1988 January to March
January 2nd
As we went
along Longworth Road, David and I spotted three scraggly game
birds on the grass pavement. On closer inspection I discovered
they were Red-legged Partridges. David calls them French
Partridge. They had distinctive red legs and one was larger and
smarter then the others: I presume it was a cock.
January 25th
Tonight I
heard a Tawny Owl hooting in the dark round the house. I can’t
remember the last time I saw one. In the front garden the
Primrose leaves are starting to show through. A week ago I saw
one flowering in my friend’s garden at Adlington, which has a
lower altitude and is nearer to the coast, and so gets milder
weather).
A fortnight
ago I heard and the next morning saw the Egyptian Goose after a
long absence. A week later I discovered a possible explanation
for this. I saw the goose in the field by a road in Belmont. The
Goose was very close to me, three or four feet away, and about
six feet away were five domestic Geese. The Egyptian Goose has
more visual similarities with these geese then it does with the
Canada’s. It has a similar shape and size and I think it feels
quite at home with them. I don’t think any mating would be
successful, but it might manage to get itself a partner.
January 31st
At eight o’clock this morning I was in Southport with David. The
sky was overcast and the sea rough. On the fields just beyond
the beach we saw hundreds of Pink Footed Geese grazing on the
grass. I saw one black and white goose - I think it was a Brent
Goose: and there were three or four large brown geese with
orange bills, which I think were Greylags.
We were watching Black-backed Gulls scavenging on the beach and
Oystercatchers feeding on the shoreline. There was a flock of
small birds turning and swerving in the wind above the breakers
like a silver scarf blowing. I think they were Knot.
February 9th
At work
today it was very windy. From one of the back windows I saw a
Grey Squirrel running down a tree trunk. Its bushy tail looked
to have white fur underneath, and its head seemed to have a
reddish colour to it.
February 20th
A frosty day
with overcast sky. David and I walked round the Tip Field and
saw several Mallard on the reservoir. David noted the abundance
of Mole-hills which he informs me is a sign of a mild Winter. By
the cairn on Hill Sixty, I saw a Fox dropping, and near the
stream lower down was a large black Owl pellet.
February 25th
I took the
dogs round the Back Field today. The sun was shining until some
dark clouds came over. Again I found a Fox dropping by the side
of a sheep’s carcass.
February 27th
This morning
the sky was cloudy to the west, and blue with sunshine to the
east. At nine o’clock David and I set out for Angelzarke. Before
we left I saw a little Wren on the wood shed door, bobbing up
and down. It seemed as though it must bend at the knees and bob
its head down as though it were bowing.
On the moor
the grasses were long thin and wispy: golden-brown strands blown
by the wind. Whilst walking over the moor we saw five Grouse.
David says the males are the only ones with white tips to their
feathers. Cindy and Dusty disappeared with David in hot pursuit.
Cindy found a dead cock Grouse and crunched its wings.
I saw
fifteen Mallard on Angelzarke reservoir. The plantation near
Manor House has altered considerably since I last saw it four or
five years ago. Then the Pine trees were about a foot tall, now
they are about four feet. In the long grass I saw a slender
brown bird with a long tail, and it looked to have a dark chin.
I think it might have been a Meadow Pipit, but I am not sure as
I could definitely hear Skylarks singing.
On the bend
on the road home were some young Alders with long orangey brown
catkins. I also saw a Pussy Willow near the reservoir with
silvery grey buds. On the way back, along Rivington Road, I saw
a flock of Lapwings fly over the moor. I was surprised to see
them, as it is usually March before we see them on the Farm.
David thought he saw a Hare near Manor House but I never saw it.
February 28th
The wind is
very strong and blustery with blue sky and sunshine. David and I
went up Lead Miner’s Clough at Angelzarke with Dusty and Cindy.
Everywhere the bright golden flowers of the Gorse could be seen.
