Yes, Bill, it's wierd why they choose some roofs and not others. Judith's been trying to work this out for years - if I remember rightly she wrote a note which was published in British Birds some years ago. It's not simply a case of the warmest roof, or they would use Tesco's roof rather than their petrol station. And it doesn't seem to be the most sheltered site - I've seen them on both faces of a roof with an apex where one side is sheltered and the other isn't.

Steve

0915 whilst looking over the estate up rose the Goldens and Lapwings again..

30 plus Lapwings
50 plus Goldens ( down somewhat on yesterday, but as the morning went on yesterday more appeared)

Now looking at where they are up and down from looks to be in the region of European Glass, Southmoor Road, which is the one heading for Wythenshawe Hospital off Altrincham Road. Although I am getting views across most of the Estate as on 1st floor on Caldey Road, Roundthorn Ind Est.

Any more appear will advise

Also

50 plus on Mile Road in the vegtation in the right hand field as you go Flixton - Carrington.

Broadheath retail flock of lapwings 52,golden plovers 22 on one of industrial units there,s probably a lot more but they seem to favour places where they can,t be seen from street level? some of the best views i,ve had of goldens(only fifty yards) and i,m getting paid while I watch

cheers geoff

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for that info. Really, it is amazing sometimes how difficult it can be to find some of these roof top plover roosts - considering that they are relatively large and vocal species involved, that are also frequently seen in large flocks. Just to use today as an example - I was dropping a friend off at Middleton town centre this morning and mentioned that I'd brought my binoculars to have a look on the roof of McBrides - as we walked past and raised my binoculars I was "advised" by said friend "are you mad? - there are no birds on that roof"!! Other than having a familiarity with their calls and knowing this was a favoured roost site, you would not have known they were there at all! Likewise the flock that roosts on the roofs near Tescos at Chadderton quite often appears to be missing - until you walk to the edge of the supermarket car park and look down onto the flat corrugated roof of the petrol filling station attached to the superstore - when you can sometimes see them all "hunched down" in the grooves of the roof structure! Finally, a large flock (c180 birds) are currently ground roosting at Kingsway Business Park, Rochdale, on freshly turned over dark soil - again making them almost invisible at times. I guess it makes it harder for us to find them but for them I guess invisibilty/camouflage might make the difference between life or death. The other side is that having said that sometimes can be seen to roost on the most visible of roofs!! I have often wondered why they select certain roofs and not others and have speculated that where they are highly visible they have selected roofs that allow a good all round vantage point to allow any predators to be spotted. I'm sure it is not that simple and it might seem strange to adopt two roosting strategies that appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum - one almost invisible and one highly visible and even possibly for roosting flocks to "chop and change" between these two strategies?

Best wishes,

Bill.

If it is a roof roost, the Bredbury site would be new, Bill, as far as I know. That area was randomly chosen for the Winter Plover Survey two years ago. I reckoned there might be some good roofs there, but the surveyors couldn't find any Lapwings or Golden Plovers. It's not that far south of Denton where they use Sainsbury's roof. A supermarket roof is also used in Hyde (Morrisons, I think).
How many of these flocks are the same birds I don't know - maybe Rob Thorpe who did the Pinkfoot calculations could have a go at the Lapwings?!

Steve

20th November.

260+ Lapwings on the roof of McBrides at Middleton at 9.30 am - all well camouflaged against the roof - almost invisible with the naked eye! - could only really be seen and counted through binoculars.

Also whilst driving past J25 (the Bredbury turn off) of the M60 at 9.45 am, a sizeable (but uncounted) flock of Lapwings were in the air there - presumably roosting on one of the roofs of the industrial estate which is adjacent to the motorway here and sited just to the north-east of this junction? Don't know this area at all well and whether they might be a regular feature here?

Cheers,

Bill.

Just been watching a flock of what seems to be 250-300 Golden Plover over Roundthorn Industrial Estate in Wythenshawe
32 Lapwings around also..

Just after i spoke with Ian, they seem to land on one of the many warehouse roofs in the vicinity and only small parties spotted this afternoon

Hopefully will see them again tomorrow morning as this all took place in front of my office, if so will let you know..

Cheers


-- Edited by Steve Scrimgeour at 16:24, 2008-11-20

Broadheath lapwing flock around 60, above the tallest roof in atlantic st at dinner today

cheers geoff

Approx 80 Lapwings flapping about Snipe Retail Park on Saturday 15th. Nov.

Approx 60 sat in the vegetation on Mile Road Flixton again this morning 0800ish.
Not been around for a couple of days....

been seeing quite a few flying about out of the window at work over the last few weeks (South Lancs Ind. Estate, near Three Sisters, Ashton-in-Makerfield). Not managed to get a decent count of them yet, but there was well over a hundred a couple of weeks ago, possibly up to 200.

26 on the shop roofs at newtown y/day

Broadheath flock of lapwings seen today but only 50-55 skulking over the estate .

cheers geoff

A group flew over atherton road hindley yesterday afternoon 3-30, flying southwest probably 30+ birds.

Newton Heath mini flock at the old Sharpe's building today 10.15 a.m. 40 airborne another 10 all along the ridge tiles

That's a regular site, with suspected breeding on the roofs, too.

8.00 this morning about 20 were flying round BOC on Wardley industrial park Swinton first time seen there.

42 sat on sopranos pizza shop near asda in wigan.maybe theyre italian lapwings.anyway it was driving sleety rain.so whod be a rooftop peewit!

