• Sightings - 29 March

    A brilliant Spring day at Dove Stone saw siskin, nuthatch, wren, goldfinch, coal tit, great tit, blue tit, woodpigeon, chaffinch, pheasant and mallard at Binn Green.

    Down at Ashway Gap there were good prolonged views of one of the peregrine together with a kestrel, meadow pipit and grey wagtail.

  • Sightings - Thursday 28th March 2019..

    A gloriously sunny day started frosty and crisp but soon warmed up in the blazing sun.

    At the feeders in Binn Green still the usual suspects were still  visiting despite the weather: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Siskin, Robin, Goldfinch, Blackbird and Pheasants a plenty!

    Elsewhere, we had the first sighting of Ring Ouzels for the year, when 2 Males appeared near Ashway Gap.

    Other species seen included Sparrowhawk…

  • Sightings - 22 March

    A busy day at the Binn Green feeding station saw a remaining brambling, several siskin, nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, goldfinch, chaffinch, robin, dunnock, coal tit, blue tit and great tit.

    Sadly no peregrine at Ashway Gap today,although a pair were spotted yesterday, but we had a long tailed tit, stonechat, wren, pied wagtail and grey wagtail.

  • Sightings - 15 March

    A very blustery day at Dove Sone blew in 4 crossbills at Binn Green, whilst at the feeding station we had nuthatch, siskin, goldfinch, robin, blackbird, chaffinch, blue tit, coal tit, great tit and pheasant.

    Down at Ashway Gap a peregrine was evident along with a pair of mistle thrush, female kestrel and a dipper.

  • Sightings - 8 March

    A very successful Mountain hare walk gave us views of 11 hares up Chew Valley. other sightings included 2 oystercatchers and a lesser black back gull near the sailing club along with mallard, black headed gull, carrion crow, jackdaw, wood pigeon, mallard and canada geese.

    On the way up to Chew reservoir we were treated to exceptional displays from the pair of peregrine and also saw dippers, stonechat, mistle thrush, red…

  • Sightings - 1 March

    Today's visitors to Binn Green included nuthatch, robin, chaffinch, greenfinch, coal tit, blue tit, robin, mistle thrush, blackbird, pheasant, good numbers of goldfinch and a surprise visit of a pair of mallard.

    At Ashway Gap there was an altercation between a peregrine and raven on the ridge and long views of the peregrine afterwards. Dunnock in Pennyworth Wood.

  • Sightings - 15 February

    An early spring day gave us fewer than normal visitors at Binn Green but including robin, blackbird, treecreeper, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, siskin, nuthatch, great tit, coal tit, blue tit, pheasant and kestrel.

    Down at Ashway Gap there were good views of a peregrine once the haze had cleared and further long views of a kestrel hunting.

  • Sightings - 8 February

    A wild winter day saw a good variety of visitors at the feeding station at Binn Green including, blackbird, robin, coal tit, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, brambling, siskin, nuthatch, treecreeper and pheasant.

    Down at Ashway Gap were mallard, crow, raven, song thrush, mistle thrush, kestrel and 2 peregrines were evident on the cliff face for quite some time.

  • Endangered Trees find a home at Dove Stone

    An endangered, native UK tree, the Black Poplar, has found a new home at Dove Stone. Seven specimens of the native subspecies "Betulifolia" have been planted, sourced from the Chester Zoo Horticulture and Botany department.

    Most trees of this species in the wild are single individuals on boundaries and are old and fragile, meaning they haven't been regenerating naturally. Since 2002, Chester Zoo has become involved…

  • Text to Donate scheme to help us restore the moor at Dove Stone

    Summer may seem a long way off but for many people here the memory of last year’s devastating moorland fires in Saddleworth is still very fresh.

    At Dove Stone, some of the affected area was on moorland managed by us in partnership with United Utilities who own the land. After the fires, we had a lot of offers of support from you, people who hold this area close to their hearts and wanted to do something to help.…

  • Sightings - 1 February

    A cold icy day at Dove Stone kept numbers of birds down but once the feeders were topped up at Binn Green large numbers of coal tits and blue tits were seen. Other visitors included great tit, blackbird, robin, goldfinch, chaffinch, siskin and jay.

