Whitethroat singing from buddleia in Boddington's car park this morning 6:45

Paul

From the Peregrine stand today, we were treated to views of a stunning male Grey Wagtail, they were doing some work on top of the Printworks creating some disturbance.

Also saw two Mistle Thrushes, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Swift and Woodpigeon, oops forgot the 2 Blue Tits.

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Friday 14th of May 2010 08:53:35 PM

It seems a mistle thrush fledged today and spent some time perched on the chrome barrier separating cappuchino drinkers from the highway. People taking pictures with PAS cameras and mobile phones. I stuck around to make sure it didn't end up on the road. It didn't , it managed to fly up to 'Next' where it was fed by parent still attracting a lot of attention by the public. I saw another bird being fed in the nest. Mistle thrushes don't half like precarious nesting sites. Whether my pictures are any good remains to be seen.

11th May.

A single fledgling Blackbird was perched on a balcony in the Shudehill area early this afternoon. I could hear the male adult close by giving out those short, very high- pitched squeaky distress calls that they sometimes do when alarm/danger is present, presumably because a Magpie was perched on the apex of a roof, not that far away from the young bird?

Cheers,

Bill.

Hi Tom Willis,

I read about your prblem with the thrushes; I sent you a PM and hope this is of help.
Kind Regards,
Mike P

It appears they have also nested closer elsewhere , I found another nest this evening after watching a juvy spend most of its evening in a tree pit outside Next opposite the triange. Poor thing couldn't find much to eat and after two hours finally flew onto the lawns adj to Urbis when it managed to find a kiddies gum to eat which I discouraged it from, then it found a bit of peach. An adult that was feeding chicks at the near location robbed it then when finished flew off. I reunited the fledgling with its peach.

They'll probably be the Mistle Thrushes which bred in Victoria Station.

Steve

Beautiful pair of thrushes (think mistle!) gathering food on the grass between Chetham's and Urbis, on Friday and yesterday.

Unsuccessful attempt to spot black redstarts in the northern quarter area on Saturday morning. Only sighting of note was a thrush (I really struggle to tell the difference between mistle/song) singing from the top of a building on Dale St.

Black redstart on building on Lever Street opposite bus stops and siding onto Back Piccadilly. All other areas covered but no sitings.

Black Redstart singing on top of Debenham's this morning (information from Dave Steel). Also one reported near Victoria Station yesterday ( via RSPB staff who presumably are doing the Peregrine watch)

Blackcap singing in the rain this lunchtime in tall trees by Bridge Street bridge near the Markaddy(not sure how good a record this is for the centre..)

Watched a pair of goldfinches from Piccadilly station this morning - flying between Star and Garter and the station.

Late post for 23rd - the same or another Buzzard soaring over Town Hall area seen from my office on Bridge Street.

Couple of days late adding this, but on Friday there was a sparrowhawk drifting low over the train as we pulled into Piccadilly.

2 Grey Wagtails on River Medlock near Lass'O'Gowrie this afternoon

-- Edited by Luke Brown on Monday 26th of April 2010 06:55:03 PM

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

Plenty of Goldfinches in the City Centre as well - but I don't think we've got proof of breeding for them yet. I got some nice photos of them perching on razor wire this morning!

Steve

---

Sorry, I have taken a while to come back on this one - but this has been my first chance to check my old notebooks in conjunction with my BTO atlas computer records. But I watched adult Goldfinches feeding begging young near the New Islington site on 2nd August 2009.

Should show up as an "out of season breeding record" - missed out on the "official" breeding season by a mere 2 days!!

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Saturday 24th of April 2010 05:15:42 PM

Late post for 20th april. A Common buzzard was being mobbed over the cathedral at about 8.30 am
By one of the peregrines

Mike Noon wrote:

---

Male Redstart in full cry this morning

---

Male 'Common' Redstart Mike ?

Male Redstart in full cry this morning on streetlamp above car park which used to be the old Victoria bus station. Goldfinches flying around and above Afflecks Palace, Church Street Multi-storey car park and car park next to The Unicorn.

Lots of Goldfinch for me as well this morning, around the Cathedral and in Piccadilly Gardens.

Yes Bill, beat you to it

Mistle Thrushes have bred in the station for as many years as I can remember, though this is the earliest yet. Plenty of time for another brood.

Plenty of Goldfinches in the City Centre as well - but I don't think we've got proof of breeding for them yet. I got some nice photos of them perching on razor wire this morning!

Steve

20th April.

A lovely sighting from Victoria Station this lunchtime. Over platforms 1 and 2 of the station a begging fledgling Mistle Thrush was seen perched high up in the metallic rafters and was being fed by an adult bird, which was dropping down onto the tracks and presumably picking up discarded takeaway food bits etc , which it then carried up into the rafters to feed to the vocal youngster.

