Hope at least one was a female!

7:15 this am.

3 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the same area! One bird was drumming for 10 minutes in full view high on a beech tree (and could easily be heard walking up to the site, giving itself away), when another briefly alighted high in the tree next to it and a further bird drummed only a short way off in reply to the first bird, bit like duelling banjos in the film Deliverance

Over the course of the next 45 minutes all 3 species of woodpecker were seen within 100 yards of each other, tremendous

(Remember Riggers, you 'ain't seen me right )

I' be grateful if someone could drop me a PM with directions also please?

cheers

Paul, thanks for the directions by the way.

Phil

Simon,

Will PM you.


Phil

Mark, depends on what time you were there for the Greens.

When the park starts to get busier, they tend to be more elusive - in my experience anyway.

Phil

Could anyone give me any info on where to look for the Lesser Pecker here?

Cheers, Simon

mark we had superb views of a pair of greens in the rough grass off the path back towards the hall...
congrats on the lsw, and you too pie-boy! and cheers for the txt.
phil - lol typical.


gonna try and get over there a few times this week between jobs as i'm working for the next few weekends...

edit to add: in all the excitement of yesterday forgot to mention that there were a couple of peregrines circling over the park around 3pm.


-- Edited by Paul Cliff at 21:16, 2008-02-17

So much for the Woodpecker Hat-trick. Saw 2 woodpeckers with relative ease,but where do these Green Woodpeckers hang out.

After missing out on Lesser Spot at Marbury C.P. in the morning by seconds ( one of those if you were here a couple of seconds ago), a long shot at Etherow C.P. then off to Dunham Massey Park.

After getting the Parakeet near to the Obelisk, we scanned the tree's not knowing were to look, when 3 birds flew into a tree near me. The first bird was a Great Tit, So was the second but the Third was a Lesser Spot(male)

But no sign of a Green Woody



-- Edited by Mark Rigby at 19:51, 2008-02-17

-- Edited by Mark Rigby at 19:51, 2008-02-17

-- Edited by Mark Rigby at 19:52, 2008-02-17

Bumped into Ian Woosey this morning at Dunham whilst looking for the Lesser.

Unfortunately, I wandered off looking for Green Woodpecker (which I managed to see) and he had seen a Lesser in the 10 minutes or so before I returned (Isn't it always the way!!!)

Ring-necked Parakeet, Snipe, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Redwing, Kestrel, Cormorant amongst others.

Didn't see Great Spotted Woodpecker today which was unusual although heard plenty.

Ian, you lucky so and so!!!

Phil

Wot you doing in Dunham Park Woosey?,its miles to the nearest Pie Shop.

17/2/08

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker present again today @ 10.00
Excellent view of it in the scope tapping away on a dead branch.

f.Ring-necked Parakeet near the Obelisk.

Paul Cliff wrote:

---

just didn't want to be irresponsibly posting info which might be deleted.


:)

---

Quite right too Paul, thanks for being considerate, the whereabouts of the nest hole should not (and will not) appear on this forum.

pm's sent - sorry wasn't being a nob, just didn't want to be irresponsibly posting info which might be deleted.


still buzzing. top day today; almost didn't bother going as i thought it might be over run with families, kids and dogs - which it was, but all but the dogs were ecstatic to watch the ring necked parakeet through the scope and exclaim, my god! where has it escaped from?


:)

PM me as well please as it's my Atlas tetrad !

Could you possibly PM me then??

I visit Dunham quite regularly so wouldn't mind seeing a Lesser there.

Cheers

Phil

will let ian know the exact location.

phone pic through my scope, cut and paste

http://homepage.mac.com/skiddo/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/lsw.jpeg

Paul

Without giving away the EXACT location of the hole just in case we have a possible nest site, which part of the park was the Lesser???

Thanks

Phil

WOODPECKER HAT-TRICK TODAY!

within 20 minutes of arriving found a male lesser spotted digging out a nest hole, showed beautifully for about 30 minutes. a couple of greens in the grass in the middle of the park and then had to wait the whole rest of the afternoon to see a GSW.

lesser spotted back to the hole digging for another 30 minutes before we left for home.

so chuffed. long awaited lifer for me!


have a few pics on my mates camera and one on my phone through my scope. will see what they are like later!

top days' birding.

My previous post should have stated it was my first ever Little Owl in Dunham and according to a friend it was still in the same tree yesterday early on.
The Parakeet generally doesn't seem to mind a bit of noise and it can sometimes help to loacate the bird as she seems to retalliate to it with a bit of a "shout" of her own.

Parakeet showing in its hole this afternoon, and a woodcock over, but I'd avoid this week as it's half-term - unless you want to hear "I'm the King of the Castle" 20 times in half an hour as yet another small child climbs the obelisk...