  • Sightings - 4 January

    Large numbers of chaffinch, goldfinch and coal tit were present at the feeding station at Binn Green today. Other visitors included nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, siskin, brambling, blackbird, robin, blue tit, great tit, mistle thrush and jay. Reports also of a dipper at Ashway Gap.

  • Sightings - 30 November

    Another busy day at Binn Green once the feeders were topped up. Visitors included coal tit, chaffinch, goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, brambling, mistle thrush, siskin, wood pigeon, pheasant, robin and jay.

  • Sightings - 23 November

    The feeding station at Binn Green was very well used today with good numbers of brambling, goldfinch, chaffinch and coal tit. Other visitors included nuthatch, treecreeper, greenfinch, a pair of mistle thrush, blackbird, siskin, blue tit, great tit, wood pigeon, pheasant and a nearby kestrel.

  • Sightings - 2 November

    Another lovely autumn day at Binn Green feeding area attracted coal tit, blue tit, great tit, nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, wood pigeon, pheasant and a couple of grey rats. 

    Down at Ashway Gap we saw black headed gull, kestrel, a pair of raven and a peregrine.

  • Sightings - 19 October

    Autumn days don't come much better than today and we were rewarded with lots of interest at Binn Green  including nuthatch, treecreeper, jay, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, brambling, siskin, redwing, fieldfare, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, great spotted woodpecker. Down at Ashway Gap we had really good views a peregrine, raven, 3 kestrels, 2 buzzard and grey wagtail.

  • Sightings - 12 October

    A really wet and wild day at Dove Stone kept visitor numbers down but the feeders at Binn Green proved popular with a Great Spotted Woodpecker, nuthatch, a large flock of chaffinch, great tit, coal tit, blue tit and robin.

  • Sightings - 5 October

    The feeders are now stocked up at Binn Green and were visited by nuthatch, chaffinch, coal tit, blue tit, great tit and goldfinch. Down at Ashway Gap we had peregrine, raven, kestrel, tree creeper and a pair of mistle thrush.

  • Sightings - 14 September

    Today's sightings at a cool and wet Dove Stone included a kestrel hunting at Ashway Gap, together with stonechat, meadow pipit, blackcap, robin, blackbird, blue tit, great tit and a pair of grey wagtail.

  • Sightings - 7 September

    A kestrel hunting near Ashway Gap this afternoon was a bright spot in a fairly wet and cool day. There was more activity at Binn Green with a vigorous defence of the bird table by a nuthatch against all comers. They included great tits, coal tits and blue tits with a dunnock, blackbird, chaffinch and wood pigeon  picking up the scraps.

    There were fleeting glimpses of swallows on the road up to Saddleworth Moor.

  • Sightings - 31 August

    A glorious late summer's day saw Dove Stone attract a lot of visitors. At Ashway Gap we were rewarded with very good views of a peregrine and up to 3 kestrels hunting on the bank. one of the kestrels had a damaged wing but it still performed admirably. The sightings were particularly good for a number of young visitors who had not seen them before.

  • Sightings - 10 August

    A very changeable day was rewarded with prolonged views of 4 kestrel hunting near Ashway Gap.

    Other sightings included peregrine, raven, redpoll, goldfinch, swallow, chaffinch, wren, blackbird, robin, great tit, coal tit, blue tit, wood pigeon, jackdaw, black headed gull and canada geese.

    There were also reports of 4 short eared owl hunting up on Saddleworth Moor.

  • Sightings - 20 July

    A mixed day of weather today starting hot and sunny and culminating in the strange but welcome arrival of rain.

    Today's visitors included a peregrine, pair of kestrel, oystercatcher, large flock of lapwing, swallow, house martin, goldfinch, jay, jackdaw, wren, coal tit, blue tit, chaffinch, robin, blackbird, mallard, black headed gull and pheasant.

  • Sightings - 13 July

    Today’s visitors included wren, goldfinch, grey wagtail, swallow, grey wagtail, jackdaw, meadow pipit, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, mallard, wood pigeon, blue tit and chaffinch.

  • Sightings - 6 July

    Another hot dry day at Dove Stone gave prolonged views of the peregrine at Ashway Gap. It was very inactive until mid afternoon when we were treated to an exciting aerial display with numerous take offs and landings.

    Other visitors comprised swallow, meadow pipit, kestrel, robin, chaffinch, Canada geese, wren, wood pigeon, curlew, goldfinch and pheasant.