Single Green Woodpecker over playing fields and river at 4.30 today.
Mike Crawley said
Sat Oct 27 7:57 PM, 2012
10 Redwing over Burnage Rugby Club at about 09:00 this morning Also, about 150 Pink feet over heading vaguely south east 2 Little Grebe near the weir 5 Goosander (inc. 1 drake) between the weir and the bridge over the river at Manchester Road
Chris Harper said
Fri Oct 26 3:40 PM, 2012
Up to 3 Little Grebes now Goosander 8 Redwing over At least 20 Blackbird
Chris Harper said
Fri Oct 19 3:35 PM, 2012
2 Little Grebes by weir this morning Kingfisher 5 Grey Heron Great Spotted Woodpecker
Chris Harper said
Fri Oct 12 3:31 PM, 2012
River very high today, almost onto some of the paths. This had its upside with Goosander and Little Grebe viewable from 2 meters. Also 8 Grey Herons taking advantage of rising waters. Grey Wagtail Bullfinch
Chris Harper said
Tue Oct 9 3:21 PM, 2012
Little Grebe by weir Chiffchaff by chopped Garlic Bend Grey Wagtail Goosander
Georgeous sunrise from Cheadle Bridge at 7.40. People taking pics of it.
Paul Dewey said
Mon Oct 8 7:35 PM, 2012
Not sure whether your tongue was in your cheek or not Chris, but only thing that was in mind for tree work was to clear under plylons and cables and make it last as long as they could before they need to come again. Not sure there will be any positive result but we shall see. Think only things that will benefit are bramble and balsam. Will take years before hawthorn comes back to where it was.
Not much about, or maybe wasnt that observant.
3 Goosander 3 Heron, two on what seems to be a bit of a roost on pylon (have seen up to 5 in past) 2 Cormorant Mallard Goldfinch 10 Jay Magpie Wood Pigeon Grey wagtail
Chris Harper said
Sat Oct 6 4:11 PM, 2012
Likewise, great to meet a like mind. A hell of a lot of 'chopping' gone on above the 'Garlic Bend' this week, presumably with conservation in mind. 2 Bullfinches were investigating at 7.30 am yesterday. 4 Grey Heron sat on ruins of the old bridge Single Chiffchaff still calling on Tue am.
Roger Baker 3 said
Sat Oct 6 12:19 AM, 2012
Still not managed to spot the RN.
Come on Vicky .... I give up !
What's the RN ? Royal Navy ?
Roger.
Vicky Harper said
Fri Oct 5 7:19 PM, 2012
3 Grey Heron 1 Cormorant A flock of Goldfinch No sign of the Little Grebe today 2 Goosander 3 Jay 2 Wren near the bramble where the tree cutting was taking place. Numerous flocks of Long Tailed Tit 1 Sparrowhawk over the cow pasture
Still no RN AKA Ring Neck
Met Chris along route. Nice to put a face to a name.
-- Edited by Vicky Sumner on Friday 5th of October 2012 07:21:19 PM
Vicky Harper said
Thu Oct 4 6:33 PM, 2012
I spent 6 hours down by the river and surrounding woodlands today.
Highlights (please feel free to advise me on possible mistakes):
7 Goosander (f) 1 Little Grebe (smaapprox 50 meters from where the Goosander were sighted. No sooner had I focused my bins it had dived under the water again. Watched it for 15 minutes. At the same spot in the brambles I heard what sounded like a grasshopper warbler but the sound wasn't continuous it stopped and started. I heard it for 15 minutes but didn't see anything. 10 Goldfinch 5 Jay
On the way back home I saw yet another flock of Long Tailed Tit making a commotion. There were two Blue Tits also. I approached the bush and they were about 2 feet away. At the top of the bush (3 feet away) were 4 tiny birds. They were much smaller than the Tits and smaller than a wren. My son used to have zebra finches and they were about the same size. They were petite delicate looking birds very pale brown with a slight greenish tinge. Their tails were forked and very short. I watched them for 10 minutes before they flew off with the Long Tailed Tit. They didn't make any sounds. Any ideas what they might have been? This is when I really needed a camera!
