The garden of the reservoir house alive with passerines; Tit species, Greenfinches (c.10), Mistle Thrush, Reed Buntings 4, Robin, Starling singing, Male Chaffinches.
Many Canada Geese but no Greylags till we were climbing the valley side when six came flying fast past us, up to the gap in the horizon and over into Lancashire. Later two Greylags chasing around below us in flight. Looked like a male and female.
On the escarpment a Buzzard and its food source - rabbits running for the rocks. Then a sound like a Golden Plover but with a warble to it several times. Later the familiar Golden Plover sound - the single whistle. On looking up the sound on www.xeno-canto.org it turns out to be the song of the Golden Plover, which I've not heard so well before, if ever.
Two Curlews silently overhead and of course many Red Grouse. Bizarrely, what appears to be part of a grouse wing hanging from a wire near the car park.
Frogspawn - my first! - in a rut in the path by the reservoir, but no toads yet where they breed in the collection channel. Toads have been moving at lower levels and the Toad Patrols have been out one night so far (Saturday 10th March) in Todmorden and Sowerby.
Ice breaking up on Widdop Reservoir
No bird photos today but got this obliging Treecreeper by the river near Luddendenfoot park last weekend.
3 comments:
Beautiful area up there Dave.
Some frogspawn on the dry grass in a Bradshaw field - looked like there had been a puddle there earlier.
Like the Treecreeper shots - they don't stay still for long.
John
Interesting report Steve. Did you get any more Treecreeper shots showing the head pattern ?
Oops - sorry for the mix up Steve.
John
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