Found my first ever Little Owl this morning in a large Beech about 100yards down the main drive from the house - the tree is easy to identify at the moment there is one of those frisby rings hanging up in the branches. I was attracted to the tree by a group of excited birds that included 2 Tree Creeper, a Nuthatch and 4 - 5 Goldfinch. On the stream edge to Bollington Mill over the stile 2 Green Sandpipers along with minimum 5 Snipe. There were several Great Spots drumming but for the first time for a long time no Green Pecker seen ( heard yafFling but kept out of sight).

Parakeet by the obelisk again today. Also a Green Woodpecker calling down here.

2 Snipe on the stream but all the Gadwall have now disappeared.

The RSPB website has a species search which includes Calls of most species and includes Lesser
Spotted Woodpecker's drumming.

Give it a try.

Phil

Nice. Thanks for the info Tony. Know what to listen out for now.

Heard a GSW drumming today at Martin Mere - usually a few bursts up to 1/2 second and pretty loud and far-reaching, whereas LSW is more prolonged 1 or 2 seconds, but sounds a bit feebler.

It's still fairly early Sid. I heard my first down in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago now!
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers should start becoming more active by the end of feb and therefore more visable so keep your eyes and ears open for more drumming. I think the lsw drumming is different but i've never seen or heard em so maybe someone else could help out with how to recognise a lsw?
Thanks. Henry.

Heard Great Spotted Pecker drumming in Dunham Park yesterday 2nd - for the benefit of a newish birder is this early or about right?

Yeah, that's the tree where i've seen it Sid. Glad to know dunham's most exotic resident is still knocking about.

I've seen it sitting on that tree several times. Let's hope she finds a mate.

Had a quick whizz round the park this aft - left home at 4pm!!

Had a nice little group of Redwings near the Lime Tree circle and the Parakeet heading for home at 17.00, it litterally vanished in an instant into a hole the big tree closest to the obelisk and west of it - is this where others have seen it roost?

spent a few hours there today with my new scope - some incredible old trees there, just beautiful.

carrion crow
kestrel - 2, 1 with a prey
bh gulls
magpie
nuthatch - at least 4 different ones
treecreper
jackdaw
stock dove
wood pigeon
song thrush
wren
robin
blackbird
heron - 3 high in a tree in the sanctuary
coot
mute swan
cormorant over head
mallard
jay
starlings
lt tit
blue tit
coal tit
great tit
sparrowhawk
buzzard - 4
great spotted woodpecker - at least 6 different birds
green woodpecker - 1 male
goldcrest - 2
ring necked parakeet - 1 seen, another calling. after some great displa ys in the scope it eventually disappeared into the trunk of a tree!

looked long and hard for lesser spotted woodies to no avail.







-- Edited by Paul Cliff at 19:55, 2008-01-28

Geoff

You can see Green Peckers all round the Park - the best areas in my experience are in and around the lime tree circle and up toward the deer barn in what is called the deer park rather than the deer sanctuary into which you cannot go. You can get to this area best by coming over the stile from Charcoal lane turning immediately left and passing Smithy pool on your right. Another good area lately has been on the stream in the meadow over the stile to Bollington mill.

Great Spots are all over the park but if you see a Lesser Spot please let us all know location.

Bummer today. Our birding expert had to withdraw, and I left my bins at home(first time ever). So two of us and one pair of bins. Not much around either. Tits,wrens,jays,jackdaws and crows, and stuff on the pools. Still, enjoyed the walk. Were is the best area for woodpeckers please?

Geoff (slightly depressed.)

10/1/08 (13.30 - 15.00)

Green Woodpecker on the deck around the Smithy Pool.
Grey Wag near the House.
4 Gadwall & Little Grebe.
several Nuthatch, 3 Goldcrests, G.S.Woodpecker, and Coal Tit amongst the usual woodland tattle.

Nice. I'm surprised I've never seen it before, but my dog walking route tends to divert off the railway line along School Lane to go back along the canal so maybe I just don't go far enough. I'll keep an eye out for it in future. More than likely I'll bump into you at some point too; look for a large black labrador!

I normal walk the dogs along the old railway line, the peregrine is in the area most days I go. I normally spot it around the farm just north of field 108, it was very vocal on Sunday pm, giving its location away.

Not sure whether this is technically in Dunham Massey Park, but the map calls the whole area Dunham Massey...

08/01/08, Early afternoon,

Peregrine falcon (stuck around for a couple of minutes, circling over fields 54 and 55 on the Carrington Moss map before disappearing NW)
~20 Fieldfares in field 48
2 Yellowhammers in 53
Pheasant in 141

-- Edited by James Hutchison at 16:28, 2008-01-09

The Ring-necked Parakeet was by the obelisk at 1400hrs. Does anybody know if this and the Chorlton birds is the Psittacula krameri manillensis subspecies or the P.k. krameri subspecies. I can't even find any definative information on the feral London population. I only had bins with me so views weren't great and couldn't get any fix on mandible colour. Also had Nuthatch and Grey Wag by old mill.

Did my second TTV today. 36 species including 4 Snipe by the south wall.