Still not managed to spot the RN.
Edit: Somebody has told me that the tiny birds were likely to be Goldcrest which makes sense. They were sooo cute!
-- Edited by Vicky Sumner on Thursday 4th of October 2012 07:58:12 PM
Vicky Harper said
Thu Oct 4 3:27 AM, 2012
Thank you! I wondered if it was a Goosander or Merganser. It was great to watch.
Chris Harper said
Thu Oct 4 3:13 AM, 2012
It's a female/juvenille Goosander, Vicky. There have been up to 5 along that stretch for a few weeks now. Males should be getting there at some point. Fantastic birds to watch I think. One stays all summer with a mallard, almost as a pair!?
Vicky Harper said
Thu Oct 4 1:48 AM, 2012
5 Jay 2 Robin 12 Long Tailed Tit 18 Wood Pigeon 4 Stock Dove 2 Grey Heron flying together and landed in the field opposite the rugby club 1 Grey Wagtail 1 Kingfisher 2 House Martin 2 Carrion Crow A large flock of Rook and Jackdaw
1 bird I was unable to identify. Hope someone can advise me.
From a distance it looked like a Great Crested Grebe but on a closer look it definitely wasn't. It had a red head and a Merganser type beak. It had a small patch of grey at the back of its head. It also had tufts on the top of it's head. I watched it as it played hide and seek at the side of me for approx 20 minutes: diving and reappearing somewhere else. It then flew up river and was followed a minute later by the same species.
Also another bird hiding in the river under an over hanging tree. At first I thought it was a pin tail because it's tail was sticking up high out of the water. It had white rear feathers and a reddish brown head. I could only spot one.
Chris Harper said
Fri Sep 14 11:21 PM, 2012
2 Common Swift around Cheadle Bridge at 3.20 Also 3 Swallow 10 House Martin 2 Goosander Chiffchaff Bullfinch
Tony Darby said
Sun Sep 9 12:04 AM, 2012
Mike Crawley wrote:
It's Burnage Rugby Club
Thanks for the correction, my brain must have been in another place when I wrote that. The daft thing is, I know it's Burnage Rugby Club; I was brought up not far from here and this part of the river was my playground. In those days the railway lines and bridges were still in use, and the bleach works was still doing it's bit to help make the Mersey one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. I'm glad to say the water quality has improved considerably since then.
Chris Harper said
Sat Sep 8 7:06 PM, 2012
That must be it. They were in trees behind the farm. Was at work, didn't have a map, so tried it from memory. Didn't see them Thu or Fri
Mike Crawley said
Sat Sep 8 6:25 PM, 2012
Chris Harper wrote:
At least 8 Ring Necked Parakeets around Weir Lane, and farm at the end of it in Heaton Mersey at 7.35 this morning. Also Goosander 3 Grey Heron Kingfisher 4 Chiffchaff
Chris, can you tell me where Weir Lane is please ? It could be your (very appropriate) name for the area by the weir. I live about half a mile away from Burnage Rugby Club and of course the river and the weir but "Weir Lane" is new to me. The farm near the weir is called Vale Road Farm and the road is Vale Road.
Mike Crawley said
Sat Sep 8 6:20 PM, 2012
Tony Darby wrote:
Heaton Mersey Rugby Club area this morning
It's Burnage Rugby Club
Chris Harper said
Wed Sep 5 3:40 PM, 2012
At least 8 Ring Necked Parakeets around Weir Lane, and farm at the end of it in Heaton Mersey at 7.35 this morning. Also Goosander 3 Grey Heron Kingfisher 4 Chiffchaff
