Between 35-40 Ravens circling and performing display flights close to the footpath between the Crag Inn and Hanging Gate pubs to SE of Shutlingsloe. They flew around for a couple of minutes then dispersed in small groups and pairs in various directions.

This is the highest single count of Ravens I've ever seen in the Peak District.



-- Edited by Dave Dalrymple on Monday 20th of January 2014 09:46:37 AM

A flock of about 30 Crossbills was feeding in the tops of spruce alongside Trentabank car park this morning.

c6 Pochard, 2 Cormorant and a Tufted Duck on Ridgegate.  Little Grebe on Trentabank.

 

 

Does anyone know a walk around Macc Forest and environs, that is good for birds?

Louis
Coming from Macclesfield on the Cat & Fiddle road (A537) towards Buxton about 1/2 mile past the pub there is a small turning in the right, which links through to the A54, if you kiss it just go the the main A54 junction but it is a very sharp junction back on yourself.. Turn right and then right again at the end onto the A54. About 1/2 - 3/4 mile along the road bends and you will come to a long lay-by on the left. Park there and walk back 100mts and you will see the old chimney stack. That is the quarry area known as Danebower, the slopes and quarry area are where wheatear, ring ouzel meadow pipits are to be seen. If you PM me will send you a link to a map (not sure about including one on the forum). The whole area is good and one I watch regularly.

Phil

Sunday 11th August 8.30am

Standing Stone area:
2 juvenile Redstarts
2 Hobbys
6 Willow Warblers
25 Chaffinch
6 Goldfinch
1 juvenile Northern Wheatear
28 Meadow Pipits
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel

Danebower:
1 Raven
1 Curlew

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 11th of August 2013 10:12:46 PM

Could I have seen a Merlin near Standing stone?

Sunday 9th June 2013 6.30 - 8.00am

On Trentabank Reservoir:

2 Great Crested Grebes
Flock of Canada Geese and Mallards
Flock of Cormorants and nesting Grey Herons in trees
3 Coots
1 Common Sandpiper

Heard Cuckoo in woodland near moor

Track up to Shutlingsloe:

Mixed flock of Chaffinches And Siskins
3 Meadow Pipits
Curlews heard

Louis.

07.30 - 13.00, Mostly cloudy with some hail showers, cold and breezy

The morning visit to the Macc Forest area produced of note:-

Langley, Bottoms reservoir woods - like previous years spent some time trying to pin down Redstart and although I heard one singing couldn't get a sighting. Willow Warbler and Blackcap seen. Also a fox trotted by.

Ridgegate reservoir - two drake Mandarins.

Trentabank - a pair of Goosander. The Cormorant and Heron colonies are flourishing - one of the Cormorant nests held 4 pleading chicks. Two Red Deer walked along the bank opposite to the viewing area.

Clough House and Wildboarclough - 1 Dipper at each place on the stream.

Danebower area and moors - no Ring Ouzel but many Meadow Pipit and Wheatear and several noisy Red Grouse. There were several dead sheep along the walls on the hills.

Wildboarclough
4 dippers at 3 sites alongthe river

Standing stones
Very quiet, just chaffinches.

Phil

10.00-12.30

Bottoms Reservoir

25 Canada Geese, 1 Little Grebe and a Moorhen

Ridgegate Reservoir

1 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Canada Geese, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Cormorants and an overflying Raven.

Trentabank Reservoir

20 Canada Geese, 13 Tufted Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Little Grebes, 2 Cormorant and an overflying Buzzard.

9 Red Deer on the North Bank, plus 2 rather depressed looking Grey Herons in the heronry.

A short walk in the forest produced just 1 bird, a perky little Wren flitting round a clump of brambles that were encrusted with snow, even in near Arctic conditions it gave a burst of song.

Elsewhere in the forest not even a Woodpigeon stirred.

The road to Standing Stones from Trentabank was closed due to snow and ice.

10.00-13.00

Bottoms Reservoir

10 female+ 3 male Goosanders, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Little Grebes, 3 Mute Swans plus Mallard, Coot etc.

Ridgegate Reservoir

2 Pochard, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant and 2 Little Grebes.

Forest area on South side of Ridgegate

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Goldcrest, 4 Siskin plus several mixed tit flocks and Chaffinches.

In one tree 5 Chaffinches were feeding on Sycamore seeds, it's the first time I've seen any animal eat them.

Trentabank Reservoir

1 Cormorant, 2 Buzzards, 2 Ravens including one having an aerial fight with a Sparrowhawk. The Raven chased the hawk out of the sky, the corvid later flew off, but the hawk did'nt show again.

A couple of mixed tit flocks passed by the viewing area, and with them 1 Treecreeper and 1 Nuthatch.

Standing Stones

2 Ravens and a single flock of 7 Chaffinches.

It's the first time I visited this area without finding a single Mandarin, and there was no sign of Crossbills.

