Emptying of Holden Wood Reservoir..

Found these old photos whilst clearing out, and they show Holden Wood Reservoir being emptied and also them clearing the waters of the fish. It must have been at least 20 years ago when they emptied the Holden Wood Reservoir, it could well have been even longer. It was emptied so they could do repairs to the valves and also the outlet storm drains and the embankment walls. The fishing rights at that time where owned by the A.E.I. Factory Fishing Club in Manchester and their local bailiff was Mr. Barnes who lived in the last house on Park Lane View (opp Camms). The North West Water Bailiffs came along to net the water and get all the fish out before the necessary work begun, the netted the area which then brought the fish more accessible to be transferred to large bins. At the outlet corner though sadly, by accident a lot of quite sizeable fish went through the pumps and came out all minced up!! it was a tragedy as we remember at the time. There was a good assortment of fish as I remember eg: Pike, Carp, Trout, Chub, Roach, Rudd & Perch. This is the only time I can remember this reservoir ever being empty in more recent times...

On Wednesday last, Jack, Charlie and I had a little walk around Troy Quarry and had the following species: Butterflies: Meadow Brown (2) Small Skipper (2
Flora: Eyebright, Self Heal, Ragwort, Thyme Leaved Speedwell, Heath Bedstraw, Flowering Water Lillies etc...
Birds: Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Green Woodpecker (2)....
Other Insects: Lots of Cinnabar Caterpillers on Ragwort.. (Please click over photos to enlarge)

Additions of Moth, Flora & Fungi Species to the Grane List.

I have only just come across some very old records for Haslingden Grane which I was probably given in the 1970s but sadly the Flora & Fungi contributor remains anonymous because I just cannot remember who submitted them, and the Alden Moth list was recorded by Bernard Dunn in the 1970s (thank you Bernard)...I will shortly integrate them to within the Grane List....

Fungi species (Contributor anonymous):
Clavulinopsis heludola, Paxillus involutus Brown Moll-reiss), Hygrocybe conica (Conical Waxcap), Hygrocybe coccinea (Scarlet-Hood), Hygrocybe psittacine (Parrot Waxcap), Collybia maculata (Spotted Tough-shank), , Laccaria laccata (Deceiver), Boletus grevillei (Larch Bolete), Auricularia mesenterica (Tripe Fungus), Panellus mitis, Panellus semiovatus, Calocera palli dospathulata, Ascoconyne sareoides, Ganoderma adspessum, Oudemansiella radicata (Rooting Shank), Amanita unginata (Grissette), Russula ochroleuca (Common Yellow Russula), Russula mairei (Beechwood sickener).

Flora species (Contributor anonymous):
Angelica (Angelica sylvestris), Hogweed (Heroicleum sphoridylium), Stitchwort (Stellaria), Marsh Stitchwort (Stellaria Palustris), Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), Hawkweed (Hieracium), Marsh Violet (Viola palustris) Lady's Mantle (Alchemilia vulgaris), Common Valerian (Valeriana officissatris), Herb Robert (Geranium robertiancum), Golden Saxifrage (Chrysoplessiein), Water Pepper (Polygorium hydropiper) Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Honeysuckle (Loricera periclymenium), Golden Rod (Solidago virgaurea), Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), Sheep's Sorrel (Russex autosella), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Bilberry Vaccinium (myrtillis) Tormentil (Potesstilla erecta), Heath Bedstraw (Galium Saxatile), Autumn Hawkbit (Leontodon autumnalis), Rosebay Willowberb (Epilobium assgust.folium) Wall Lettuce (Mycelis muralis) Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) Upland Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus) Wild Cherry (Prussus avium) Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyssa), Hawthorn (Crataegus Laevigata), Rowan (Sorbus ancuparia)

Reeds, Grasses or Ferns (Contributor anonymous)
Woodrush (Luzula sp), Soft Rush (Juncus effusus), Toad Rush (Juncus bufossius), Remote Sedge (Carese remota), Oval Sedge (Carese ovalis), Hard Fern (Blechnum spirant)

