Venue: Tocholes. Stepback Wood. Higher Wenshead Farm. Earnsdale Resr. Rydal Fold Farm.
Date: Mon 29th May 2017
Weather: Very overcast some rain
Park: West Pennine Moors car park
Leader Graham Thomas/John Wilson
Party No: 13
A party of 12 met in Tocholes at The West Pennine Moors car park at 19.00pm and before set off up a track towards Step back Wood. It was getting windy and very overcast. A lovely Barn Owl was seen quartering the land just to the east of the wood. We had seen this bird here before in previous years.
We heard a Blackcap high in the wood and when trying to locate it I saw 2 young Tawny Owls sat on a branch then another about 10 feet away to the left. These were lovely to see and not a common sight.
At the junction it was decided that because it was getting dark prematurely and it would be windy the higher we climbed, we would return via the track to the left to pass Higher Wenshead Farm. We obtained another member at this point. We followed this track to overlook fields running down to a valley. Further down we descended a steep path to a lower track to cross the head of Earnsdale Reservoir. The water was very low but we managed to see a pair of Ringed Plover and a pair of Common Sandpiper.
It was going dark prematurely so at top of a path we turned left through 2 fields then left through Rydal Fold Farm then back to the cars.
The evening was good even though it never got fully light making viewing difficult.
Date: Mon 29th May 2017
Weather: Very overcast some rain
Park: West Pennine Moors car park
Leader Graham Thomas/John Wilson
Party No: 13
A party of 12 met in Tocholes at The West Pennine Moors car park at 19.00pm and before set off up a track towards Step back Wood. It was getting windy and very overcast. A lovely Barn Owl was seen quartering the land just to the east of the wood. We had seen this bird here before in previous years.
We heard a Blackcap high in the wood and when trying to locate it I saw 2 young Tawny Owls sat on a branch then another about 10 feet away to the left. These were lovely to see and not a common sight.
At the junction it was decided that because it was getting dark prematurely and it would be windy the higher we climbed, we would return via the track to the left to pass Higher Wenshead Farm. We obtained another member at this point. We followed this track to overlook fields running down to a valley. Further down we descended a steep path to a lower track to cross the head of Earnsdale Reservoir. The water was very low but we managed to see a pair of Ringed Plover and a pair of Common Sandpiper.
It was going dark prematurely so at top of a path we turned left through 2 fields then left through Rydal Fold Farm then back to the cars.
The evening was good even though it never got fully light making viewing difficult.
| Canada Goose 3 Mallard Red Grouse Pheasent Com Buzzard h Kestrel Oystercatcher Lapwing Ringed Plover 2 ER Curlew Common Sandpiper 2 ER Redshank? ER Com Snipe 2 Black Headed Gull Lesser Black Back Gull Stock Dove 3 Wood Pigeon Barn Owl Tawny Owl 3 juvs Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw Jay Skylark h Swallow | Swift Blue Tit Great Tit Willow Warbler h Chiff Chaff h Whitethroat h Blackcap h Wren h Starling House Sparrow Blackbird Song Thrush Mistle Thrush h Robin Dunnock h Pied Wagtail Grey Wagtail Chaffinch Goldfinch Bullfinch m Linnet 2 Reed Bunting h Brown Hare Rabbit ER ER=Earnsdale Resr |