12.00-15.00

Bottoms Reservoir

1 female Mandarin, 4 Tufted Ducks, 1 Great Crested Grebe,2 Grey Wagtails, 5 Coot, 2 Moorhen plus a male Kestrel flying over.

Ridgegate Reservoir

4 Swallows, 3 adult Little Grebes plus 1 juvenile still being fed Sticklebacks by a parent, also 4 Tufted Ducks and a single flock 12 Pied Wagtails.

The young Little Grebe dived several times, and each time a nearby Tufted Duck went in a panic. The little Dabchick was nibbling at the Tufties legs.

An adjacent pasture held another 7 Pied plus 3 "Alba" wagtails. The group of 12 were on the wall at the Western end of reservoir, 3 of them having very lemon coloured faces.

In the forest just South of Ridgegate a single mixed flock of passerines were feeding amongst the pines, impossible to count they were mainly male Chaffinch or Coal Tits.

I only found a single female Chaffinch in the group, but the flock also contained 4 Siskins and at least 6 Goldcrests plus 2 Wrens, 2 Robins and a few Great Tits.

Trentabank Reservoir

6 Cormorants (Roosting in conifers), 5 Mallards, 2 Little Grebes, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel plus a group of 5 Long Tailed Tits with a single Chiffchaff amongst them.

1 Red Deer hind on the North bank.

Standing Stones

5 Ravens soaring over. Also a large flock of mixed tits in the Sycamores by the car park, mostly Coal and Great.

3 Jays.

Sunday 9th Septmber 7am

Standing Stone area:
2 Whinchat
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
2 Common Buzzards

Clough House:
2 Hobbies
1 Grey Heron

Danebower:
4 Stonechat
3 Ravens

Tuesday 28th August

2 Whinchat along the wall and fence line on the road down from Standing Stone car park towards Wildboarclough this morning.
1 Common Buzzard
12 young Swallows preening on the overhead wires.

Nice to see the sun too.


-- Edited by Adam Jones on Tuesday 28th of August 2012 11:23:20 AM

Walk in a loop from trentabank res:

Very quiet really but birds seen:
c20 cormorants in a tree(one in a nest presumably sitting as it was gullating)
Little grebe
G.c. grebe feeding near full grown juv
5 grey heron
Buzzard
Lots of parties of juv goldcrest
No crossbills.

Sunday 22nd July

12 Crossbill over Standing Stone once again. Flying off towards Cat and Fiddle and the pine forest before that.
4 Kestrels hunting together (well close to each other)
Family party of Willow Warblers with 3 juveniles.

Clough House this morning.

2 juvenile Dippers and 1 adult.
1 Grey Wagtail

Not a lot else anywhere between here and Derbyshire Bridge.

4 Red Deer and a dozen goats on the loose.

Sunday 27th May 8.00am

Danebower:
2 Stonechat (a very nice male and female)
2 Wheatear
3 Meadow Pipits
1 Curlew
Cuckoo heard in the direction of Three Shires Head

Wildboarclough:
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Spotted Flycatcher in the parking area

Thanks to Adam Jones' excellent directions easily found the Pied Flycatcher in Teggs Nose wood yesterday late on. Also present were Blackcap and Willow Warbler. There were two Common Sandpipers on Ridgegate reservoir.

Ventured up to Derbyshire Bridge but too cold, wet and windy for anything much to be alive up there

Sunday 6th May 7am

Teggs Nose Woods:

1 Pied Flycatcher (male)
1 Common Redsart (male)
3 Willow Warbler
1 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
2 Green Woodpecker
1 Mandarin
8 Swallows

Saturday 21st April 7am

In heavy rain this morning:
Bottoms Reservoir
1 Common Sandpiper on the stoney bank
23 Swallows skimming over the water
1 Cormorant
1 Mandarin duck
1 Blackcap seen (others heard)
Plenty of Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers
Green Woodpeckers also heard on the slopes of Teggs Nose

Teggs Nose/Bottoms Reservoir
Still no Common Redstart or Pied Flycatchers at Teggs Nose/Bottoms Reservoir although I am 99% certain I heard a Pied Flycathcer singing this morning, but could not locate it before it went quiet.
2 Green Woodpeckers

Trentabank Reservoir:
All the usuals and 2 Little Grebe that I'd not seen previously.

Standing Stone car park:
Just a few Crossbill for me this morning, but it seemed the Siskins were more active than normal. No Lesser Redpoll or Bramblings.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Mistle Thrush
2 Willow Warblers chasing each other around.

Standing Stone Car Park:

Decent amount of Crossbills still with 11 seen this morning.
6 Siskin
4 Lesser Redpoll
3 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Tawny Owl
1 Curlew

Wildboarclough:
3 Dippers
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Goldcrest

1 crossbill (f) at Standing Stones.

12 swallows and sand martins at Bottoms Reservoir.

Phil