Then to my delight I saw the starry-gold flowers of the
Coltsfoot, scattered about the grass.
March 1st
The weather
is the same as on Sunday but even colder. The temperature can
not be much above freezing. At the top of the Lane Field I saw a
pair of Magpies, with their bright black and white feathers;
they showed up well. David says in another week or two they will
start building their nest.
David and I
went for a little walk round the Croft. Before we went we had a
look down the Lane Field. There I saw a flock of Starlings with
two Fieldfares. They had ginger breasts, grey heads, and
blue-black backs. Also a lot of Lapwings with shiny olive green
backs, little black eyes and curly head plumes. To my surprise
there were the long slender brown outstretched wings of five
Curlew when the flock was disturbed. In the front garden, little
green leaflets are bursting through on the Elder.
March 2nd
The sky is
grey and it is bitterly cold with thick ice where water has
sprung up in the fields. In the Lane Field I saw a very large
flock of Starlings with a few Lapwing, and on the reservoir
there was a pair of Mallard. I saw a flock of about 17 Thrushes
– which I think were Fieldfares. The clouds have rounded bottoms
and are close like a ripple mattress.
March 4th
Tonight at
quarter past seven there was an orange crescent as the moon
began to rise in the east. As we went outside we heard the hoo
hoo of an Owl, and I think there must be a pair because another
Owl was calling ‘kee-wick’. David says that was the male.
March 6th
All morning
it has been cold and misty with showers of rain. In the
afternoon David and I went a walk with Cindy and Dusty around
Jumbles reservoir. The sky was grey but the air was fresh. The
Hazels had small yellowy green catkins on, and I saw Snowdrops
in bud on the bank, along with the buds of purple, yellow and
white Crocuses. Lovely specks of colour on the drab bank.
In the wood
Dogs Mercury was flowering, and the tiny green flowers of the
opposite leaved Golden Saxifrage. There were some Celandines
with their flowers closed, probably because of the lack of
sunshine. I found a few Hard Fern and collected one frond. The
Holly trees were looking very healthy with thick glossy green
leaves.
There were
plenty of Mallard on the Reservoir and I saw one orange billed
Domestic Duck. Lots of Black Headed Seagulls were flying about
over the grey choppy waters and I saw a Moorhen and a couple of
male Tufted Ducks. It is a long time since I have seen any of
these ducks locally.
I also saw
in the distance what I had gone there looking for: two Greater
Crested Grebes. Their elegant almost royal shape gave them away
besides their ginger neck ruffs and brilliant white necks.
A fortnight ago at work, in one of the Elm’s behind the
house, I saw a Grey Squirrel. It had a white belly and ginger on
its head. There was a drey nearby, full of old Beech leaves but
it has since been blown down by high winds.
March 7th
A cloudy
day, but it has been mild. In a Hawthorn at the Tip I saw a male
Reed Bunting. It was brown like a Sparrow except for a black
head and white collar. Coming back along Rivington Road David
and I saw a large Owl. We think it must have been a Short-eared
Owl. Down near the river there were pale whitey green flowers on
the Butterbur.
March 12th
Misty grey
skies and rain with snow falling in the afternoon. In the wood
around the Holmes’s I saw a Dunnock, a Robin several Blue Tits
and on the wall a pair of Great Tits with jet black heads.
Later David
and I went round Wayoh Reservoir. We saw several Mallard, three
Canada Geese, a few Crows, and in the trees a Great Tit.
Steaming around like a royal liner were three Great Crested
Grebes. Two were courting; they bobbed their heads from side to
side, their necks went up and down, and then to my delight they
rose up on the water and seemed to walk along it for a few
seconds. Then they dived under the water, came up a few yards
away from each other and swam straight at each other.
Close to,
the Grebes seemed to have silvery grey backs, white cheeks, dark
brown tufts on their heads and ginger cheek patches. When the
Grebes bobbed their heads they faced each other and when they
rose up they were side by side. The sharp sword-like beaks
reminded me of a Kingfisher’s.
