No sign of any Redshank at 5:30 either. Two Oystercatchers still present at end of temporary 'spit'; also one Lapwing and nine Mallard.

It is encouraging to be able to see anything at all at this hour.

Phil Barnett wrote:

---

John, is the development of the Aerodrome definitely going ahead?any idea of timescale?

---

Hi Phil,

The development is going ahead but not sure of time scale.

Here are some quotes from the "Woodford Community Newsletter, Christmas 2011", which are presumably factual.

"Confirmation of Sale of Site - 20th Dec 2011

BAE Systems today (20/12/11) announced that it had sold its Woodford Site, in Cheshire to Avro Heritage Limited. The sale is effective immediately. Avro Heritage Ltd is a company operated by Harry Harvey and Jo Bamford."

"BAE Woodford site purchaser revealed as JCB heir - 18th Oct 2011"

Following recent rumour and speculation, it has been revealed that the billionaire heir to the JCB empire, Mr Jo Bamford, is behind plans to buy BAE Systems' Woodford site with a view to transforming the 500 acre site into film studios, housing and a leisure complex, including an equestrian centre and point-to-point race course. The plans involve creating a film studio at the south of the site, while a mix of affordable and luxury homes would be built to the north. Woodford's historic links with the aviation industry will be maintained with the retention of the runway and the development of a new heritage centre on the site of the original Avro hanger."

Rumours:

I have also heard that part of the development is for a Polo Club.

And today I heard that some of the land owned by BAE (outside the airfield perimeter) is to be drained to form a new lake that will be on current airfield land within Greater Manchester.

I hope this is true, we could do with a decent water body in Stockport Borough but, as I said, these are just rumours.

Cheers, John

Oh bugger that! I was going to try and see that Redshank tomorrow. Never mind, I'll try for the Little Owl anyway.

Church Lane Flood:
Unfortunately the Redshank had long gone by the time I arrived at 2.30. That's quite a mega for round here.

130 BH Gulls
2 Oystercatchers
1 Stock Dove
3 Mallard
Vocal Little Owl

Chatted with a walker who passes the flood regularly and reported 3 Dunlin about 2 weeks ago.

Down Old Hall Lane 2 Red-legged Partridge behind Old Hall Farm.

I'll post separately about the developments

Cheers, John

Old Hall Lane / Aerodrome 23/2/2012

Gloriously spring-like this morning with Skylark and Reed Bunting singing and Lapwing displaying
Also Buzzard, G S Woodpecker drumming, 8 Tree Sparrows

Church Lane Flood
1 Redshank

John, is the development of the Aerodrome definitely going ahead?
any idea of timescale?

Church Lane Flood:

BH Gull c70
Common Gull 3
Little Owl 1
Grey Heron 1
Redwing 17
Fieldfare 23
Mistle Thrush 5

Old Hall Lane:

Highlights were 6 Tree Sparrows at Old Hall Farm and 3 Skylarks singing over on the airfield. Breeding Skylarks here, together with Meadow Pipits, Lapwings, Curlews and Oystercatchers, will have to find somewhere else when AVRO Heritage Ltd develop the site into a film studio, housing estate and a (much needed ) Polo Club

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 14th of February 2012 11:41:41 AM

Sunday 5th February 10.00am

Old Hall Lane, in a few inches of snow and fog. Several mixed flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare close to the church.
1 Nuthatch
5 Tree Sparrows
12 Chaffinch

I am sure there were others, but the fog made it very difficult to see them.

Sunday 29th January 8.30-10.00

c400 Fieldfare across Old Hall Farm, with c50 Redwing in amongst the many moving flocks.
Also a 50 strong flock of Linnets seen feeding on the ground. That's the largest flock of Linnets I've seen here.
2 Common Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Lapwing
1 Grey Heron in the river
c500 Woodpigeon in various flocks
2 Woodpeckers drumming.

Sunday 15th January 9.00-10.15

Good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwings now feeding in the fields along with the sheep off Old Hall Lane, with 100+ Fieldfare and 50+ Redwing.
I followed the public path across Old Hall Farm and over to Lumb Farm, (which is in Cheshire) and watched a Little Owl fly across to a Pine tree further into Cheshire and subsequently get mobbed by all and sundry.
Worth keeping an eye out for it though as it may be resident in the area.
Very little else of note really, although I did hear a Woodpecker drumming several times. First of the year.

-- Edited by Adam Jones on Sunday 15th of January 2012 09:01:22 PM

Church Lane Flood:

More like 'Church Lane Lake' at the moment, I've never seen it with so much water.

