Apparently quite common at this time of year, according to BTO News. I remember seeing it in November last year and Bill Myerscough did too, I think.
sid ashton said
Wed Dec 2 4:34 PM, 2009
Paul Heaton wrote:
2 magpies making a nest in Sale this afternoon, now thats either very late or very early.
Keep birding
Paul
I was going to say a similar thing on my Hollingworth post but I thought it can't be true that there were two Magpies with their builders hats on in the trees next to the disabled car park there
Paul Heaton said
Wed Dec 2 4:21 PM, 2009
2 magpies making a nest in Sale this afternoon, now thats either very late or very early.
Keep birding
Jon Taverner said
Tue Dec 1 8:25 PM, 2009
Having lived at the same address for 25 years, seeing a Jay in the garden has been an extremely rare event - perhaps a fleeting visit once or twice a year. For the past few weeks, a pair has, everyday, spent the equivalent of at least an hour eating the peanuts that I have put down on the path. Surprisingly, they are very tolerant of my presence and I can stand 15 feet away with my camera, in full view, without either being at all bothered. As Jays are normally timid and easily scared, photographing one of them yesterday standing on a plant pot, watching me for over 30 seconds and then totally ignoring me while it carried on gathering the peanuts was a real honour.
Dave Thacker said
Mon Nov 30 7:54 PM, 2009
Peregrine scaring the pigeons by flying high over Swinton Precinct at 14.45pm today.
dave broome said
Mon Nov 30 7:09 PM, 2009
j meadows wrote:
Gidlow pr Mute Swans on pond at Brandons Farm top of Gidlow Lane this dinnertime
They must have had a good aim to land on there
Jimmy Meadows said
Mon Nov 30 5:41 PM, 2009
Gidlow pr Mute Swans on pond at Brandons Farm top of Gidlow Lane this dinnertime
Paul Heaton said
Mon Nov 30 8:06 AM, 2009
Peregrine Falcon over Bury bus station yesterday.
Keep Birding
Helen Jones said
Sun Nov 29 2:38 PM, 2009
Bit of drama on my street today (Tybyrne Close, Mosley Common) - at about 11am all the birds started going crazy, looked outside to see a kestrel getting mobbed on the neighbour's roof by some very disgruntled crows. After watching them for a few minutes it was apparent the kestrel was stuck on the aerial, and was getting very distressed.
I called Raptor Rescue, and ended up having to call the fire brigade. It took two fire rigs, one with cherry picker, to get the bird down, which it turned out was wearing jesses which had become caught. After a quick snack of chick leg the bird seemed remarkably calm although very bedraggled from sitting in the rain, and none the worse for wear.
Certainly got the curtains twitching on the street! Huge thanks to everyone involved, especially to Barbara from Raptor Rescue for coming out so quickly.
James Minchin said
Thu Nov 26 6:23 PM, 2009
The Bullfinches seem to have returned for the winter here, a similar time to last year. 1 male in the garden yesterday am and a male and female this morning.
James Minchin said
Mon Nov 23 8:11 PM, 2009
A bit of an influx of birds into our garden today (not far from Churchill Playing fields) Counted at least...
3 Collared Dove 8 Chaffinch 5 Goldfinch 5 Greenfinch 5 Blue Tit 4 Great Tit 2 Coal Tit 13 Starling A Jackdaw 2 Dunnock A Magpie 3 Blackbird and I'm pleased to say another visit from our Nuthatch!
Geoff Hargreaves said
Sun Nov 22 2:59 PM, 2009
5 Whooper swans over platt bridge this morning heading east,
just not quite close enough to get on the garden list
cheers geoff
Mike Chorley said
Tue Nov 17 9:10 PM, 2009
Bill Myerscough wrote:
Early singing Mistle Thrushes?
1 at Harpurhey Ponds, Harpurhey yesterday 14/11 and 1 near Gigg Reservoirs, Bury today 15/11.
Bill.
1 today in Middleton cemetry as well. Although, as I've seen a fledged juvenile being fed in the grounds of Failsworth Parish Church in January it may not be too early for them
Paul Heaton said
Mon Nov 16 6:44 PM, 2009
2 Goldcrest at Albert-Bridge house Manchester town centre today.
30 BH Gulls 2 Moorhen 6 Cormorant 3 Crows, all in and around the Courts in Manchester.
oh and a few pigeons
no far from your workplace young whippersnapper Warfy.
keep birding
Bill Myerscough said
Sun Nov 15 7:21 PM, 2009
Early singing Mistle Thrushes?
1 at Harpurhey Ponds, Harpurhey yesterday 14/11 and 1 near Gigg Reservoirs, Bury today 15/11.
Bill.
Tony Coatsworth said
Sun Nov 15 3:15 PM, 2009
Big flock of Thrushes including 20+ Fieldfare over the M56 near Manchester Airport about 1pm
James Minchin said
Sat Nov 14 5:41 PM, 2009
A Nuthatch came to our garden in Greenfield today. Don't often get Nuthatches here but this is the second time this month, so I hope it becomes a regular visitor.
Bill Myerscough said
Fri Nov 13 7:10 PM, 2009
13th November.
Did my first winter visit for one the tetrads (SD80B Prestwich) that I am covering for the next year for the BTO 2007 -2011 Atlas project this morning. A very enjoyable visit to this tetrad which covers Drinkwater Park, a section of the River Irwell, Prestwich Clough and some of the built up parts of Prestwich.