Chris Harper said
Tue Sep 4 5:50 PM, 2012
2 Goosander this am 4 Bullfinch 4 Grey Heron 50+ Mistle Thrush over towards Parrs Wood.
Tony Darby said
Tue Aug 21 1:47 AM, 2012
Heaton Mersey Rugby Club area this morning At least 10 Sand Martins in the air at any one time around the colony and 4 nest holes still active. These late breeders a consequence of our earlier wet Summer. 4 Goosander took off and flew upstream 1 Grey Wagtail 1 Pied Wagtail A superb flock of 100+ Goldfinches feeding on thistles on the far bank, then moving on
Jon Beckett said
Tue Aug 7 1:16 AM, 2012
1 Female and 2 young peregrine falcons 6pm above Cranford golf range and then moving in direction of Mersey.
Chris Harper said
Sat Jul 14 2:22 AM, 2012
Regular Kingfisher the highlight of the week, between M60 and Geoff's Bridge. Also Common Whitethroat Stock Dove Bullfinch Sand Martins still clinging on Sparrowhawk Young Blackcaps
Chris Harper said
Tue Jul 3 3:29 PM, 2012
Male Pheasant this morning on 'horse' field Stock Dove 2 Bullfinch 2 Common Whitethroat No sign of Reed Warbler
Chris Harper said
Sat Jun 30 5:26 PM, 2012
Reed Warbler was still singing away at 3.30 yesterday afternoon from Patch Island.
Chris Harper said
Fri Jun 29 3:22 PM, 2012
Reed Warbler heard on Patch Island this morning(7.35). Female Goosander, Kingfisher too towards Cheadle Bridge. Plus usuals.
Jon Beckett said
Thu Jun 28 9:25 PM, 2012
Saw a wild mink just before Didsbury golf course at 12.30.
Jon Beckett said
Tue Jun 26 8:51 PM, 2012
Cycled down to Cheadle Bridge at 11.30am. All I could hear were Kingfisher calls. 2 flew into trees by bridge and 1 flew past under bridge. Also saw 2 F goosanders with 1 M, 2 House martins, several sand martins and swallows.
Chris Harper said
Fri Jun 22 3:37 PM, 2012
25 Lesser Black Backed Gulls on Parrs Wood playing fields this am, with a couple of juvenilles.
Chris Harper said
Wed Jun 20 7:01 PM, 2012
Pair of Kingfisher downstream of M60 bridge this am. Grey Wagtail Common Whitethroat Young Mallard and Moorhen 25 Sand Martin
Chris Harper said
Thu Jun 14 3:36 PM, 2012
3 Goosanders upstream from Geoff's bridge this morning.
Chris Harper said
Wed Jun 13 2:29 AM, 2012
Plenty of Sand Martin around today, some re excavating. 6 Swallow Common Whitethroat Chiffchaff 2 Blackcap Pied Wagtail
Steve Smith said
Sun Jun 10 5:03 AM, 2012
Hi, the lower rows at the colony by the rugby club were underwater this evening, there were some agitated martins hovering around.
The river was very high, just down stream of Fletcher Moss it had covered the path. Swifts and Martins were taking full advantage of the disturbed insect life.
SS
Tony Darby said
Sun Jun 10 12:07 AM, 2012
Cheadle Bridge area. Water level very high on the Mersey. Far too high for the Dippers I'm afraid, they've been washed out, probably for the second time this breeding season. I didn't have time to walk upstream to check out the Sand Martin colony but I suspect they may have suffered the same fate.
Adam Jones said
Sat Jun 2 10:39 PM, 2012
Saturday 2nd May 12.30pm
No sign of Dipper or Kingfisher this afternoon. 2 Blackcaps 2 Common Whitethroats 3 Cormorants 5 Greenfinch 1 Grey Wagtail 2 Pied Wagtail 3 Chiffchaff 2 Bullfinch 1 Willow Warbler 3 Black Headed gulls Lots of Sand Martins and Swallows. And lots of the usuals too. Plenty of activity and song.
Chris Harper said
Wed May 30 3:38 PM, 2012
Dipper was up near Patch Island this morning. First Black Headed Gull for a while. House Martins collecting mud from horse field 2 Bullfinch Willow Warbler Great Spotted Woodpecker
Plus usuals, although not seen Kingfisher for a while.
Tony Darby said
Tue May 29 11:43 PM, 2012
Dipper acting like a Dipper this afternoon, belly flopping into the water and visibly swimming under the surface, great stuff. Good to have them back
Chris Harper said
Mon May 28 3:14 PM, 2012
Dipper this morning acting like a flycatcher. Leaping off bridge support into air after insects, then returning to a perch or the river. Fascinating. Also: Stock Dove Goosander Willow Warbler plus 'usuals'.