480 Black-headed Gulls
2 LBB Gulls
4 Common Gulls
53 Lapwings
1 Great-spotted Woodpecker
1 Sparrowhawk (a female head on at 6 foot range)

Cheers, John

Monday 26th December 11.00-12.00

A stroll around the golf course, which was pretty quiet to start with, soon picked as I got to the wooded area behind the club house, where a flock of 16 Siskin came in to feed high up in the trees. (A site first for me) Also saw the following:
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Nuthatch
2 Redwings
30 Fieldfare
2 Common Buzzard
1 Kestrel
1 Pied Wagtail
Plus the usuals.



-- Edited by Adam Jones on Monday 26th of December 2011 12:36:31 PM

Church Lane Flood

Large numbers of common birds:

520 Black-headed Gulls
350 Lapwing
2 Goosander (pair)
6 Mallard
with uncounted Corvids and Starlings.

Cheers, John

Sunday 18th December 1.30-2.30pm

Cold and icy this afternoon.
2 Goldcrests in the pine trees on Old Hall Lane close to the graveyard.
2 Reed Bunting
3 Mistle Thrush
10 Tree Sparrow
30 Fieldfare
1 Common Buzzard
Lots of the usuals too, vigorously searching for food.

I managed to get out on the bike for a circuit once the rain stopped at about 15:00. I stopped by the steel gate overlooking Church Lane flood at about 15:45 and my attention was quickly drawn to a noisy Little Owl in a tree about 20 yards down the hedgerow. There were plenty of Canada Geese on the edge of the flood and half a dozen Lapwings on the far bank.

I tried the far side of the airfield in the hope of Golden Plover, but could only find a large flock (c250) of Lapwings.

Sunday 11th December

Old Hall Lane
Golden Plover still mixed in with Lapwings close to the runway.

Church Lane flood
150 Cananda Geese
2 Greylag Geese
50 Fieldfare

Ah ha. Well spotted Chris. That was deliberate, clearly.

Although it was a really golden few hours in terms of species seen for Woodford.

This gold course sounds exciting! That's where the Plover should be.

Saturday 10th December

Old Hall Lane, as per John's numbers below. Golden Plover are a Borough first for me. So I was very chuffed to say the least when we spotted them.
After leaving John I walked around the gold course where I added the following:
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Goldcrest
1 Nuthatch
4 House Sparrow
2 Bullfinch
1 Common Buzzard
1 Pied Wagtail.

Church Lane Flood.
Similar to John but with fewer Fieldfare and with the addition of 4 Teal. Which was a nice surprise.

A few good hours birding and good company to boot.

10th December

Church Lane flood:

Canada Goose 161
Grey Lag Goose 3
LBB Gull 3
Fieldfare 90
+ many Jackdaws, Woodpigeons and BH Gulls

Old Hall Lane (with Adam Jones):

Golden Plover 38 (on runway)
Lapwing 260 (on runway)
Fieldfare 260
Tree Sparrow c45
LBB Gull 7
Herring Gull 1

Cheers, John

Sunday 20th November 1.00-2.00pm

1 Kestrel
1 Grey Heron
32 Fieldfare
1 Redwing
45 Tree Sparrows
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (Old Hall Lane by the grave yard)
4 Pied Wagtail
6 Linnets
2 Pheasants
30 Chaffinch in one flock along Old Hall Lane
Large numbers of Rooks and Jackdaws.

Sunday 13th November 8.00-9.00am

The most noticeable birds today were very large flocks of Woodpigeons. There seemed to be a continual wave of them, with approximately 500 seen in the hour. Even more starlings, but they were staying in the fileds and surrounding trees. Approximate figures again, but close to 1000 Starlings.
30 Fieldfares
1 Sparrowhawk
75 Lapwings
6 Pied Wagtails
1 Grey Heron
4 Linnets
15 Meadow Pipits

Sunday 30th October 11.15-12.15

Very late posting for Sunday, sorry

The maize crop has now been harvested leaving bare fields once again, but the same usual birds.
Large numbers of starlings, with between 250-300 on the airfield along with some 100+ Lapwings.
25 Fieldfare
2 Redwings
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher (disturbed at green bridge and followed the course of the river towards the golf course)
2 Pied Wagtails
4 Reed Buntings
40 Tree Sparrows
Plus lots of the usuals

Saturday 8th October 10.00-10.30am

Meadow Pipits a plenty this morning. 40+ counted. They appeared last year at about the same time and stayed for a couple of weeks. Situated mainly in the field to the left of the stile on Old Hall Lane, but many overhead too. (This field now has a good sized herd of cows in it.)
Only others seen in the persistent drizzle were 33 Golfinch overhead towards the golf course and 8 Tree Sparrow dipping in and out of the maize.