A really heart-warming sight in a pretty grotty urban setting!

This might have been a first confirmed breeding record for this species for the BTO and GM breeding birds atlas projects for tetrad SJ89P, if there hadn't already been an earlier one!! See Steve Suttill's post on this same thread dated 11/6/08.

Keep atlasing!,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 20th of April 2010 02:00:52 PM

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 20th of April 2010 02:06:07 PM

Goldcrest in conifer near cathedral. Carrion crows bringing in nest material to same tree.

Female kestrel on the town hall tower tonight...previous sitings have been of the male.

male goosander and a swan on the irwell where it goes under trinity way.also one grey wagtail.also watched blue tits carrying nesting material into a wall.across the river a chiffchaff was calling.also greenfinches singing.

Kestrel over the town hall again making a lot of noise.

Just outside the centre a Woodcock flew east across the A56 near White City at about 7:30 this morning, my third in central Manchester in a few months.

Kestrel displaying over the town hall in late afternoon. Local crows mobbing but the male putting up with them admirably and the crows flew off....I wonder?

Having a crafty pint in the beer garden at the back of Fringe Bar on Swan St the other day, about 6:30pm, when a male blackbird flew right across us, underneath the canopy, nearly took our heads off! He was singing like a maniac as he zoomed through.

Then he perched in a bush next to us, yammering away like a good 'un.

Male Blackbird singing bold as brass from a small bare tree right outside the Co-op building on Miller Street early yesterday morning.

Drake Goosander and 3 Mallard by Lowry Bridge

Also Greenfinch singing here

a peregrine was gliding around the retail park at ancoats yesterday at a hight of 70-80 ft.

3 Goosander on the Irwell today upstream of the Lowry bridge, also 2 Grey Wagtail there
Goldfinch singing in Piccadilly Gardens

A possible green woodpecker was seen flying above the railway next to Sackville Street on Tuesday morning, March 23rd. It was too high to see colours. It had a woodpecker-like flight, undulating, short bursts of flight, folding up its wings in between, shrieking staccato while flying. The size was about right but this is hard to estimate for a flying bird and it could have been smaller (blackbird upwards).

River Irwell near MEN Arena around 10.30

4 Goosander
3 Pied Wagtail
1 Sparrowhawk overhead

This lunchtime on the River Irwell

Mute Swan - Lowry bridge
Drake Goosander - Blackfriars Bridge

I saw a woodcock out the office window last winter, from the back of Peter House, but not this winter yet. Had 4 Lesser Redpoll out the window circling briefly on Weds though, which were a new office tick for me!

Given the number of Woodcock casualties we get on streets near the route of the R Irwell in the city centre, I'm not surprised. Their eyes are st on the sides of their heads and they seem to collide with things.
The Peregrine(s) in Bolton enjoyed a Woodcock dinner the other day, when the vicar found the head and legs with some parts of the wings, near Bolton Parish Church tower and sent me the photos. There's a river at the back. I suspect the birds must fly straight along the river at night, and the Peregrines can chase them successfully in the ambient light.

Sat at the lights where Irwell Street turns in to Trinity Way at the junction with Chapel street yesterday at about 3:00 I was amazed to see a Woodcock fly towards me then head off west up Chapel Street at about 1st storey height.

Presumably it had been flushed from an area of open ground elsewhere.

Same amount as Pied Wags as Dave had yesterday, 120+

Good to catch up with Simon H in the city!

Dave

A walk around the city centre this afternoon turned up a Peregrine perched on the front of the Gmex building.
120+ Pied wagtails in a single tree in St Ann's square at 4.30pm,
4 Fieldfares flying over the town hall.

Just to clarify, the drake Goosander on the bank of the Irwell by the Lowry Hotel is in fact dead! That is to say it is deceased, not living, expired

thanks again Rob...

Drake Goosander on the bank of the Irwell by the Lowry Hotel at 12:30 today.

Info thanks to Rob Smallwood

M & F Goosander on River Irwell - Victoria Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge 13:00

18 Fieldfare flying past my 7th floor office window (St Peter's House, St Peter's Square) towards the Beethan Tower, so in a westerly direction I suppose.

12 Tufties (a new species for my City Centre list) on the Irwell by the Cathedral this morning. First time I've seen icebergs floating downstream!

Steve

Pair of Goldeneye drifted past Bridge st near Markaddy today & 1 male and 3 female on river by the A6 Crescent.

A Buzzard today at about 2pm flying south (ish) over the Whitworth Street west area being mobbed by a Crow.

Grey Heron in the City Centre on Albion Street this afternoon, viewed from the upstairs of the Bus!!!

Overheard someone on the bus say "look at the size of that bird, it's probably an Eagle looking for Pigeons!!!".

If only!!!

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Monday 4th of January 2010 08:45:30 PM