter
Herring Gull 1 adult and 1 first winter
40 Jackdaws, 10 Carrion Crows and 2 Magpies were hanging around harassing any of the gulls which found food, especially the 1st winter birds.

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Sunday 15th of September 2019 08:37:42 PM

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.00 - 12.15 Very quiet only 6 other people (plus 2 dogs) and not that many more species of birds in the drizzle.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 23
Domestic White Duck 1
Moorhen 1
Black-headed Gull 2
Canada Goose 2 over.

Top Res:
Mallard 2 M&F pair
Little Grebe 2 in winter plumage
Black-headed Gull 3

More gulls up on the horse pastures
Black-headed Gull 28
Common Gull 4
No large gulls but quite a few corvids with
Magpie 10
Jackdaw 35

Also:
Robin plenty heard
Wren several heard
Great Tit a few heard
Bullfinch 1 heard in the usual spot.
Starling 6
Wood Pigeon 1

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.38 - 13.10 Fairly dismal

Bottom res:
Mallard 38
Moorhen 3 - 1 adult
Black-headed Gull 21 - including 1 still/already with mostly breeding plumage head

Top res:
Black-headed Gull 1 - and that didn't stay long. Nothing else anywhere, even though the obscured view to the SE corner is back now the leaves have dropped.

Also:
Robin C4
Chaffinch 1 heard
Great Tit 3 heard
Blue Tit 3
Magpie 6 minimum (5 together in the sheep fields)
Carrion Crow 7
Long-tailed Tit party of 8 minimum
Treecreeper 1
Wren 2 minimum
Bullfinch 1 heard
Herring Gull 4 over the horse pastures
Sparrowhawk 1 through the treetops in the mature wood. This or another spooked
Goldfinch C55 in the larches at the junction of Waterworks Road and Culvert St.

Nearby;
Starling 20
Jackdaw 24
Jay 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Pied Wagtail 1

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

15-12-19 13.05 - 14.35 Cold and cloudy but pleasant.

Bottom res.
Mallard 31
White Domestic Duck 1
Moorhen 4 -3 juveniles
Black-headed Gull 20

Top res. Very quiet, eventually
Mallard 3 (1 female and escorting drakes) made a leisurely transect of the res from the obscured SW corner. Later they were joined by 5 others who flew in for the North.

Elsewhere:
The western horse paddocks on the ridge line had
Lapwing 22
Common Gull 24
The eastern horse paddocks below Roebuck Lane had
Jackdaw 50
Starling c 30
Rook 12
Carrion Crow 2

Also
Robin 3 min
Pied Wagtail 2
Wood Pigeon
Magpie
Blue Tit 2 seen
Coal Tit 2 seen
Great Tit 2 seen
Nuthatch 1
Blackbird 2
Mistle Thrush 1
Long-tailed Tit 4 seen
Wren 1 heard

I think this is the first time I've recorded Lapwing down on the ground here; previously only fly-over parties heading NE in Spring. Only the second record for Rooks too, again in with a mixed feeding flock of corvids.

Some interesting-looking fungi beginning to emerge in the birch scrub west of the top res and a good sprouting of Velvet Toughshank on a felled trunk further up the path with both new and older clumps present.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12-010-20 10.35-12.35

Bottom res:
Mallard 4 3M
White Domestic Duck 1
Moorhen 4 Juveniles
Coot 1
Black-headed Gull 35 (numbers built from 9 initially)

Top Res:
Mallard 22 17M 5F
Moorhen 1 Adult
Black-headed Gull 1

Also:
Grey Wagtail 1M
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Goldfinch
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Magpie 15 in fields to east of res
Blackbird
Long-tailed Tit - party of 17
Jay (heard only)
Nuthatch 2
Coal Tit 1
Bullfinch party of 8 inc 2 M (site record for me)
Mistle Thrush 5
Treecreeper 1
Goldcrest 1
Chaffinch (heard)
Dunnock 1
Wren 2
Carrion Crow 7
Jackdaw 20

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30 - 12.30 Quite boggy in many of the wooded areas, but surprisingly, the paths were no worse (and no better!) than they have been all winter - apart from one section right at the top where the drainage off the horse pastures looked to be over boot level (as someone else proved a little later biggrin

)

Bottom Res:
Mallard 4 - 3 M
White Domestic Duck 1
Moorhen 4 adults
Coot 1
Canada Goose 2 (pair)
Black-headed Gull 8

