UKC

Classic Ring Ouzel behaviour - wait until bank holiday weekend then start nest building at Stanage Popular!

There's a restriction as of this morning from Black Hawk Bastion (E3 5c) to Moss Side (E3 6a). So essentially covering Black Hawk and Gargoyle buttresses. Signs are out.

Please pass on to any group leaders/instructors you know as this is of course a popular area for groups.

Thanks!

…and there’s already logs today from the ‘ology’ section of Manchester buttress. Hopefully they’re from yesterday and just logged today!

Glad to hear the Ring Ouzels are finally getting their act together!

People were observing the signs on the ground today, and a Ring Ouzel was shouting from the boulders below the crag (below the restricted area).

The same person has logged a helluva lot of routes in one day, at numerous crags, so I suspect they've been catching up on their logbook.

Weekend bump. Popular End ouzels still in situ.

Just a few other small restrictions to note -

Big Pebbles ( Stanage North)

Wrinkled Wall (VS 4c) ( Bamford Edge)

Calver Wall (VS 5a) ( Curbar Edge).

OUMC are tentatively planning on heading to Stanage this weekend.  Are there any restrictions up at High Neb / Crow Chin at the moment?  I'll steer them that way if it's all clear.

The aforementioned places are nowhere near High Neb  and Crow Chin is long way from Big Pebble. Black Hawk area is at the popular end, so everything in between should be fine, including the Plantation

Thanks - yes, I know where the areas are, I'm just checking that there are no other restrictions not yet mentioned on this thread!

Actually, at Youth (VD) slab I've put up a sign saying please climb quietly/no groups - as there's a nest nearby but probably not needing an actual restriction - so that spot would be one to avoid ideally. 

Ah - thanks, Kim.  I had been thinking of heading to to High Neb and then spreading out to Fate & Youth and Crow Chin.  Maybe that's a bad idea given that there's a fair few of us.  Might suggest elsewhere to the meets secs.  Burbage North, possibly..?

Burbage North pretty quiet ouzelwise - though you will find a similar sign at Farcical Arête (HS 4b). Thanks for thinking of options!

Not at all - it's only an issue for a few weeks of the year and the last thing I want to do is lead 30 odd excited undergrads through a nest!  Sounds like Burbage might be a safer bet.

Bloody Ring Ouzels! We're being far too precious about them, if they didn't like climbers, they wouldn't nest at Stanage!!!

Yes, fussy buggers, always on the grit. What have they ever done on limestone?

Presumably the level of erosion that we "sustain" at popular gritstone crags is somehow ideal for them, either for nest sites or for encouraging the right kind of food.

Someone once told me climbers wandering around the base of Stannage all the time detered predators. Weather this is true I couldn't comment!

Are there any nests at Burbage South? I saw a couple of RO around the quarry there and one was roosting on the ledge on that big scary arete there. Plenty of poop on that ledge suggested they weren't just passing.

There was an old sign there with nesting restrictions from 2021.

There is a nest at Burbage South (away from climbing buttresses so no signs), and possibly a second pair - I've not seen them up near the quarries much but it is a popular nesting spot, so interesting you've seen them up there, thanks. The old sign is actually for Kestrels, and I have just "refreshed" it as they are back again this year!

Brief update before the weekend (in case saves anyone a long walk...) - there is now a restriction at  Stanage North covering Concept of Kinky (E6 6b) to Valediction (HVS 5a). 

The restriction above at  Stanage Popular is still in place.

We climbed Crack and corner a few days ago (mid week), and were surprised that even in that short time, two groups of climbers came up to the crag and wandered around/sat within the signed off area. It struck me that there will be quite a few folk who are unaware the birds nest in the area below the crag, as oppose to on the crag. Maybe the signs could be a bit more explicit about not entering the signed area below the stated routes, rather than just not to climb those routes. Just a thought

As it happens I added some extra signs along those lines yesterday. Though in this case the birds are nesting on the crag, not the ground below. People passing through the signed area is generally OK (as long as not too constant, which can be an issue here!), but hanging round not so much. 

I was there last night and had of course completely forgotten about the restrictions but as we walked along Popular End we saw the plentiful signs immediately, so just walked around the 'perimeter' as marked out by the signs. Thanks for doing all the graft Kim!

Definitely kestrels at Shining Clough as well. Wasn't clear where they were nesting as they were going in and out of a few places but there's at least one active pair.