22/01/2023 Usual walk down the brook to Lees following January Webs. Seems more rubbish in the brook than there was a decade ago. Effects of recent storms not helping with several small trees partially blocking the stream and catching lighter debris.
Grey Wagtail 1 m Bullfinch 1 fem/juv Wren 1 Dipper flypast Moorhen 3 bottom pool (99% frozen) Siskin 10 willows above the pool.
Usual January walk back along Lees Brook and along the old railway line to Clarkesfield.
Dipper 1 (unringed) in usual spot Blue Tit Great Tit Blackbird min of 6 Mistle Thrush 2 Robin Greenfinch 4 Goldfinch 10 min Chaffinch 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Jay 1 Goldcrest 1 Wood Pigeon Carrion Crow 1 Magpie 6 Collared Dove (heard only)
Back from Strinesdale along Lees Brook to get my first Dipper of the year. One obliged in one of the usual locations. Jackdaw C 30 around Greenacres Road end Starling 4 Great Tit, several heard, 1 seen Long-tailed Tit small party heard Bullfinch 1 heard (embankment) Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 heard, one of them located Blackbird 3
Nearly knee-capped by a couple of brown blurs at the Stamford Rd. end of St John's street around 16.05 this afternoon. When I turned to see what they where it was a female Merlin in pursuit of a little brown job. Both jinked behind a conifer and were lost to view.
Had to take an alternative route to Strinesdale today because of a burst water main on Huddersfield Road. A combination of high water levels and wintry weather meant there wasn't much to see or hear.
Dipper 2 at the weir Grey Wagtail 1 M on top section Long-tailed tit 6+ Robin 1 heard Blue Tit 1 heard.
Whilst at work tonight I received a call from my distraught son who told me that a Carrion Crow had just attacked the pair of Collared Dove which were nesting in the garden and took thier eggs.
Nuthatch visiting feeders was my first 'in the garden', the others being fly-overs Lesser Redpoll Bullfinch 2 Coal Tit Blue Tit Great Tit Robin Collared Dove
At 1650, the fat balls were infested with a mixed tit flock including several juvenile Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tit. About 30 birds in total! They stayed for a couple of minutes before moving off to the next garden.
After a couple of days of searching the small wood opposite my house for Nuthatch which had woke me up twice, it finally gave itself up and flew over my garden calling
As an alternative to freezing my bits off waiting for the bus back from Strinesdale I decided to do the 'Winter Wonderland Walk' in the hope that, as in other years, a Kingfisher would turn up. Despite Lees Brook being the most litter-fre I've seen it in ages, no luck.
3 Dipper (1 def. unringed, the other 2 both fly pasts) 6 Wood Pigeon 4 Magpies 3 Great Tits 1 Blue Tit 1 Wren
Tried the bottom pond in case there were any Water rail but no luck there either
Old Railway line section 2 Robins 1 Blackbird 1 Chaffinch 1 Great Tit 1 Coal Tit 1 Long-tailed Tit 3 Blue Tits 5 Starlings (1 mimicking Curlew & 1 producing the strangest, harshest call I've ever heard)
Over the last few years I've had Peregrine heading east a couple of times at the Huddersfield road end of Strinesdale which is just to the north and parallel to where you were. I don't think Riggers has mentioned seeing any around the village
(Also had Hobby along the route of the old railway line, but that was a long time ago)
Drove through Lees (A669, heading away from Oldham towards Mossley) earlier today (~1300) and spotted a large, v dark falcon fairly low over the road (close to the Bridge Inn). I was unable to stop, and it then appeared low again a bit further on up the High St. Didn't have any bins with me, but it was definitely not a kestrel and very dark, I'm presuming a peregrine. Any sightings in this area previously?