Top Res:
Mallard 2 - M&F
Tufted Duck 2 - M
Goosander 3 -1 M
Little Grebe 1

Also:
Goldfinch flock heard in larches on Waterworks Road
Great Tit 5 minimum - possibly pairing up
Blue Tit 6 minimum
Long-tailed Tit several with at least 3 in a small foraging party with 2 of the Great Tits plus
Coal Tit 2 (and 2 down by the school)
Goldcrest 2 - neither adult males and
Nuthatch 1

Wood Pigeon -a few
Wren 2/3
Blackbird 2
Mistle Thrush 2
Magpie 12, the majority up in the Horse Paddocks with
Herring Gull 4 (3 immatures)
Black-headed Gull 12 and
Carrion Crow 2

More Carrion Crows were on the pastures on the east side of the reservoirs south from Green Lane but mostly hidden.
20 Jackdaws flew up from fields here, probably part of the 24 in the rookery on Huddersfield Road as I was waiting for the bus home.
12 Starlings flew over Huddersfield Road as well

C 50 fruiting bodies of Scarlet Elfcup in the usual spot, with plenty of Jelly Ear and Birch Polypore around, as well as a couple of nice specimens of good old TurkeyTail and some Birch Mazegill

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.30-13.15. Drying out, despite all the recent rain.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 14 10M 4F
Canada Goose 2 (a pair)
Moorhen 1
Coot 1
Black-headed Gull 14

Top Res:
Mallard 3 2M 1F
White Domestic Duck 1 - playing gooseberry/shotgun to the Mallard pair and chasing off the spare male, then followed the pair when they went to feed in the horse pastures.
Tufted Duck 2 M&F
Goosander 5 3M 2F mostly in the sheltered SE corner, so fifth bird hard to see clearly from the even more obscured 'view point'. The only one of the five I saw very clearly was a male with a very dark bill. Juvenile just coming into breeding plumage?
Canada Goose 2 (a pair)
Little Grebe 2

Mostly quiet otherwise. Not much song and the foraging flocks seem to have split up into pairs now, certainly the Long-tailed Tits have.
Long-tailed tit 8 minimum all in pairs
Great Tit C6
Blue Tit C3
Robin C5
Blackbird 5 4M 1F
Wren 1
Bullfinch 2 heard - males in a sing off
Grey Wagtail 1 heard flying upstream over both reservoirs
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Wood Pigeon C6 a male on Holgate St. attempting courtship

was getting a severe wing-clattering from a reluctant female

As I was waiting for the bus home at least 60 of the local Jackdaws all decided on a mass descent on a field on Waterworks Road to feed.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.00-15.00 of which 2 hours actually spent on site, the rest my walk there and back, staying safe and keeping alert to the hazards of the socially and/or spatially clueless, most of whom it seems are to be encountered where the pavements are narrowest and the on-coming traffic heaviest. disbelief

. By comparison, the site itself, though busy, was much better than might have been expected with most people gathered at appropriate distances around the southern end of the Lower Reservoir, and those walking round behaving in a considerate manner - apart from the inconsiderate a...h... who left a little black 'doggy' bag under the benches at the view point. OK the lack of maintenance by Useless Utilities means that there hasn't been a view from the benches for a while, but people till want to sit there without breathing in whiffs of 'Odeur au Crade du Chein' by Batard Egoiste. bleh

I picked a different route to my usual one to avoid the worst probable pinch points so it was good to revisit a few areas where I don't always have time to go. As a result I saw my first Blackcap of the year and confirmed Nuthatches breeding, young Starlings were in a different horse paddock to the ones at the north end, which held about a dozen foraging Jackdaws and I got an aural overview of the site. Chiffchaffs were heard singing in three areas, as were Willow Warblers and Blackcaps in two. A couple of Robins were singing and one was already in sub-song. Several Blackbirds sang and I counted singing Chaffinches in at least three spots on my circuit. Wrens were noted singing in at least four spots, a couple of Swallows seemed to have a border dispute over the farmland on the eastern side, Blue Tits and Great Tits called from time to time and Magpies, Carrion Crows and Wood Pigeons were also seen.

Top Res:
Little Grebe 2 adults
Tufted Duck 1 M 1 F
Canada Goose 2 (a failed pair from earlier in the year?)
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 - a rarity now the tip has closed.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 11 M 1 F
Canada Goose 8 mostly in pairs.