Jon Beckett said
Sun May 27 9:47 PM, 2012
Saw a Dipper at Cheadle Bridge at 10.45 this morning.
Liam Langley said
Sun May 27 5:30 PM, 2012
Cycle around the area this morning 07.30-09.54
No sign of any Dippers at Cheadle Bridge
Highlights:
Goosander (1m E) Mersey Vale NR Sparrowhawk (1) Mersey Vale NR Kingfisher (1) Mersey Vale NR disturbed from pylon pool Grey Wagtail (2) Burnage Rugby Club Sand Martin (20) Burnage Rugby Club at least 8 nests occupied Willow Warbler (1m) Singing on the other side of the river near the weir Whitethroat (3m) Chiffchaff (4m) Blackcap (6+m) Grey Heron (2) Canada Goose (2)
Chris Harper said
Thu May 24 4:59 PM, 2012
Pair of Stock Dove this am on wasteground near Pyramid 3 Common Whitethroat Drake Goosander Willow Warbler
Chris Harper said
Wed May 23 3:42 PM, 2012
Glad you got it. Not sure if 1st nesting attempt was washed away or not. Saw one again this am. Also: 4 Willow Warbler 5 Blackcap 14 Chiffchaff 3 Bullfinch 4 Grey Heron
Liam Langley said
Tue May 22 10:58 PM, 2012
Cheers Chris went down tonight and got great views of a pair of Dipper at Cheadle Bridge, A county tick
I also explored Mersey Vale NR which seems to have a lot of potential especially the pool near the Pylon for stuff like Snipe or Water Rail in winter. An intriguing site.
Also around:
Grey Wagtail (1) Cheadle Bridge Great Spotted Woodpecker (1) Mersey Vale NR Lesser Black Backed Gull (1 ad) Mersey Vale NR Sand Martin (11+) Parswood playing fields Common Whitethroat (1) Garlic bend
Liam
-- Edited by Liam Langley on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 10:58:50 PM
Chris Harper said
Tue May 22 3:41 PM, 2012
Dipper usually around Cheadle Bridge, more often downstream than up. This morning didn't see it in my usual brief cycle past. However:
Kingfisher by pyramid Grey Wagtail 2 Common Whitethroat 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker Plus 'usuals'
JamieDunning said
Tue May 22 4:12 AM, 2012
Very god views (though brief) of a passing Osprey this morning over Didsbury driving school.
Cheers
J
Liam Langley said
Tue May 22 12:32 AM, 2012
Hi Chris I'd be interested to know exactly where you usually see the Dipper? I only live in Heaton Moor so it'd be nice to pop down and take a look at somepoint.
Cheers, Liam
Chris Harper said
Mon May 21 1:08 PM, 2012
Bit more activity this morning, although no sign of Lesser Whitethroat since last Wed. Highlights: Dipper Kingfisher 4 Common Whitethroat 6 Blackcap 3 Chiffchaff Willow Warbler Grey Wagtail 20 Sand Martin 2 Bullfinch 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 21st of May 2012 02:58:56 PM
Chris Harper said
Mon May 14 7:16 PM, 2012
This am 7.20-7.40
Lesser Whitethroat Common Whitethroat 5 Bullfinch 4 Goosander Sparrowhawk
Little Grebe
Also, about 150 Pink feet over heading vaguely south east
2 Little Grebe near the weir
5 Goosander (inc. 1 drake) between the weir and the bridge over the river at Manchester Road
Goosander
8 Redwing over
At least 20 Blackbird
Kingfisher
5 Grey Heron
Great Spotted Woodpecker
This had its upside with Goosander and Little Grebe viewable from 2 meters.
Also 8 Grey Herons taking advantage of rising waters.
Grey Wagtail
Bullfinch
Chiffchaff by chopped Garlic Bend
Grey Wagtail
Goosander
Georgeous sunrise from Cheadle Bridge at 7.40. People taking pics of it.
