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It's been a while since I last blogged, with news of Common Redstart at Dove Stone, being the last update to the Dove Stone reserve 2013 Bird List . Saturday saw my first sighting of Swfits at Dove Stone for this year with one flying over Dove Stone reservoir, and on Sunday there were several flying...

Latest sightings from Dove Stone. On Saturday there was a Common Tern flying over Yeoman Hey ( one of the ide features for Common Tern is a black tip on the bill; though not particularly distinct in this photo ) from the direction of Greenfield Brook towards Dove Stone reservoir. Great to see, it will...

A quick update on recent sightings at Dove Stone. Yesterday we had Grey Wagtail and juvenile Common Sandpiper seen alongside Yeoman Hey reservoir. There were also 5 Curlew flying over Yeoman Hey which was good. Over at Chew Brook there were also more sightings of Grey Wagtail and House Martin as well...

A quick update with a few highlights from today. Reed Bunting , two Kestrels including a female juvenile, a first summer Stonechat, Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler as well as Mistle Thrush , Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Wren, Coal, Blue & Great Tit . Aside from the birds we have sightings of Mountain...

A quick update for this week. Starting from the main carpark still plenty of House Martins and Swallows around - particularly flying along the reservoir bank. Regulars such as Greenfinch , Goldfinch and Pied Wagtail can be seen around the feeders at the main carpark. Willow Warblers still to be heard...

Recent sightings from Dove Stone this week include three Crossbills up at Binn Green this morning as well as a Spotted Flycatcher seen up at Binn Green yesterday. Regular sightings around the Binn Green feeders of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Jays, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Treecreeper and...

The first Cuckoo of the year returning to Dove Stone, probably from sub-Saharan overwintering grounds, was heard on May 4th. This will be the male giving the 'cuckoo' call. Since then we've heard regular calling from around the plantations behind Bradbury's Farm; yesterday was our first...

We've just had one of our woodland art walks ( courtesy of the good folk at the local Woodend Artists collective ) where we follow a trail through Dove Stone's woods, collecting a small number of leaves from a number of trees such as Sycamore, Alder, Birch, Rowan & Oak ( as an aside, apparently...

Great to hear the first Cuckoo of the year from Dove Stone this morning. And amazing to think of this bird's journey from its overwintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. Cuckoos are a red listed bird in rapid decline. Take a look at this link for info on just how much this species has declined:...

What's about this week at Dove Stone so far: at the moment we're liking the activity up at Binn Green. This morning lots of Siskins with Lesser Redpolls , Brambling as well as regulars Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Coal, Blue, Long tailed and Great Tit and Black Pheasants. Jays are also around regularly...

A quick update with news that Common Sandpipers were heard at Dove Stone on Sunday - quite often they'll give a three-note call as they fly. They've also been seen earlier this week, with the most recent sightings being on Friday around Yeoman Hey and Greenfield reservoirs. Common Sandpipers...

Seen yesterday at the feeding station next to the main car were Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Great tit, Nuthatch and Lesser redpoll. Elsewhere around Dove Stone there have been recent sightings of Oystercatcher, Common sandpiper, Reed bunting, Buzzard, Swallow, Meadow pippit, Grey wagtail and Mistle thrush...

Sunday afternoon gave us spectacular views of Dove Stone's Peregrines. At the moment it appears that the young birds aren't hunting for themselves. We were able to watch the two adult birds flying with two of the young birds in pursuit of the prey that they held in their talons. Each time one...

The run of good weather we've been having came to an end this morning with low cloud, rain and poor visibility at Dove Stone this morning. On the plus side, rain is what we need at the moment as the reservoir levels at Dove Stone are very low at the moment. We've had a busy weekend on the...

Sometime between yesterday early evening and this morning our second young Peregrine has fledged. We've seen him or her ( most likely him ) sitting with the young bird that fledged earlier this week. So, two down, two to go. The remaining two Peregrines can still be seen quite clearly on the nest...

It's incredible how fast the chicks are developing. Two weeks ago they were all white down ; now most of the four chicks have more feathers then down. I say most, because two of the chicks seemed to have developed a little more quickly than the other two. Will they be the first to fledge ? Talking...

Another few good days on the Peregrine watch. This photo of one of the chicks was taken during the ringing on Thursday. The chicks will be about two weeks old now so not long before they start to lose the white down as their juvenile feathers grow. Highlights this week have been watching the adult...