Sunday, April 27, 2008

Crow Hill, the one at Sowerby

Heard on the grapevine about a Dotterel on Soil Hill, so went up to Crow Hill, Sowerby, where they have been found in the past ( 7 together once). No Dotterel, but a good trawl :
7 Lapwing -2 pairs on nest sites despite a flock of hundreds of Jackdaws and crows.
A crow's nest in a 4 metre Elderberry tree with 2 warm eggs.
2 Skylarks
Meadow Pipits a plenty inc. one carrying nest material
Pheasant
Wheaters at two sites
Curlew
The moorland summit of Crow Hill, (Sowerby) now completely grazed off by cattle. A little grazing = good for biodiversity. Overgrazing = long-term damage.
Why can't something be done about this damage in what's supposed to be the South Pennines Special Protection Area?
The wet meadow below Pitts farm looks good for snipe
but the farmer looks like getting round to draining it soon.
A pair of Twite on a manure heap at SE024231 went east at approx. 18.00

2 comments:

Steve Blacksmith said...

Looks like I'm trying to upstage Brian's Dotterel: not meant like that. Well done Brian, and all the other Soil Hillers for all the excellent bird reports.

Gan Ainm said...

The top of Crow Hill has been churned up over the wet winter months by highland cattle. It is a real mess and it is in a markedly poorer state than this time last year. There seem to be lower numbers of lapwing and curlew on the top of the hill than last year.

I have seen snipe in the area.