All in all a nice first outing in a long while. Good to stretch my legs (I may not be thinking that tomorrow morning!) and be out of the flat for almost as long in one day as I have been weekly since mid March, doing all the things banned in the latest Ealing comedy, although I didn't think I'd be doing item no three in the green section literally!

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.25-13.25 (excluding the walk there and back) Cooler than my last visit and not as busy but visitors more mobile but still socially distancing.

Golden Steps:
Grey Wagtail 2 1 juvenile seen well and another bird, probably an adult, flew up calling into trees from the lower steps.

Bottom Res:
Mallard 15 13M 2F 1M still in pursuit of 1F

Top Res:
Mallard 6 5M 1F
Coot 1
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 1

1 Swallow skimming over the top res, later at least 5 were swooping round a mature Sycamore on the east side path including those hair-partingly close passes they make...if I still had any hair lol
Also:
Song Thrush 2 probably 3 singing around the site
Blackcap song heard at 4 spots, 1 bird seen at least 2 other territories being held
Blue Tit several heard calling and a party of 4 together in the Swallow Sycamore
Jackdaw C9 seen
Robin only 1 bird seen but several in song
Willow Warbler at least 2 singing at once, probably 4 on territory and a pair giving loud contact calls while flitting through the undergrowth. Couldn't get clear enough views to confirm parent and young.
Chiffchaff minimum 2 again probably 4
Nuthatch 1 collecting food near this years' nest site. A regular visitor here tells me this is the second year the birds have used this particular site.
Greenfinch 1 Singing.....a rare occurrence here now
Chaffinch 1 singing
Bullfinch 1M
Linnet 4 flew over
Swift 1 over Bottom Res
Pheasant 1 heard in top pastures
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon.

Also one length of discarded nylon line just at the point on the lower reservoir where families come with their kids and dogs to feed the ducks...... Fishermen - I was going to say Anglers but the alliteration is better biggrin (couldn't find a wooden spoon emoji lol)

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.35 -13.15 Variable.

Lower Res:
Mallard 28 adults all more or less in eclipse plumage 1 female with 2 small ducklings

Upper Res;
Mallard 4 1 male stile with some green on its' head 3 eclipse/female
Tufted Duck 1 male (2nd bird female/immature reported for last week by another birder on site)
Coot 2
Little Grebe 2 on on each side of the reservoir...the eastern side bird seen taking a fish back a known nesting area.
Grey Wagtail male flew over res to land on the little spit at the north end

Also
Mistle Thrush 1 heard at junction of Culvert Street and Holgate Street
Song Thrush 3 heard inc two having a sing off on either side of the Upper Res

Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Wood Pigeon
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 in a food chase overhead
Robin 3 S
Pied Wagtail 1 calling from school roof
Chiffchaff 2 S
Chaffinch 3 S
Nuthatch 1 heard
Blackbird 2 1S
Long Tailed Tit contact calls heard in heavy cover
Swallow 4 3 steamerless birds and an adult doing low level fly-bys
Blackcap 2 S
Goldfinch 2 S

Bullfinch M reported from a usual location by the other birder

Nearby a couple of Starling in the bird cherries on Huddersfield Road and today's bonus bird

Grey Heron 1 flew low (truck cab height) south over Huddersfield Road being mobbed by what looked like a Mistle Thrush.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

10.35 - 13.35 Wetter than forecast! hmm

Bottom Res:
Mallard 39
Moorhen 3 2 adult 1 juvenile....in procession west to east across the middle of the reservoir
Grey Wagtail over

Top Res:
Mallard 1 eclipse
Tufted Duck 1 female/immature
Coot 1
Moorhen 2
Little Grebe 5(min) Adult 2 juvenile 3 Usual Whack-a-mole routine from the adults meant that it was difficult to tell if there were 3 of them or just two zipping about. One was feeding a couple of the well grown chicks (only the head stripes left) the third was mooching around on its' own until it spotted the(?) other adult having a quiet moment under the willows and suddenly reverted into excited begging mode. Had no luck lol
Grey Heron 1
Black-backed Gull 1

Also:
Willow Warbler 2 contact calling
Sparrowhawk 1 shot down the Top res bridleway and down the hill
Canada Goose 2 over the top end of the valley
Robin some song, mostle contact calls
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Magpie
Coal Tit 1 heard
Wren several contact calling some snatches of song
Great Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit small party heard
Carrion Crows

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.40 - 14.00 I thought a visit over lunchtime today might be quieter......so did quite a few other people disbelief

All socially distanced though.

