This area was once the home to a quarry belonging to the Haslingden Plastic Brick Company. Also the sides or run off to the Slate was a water catchment area for a local brewery(Baxters) whom where situated close to Spring Lane. Nowadays it is the home to the Panopticon (Halo) and the adjacent shrub woodland area walks.
Thursday 17 July 2008
Common Spotted Orchid
Most of the birdlife is quiet with very few calling birds at present, just the odd sporadic part song of a Warbler . The continual rain is certainly not helping in regards to insects. There is a nice cluster of Common Spotted Orchid and the remnant of some Ragged Robin.
Top O'th Slate is a reclaimed quarry and brickworks and in more recent years it was a Rossendale Borough Council Tip area. Today it sites the Panopticon (Halo) and a delightful nature walk amongst its shrub habitat. There are several breeding birds some of which have included the Grasshopper Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler. Including many of the more common species like the Chaffinch, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock and Tit species.
Eleven species of Butterfly have been recorded which includes the Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, Small Copper, Small Heath, Small & Large Skippers and in 2007 the first record here of the Gatekeeper was a most welcome addition. We also have the more common species like the Peacock, Red Admiral and Small Tortoishell.
Top O'th' Slate is also very rich in flora, which include the very rare Greater Periwinkle, Ragged Robin, Meadow & BloodyCranesbill, Common Spotted Orchid, and lots lots more. Most are being recorded, though some are still awaiting identification from the many photos I have taken. We have also lost a few species on account of the recent reclamation work.
I do have some earlier topography photos of the area which at present have still not been indexed, but they do show some of the area before and after, and also the areas where the Quarry Caves are (now covered over), to view the photos, please click here...
Vismig = visible migration of birds, and from late August to about the middle of October, I do counts of moving birds which are going overhead on a North - South passage, and sometimes we also get the East - West passage with lots of large Chaffinch or Brambling parties. We get lots of varied species here, which include Pink Footed Goose, Goosander, Snow Bunting and even the rare Lapland Bunting, Crossbill, Siskin, Fieldfare, Redwing, Skylark and many, many more, but in particular it is superb for the upland moorland birds, especially Meadow Pipits, and we can count thousands of this particular species on some mornings.
All recent photographs on this site have been taken within the confines of the Top O'th' Slate area. The majority are by yours truly Bryan Yorke on my Fuji Finepix A204, up until the end of December 2008, but since January 2009, I have used a bridge camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28, and I would also like to thank Arlene Harris, Charles Payne, and Douglas Newton for their kind photo contributions. Thanks also to Douglas Newton and Mike Valentine for help with identifications...
Total Breeding Bird species (17)
Willow Warbler (3 to 4 pairs), Linnet (1 pair), Grasshopper Warbler (1980s,1990s nowadays not present), Whitethroat (2 pairs), Blackcap (1 pair), Meadow Pipit (1 pair), Blackbird (probably 4 pairs), Swallows (1 pair with 2 broods) on Higher Lane, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Common Partridge (up until approx 2006), possibly Common Pheasant, Lapwing (2007 only).
Visiting and Fly Pass Birds species (16) and in preparation:Mallard, Common Buzzard, Common Snipe, Curlew, Jay, Pink Footed Goose, Green Sandpiper, Red Kite, Whimbrel, Reed Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting, Stonechat, Yellowhammer, House Martin, Swift
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