“I was actually in Cowley Brook woodland that is on the fell road below Geoffrey Hill. As I entered through the small pedestrian gate I could hear and then see a small flock of common crossbills high up the Scots pine” Grimsargh Wildlife Forum. 21 February at 15.22.
Having read that this morning and not having seen a Crosshill for years I was parked up by the plantation after lunch. I entered through the same small gate and wandered into the pines. I could hear what I thought were Crossbills somewhere in the depths…
♫ Red Crossbill – song / call / voice / sound. (british-birdsongs.uk)
…but I could not see them. I wandered up and down the plantation just above the brook, stopped and listened, scanned with my binoculars – but not a sighting. I completed a loop around the plantation, still hearing them in places, I concluded that I’m not very good at bird spotting, swallowed my pride and disappointedly headed back.
As I was walking around I was disappointed to see that it has been necessary for United Utilities to display on several trees notices reminding dog owners to remove their dog’s mess. That is despite large notices at the entrance gate advising on sensible conduct. It struck me that if they, the dog owners, don’t heed this then the additional signs will have little effect. What a shame that this little wild life area is suffering from urban park mentality and that the ‘wildness’ is being polluted, in my opinion, by additional signage.
Back at the gate I had my third disappointment- a great pile of rubbish, overwhelmingly dog poo bags. Perhaps these had been collected by someone, but why not bag them and remove them from the site. On the gate are some bin liners for people to deposit their poo bags (Why not take them home in the first place?) and maybe one of these had burst or been damaged by animals – there are deer, foxes and crows about. Whatever, it is a right mess for someone to clear up – presumably United Utilities. I don’t know how frequently the warden visits. All very unsatisfactory.
I may return tomorrow on my quest to spot a Crossbill, but by then they could be anywhere in the forests on Longridge Fell.
I hope you get to see the Crossbills. I have seen some only once before and that was this time of year too. Aitken Wood near Barley. Beautiful birds.
Been back up today. What a beautiful one by the way. I saw a flock flying at a distance through the pines but lost them after that.
I’ve only ever seen them in Scotland.
Frustrating. And baffling.
Yes the mess is still there today – see my other comments.
I agree. I see dog poo bags on the ground, tied to tree branches etc. everywhere. It’s an eyesore and yet another threat to the environment. I also see so many posts on social media where dog owners always claim it isn’t them. It’s really disappointing that so many dog owners assume that someone else will come along to take their dog’s poo away.
The mess is still there today. I will email United Utilities to try and resolve the problem and for them to maybe provide a suitable ‘bin’ for poo bags.
But why they don’t take them home in the first place.
I’ve stopped apologising for responsible dog owners – there must be an army of irresponsible ones.
Better luck next time. I share your frustration over huge, garish signage, spoiling the environment and all to state something that should be obvious.
No close sightings today.
The rubbish is still there and no doubt accumulating..