Bottom res:
Mallard 12
Canada Goose 5
Moorhen 2 (adult and immature)
Black-headed Gull C12 Just started to count them when some idiot threw a stick for his dog, flushing them, then walked on leaving the dog not knowing whether to 'fetch' or 'heel'. evileye

I think they all relocated to the ....

...Top res (15 mins later)
Black-headed Gull 12
Mallard 14
Tufted Duck 2 Males
Moorhen 2 Adults
Little Grebe 4 - looked to be 3 summer plumage adults and 1 immature/ winter plumage bird, but at this time of year keeping tabs on them is a bit like 'Whack-a-mole" biggrin

Also:
Bullfinch 4 minimum
Blackbird 2 seen and lots of contact/alert calls
Jackdaw several
Robin 3 minimum and lots of calls plus some snatches of sub-song
Jay 1 in flight and later heard
Long-tailed Tit c12, the nucleus of a roving group of small birds which at various points around the site included
Nuthatch 1 very vocal
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 4
Blue Tit 4 (inc one with a very pale, almost grey, head which had me hoping for a Whitethroat sp before it showed itself)
Willow Warbler 1 contact calling
Chiffchaff 2, at least one singing quite a lot and both spending quite some time chasing each other with a lot of annoying, flycatcher-like upward swoops!
Goldcrest 2 also doing a lot of chasing
Treecreeper 1
Wren 1 (several more heard)
Kestrel 1 Fem/immature in the top hedge. I was hoping for something different here today, albeit more exciting, but this is a less common bird here than Sparrowhawk
Meadow Pipit 1 on the cattle field stone walls, and flying around a lot calling. Again a surprisingly uncommon bird here, certainly as a 'down' bird.
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon.

Good to see the mature woodland clear of Himalayan Balsalm, makes the old rabbit burrows easier to avoid lol and has a nice open feel to it. Made it a pleasure to stand it the middle as the roving band moved through at many different levels. Just needs the scrub clearing in front of the viewpoint now.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.55 - 13.55 Grey, dull, quiet but dry.

Bottom res:
Black-headed Gull 11 (but spooked by the 'dinosaurs' in the woods and depated in all directions. Some/all may have made their way to the top res
Mallard 34
Moorhen 4 inc 2 adults

Top Res:
Black-headed Gull 17 (possibly including the 11 from the bottom res.)
Moorhen 2 Adult
Little Grebe 2 winter plumage - one bird seemed to have darker tones as if it were still moulting out of summer plumage)
Coot 1 possibly 2 ( Something plunged noisily into the water on the other side of a screen of birches to me and there was a Coot alarm call but no sign of anything on the surface nearby to confirm the id.)

Also:
Blue Tit
Robin - some giving rather odd slurring contact calls (winter migrants?)
Wren heard
Chaffinch
Nuthatch
Long-tailed Tit
Jay heard (2 locations)
Magpie.
Woodpigeon
Bullfinch heard
Blackbird heard
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw - numbers of these last two species starting to build up in the top pastures along with
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2
Common Gull 10

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.45 - 12.30 Opted to visit in the better weather - unfortunately so did everyone else! Not too bad, apart from the inevitable dog-swimmers at the Upper Res, and they soon moved on.

Lower Res:
Mallard 32
Moorhen 5 - 1 juvenile
Black-headed Gull 37

Upper Reservoir
Goosander 1 redhead
Little Grebe 2 - 1 still with vestiges of summer plumage. Emerged from the hidden SE corner as soon as the dogs had moved on.
Black-headed Gull 2

Horse pastures
Jackdaw 28
Carrion Crow 3o
Magpie 10
Black-headed Gull 30
Common Gull 25
Herring Gull 10
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2
plus a couple of unidentifed large juvenile gulls at the back of the scatter. Probably Herring Gulls.

Also:
Bullfinch 2 heard only
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 over, calling
Robin - several heard
Long-tailed Tit 3 seen more heard
Kestrel 1 - courtesy of the 'Tit alarm'
Coal Tit 2
Goldfinch party heard, high over
Wood Pigeon
Pied Wagtail heard, around school.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

12.30-13.30

As today was the drier day of the weekend hmm

, headed up for December's Webs. Surprisingly quite a few wet dogs and English persons out in the noonday drizzle.