Not sure whether your tongue was in your cheek or not Chris, but only thing that was in mind for tree work was to clear under plylons and cables and make it last as long as they could before they need to come again. Not sure there will be any positive result but we shall see. Think only things that will benefit are bramble and balsam. Will take years before hawthorn comes back to where it was.
Not much about, or maybe wasnt that observant.
3 Goosander
3 Heron, two on what seems to be a bit of a roost on pylon (have seen up to 5 in past)
2 Cormorant
Mallard
Goldfinch 10
Jay
Magpie
Wood Pigeon
Grey wagtail
A hell of a lot of 'chopping' gone on above the 'Garlic Bend' this week, presumably with conservation in mind.
2 Bullfinches were investigating at 7.30 am yesterday.
4 Grey Heron sat on ruins of the old bridge
Single Chiffchaff still calling on Tue am.
Come on Vicky .... I give up !
What's the RN ? Royal Navy ?
Roger.
1 Cormorant
A flock of Goldfinch
No sign of the Little Grebe today
2 Goosander
3 Jay
2 Wren near the bramble where the tree cutting was taking place.
Numerous flocks of Long Tailed Tit
1 Sparrowhawk over the cow pasture
Still no RN AKA Ring Neck
Met Chris along route. Nice to put a face to a name.
-- Edited by Vicky Sumner on Friday 5th of October 2012 07:21:19 PM
Highlights (please feel free to advise me on possible mistakes):
7 Goosander (f)
1 Little Grebe (smaapprox 50 meters from where the Goosander were sighted. No sooner had I focused my bins it had dived under the water again. Watched it for 15 minutes.
At the same spot in the brambles I heard what sounded like a grasshopper warbler but the sound wasn't continuous it stopped and started. I heard it for 15 minutes but didn't see anything.
10 Goldfinch
5 Jay
On the way back home I saw yet another flock of Long Tailed Tit making a commotion. There were two Blue Tits also. I approached the bush and they were about 2 feet away. At the top of the bush (3 feet away) were 4 tiny birds. They were much smaller than the Tits and smaller than a wren. My son used to have zebra finches and they were about the same size. They were petite delicate looking birds very pale brown with a slight greenish tinge. Their tails were forked and very short. I watched them for 10 minutes before they flew off with the Long Tailed Tit. They didn't make any sounds. Any ideas what they might have been? This is when I really needed a camera!
Still not managed to spot the RN.
Edit: Somebody has told me that the tiny birds were likely to be Goldcrest which makes sense. They were sooo cute!
-- Edited by Vicky Sumner on Thursday 4th of October 2012 07:58:12 PM
2 Robin
12 Long Tailed Tit
18 Wood Pigeon
4 Stock Dove
2 Grey Heron flying together and landed in the field opposite the rugby club
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Kingfisher
2 House Martin
2 Carrion Crow
A large flock of Rook and Jackdaw
1 bird I was unable to identify. Hope someone can advise me.
From a distance it looked like a Great Crested Grebe but on a closer look it definitely wasn't. It had a red head and a Merganser type beak. It had a small patch of grey at the back of its head. It also had tufts on the top of it's head. I watched it as it played hide and seek at the side of me for approx 20 minutes: diving and reappearing somewhere else. It then flew up river and was followed a minute later by the same species.
Also another bird hiding in the river under an over hanging tree. At first I thought it was a pin tail because it's tail was sticking up high out of the water. It had white rear feathers and a reddish brown head. I could only spot one.
Also
3 Swallow
10 House Martin
2 Goosander
Chiffchaff
Bullfinch
It's Burnage Rugby Club
Thanks for the correction, my brain must have been in another place when I wrote that.
The daft thing is, I know it's Burnage Rugby Club; I was brought up not far from here and this part of the river was my playground.
In those days the railway lines and bridges were still in use, and the bleach works was still doing it's bit to help make the Mersey
one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. I'm glad to say the water quality has improved considerably since then.
Didn't see them Thu or Fri
Chris, can you tell me where Weir Lane is please ?