Moths recorded in Alden by Bernard Dunn during the 1970's
Short Cloaked Moth, Swallowtail, Suphur, Beautiful Golden Y., Silver Y, Hebrew Character, Dark Arches, Swallow Prominent, Yellow Underwing, Northern Spinach, Wood Tiger, Garden Tiger, Poplar Hawkmoth, Deaths Head Hawkmoth, Ghost Swift, Carpet, Pale Brindled Beauty, Angle Shades, Mottled Umber, Snout, Nutmeg, Burnished Brass, Mapwing Swift, Grey Chey, Clouded Drab, Elephant Hawkmoth (1971).

Calf Hey - Mike Valentine's photos

Today Mike was at Calf Hey and sent in these great photos: Nettle Cluster Cup Fungi (top left) and Common Nettle (far right),

Compact Rush (immediately above), Heath Bedstraw (above right) and finally to Large Red Damselfly (right)

CLICK HERE to see all Mike's photos.......

Troy and Calf Hey

Birds on Calf Hey: Goldcrest, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail (Drains side), Canada Geese (6), Mallard with chicks, Greenfinch, (Hartley House Planting), Chaffinch...

Butterflies & Moths on Calf Hey: Painted Lady (1), Small Heath (1), Several Green Veined Whites.. also there was a very large hatch with moths everywhere of the very small day flying moth (see photo below) which is a Nettle-Tap Moth (Anthophila fabriciana) (Thanks to Ina for identification).

Insects on Calf Hey: Lots of Turquoise coloured Weevils (Phyllobius pomaceus) feeding on Nettle (see photo below left). Lots of Red and Black Frog hoppers (Cercopis vulnerata) (see photo top left).

Fungi: (see photo above right) is called the "Nettle Cluster Cup Rust Fungus" (Puccinia urticata) looks like a caterpiller from a distance which grows to the stems of Nettles and has a sort of yellow powdery residue. (Thanks to Mike Valentine for identification)


(Click over photos to enlarge)

also see more photos added within Charlie Payne's Grane collection....

Calf Hey Res and Troy Quarry...

At the Calf Hey car park there where a pair of Blackcap singing, there were 4 Oystercatchers at the top end of the Res.
Insects at Calf Hey: Lots of Large White Butterflies, a couple of Painted Ladies Butterflies heading West (the first one appeared at 0745hrs - very early in the day). Also Male Orange Tip Butterfly, one Speckled Wood on dam wall. Alderfly (Sialis Lutaria).

Flora at Troy: Thyme Leaved Speedwell, Lesser Trefoil, Common Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil (see photo below).


Flora at Calf Hey: Herb Robert, Saxifrage (unknown- see photo below left), Garlic Mustard,also Greater Stitchwort (see photo below right) Welsh Poppy (bird hide).

Holden Wood Reservoir and Camms

Today me and Charlie Payne had a walk along Holden Wood Reservoir and Camms...

At the top end of Holden Wood Reservoir there were two pairs of Sedge Warblers, singing away.. also we noticed in the bay and 3/4 way around a couple of pairs of Reed Buntings. Also 6 Lapwings in the neighbouring fields, a couple of Meadow Pipits, 4 Swallows, a female Mallard with 4 young, a single Canada Goose.....also there was a Blackcap calling on the Dam Wall side where there is large decideous trees close to the car park.. Also a Blackcap calling, and a Grey Wagtail seen at Camms.

Flowers: There was plenty of Cuckoo Flower and Marsh Marigold showing at Holden Wood Res and Red Campion now showing at Camms Butterflies: Orange Tip and one Small Tortoishell Butterfly at Holden Wood and numerous Large Whites and one Peacock at Camms...