Lower Res:
Mallard 24 8 of them females with one of those being closely guarded by a drake.
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 44

Upper Reservoir
Little Grebe 1 (given its' location, possibly the cause of the loud splash back in October).

Nothing else on the upper reservoir and generally quiet immediately around the site, but this month's bonus bird was

Dipper 1 (at the top of the Golden Steps- possibly already on territory)

Also
Woodpigeon 10
Starling 15
Blue Tit 1 seen, several more heard
Long-tailed Tit sveral heard
Magpie 8 6 and 2 singles
Robin 2
Blackbird 2 males, skirmishing under a couple of rhododendrons - whichever one bird A was under was where bird B decided he wanted to be.
Goldfinch 1 flyover
Pied Wagtail 1 Culvert Street.
Black-headed Gull 6 on horse pastures with
Carrion Crow 2 but over on the higher fields on the edge of Roebuck Lane a mixed flock of Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and Starlings numbered around 200, from a quick guestimate when they were briefly airborne

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13/02/2021 12.30-14.30.

With Webs back on and rain forecast Saturday seemed the better bet for what would definitely be a snowy, slippery Strinesday. Both reservoirs frozen except for small areas of open water round the in and outflows. The ice at the outflow end was certainly thick enough to support one contender for this year's Darwen award!

Lower Res:
Black-headed Gull 49
Herring Gull 1 - 2nd winter
Comon Gull 4 - 2 adult, 1 2nd winter, 1 1st winter
Mallard 16<24 C16 counted in the open water screened by willows at the north end of the reservoir, but 24 were flushed from the lower res later on

Upper Res:
Coot 1
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 17
Common Gull 6 -2 adult, 3 2nd winter, 1 1st winter.
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 adult.

Run off channel to Upper Res:
Grey Wagtail 1 male

Elsewhere:
Starling 24
Wood Pigeon
Jackdaw
Magpie
Blackbird 6 minimum
Robin 6 minimum
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Nuthatch 1 around known nest site
Goldfinch several heard along Culvert street and 1 hardy individual singing away in a hawthorn up in the horse pastures at the north end of the valley
Bullfinch 5 minimum 3 males and 2 female together in hedge at north end (another?) male at Bullfinch corner.
Carrion Crow c5 - 3 on the ice with the gulls on the Upper Reservoir, 2 feeding in the horse pasture with
Rook 4 an uncommon species here, apart from with the odd large corvid flocks of very late autumn. One of them flushed this month's bonus bird
Common Snipe 1 feeding along the frozen stream running through the horse pasture. Only the second ever sighting for me around the area and only the third recorded wader in total with the other being a Woodcock

All in all not too bad on a day when even the Golden Steps were the frozen steps

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

14/03/2021 11.00 - 1300 Out and back before the rain set in.

Lower Reservoir
Canada Goose 4 - two obvious pairs.
Mallard 9 - all males
Coot 2 - probably a pair
Moorhen 1
Cormorant 1 (relocated from Upper Reservoir around 12.20 and still there when I left, much to the apprehension of the other waterfowl. The Geese were very wary and the Mallards tucked in along the bank)
Pied Wagtail 2 - pair flushed from inspection platform at outfall as I returned to check for the Cormorant.

Upper Reservoir
Tufted Duck 2 - male and female
Little Grebe 2 a pair - courtship feeding.
Cormorant 1 (seen here initially around 11.35 before it moved down to the lower reservoir. Seen in flight between the reservoirs around 12.20, so Lower Reservoir rechecked. Actively looking for food in both locations but I didn't see it catch anything at either of them. First sighting of one here, for me,

Grey Wagtail 1male again along the overflow channel from the Upper Reservoir to the Golden Steps. Probably the bird heard in flight as I arrived on site.

Also:
Robin several in song around the site
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Blue Tit 8 scattered around the site
Long-tailed Tit 12 around the site in 4 pairs and a quartet.
Nuthatch 1 heard, usual location
Goldfinch 2
Song Thrush 1 heard singing
Mistle Thrush 1 heard alarm calling
Carrion Crow 6
Magpie c10
Jackdaw 6
Greenfinch 1
Wood Pigeon 6
Starling 3
Wren 2 heard
Notable absence of Blackbirds, even in the small area of mature woodland.

On my walk home around 30 Jackdaw flew down over Littlemore from the direction of the reservoirs.