March 13th
I woke up to
pouring rain and grey skies. At tea time it started to snow. It
fell heavily on the pines and stuck on the roads between Egerton
and Belmont. This afternoon we saw the Egyptian Goose in the
Lane Field. It was close to, and you could see the ginger brown
wings on the back, the darker ginger brown collar and eye patch,
pale brown breast and beige neck and back. The legs were a
fleshy pink and so were the bill and feet. Altogether a very
handsome sight.
March 17th
A beautiful
morning with clear blue sky. It was mild, and at a quarter past
six a lovely pinky-golden ball of a sun rose. The Egyptian Goose
was honking in the Lane Field. All around I could hear the
lovely and continuous cries of Curlew on the reservoir, where I
saw three pairs of Canada Geese swimming. One Goose kept out
stretching its neck in a kind of courtship ritual.
On the pond
I saw a pair of Teal and a Coot. Then I saw three Redshanks –
the first I’ve seen this year. In Radcliffe’s field I saw three
stock doves feeding, and by the bend in the road two Woodpigeon
were sat on the wall. A delightful sight was two pair of Reed
Buntings chasing each other about the rushes. Lapwings kept
pecking for grubs in Radcliffe’s field, and I saw a large flock
of Curlew fly over the reservoir.
When I
arrived at work at a quarter past seven, I heard a Woodpecker.
In a bush a male Chaffinch was singing. Later I saw two Blue
Tits flying in and out of a nest box with building material, and
two Mistle Thrushes sat chirruping in an Elm. I also saw a pair
of Great Tits on the house wall of all places. They jumped
about: I never realised Great Tits could keep a grasp on a stone
wall.
March 21st
The first
day of Spring. A warm and fresh day. In the evening there were
large cotton white clouds in a blue sky. I counted 76 Canada
Geese in Radcliffe’s field with the Barnacle Goose. This Goose
has been with the Canada’s for at least five years. In the Lane
Field David and I saw a large flock of Curlew.
March 22nd
A very wet
and dismal day with continual showers of rain. In Radcliffe’s
field I saw three Black Headed Seagulls, one of which still had
its white head. There were a few Lapwings and Curlew in the
fields with Starlings, and I saw about half a dozen Canada
Geese. Last night there was a crescent of a new moon. I hope it
brings sunnier weather.
March 23rd
A blustery
wind has been blowing all day, though it did calm down in the
evening. On the pond I saw a pair of Moorhens and later on a
Coot. David and I went a walk round the wood trail at
Angelzarke. We heard a hawk cry, and then saw a large brown bird
with buff chest. It was a female Sparrow Hawk, with a piercing
cry.
March 24th
At ten
o’clock this morning there was a blustery wind, blue sky and
sunshine. By eleven it had clouded over. By half past two the
heavens opened and rain lashed down, while the wind roared
through the trees. In the afternoon it cleared up with sunshine
and blue sky; a very mixed up day.
March 25th
This morning
there was a blustery wind with blue sky and sunshine. The dogs
were barking and as I went round the back of the house I saw a
Heron fly away. In the evening David and I went up Rivington
Pike, but not for long as there was a car broken into and David
was feeling paranoid. Then we went a short walk up Lead Miner’s
Clough. There was some Coltsfoot fully opened despite heavy
showers of rain. A surprise was one solitary Dandelion
flowering.
28th
March
The most
beautiful day this year with clear blue sky all day and warm
radiant sunshine. In the house I saw two Horse Flies.
29th
March
The morning
was wet and foggy. By ten o’clock the sun was coming through the
clouds with blue sky. Skylarks were singing their hearts out. I
thought I saw a flock of Fieldfares up the back. Three were
playing a game of trying to jump on one another and then fly
away, chasing as they went. I think I saw a Pied Wagtail fly
over the house, the first I’ve seen this year.