Golden Plover on Haslingden Moor

Checked out Haslingden and Oswaldtwistle Moor. Had a party of 10 Golden Plover (see photo left) and also found a Golden Plover feather (photo right) at one of their roosting spots. Also had a pair of Red Grouse. A Curlew singing and several pairs of Skylark and Meadow Pipit.
Behind Grane Information Centre there are lots of tadpoles which are now about 1" in length. And also at the same boggy area there is some Round-Leaved Crowfoot (Ranunculus omiophyllus) now in flower...

Common Sandpiper back at Grane.....

Common Sandpiper have returned to Calf Hey Reservoir today and could be heard calling from within the reservoir margins. There was also a single female Goosander on the reservoir. I counted at least 3 pairs of returning Willow Warblers at their usual haunts, (1 pr near Hartley House, 1 pr near Lower Ormerods, 1 pr at Grane Head. A Green Woodpecker was heard yaffling from around the Calf Hey House area.

There was clusters of Wood-Sorrel in the Grane Head area amongst the carpeted Opposite-Leaved Golden Saxifrage.

Willow Warblers are back on Territory at Clough Head

I was at Grane Info Centre yesterday (Sunday)and there were at least 3 pairs of Willow Warblers singing and I think they may have been back on their breeding territory, also there was a Peacock flying past the Clough Head Information Centre. Also yesterday, Mike Valentine was near to High Ormerods on Calf Hey and manage to get these 3 fabulous photos of "Cladonias - Lichen species....... plus whilst going around Calf Hey also managed to get these fungi, flora and moss photos below. (Click over photos to enlarge)



Click Here to see Mikes other photos of Grane's wildlife

On the left is a photo of a European Larch Flower (Latrix decidua), above is a moss called Ulota crispa, and above right are Polytrichum piliferum caps. And left is a fungi called Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semio vatus)

High Frogspawn yield at Calf Hey Reservoir..

Had a walk around parts of Calf Hey including Lower and Higher Ormerods, some really good lichen finds around the Ormerods (shown to the right) 1: Cladonia type and also the one below which I have not yet identified. Then went up to Long House and back to Top O'th Knoll and back around Calf Hey Reservoir track... we had several Meadow Pipit individuals heading straight through (though several back on territory within the Northampton area of Musbury Heights). On the reservoir there was 10 Goosander (9f & 1m) a pair of Goldeneye. A Green Woodpecker was yaffling and also there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Car Park.. In the storm drains on Musbury Heights side there was an enormous amount of frogspawn (it measured approx 15feet x 5feet and probably 3-4" deep) a truly fantastic yield...(Click over photos to enlarge)..

Climb to summit of Tor Hill....

Probably the main species to add colour to any degree was that common Moss again Polytrichum piliferum, both male and female (as shown in photos). There was a party of about 8 Meadow Pipits, and it was unclear to make out whether they where actually passing through or birds back on territory. An odd Pied Wagtail and a Green Woodpecker "yaffling" from over Musbury...I found some recent feathers on the summit of Tor and on getting them home and checking they had come from a Woodcock... (see photo) (Click over any photo to enlarge)....

Old Railway Track, Holden Vale Flash & Camms...

A walk along the old railway track from Grane Road straightaway produced this early cowslip (Primula veris).

A slight deviation to the Holden Vale Flash which has plenty of Bullrush (Typha latifolia) in the margins. In the outlet there was one or two frogs and also this pair of Toads which where copulating.


Just a little higher up than where the Swinnel meets the Ogden, there where lots of Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium) and also several clusters of Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

We checked out the old Camms Mill site where there is still much evidence of stone and brick ruins especially on the boundaries, and examples where found of two separate old brick manufacturing firms, The Metallic Brick Co of Accrington and the Lancashire Brick Company of Baxenden, firms long gone. Around this part a Kingfisher was heard to fly upstream.

On one of the more mature decidous trees we found this lichen (see photo). And below is a very old photo of Camms Mill which was demolished around 1910.