It could be your (very appropriate) name for the area by the weir.
I live about half a mile away from Burnage Rugby Club and of course the river and the weir but "Weir Lane" is new to me.
The farm near the weir is called Vale Road Farm and the road is Vale Road.
It's Burnage Rugby Club
Also
Goosander
3 Grey Heron
Kingfisher
4 Chiffchaff
4 Bullfinch
4 Grey Heron
50+ Mistle Thrush over towards Parrs Wood.
At least 10 Sand Martins in the air at any one time around the colony and 4 nest holes still active. These late breeders a consequence of our
earlier wet Summer.
4 Goosander took off and flew upstream
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Pied Wagtail
A superb flock of 100+ Goldfinches feeding on thistles on the far bank, then moving on
Also Common Whitethroat
Stock Dove
Bullfinch
Sand Martins still clinging on
Sparrowhawk
Young Blackcaps
Stock Dove
2 Bullfinch
2 Common Whitethroat
No sign of Reed Warbler
Plus usuals.
Also saw 2 F goosanders with 1 M, 2 House martins, several sand martins and swallows.
Grey Wagtail
Common Whitethroat
Young Mallard and Moorhen
25 Sand Martin
6 Swallow
Common Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
2 Blackcap
Pied Wagtail
The river was very high, just down stream of Fletcher Moss it had covered the path. Swifts and Martins were taking full advantage of the disturbed insect life.
SS
Water level very high on the Mersey. Far too high for the Dippers I'm afraid, they've been washed out, probably for the second time this breeding season. I didn't have time to walk upstream to check out the Sand Martin colony but I
suspect they may have suffered the same fate.
No sign of Dipper or Kingfisher this afternoon.
2 Blackcaps
2 Common Whitethroats
3 Cormorants
5 Greenfinch
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Pied Wagtail
3 Chiffchaff
2 Bullfinch
1 Willow Warbler
3 Black Headed gulls
Lots of Sand Martins and Swallows.
And lots of the usuals too. Plenty of activity and song.
First Black Headed Gull for a while.
House Martins collecting mud from horse field
2 Bullfinch
Willow Warbler
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Plus usuals, although not seen Kingfisher for a while.
visibly swimming under the surface, great stuff.
Good to have them back
Also:
Stock Dove
Goosander
Willow Warbler
plus 'usuals'.
No sign of any Dippers at Cheadle Bridge
Highlights:
Goosander (1m E) Mersey Vale NR
Sparrowhawk (1) Mersey Vale NR
Kingfisher (1) Mersey Vale NR disturbed from pylon pool
Grey Wagtail (2) Burnage Rugby Club
Sand Martin (20) Burnage Rugby Club at least 8 nests occupied
Willow Warbler (1m) Singing on the other side of the river near the weir
Whitethroat (3m)
Chiffchaff (4m)
Blackcap (6+m)
Grey Heron (2)
Canada Goose (2)
3 Common Whitethroat
Drake Goosander
Willow Warbler
Saw one again this am.
Also:
4 Willow Warbler
5 Blackcap
14 Chiffchaff
3 Bullfinch
4 Grey Heron
I also explored Mersey Vale NR which seems to have a lot of potential especially the pool near the Pylon for stuff like Snipe or Water Rail in winter. An intriguing site.
Also around:
Grey Wagtail (1) Cheadle Bridge
Great Spotted Woodpecker (1) Mersey Vale NR
Lesser Black Backed Gull (1 ad) Mersey Vale NR
Sand Martin (11+) Parswood playing fields
Common Whitethroat (1) Garlic bend
Liam
-- Edited by Liam Langley on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 10:58:50 PM
This morning didn't see it in my usual brief cycle past. However:
Kingfisher by pyramid
Grey Wagtail
2 Common Whitethroat
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Plus 'usuals'
Cheers
J
Cheers, Liam
Highlights:
Dipper
Kingfisher
4 Common Whitethroat
6 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Grey Wagtail
20 Sand Martin
2 Bullfinch
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 21st of May 2012 02:58:56 PM
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
5 Bullfinch
4 Goosander
Sparrowhawk