Heap Clough to Crowtrees....

0930hrs - 1130hrs. It was great to map out the old Heap Clough Mill, and take lots of photos one here shows the west boundary wall of the old mill which also backs up against the small brook and the other a distance shot, which shows the outline of the old mill). Birds are still going through OK. I had resident Grey Wagtail, a party of about 30 Redwing heading West and two parties of Starling 25 & 50 heading West and 6 Chaffinch and a Reed Bunting behind Crowtrees and calling... also here a photo of some Gorse well in flower and closeby to the ancient Holt Clough Quarry shown here .. (Click over photo to enlarge).. Also had a Red Admiral Butterfly at Heap Clough today, never had one so late in the year before......

Vintage Grane Photo - Group of Grane Quarrymen..

Here on the left is a very old photo of the Grane Quarrymen.......and on the right is a steam-wagon which was used to transport stone from the quarries to the various recipients... (Click over photos to enlarge..)

Still Starlings are the main mover...

0730hrs-0845hrs from Heap Clough...
Redwing: 16 (1E)
Starling: 235 (6 parties, best parties: 120,40,30,30)
Fieldfare: 81 (5 parties, best parties 30,24)
also: Chaffinch: 18 (3E), Goosander: 4N, Woodpigeon: 7 (one party), Mistle Thrush: 1, Jackdaw: 4, Great Spotted Woodpecker: 2....(This is a photo of a hawthorn tree at Heap Clough across on the banking leading to Crowtrees and lots of Thrushes especially Redwings, Fieldfares & Blackbirds will take advantage of feeding on these berries over the next few weeks. ..) Click over photo to enlarge..

A quiet bird count but Starlings still going through...

0700hrs-0830hrs from Heap Clough
Not a lot this morning but here we are:
Starling: 128 (5 parties, best parties: 45,25)
Redwing: 51 (9E also only one large party of 20 all others between 1-9)
Fieldfare: 31 (one party 30)
also: Mistle Thrush: 1, Chaffinch: 41, Blackbird: 5, Goldfinch: 1, Greenfinch: 2, Grey Wagtail: 1, Jay: 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1, Black Headed Gull: 2, Cormorant: 1, Kestrel: 1....

A Black Cloud of Starling... but going the wrong way!!

0700hrs-0900hrs from Heap Clough...
Wind ENE 10 mph
Movement: All West unless specified (today also East played a part)

A bit better day with some Thrush movement (mainly Fieldfare). The highlight was a solid packed party of Starling (est: 500 could have been far more) but going East.

Fieldfare: 554 (19 parties, best parties: 40,50,60,50,40,40, also but included 30E)
Redwing: 62 (8 parties, best parties: 10,13,12)
Starling: 682 (11 parties, best parties 500+E, 25,60,30,15)
Blackbird: 8 (5,1,2,)
Chaffinch: 47
also: Pied Wagtail: 1, Cormorant: 2, Green Woodpecker: 1 (local).

Still some Thrushes going through Grane...

0700hrs-0900hrs from Heap Clough....

Starling: 223 (8 parties, best parties: 20,50,40,60)
Redwing: 107 (6 parties, best parties: 25,50)
Fieldfare: 205 (7 parties, best parties: 60,70)
Others: Redpoll:2, Kestrel: 1L, BHG: 8E, Blackbird: 3, Greenfinch: 11 (6,4), Grey Wagtail: 2, Pied Wagtail:2, Chaffinch: 35, Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1, Green Woodpecker:2, Woodpigeon: 29 (one party 25SW), Sparrowhawk:1 local, Kestrel: 2, Siskin: 3, Jackdaw: 20E....

Thrushes gone quiet after yesterday but Starlings still going for it..

0700hrs-0900hrs from Heap Clough.....
Movement: NW unless stated otherwise.
Wind: N 10mph and freshening..and very cold..
Spotty rain at first then OK..

Not a lot going on this morning. Starling still going through with one cracking party of 150 which where so close overhead I felt the draught as they went by......

Fieldfare: 195 (best parties 50,50,15) 18E
Redwing: 85 (best party 20) 35E
Starling: 320 (one party 150)
Chaffinch: 43
Others: Blackbird: 2, Mistle Thrush: 1, Greenfinch: 2, Redpoll: 2, Woodpigeon: 2, BHG: 6,

Photos: l: looking SE towards the windfarm on Ashworth Moor, and r: a mossy/liverwort species at Heap Clough - found yesterday - click over photo to enlarge).

Fieldfare dominated todays watch and also had Pink Feet..

0645hrs-1200hrs - Stoney Rake then Heap Clough....
Wind: N 5mph-10mph
Movement all West or North West unless stated otherwise..

Superb morning with Fieldfare dominating. Also Pink Feet making a appearance and all going NW-SE, one party of 90 seem to double back and then head West.. It soon became apparent that 95% of all thrushes where going through the valley of Deep Clough (a sort of funnelling down to 200ft wide corridor) so from 1000hrs I made my way down to Heap Clough & Deep Clough, so that I would have a better vantage point and then it wasnt necessary to use the bins as much, the birds by then where more or less going directly above me... and brilliant move it turned out to be wish I had done it a couple of hours earlier.....

Fieldfare: 5820 (Breakdown below) 77 parties, best parties: 200,150,200,160,200,200,240,280,300),
Redwing: 733,
Starling: 732,
Pink Footed Goose: 785 all SE (7 full skeins = 200 @7.55, 305 @ 8.20, 190 @8.40, 90 @ 8.50)
Cormorant: 3, Chaffinch: 42, Meadow Pipit: 15, Goldfinch: 11 (one party), Greenfinch: 1, Blackbird: 1, Green Woodpecker: 2 (local), Woodpigeon: 3, Snow Bunting: 1, Grey Wagtail: 1, BHG: 3, Pied Wagtail: 1, Brambling: 1E, Stonechat: Several local at Heap Clough.. Jay: 1 local.

Fieldfare (breakdown) 0645-0700hrs= 213, 0700-0730hrs=234, 0730-0800hrs=730, 0800-0830hrs=720, 0830-0900hrs=1070, 0900-0930hrs=885, 0930-1000hrs= 600, 1000-1030hrs=128, 1030-1100hrs=170, 1100-1130hrs=540, 1130-1200hrs=590

(photos: l) Skein of 49 Pink Footed Geese coming from NW and heading SE which I had this morning going over Stoney Rake. r) photo showing Deep Clough to the right hand side and thats where the main Thrush movement took place - going through Deep Clough coming in from the SE and heading over Haslingden/Oswaldtwistle Moor to a NW direction ... click on photos to enlarge..