Green Woodpecker is a great find in Stockport, Adam. I ventured up there by bike, arriving at about 4:15, but could not repeat your success. Highlights were:

Pheasant - 4 (1 ad male)
Kestrel - 1 (mobbed by Carrion Crow)
Pied Wagtail - 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 (in trees by churchyard)

Sunday 2nd October 2.45-3.15pm

A flying visit, but it produced a site first for me. A Green Woodpecker was flushed from the edge of the raised maize field just after the styal on Old Hall Lane. It was on the grass bank just 10 yards in front of me before flying off towards the golf course. It landed in a tree just on the perimeter.
Not a lot else seen.
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Pheasant
lots of Tree Sparrows and Chaffinch.

A very quiet, but hot afternoon.

2 Kestrel
1 Common Buzzard
4 Reed Buntings
lots of Tree Sparrows
1 Pheasant

Tuesday 27th September 6.15-7.15pm

Buoyed by the news of the Dipper, I ventured back to the patch for the first time in a while. No sign of the Dipper, but hopefully it will return.
Birds tonight included:
10 Tree Sparrows seen (with more heard in a roost)
1 Common Buzzard
10 Lapwings
3 Reed Buntings
4 Chaffinch
1 Pheasant
6 Long Tailed Tit

Walked over the green footbridge and followed the Dean upstream to the left. It flew away from me in the general direction of the golf course.

Cheers, John

Dipper! - nice one
Whereabouts was it John?

Old Hall Lane - Lumb Farm

Best bits were:

Dipper 1 on brook
Tree Sparrow 10
Collard Dove (flock of 22 at Lumb Farm)
Mistle Thrush (flock of 13 mobbing Sparrowhawk)

Also:
Nuthatch 3
Jay 3
Kestrel 1
Reed Bunting 1
Swallow 2 south
Moorhen 5
Lapwing 27
Starling 27

[Small Copper 2, Small Tortoishell 3, Speckled Wood 1]

Cheers, John

Tuesday 27th Sept 6.45 - 7.45

Smallish wader seen, from the road, to land near the bridge - don't think it was a snipe - but light not good - couldn't relocate it

lapwing - flocks of 51 and 11 on ploughed fields
Curlew heard
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1
Chiffchaff 2 singing
Blackcap 1
Pied wagtail 11 south
Meadow Pipits 20 south + several in fields
Linnet 5
Tree Sparrow lots
Goldfinch 2
Treecreeper 2
Mistle thrush 2
Reed bunting 5

Sunday 4th September 2.30-4.00pm

6 Common Buzzards
22 Goldfinch
6 Reed Bunting
31 Tree Sparrow
1 Kingfisher (once again, flushed at the green bridge)

24th August 8.00-8.30pm

In fading light tonight after a downpour.
2 Common Buzzard
2 very large flocks of Swallows heading West. The first contained at least 200, while the second had over 100. Quite a sight and sound.

Sunday 21st August 12.00-2.00pm

1 Nuthatch on Old Hall Lane
1 Chiffchaff
1 Whitethroat
30+ Goldfinches
5 Linnets
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
4 Pied Wagtails
25 Tree Sparrows
16 Swallows (no sign of any Swifts or Sand Martins now)
5 Common Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk (soaring on thermals while being harassed by several Swallows)

3rd Aug 2011 5.45am - down to the bridge then round the golf course

Sedge Warbler - same place as yesterday
Whitethroat
Chiffchaff 4 (2 singing)
Willow Warbler 7 (2 singing)

Seems like quite a lot of warblers for August

Tree Sparrow - lots calling, just after first light, from inside hawthorn hedge at the very corner of the airfield (where they had presumably been roosting)
Sounded like there could have been 20+

Linnet
Treecreeper
etc

2nd Aug 2011 6.15am

Sedge Warbler - in stand of Hogweed near bridge
Whitethroat near Old Hall Barn
Chiffchaff singing
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Tree Sparrow
Great Spotted woodpecker
Sparrow Hawk
Sand Martin
House Martin
Swallow

28/07/2011 (14.45 - 16.00)

7 Tree Sparrow (inc juvs)
Kingfisher flushed by Green Bridge
Female Mandarin + 3 well grown young also by bridge
Mallard with 4 young on R. Dean
c30 Linnets
Small mixed hirundine flock of Swallw, House and Sand Martins

[Brown Hawker and Banded Demoiselle on the R. Dean]

Cheers, John

Thursday 28th July 7.30-8.15pm

Not a lot around on a gloomy evening.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Grey Heron
2 Mallards
7 Tree Sparrows
3 Common Buzzard, all in close proximity. Two were sat next to each other on fence posts close to the runway and a third was calling from the ground. When it eventually took flight it had a rabbit in it's talons.

