The 40 'Goldcrest' should have in fact been 40 Goldfinch in post below Doh!! Rick
Rick Donkin said
Mon Jan 3 4:24 PM, 2011
On way to park - flock of 40 Goldcrest at the end of The Crescent/Hall St and 2 male Goosander in Mickerbrook near weir at end of Mill Lane with 6 Redwing along Mill Lane by Cheadle Crem and Hospital.
Late afternoon stroll around the park - very quiet apart from the incessant noise from the motorway. HOWEVER, a very nice Goldcrest scurrying through brambles and other undergrowth on right of path leading up to the 'wetland' area by the seats (one of which has been completely vandalised)
Other birds included GS Woodpecker (f), Bullfinch (m), lots of tits (Gt, Blue and LT).
Nothing around the new scrapes, which were completely frozen over.
Mallard and Moorhen on fishing pond (still 90% iced over) with 40 odd BH Gulls. Rick.
Paul Dewey said
Thu Nov 11 8:44 PM, 2010
Although seen without binoculars there was a Harris Hawk over the football field today around 2.30pm. Was being mobbed by crows and flew away over motorway.
Very late post but warden put up 2 snipe when doing some work approx 10 days ago.
John Rayner said
Fri Oct 22 4:49 PM, 2010
Snipe and Grey Wagtail were new site ticks for me - both on the SBI area, where boardwalk construction continues.
Cheers, John
John Rayner said
Fri Oct 8 5:07 PM, 2010
Not much in the way of bird sightings:
7 Moorhen, 23 Mallard, 1 Heron on the water by the car park. A Sparrowhawk was mobbed by a Black-headed Gull.
A new boardwalk through the new pond/scrapes area is under construction. The water here looks good at the moment, providing you are first there and beat the dog walkers.
Best sighting today was non-birdy: Autumn Crocus - photo on Manchester Wildlife site under Plant Sightings/Various Sites
Cheers, John
Steve Suttill said
Fri Sep 24 5:29 PM, 2010
Hi John
re Chiffchaffs singing at this time of year: there was a long discussion about this last year. I have revitalised it under General Birding Discussion - enjoy...
Steve
John Rayner said
Fri Sep 24 3:58 PM, 2010
Another look round this morning but not a lot to report.
Little Grebe still present 6 Moorhen and a Coot 14 Mallard 2 Jays 1 Buzzard over A Chiffchaff singing continuously. Is this just a bird protecting a feeding territory or is it a young bird practising singing?
Cheers, John
Steve Atkins said
Thu Sep 9 6:33 PM, 2010
Pete Hines wrote:
For many years Goldcrests havel bred almost anywhere with conifers in South Manchester eg my garden, my mums garden, at work, on the way to the pub etc..
That's interesting Pete. In 2008 & 2009 the only confirmed breeding records for Goldcrest from South Manchester submitted to the BTO (for the national & GM Atlases) were from SJ89M Fallowfield & SJ89G Southern Cemetery.
If you know of other tetrads where breeding was confirmed between 2008 and 2010, would you please submit the records via the BTO Atlas website.
Overall Goldcrest is showing an increase in breeding distribution (at least it was until last winter!), with confirmed breeding in 15 tetrads across GM in 2008-09, compared to 11 tetrads at the time of BBGM. However, it must surely be breeding in many more.
Steve
Pete Hines said
Thu Sep 9 2:32 PM, 2010
The Hoopoe record was 1st - 3rd April 1991 and a dodgy illustration graces the cover of the '91 GM Bird Report of a bird that i din't see !. For many years Goldcrests havel bred almost anywhere with conifers in South Manchester eg my garden, my mums garden, at work, on the way to the pub etc..
Bill Myerscough said
Tue Sep 7 4:40 PM, 2010
Hi Paul,
I will send you a private message via the forum re your interest in possibly helping with some survey work for the atlas in this area. I hope this is OK with you? Thanks very much for considering helping out.
