Raven calling over Woodhouse Lane three days in last 5 - in the mid reaches over the at housing. About 7pm tonight it passed over quite high, calling, and made off south west.
Canada Geese c 70 on Greenbooth. Stonechat pair, Mallard with 5 small chicks and Reed Bunting feeding juvenile - Higher Naden. c 4 other Reed Buntings singing throughout valley. Wrens x 2 singing, so at least some survived the winter here - or have moved back since.
Belatedly - when I was loading the car for my holiday at 4.30 am on 15th May a cuckoo was calling from the Shawfield area. Texted my son from Greece to encourage him to stick his head out of his bedroom at 5 each morning to see if there was any repeat but the idea didn't seem to appeal to him.
I too spent the morning at Naden. I spotted a male Stonechat, male Sparrowhawk, Common Sandpiper, female Chaffinch nest building and several Lesser Redpoll were seen and heard.
Perhaps the most noteable feature of the morning however, was the continual southerly passage all morning of certainly hundreds of Lesser Black-backed Gulls over the valley. I gave up counting at 300 around mid-morning and noisy passage continued throughout the morning, before appearing to tail off towards midday. Heading for the tip at Pilsworth? If it is still there? Pilsworth is roughly SSW of Naden.
2 Grey Partridge by Fletcher Bank. 2 Grasshopper Warbler by Ashworth Moor Res Naden Valley; 2 Grasshopper Warbler by Upper Res 3 Whitethroat 5 Blackcap Many Willow Warbler 2 Chiffchaff 6 Wheatear Lots of Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Linnet
Walked over from Rammy..0630 till 1420,,
Lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on the Moors.
c 20 Curlew throughout the day
1 m Stonechat
3 Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
m Peregrine
14 Goosander ( 1m 13f..Poor lad!)
2 Lesser Redpoll
Lots of Goldfinch and Chaffinch
2 Green Woodpecker
Rob Archer
Walked over early doors via Ashworth Res and Knowl Hill..0515 till 1330..Saw these; 1 Tawny Owl, a Badger and 2 Foxes in Fletcher Bank Woods. Lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on`t Moors.. Ashworth Moor Res, 2 Wigeon( m f) 3 Goldeneye( 2m) 2 Teal (m f) 17 Lapwing 2 Oystercatcher 8 Goosander Canadas and Mallards 2 Reed Buntings 4 Grey Heron over On the way back m Peregrine over the Res. 2 Kestrel. Little Owl (h)
Greenbooth Res. f Peregrine making half hearted grab for a Moorhen 1 f Goldeneye 2 Linnet Little Owl (h) 1 Oystercatcher
Early morning walk BH Monday 7.30-8.30. Took Greenbooth Road from Norden, walked past Dr Dam, up the steep dam at Greenbooth and then over the fields to Woodhouse Lane. Not much around really. Grey Heron on fishing platform at Dr Dam along with 1 female mallard. Usual tit flocks in wood up to Greenbooth. Gull flocks on sand banking ar Greenbooth (presumably Black Headed but couldnt make them out without spotting scope). Lots of Swifts in fields near Woodhouse Lane and a Jay in tree at bottom of Woodhouse Lane
No sign of the male Redstart in the tree although it did contain a Spotted Flycatcher. A female Redstart was seen in a different part of the valley. 4 probably 5 Whinchats were present, a party of at least three together foraging off a stone wall on the western side of Naden Middle Reservoir. A male was in another part of the valley. 9 Stonechat - a gathering of 5 immatures in varying plumages were in close proximity to the party of 3, possibly 4 Whinchat and an obvious family party of 4 Stonechat were in another part of the valley. Also 2 Wheatear and a juvenile Robin were seen. A family party of Goldfinch, including recently fledged begging young, were in one of the plantations. A pair of Linnets, a group of 8 juvenile Pied Wagtails, a Kestrel, several Reed Buntings and Willow Warblers seemingly in almost every patch of bracken! 16 Canada Geese and a single Common Gull was amongst the Black-headed.
First visit to this area. A really beautiful valley but a quite enormous and challenging area to cover for birdwatching! Parked in Wolstenholme Fold walked past Doctor Dam and up the east side of Greenbooth Res. to the top end of Naden Lower Res.
Highlight was a good showing by a male Redstart foraging from a hawthorn tree next to a brick outbuilding near the Water Works House on the east side of Naden Lower res.