Bestway lapwings made their usual(?) evening departure 16.25 E.S.E. No sign of them on any roofs in the area 15 mins later ( more double decker buses, please)

07/11/08 12.30 atlantic st 10 golden plover circled and landed out of sight next door to aldi.

cheers geoff

still there at 8.30 maybe as many as 30.I was sat at the lights when they went for a flutter.

17 Lapwing on Do it all(focus) Mcr rd Bolton 7.30am

06/11/08 atlantic st next door to aldi 12ish 1 very lonely golden plover but i think his flock could be hiding in the unwatchable areas

cheers geoff

c40 birds(Lapwing) flew from the roof of Bestway (Newton Heath) at 16.20 over A62 and landed on top off the factory adjacent.(thought I best put post on in Mr Chorley's absence)

-- Edited by Mark Rigby at 21:03, 2008-11-06

05/11/08 atlantic st 12.00 next door to aldi 5 lapwings 18 golden plover,all bar one put up at 12.05 by female sparrowhawk who just missed a lapwing over B & Q .

cheers geoff

Didn't have time to count em, i was driving. Around 20 on the roof of "do it all" on Mcr rd in Bolton this morning at 7am.

Broadheath lapwings 35 on top of carpetright 04/11/08,on the hunt for the other 165.

cheers geoff

03/11/08 atlantic st. altrincham, 32 golden plover flew around (over not in) aldi and then settled on the roof next door at 12.30 still present and looked like roosting at 16.30.

proper treat, cheers geoff

1st November.

c75 Lapwings on the shaded side of the roof of McBrides at Middleton at 8.50 am today. Presumably more on the unseen, sunny side of the roof?

Bill.

Think they could have added to the few that frequent Mile Road in Flixton as numbers there have increased over the last month or so, especially after the Mersey flooded all the Field at weekend.....

after a two week break from work i,ve returned only to (not) find the broadheath flock has gone a.w.o.l ???

missing them, geoff

c.80 circling Sainsbury's in Bolton at 4.00 today. Broke into three smaller flocks and moved off in different directions after about 2 or 3 minutes.

Often see 20-25 on the industrial buildings nearby (Partco, Samson's).

About 50 on Wigan Fire Station, Wed 22nd Oct

Today at 9.30am

c 250 Lapwing with c150 Golden Plover at Ashton Moss Business Park on the far end of the roof of the Screwfix Unit.

Info thanks to Anthony Marriott

3 lapwings Carpet Right Newton Heath

Sadly, no signs of visible migration over Newton Heath today, unless you count the lattice of 24 vapour trails!

18th October.

At 7.45 am - c30 coming in to land on the roof of the Indian Ocean Restaurant which is
opposite Tescos in Chadderton. By 8.45 - c145 were resting on the roof.


Bill.

16th October.

2.00 pm

c140 sunbathing (with 7 Black-headed Gulls) on the roof of Refinery Supplies Limited, Greenside Way, Chadderton. Presumably a slightly larger version of the flock seen very nearby on 7th October.

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough at 19:57, 2008-10-16

40 birds disturbed from the roof of Bestway (Newton Heath) at 16.10 this p.m. flew off N.N.E. 16.20 20 (more?) birds took off and flew in the same direction, but appeared to settle almost immediately just beyond the railway line

Looks like you might be right about the overnight heating at Carpet Right, Riggers

11/10/08 1700

77 Lapwing on Seddon Atkinson building on Shaw Road in Higginshaw, Oldham.

This used to be a regular site during winter but I havent seen them here for a few years.

Maybe I wasnt looking hard enough!

the broadheath retail flock c150 visible on the ind est mostly all sleeping at 16.00

cheers geoff

7th October.

11.45 am.

The "local" Lapwings (c130) had "dropped in for a Chinese" around lunchtime today and were on the roof of the Ocean Treasure Chinese Restaurant at Greengate, Chadderton - having a little earlier that morning been on the opposite side of the road, on the roof of Jardines Cranes. A choosy lot the Oldham Lapwings - with a large flock having spent most of last winter on the roof of the Indian Ocean Restaurant opposite Tescos in Chadderton! They certainly have exotic tastes - must be "foreign" birds I expect spending the winter here - as they say that travel broadens the mind!

Whilst on the way to count these birds - came across a large female Sparrowhawk at the side of the pavement "mantling" an item of prey - which after a good struggle turned out to be a Feral Pigeon - which finally somehow managed to escape but minus some feathers and some flesh.

Bill.

Didn't notice, too busy counting birds. 1st time in 22 months of visits to the monthly farmers market I've seen anything at all! Typical

I suppose you've noticed, Mike, that they are putting up some fascia panels on the Gala Bingo row of buildings, which will make it difficult to see what's up there - unless you go up to the top of the IKEA car park!

Cheers, Steve

Ashton-u-Lyne 10.10 a.m. C50 birds on the roof of Gala Bingo, Wellington Road. Apex roof, only 3 sides visible from the bus!

C20 birds roof of Bestway, Newton Heath this afternon

C12 birds dropping towards the roofs of the industrial estate just behind Rose Tissues at Hollinwood this evening

Broadheath retail flock still present and very mobile 200+ over the area today.

cheers geoff

broadheath retail flock,been hard to pin down most of the week they,ve started to use one of the tallest buildings on the ind est ,but was treated to a huge display of 250est lapwing and 200 starlings all milling around this afternoon.

cheers geoff

Late post for Sept 10th

Newton Heath: roof of Bestway (ref: SD865002 I think, Judith). 2.30 p.m.

35 lapwings, disturbed several times by the gull roost, quite flighty, then away s.e over the railway.

approximately 80 circling over the Snipe retail park in ashton under Lyne on Monday morning.