Best wishes,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 04:48:34 PM
Paul Dewey said
Tue Sep 7 3:36 PM, 2010
Abney is a very nice site and I think shares some of its birds with the area i walk along the mersey, little grebes in particular being seen on the mersey in winter as well as in the park. The wardens for Mersey Vale cover this site as well as several others and I have done some volunteer work here with them.
There are often birds of prey over the park, Kestrel but particularly sparrowhawk, my max count being three in the spring. There have also been buzzard (a pair?) seen throughout the past 2 years.
There is a regularly watcher/dog walker who sometimes gives sightings to one of the wardens, a couple of interesting ones this spring being garden warbler and lesser spotted woodpecker. I did try a couple of times but did not manage to confirm either.
Great spotted woodpecker are seen all the time, as are nuthatch, which i saw visiting the same hole in a tree several times. Goldcrest also were calling in the spring in the conifers around the hall. Reed bunting were also seen in the damp area near the motorway, where a feeding station was put in last winter, this attracted lots of finches during the winter, including Bullfinch. Reed bunting was also seen on the other side of the river in Mersey Vale nature park, where I think they may have bred
Last winter the warden and i had a tramp through the damp area to count snipe. I cant remember the exact figures but around 10, with a possible woodock as well. Hopefully the new ponds and scrapes which went in this summer may attract more.
I haven't done any survey work but might be interested given some help and guidelines, as this is a pretty local site for me.
John Rayner said
Tue Sep 7 1:26 PM, 2010
7th Sep 8.30 - 9.30
Adult Little Grebe stil present 3 Blackcaps 2 Jays 1 Bullfinch 1 Nuthatch Usual roving tit flocks.
Bill Myerscough said
Sun Sep 5 2:06 PM, 2010
5th September.
John's post on this site dated 31/8 encouraged me to make a visit. In fact, I almost called in here when I visited nearby Bruntwood Park on 24th and 29th August. As John says, "an excellent site with bags of potential" and a good variety of habitats and it's a shame that these 2 sites don't appear to fall within anyones local patch? I always have a look at the BTO atlas records before I go anywhere and Abney Hall Park straddles 2 tetrads - SJ88P Gatley (3 confirmed breeding records) and SJ88U Cheadle (8 confirmed breeding records). So with nearby Bruntwood Park having a total of just 3 confirmed breeding records for its 2 tetrads (SJ88N and SJ88T), this area is still pretty much a blank canvas as far as our very own GM breeding birds atlas is concerned. Some good birding habitat in this general area, if anyone fancies having a go at these 4 tetrads to help add some roving confirmed breeding records for the final summer in 2011?
Visit today 7.30 to 9.15 am.
1 female Mandarin, 1 adult Little Grebe, c55 Mallard, 4 Moorhens including 2 fully grown and independent juveniles, 2 Coot, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Buzzard, 2 Jays, 3 Chiffchaffs (including one in song), 1 Treecreeper, a flock of 11 Long-tailed Tits, a Stock Dove heard calling, an adult Woodpigeon seen feeding a juvenile on a branch in a tree near the hall.
Later in the morning had a wander through Cheadle village and along part of the Ladybrook Valley - several Feral Pigeons were sat on nests underneath a railway bridge in the village, a family party of Goldfinch were in a tree in a side street of the village, 2 Treecreepers in Ladybrook Valley and 2 juvenile Bullfinches feeding on blackberries were close by.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 5th of September 2010 02:08:30 PM
Judith Smith said
Wed Sep 1 10:30 PM, 2010
Famous for its Hoopoe. John, of many years ago now. Have also seen breeding Goldcrests there.
John Rayner said
Tue Aug 31 8:22 PM, 2010
A short walk this morning around Abney Hall Park. Not much today but an excellent site with bags of potential and it's rather a surprise that this hasn't got its own thread already.