Also in the same area Blackbird carrying food, Chaffinch carrying food, Willow Warbler carrying food and a single fledged juvenile also seen. Plus Raven, Sparrowhawk, c40 Goldfinch, 2 Linnet, family party of Reed Buntings, juvenile Stonechat. Green Woodpecker also heard here and near Doctor Dam. Nuthatch near Doctor Dam as well as a family party of Greenfinch. 3 Coal Tit, 1 Goldcrest, a few Meadow Pipits, c55 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant and c20 Mallard on Greenbooth Res.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 15th of August 2010 12:46:19 PM
Holt Wood Chiffchaff x 1 Willow Warbler x 1 Nuthatch x 1
Rainshore Lodge Willow Warbler x 1
Greenbooth Cormarants x 3 - diving at the shallow end Great Crested Grebe x 1 Goosander pair + browhnead Oystercatcher x 1 - again feeding on the soft ground of Lower Naden 'dam'.
Greenbooth Wood Green Woodpecker calling and one calling from trees on the west bank. Willow Warbler x 1
Greenbooth Oystercatcher x 1 feeding on grass beside the rill joining Lower Naden to Greenbooth Moorhen x 1 ditto - then flew down banks of res to join another. Great Crested Grebe x 1 Goosander brownhead x 1 Green Woodpecker at Brown Hill farm top of Woodhouse lane, then calling from trees on west bank of res.
Higher Naden Stonechat male x 1 singing Wheatear x 4
Greenbooth Green Woodpecker calling from a thorn near the dam and calling later at Greenbooth Wood. Canada Geese pairs x 3 Goosander Brownheads x 3 Wheatear x 2 Swallow x2
Water House Wren x 1 - first here for weeks Blackbirds x 2 Lower Naden Wheatear x 1 Sparrowhawk x 1 soaring
Rainshore Lodge Heron x 1 Moorhen x 1 Mallard pair x 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker near the farm
Greenbooth Res Canada Geese c 14 Goldeneye - males x 2, females x 2 - almost a blast from the past up here. Mallards x 6
Greenbooth Wood Kestrel x 1 Long Tailed Tit pair Coal Tit x 1 Chaffinch in song Great Tit x 2 Blackbird x 1 Crows c 10
Naden Dean Green Woodpecker x 1 - calling persistently from the big ash tree. About as far up the valley as I have seen one personally. M.Pipit x 1
Woodhouse Lane Lapwing pair on adjacent meadows - as last year Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1 Long Tailed Tit x 1 Redwings - numerous Greenfinches - numerous
In the last 4- 6 weeks hundreds of 'whips' planted on the sides of the valley in bracken beds, between rushes and on the higher moor as it falls to the valley. Many planted on ground where wolves must have passed since the last tree fell. I presume this has been done under the auspices of United Utilities. Wouldn't it be nice to think they have taken best advice on tree species used ref soil, location and environment - and the fact that this is South Pennine moorland edge.
Kestrel x1. Sparrowhawk soaring over Greenbooth. Canada Geese c 12, Mallards x 6 throughout the valley. Wheatear pair at Naden Dean. Chaffinch's plentiful - even in the sparse trees at Naden Dean Stonechat - very agitated pair at Higher Naden.
Sunday 19th April 09.30- 11.30 Doctor Dam :Green Woodpecker calling in wood for several days.Chiffchaff still present Coot x 2 Greenbooth : Great Crested Grebe x 2, Canada Goose x 6, BH Gulls x 2. Green Woodpecker calling west banks of res. Willow Warblers plentiful in the larches etc. Pheasants x 3 on fields above Naden Res - Wheatear Mx 2, F x1. Willow Warbler at Naden Dean. Linnet x pair. Stonechats - nil throughout the valley. Woodhouse Lane - Willow Warblers singing mid reaches and farther up. Lapwing pair still on adjacent field. Swallows x 3
09.45 - 12.00 Doctor Dam : Chiffchaff singing; Green Woodpecker, Coal Tit pair. Naden Wood: Jays x 2 Knowl Farm / East Knowl : Curlew x 1, Wood Pigeon x 13, Crows x 13 Lady Lees - lots of Goldfinch song Greenbooth : Green Woodpecker calling; Willow Warbler x 1 in song