Did a quick 'mop up' for my tetrad on Tue 26th. Not a lot around, although I did find a presumed Buzzard nest, a Rook, Lbb Gull and 150+ Lapwing on Woodford Factory roof.
A guy I met has mentioned since that he bumped into a female Common Redstart by 'a potato field' towards Old Hall Lane. I presume this to be the field on the Cheshire side of the Dean across the green bridge.
Great spot, I will be back (no doubt when the housing estates start being built!)

Yes I was very pleased to see them - don't see a lot these days

I've found Chiffchaffs keep singing into August - but it's like their heart's not really in it!

...and I've quite often heard more or less full song in September and October....after the moult I suppose

Great spot on the Yellowhammers Phil. I'll have to keep an eye out. Hopefully they stick around for a day or two. I too thought it was a bit late for the Chiffchaff to still be singing as it was for me a few days ago.

Thurs 28th July 6.15 - 7

a really beautiful morning!

*2 yellowhammers * in tree by the bridge
Willow warbler + Chiffchaff still singing
only 4 sand martins
Reed Bunting
Tree Sparrow
Stock Dove
Curlew
Buzzard
etc


-- Edited by Phil Barnett on Thursday 28th of July 2011 07:40:51 AM

Tuesday 26th July 7.15-8.15pm

Once again tonight, some very good views of a Sparrowhawk carrying prey (a small bird) to be devoured in a tree. It flew within 10 metres of me on it's way to it's perch.
70+Lapwings on the runway
3 Common Buzzards
4 Linnets
14 Tree Sparrows
6 Pied Wagtail
Lots of Swallows and Sand Martins.
1 Mallard flushed from the river

Sunday 24th July 1.30-3.30pm

Very little around this afternoon on a warm day.
Highlight was a Kingfisher by the green bridge.
Others seen were:
4 Reed Buntings
3 Linnets
1 Pied Wagtail
7 Tree Sparrows
Lots of juvenile Blue Tits and Goldfinches.
Mallard with 4 juveniles (sadly down from the initial 9 seen a couple of weeks ago)
20+ Swallows sat once again at the end of the runway.

19th July.

Visit to the Barton Grange Garden Centre, Chester Road this afternoon with my mother found a pair of Chiffchaff collecting food from the trees and shrubs growing around the small ponds here.

Also 2 pairs of Moorhen with young.

Cheers,

Bill.

Thursday 14th July 7.30-8.15pm

30 Swallows all sat on the runway enjoying the warm evening sun.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Around 30 Tree Sparrows in two separate groups.
Lots of juvenile Goldfinches

Wednesday 13th July 6.45-7.45

Highlight this evening was a Kingfisher which flew up from the river Dean by the green bridge and across the maize field towards the river once again.
Others seen tonight were:
1 Common Buzzard
1 Grey Heron
6 Tree Sparrows
4 Linnets
12 Goldfinches
3 Skylarks
1 Curlew
4 Pied Wagtails
1 Reed Bunting
lots of Sand Martins and Swallows
20 Lapwings (seem to be congregating on the airfield once again)

Monday 11th July 7.15-8.00pm

1 Curlew
6 Oystercathcers (high over)
1 Skylark
1 Common Buzzard
6 Linnets
8 Pied Wagtails
4 Reed Buntings
10 Tree Sparrows
12 Lapwings
150+ flock of Starlings on the airfield
7 Goldfinches

Saturday 9th July 2.30-4.30pm

A very average day down here today.
Mallard with 9 ducklings on the river Dean
1 Curlew
2 Oystercatchers
1 Common Buzzard
6 Pied Wagtail
6 Linnets
20 Tree Sparrows
8 Goldfinches
4 Reed Bunting
6 Swallows
Lots of Sand Martins

Sunday 3rd July 7.15-8.00

Pretty quiet this evening, but the highlight was a Sparrowhawk being chased by several Sand Martins. It flew across the golf course and towards the airfield.
15 Lapwings
4 Pied Wagtail
1 Skylark heard over the runway
5 Goldfinch (4 juvenile)
1 Curlew heard