Nuthatch 5 at 3 locations
Blackcap 4
Chiffchaff singing loudly
Jay 3
Heron 2
Bullfinch
Cheers, John
Rick
Late afternoon stroll around the park - very quiet apart from the incessant noise from the motorway. HOWEVER, a very nice Goldcrest
Other birds included GS Woodpecker (f), Bullfinch (m), lots of tits (Gt, Blue and LT).
Nothing around the new scrapes, which were completely frozen over.
Mallard and Moorhen on fishing pond (still 90% iced over) with 40 odd BH Gulls.
Rick.
Although seen without binoculars there was a Harris Hawk over the football field today around 2.30pm. Was being mobbed by crows and flew away over motorway.
Very late post but warden put up 2 snipe when doing some work approx 10 days ago.
Cheers, John
7 Moorhen, 23 Mallard, 1 Heron on the water by the car park. A Sparrowhawk was mobbed by a Black-headed Gull.
A new boardwalk through the new pond/scrapes area is under construction. The water here looks good at the moment, providing you are first there and beat the dog walkers.
Best sighting today was non-birdy: Autumn Crocus - photo on Manchester Wildlife site under Plant Sightings/Various Sites
Cheers, John
re Chiffchaffs singing at this time of year: there was a long discussion about this last year. I have revitalised it under General Birding Discussion - enjoy...
Steve
Little Grebe still present
6 Moorhen and a Coot
14 Mallard
2 Jays
1 Buzzard over
A Chiffchaff singing continuously. Is this just a bird protecting a feeding territory or is it a young bird practising singing?
Cheers, John
That's interesting Pete.
In 2008 & 2009 the only confirmed breeding records for Goldcrest from South Manchester submitted to the BTO (for the national & GM Atlases) were from SJ89M Fallowfield & SJ89G Southern Cemetery.
If you know of other tetrads where breeding was confirmed between 2008 and 2010, would you please submit the records via the BTO Atlas website.
Overall Goldcrest is showing an increase in breeding distribution (at least it was until last winter!), with confirmed breeding in 15 tetrads across GM in 2008-09, compared to 11 tetrads at the time of BBGM. However, it must surely be breeding in many more.
Steve
I will send you a private message via the forum re your interest in possibly helping with some survey work for the atlas in this area.
Best wishes,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 04:48:34 PM
There are often birds of prey over the park, Kestrel but particularly sparrowhawk, my max count being three in the spring. There have also been buzzard (a pair?) seen throughout the past 2 years.
There is a regularly watcher/dog walker who sometimes gives sightings to one of the wardens, a couple of interesting ones this spring being garden warbler and lesser spotted woodpecker. I did try a couple of times but did not manage to confirm either.
Great spotted woodpecker are seen all the time, as are nuthatch, which i saw visiting the same hole in a tree several times. Goldcrest also were calling in the spring in the conifers around the hall. Reed bunting were also seen in the damp area near the motorway, where a feeding station was put in last winter, this attracted lots of finches during the winter, including Bullfinch. Reed bunting was also seen on the other side of the river in Mersey Vale nature park, where I think they may have bred
Last winter the warden and i had a tramp through the damp area to count snipe. I cant remember the exact figures but around 10, with a possible woodock as well. Hopefully the new ponds and scrapes which went in this summer may attract more.
I haven't done any survey work but might be interested given some help and guidelines, as this is a pretty local site for me.
Adult Little Grebe stil present
3 Blackcaps
2 Jays
1 Bullfinch
1 Nuthatch
Usual roving tit flocks.
John's post on this site dated 31/8 encouraged me to make a visit.
Visit today 7.30 to 9.15 am.
1 female Mandarin,
Later in the morning had a wander through Cheadle village and along part of the Ladybrook Valley - several Feral Pigeons were sat on nests underneath a railway bridge in the village, a family party of Goldfinch were in a tree in a side street of the village, 2 Treecreepers in Ladybrook Valley and 2 juvenile Bullfinches feeding on blackberries were close by.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 5th of September 2010 02:08:30 PM