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Monday 15th of March 2021 10:44:04 PM

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

11.30-13.40

More noisy than usual with the football supporters' organised dog walk and outdoor alcoholics (roll on May 17th!) but at least I was away from all the black clouds to the west. smile

Quite a mix of winter and spring, both in the surroundings and some of the species.

Lower Reservoir:
Canada Goose 2 - a pair
Mallard 8 - 6 males together and pair on their own
Coot 1
Moorhen 1

Upper Reservoir:
Canada Goose 2 -a different pair
Goosander 1 Male
Coot 1
Little Grebe 1

Also
Blackbird 2 males - 1 S on Culvert St and another in the mature woodland
Greenfinch 1 S on Culvert Street
Great Tit 5 min - mostly S around the site with one pair seen
Wood Pigeon 10 min
Robin 8 min - several S
Blue Tit 6 min
Carrion Crow
Magpie
ChiffChaff 2 S min by location - 1 by the RSPCA compound, another up by Upper Reservoir, possible 3rd but never singing at the same time as any other bird.
Nuthatch 1 min calling and foraging near known nest site. It or another in the mature wood on the other side of the valley
Jay 1 heard - short alarm call
Wren 3 min - 1 'tacking' Culvert St. 1 S by Upper Reservoir, 1 seen in mature wood
Song Thrush 1 S - same area as last month but seems to have more Nightingale in its' repertoire
Willow Warbler 2 S min - both singing at once from opposite sides of the Upper Reservoir - always helps biggrin

Chaffinch 2 - male and female seen in different locations
Jackdaw c30 in the horse fields
Pied Wagtail 4 in the horse fields
Golden Plover - 1 over NE calling (not seen so probably literally right over my head!)
Grey Wagtail 1 male S(?) in a small tree in the fields to the east of the reservoirs. Seemed an odd location but in working round to get the sun behind me I spotted a small drainage ditch nearby.
Long-tailed Tit 2 - pair
Possible Common Buzzard low over the horse fields west of the Upper Reservoir, but by the time I'd changed focus it had dipped below the skyline. Several Jackdaws immediately headed towards the point where it had disappeard though.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

22/05/2020 11.50-13.30 A Saturday visit to avoid the 'bad weather all day' forecast for Sunday 23rd hmm

Golden Steps
Grey Wagtail 2 - male and female - later in the circuit a male was seen at the top end of the overflow/feeder system

Lower Res:
Coot 1
Mallard 6 all males

Upper Res:
Coot 1
Little Grebe 1
Canada Goose 2+ A pair were on the small spit at the northern end, then as I was out of sight of the res another bird or birds were heard to fly low over, probably from the horse paddocks on the western side. A later check showed only 2 geese still on the reservoir

Cow Pond (apparently!)
Canada Goose 2 a pair definitely not the pair on the Top Res but probably the flyover birds.

Very quiet for waterfowl, with no Moorhens seen.

Also:
Blackcap 3 min Singing
Blackbird 5 all males
Great Tit 4 - 1 seen the others calling/Singing
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Robin 8 - 2 Singing, the rest looking for food around the site
Blue Tit 5 - 1 seen
Wood Pigeon
Song Thrush 1 Singing -the usual mimic
Chiffchaff 3 min Singing
Magpie
Willow Warbler 2 Singing 1 showing well in song
Swallow 6 hawking low over Top Res - all very definitely blue-rumped biggrin

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Sunday 23rd of May 2021 08:54:24 PM

-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Sunday 23rd of May 2021 08:55:30 PM

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

13/06/21 10.25- 12.00 Fairly busy, which probably reduced numbers seen/heard, although even the Upper Reservoir, despite being undisturbed, was quiet.

Lower Reservoir:
Mallard 13 males

Upper Reservoir:
Mallard 2 a pair
Coot 2
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 1

Also
Great Tit several calling
Robin 2 seen, including a very dark, possibly melanic bird, as I couldn't pick up any red when it was flitting about. Several more heard singing.
Blue Tit several calling inc contact calls
Blackbird several singing
Willow Warbler 2 minimum singing, some contact calls
Jay
Blackcap 2 minimum singing
Chiffchaff 1 singing
Nuthatch alarm/contact calls near known nest site
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Jackdaw good numbers around the site, especially in the fields to the east
Starlings ditto
Magpie
Swallow 2 a pair at a probable nest site.
Greenfinch 1 singing
Whitethroat 1 singing
Skylark 1 distant possibly along Brighton Road (but not THAT distant biggrin

)