6 Mute Swan
14 canada Goose
6 Gadwall
64 Mallard
2 Shoveler
10 Tufted Duck
1 Pheasant
2 Little Grebe
1 Grey Heron
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
28 Moorhen
10 Coot
4 Snipe
260 BH Gull (yawn)
1 Common Gull (trying to hide)
3 Stock Dove including one doing a display flight
13 Woodpigeon
3 Collared Dove
1 GS Woodpecker
1 Wren
17 Robin
22 Blackbird
3 Redwing
3 Mistle Thrush
4 LT Tit
2 Coal Tit
24 Blue Tit
8 Great Tit
5 Magpie
46 Jackdaw
22 Rook
9 carrion Crow
12 Starling
40 House Sparrow
9 Chaffinch


Typically no sign of the Parakeet, but have recorded her as a roving record. Also no joys with the Barn Owls. Obvious ommissions - Dunnock, Pied & Grey Wag, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Greenfinch and Goldfinch

That's 54 species in total for the tetrad for the winter.

There was a dubious juvenile duck on the moat which seemed to have some Pochard genes, but I'm a bit reluctant to count it, as there's also quite a few farmyard ducks here.

Now to concentrate on the less lovely SJ78H which has the M56 splat through the middle. Only got 45 species for this one :(

-- Edited by Tony Coatsworth at 14:14, 2008-01-06

A couple of Snipe by the stream again today. One was so well hidden - all you could see was the top of the head and bill, so I had a good long look trying to turn it into a Woodcock but no luck - definite stripes lengthways.

A few Redwing and Fieldfare around the car park but no sign of the Parakeet.

I've seen Woodcock in DMP - late afternoon in winter in the North-east corner, what we used to call the deer park area - so they are (were) there!

I have been looking again for the Woodcock (reported Friday of last week) and the more I look the more Snipe I see!! I ask myself and everyone else who knows the meadow at Dunham would I really expect to see a Woodcock resident in such an open environment? I have seen them in the past, usually when they have been flushed from dense undergrowth of which there is a distinct lack along that stream. So shall I cut my losses and not expect a Woodcock before the end of the year at Dunham?

In the meantime happy Christmas everyone

I waited 'til it warmed up a bit before I ventured into the park I too had the Snipe (4), a Green Pecker near the wood carvings/lime circle, the Paraket in her normal place near the obelisk and two female Shoveller on Smithy pool plus all the usual suspects. A pleasant walk to help me get over the Moyes Boys defeat!!!

Sheet ice and bloomin cold this morning.

1 Green Sandpiper flying round the park near the Island Pool
4 Snipe sunning themselves on the stream bank near the stile
Buzzard over the meadow but no Peregrine :(
Mixed feeding flock of LTT, Coal, Blue and Great Tits, Nuthatch and Treecreeper but no Siskin, Redpoll or LSW.

No sign of the Woodcock though - where was it ?
I've not seen one there yet so I've not done a Roving Record

Also 2 Hares the other side of the canal just south of the sewage works.

Martin

Just gone thro your Dunham list again and for the benefit of a comparative new-comer to birding - how does a Greater Canada Goose differ from a run-of-the Mill Canada Goose?

Sid

Martin

Well done with the Woodcock - I have been at Dunham very day this week except Friday- Sods Law eh -a Woodcock would be a lifer for me so to miss one on my own patch well----

All I have found all week including today - that vaguely resemble Woodcock are the Common Snipe that appear to have taken up residence just over the steam from the styal - they were there today on all three of my visits!!!

Tony C -
Have you noted the Woodcock on your Roving Records or has one been reported previously?

Tony C again -
There has been a report of Peregrine over the meadow on Thursday or was this a flight of the imagination?

Sightings for Friday 21st

Black-headed Gull
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Collared Dove
Cormorant (over)
Fieldfare
Great Tit
Green Sandpiper (by the stream just over the styal)
Long-tailed Tit
Mallard
Moorhen
Nuthatch
Robin
Starling
Woodpigeon
Blackbird
Carrion Crow
Coal Tit
Coot
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Greater Canada Goose
Jackdaw
Magpie
Mistle Thrush
Mute Swan
Ring-necked Parakeet (in a tree 20 metres west of the obelisk)
Rook
Woodcock ( by thr stream just over the styal)
Wren

Hey Sid.
Yes the Para was a cracker!
Ther Lesser Redpoll was the first bird I saw at the obelisk area and was quite suprised. It quickly flew off towards the alders with a couple of Siskins to where there were already some Goldfinches. The cold weather has probably brought quite a few into the area so your chances are good as the winter progresses. Those alders along the ox-bow are perfect for a feeding flock.
Hope you get lucky with the l'rolls.
Cheers. Henerz.

Henry

Glad that you got the Parakeet - nice bird eh?

I have seen Green Sands on the meadow - usually in the large mud patch on the other side of the stream from the styal.

Where was the Lesser Redpoll - I haven't seen one of those in Dunham and it would be nice to get one?