43 species in 2 hours on a lovely autumn morning..... 462 birds over 120 minutes - that's 3.85 birds per minute - who says that atlas type bird watching can't be interesting and enjoyable!
Keep atlasing,
Bill.
Bill Myerscough said
Fri Nov 13 4:49 PM, 2009
13th November.
A Song Thrush singing strongly (maybe not quite full song but definitely not sub-song either) near to Sainsburys at Heaton Park at 8.00am today.
Bill.
Paul Cliff said
Fri Nov 13 9:41 AM, 2009
me too! counted 62 mallard yesterday. what is going on? can we form a support group?
Paul Heaton said
Thu Nov 12 8:03 PM, 2009
Seem to have caught the Thorpe counting disorder.
Canada geese 43 Magpie 35. On Flixton road this afternoon.
keep birding
gary mills said
Wed Nov 11 7:18 AM, 2009
A single Kingfisher seen flying along the canal which runs parallel with Oxford Street East, Ashton. 1620hrs 10/11/09, also a Grey Wagtail had a lucky escape from a Sparrowhawk
Dave Thacker said
Mon Nov 9 12:39 PM, 2009
Over Liverpool street in Salford between 7.40-8.00am this morning,
60+ Fieldfare all heading towards the quays 12 Cormorants 2 Sparrowhawks 1 Kestrel 2 Mute swans 1 Peregrine.
Ian Campbell said
Sun Nov 8 12:28 PM, 2009
Late post for yesterday 2.20p.m. above Briscoe Lane near City of Manchester Stadium approx 450 Lapwing flying around, I've never seen anything like this many here before. Cheers Ian
Phil_Oldham said
Sat Nov 7 9:52 PM, 2009
Sparrowhawk set off a flock of starlings from Vernon Mill, Stockport yesterday around 3pm!
gary mills said
Sat Nov 7 8:54 PM, 2009
Had a very young Wood Pigeon in the garden today still getting used to flying. This is the latest date in the year that i've seen such a young bird !
Henry Cook said
Wed Nov 4 6:54 PM, 2009
Interestingly, over in N.Wales there have been increasing numbers in recent days and weeks. Some very large winter roosts forming in Conwy and reportedly a biggy on Anglesey. Maybe some of our smaller roosts are making a move for the winter-time. A cold one in prospect perhaps?
Ian Campbell said
Wed Nov 4 6:43 PM, 2009
Helen, totally agree, filled my fat ball feeder with 4 fat balls,yes I know how this sounds,6 days ago and they have not been touched, where have all the Starlings gone?, sounds a bit like a recent theme on Dr. Who. Cheers Ian
Helen Jones said
Wed Nov 4 5:57 PM, 2009
Has anyone noticed a drop off in starling numbers over recent weeks? Through the summer I would regularly get up to 75 in my garden, and even bought a separate fat ball feeding station for them as they were frightening everything else away.
Normally when I fill the fat feeders, within a couple of hours there is a feeding frenzy and they are stripped clean within a day or two, but I last filled them about three weeks ago and they're still full, with not a single starling visiting the garden.
Does anyone know why this would happen?
Bill Myerscough said
Sun Nov 1 7:09 PM, 2009
1st November.
At a wet and windy Drinkwater Park (SD804024) this afternoon. A drake Wigeon was a nice surprise amongt the 43 Coots, 6 Moorhens and c20 Mallards. Also present - 19 Tufted Duck (which presumably had come off the nearby River Irwell, which was in spate?) and 1 Little Grebe. Kingfisher heard but not seen.
Cheers,
Bill.
James Minchin said
Sat Oct 31 3:05 PM, 2009
Collared Doves have been forming large winter flocks this year, counted 16 this morning from our garden in Greenfield.
Jimmy Meadows said
Wed Oct 28 7:53 PM, 2009
Gidlow 2 Jack Snipe today
Info thanks to Tom Morton
Dave Tennant said
Wed Oct 28 12:31 PM, 2009
Kingfisher fishing off lock wall at rosebridge ince 10am, 4 herons standing in fields off meadow pit lane haigh.
Tim Wilcox said
Wed Oct 28 12:50 AM, 2009
Tawny Owl hooting from a large tree in the grounds of the Nigeria Centre on Platt Lane Rusholme this evening at 12.20am
Ian Campbell said
Tue Oct 27 4:03 PM, 2009
Grey Wagtail on my garden pond 7.45a.m. first of the Autumn Cheers Ian
Judith Smith said
Mon Oct 26 10:39 AM, 2009
Where, please, Helen?
Bill Myerscough said
Sun Oct 25 11:42 AM, 2009
Helen Jones wrote:
On my way to work this morning I saw a starling with a beakful of what looked like nesting material. It looked like it was using it to build something in the gutter (unfortunately the traffic lights then changed so couldn't stay to watch what it was doing).
Has anyone else noticed similar behavious, or know what it was doing? Surely it's too early to be nest building??
Hi Helen,
Nest building or maintenance is a possibility or maybe there might be another explanation? I know that in the house next door to where I live in Chadderton that Starlings nest in the roof space behind the fascias each summer and usually fledge two broods. This hole in the roof space is also used by a pair (the same one?) throughout the winter for roosting. With this nesting hole/roosting space being in use for almost the full 12 months of the year I suppose that it might not be the most hygienic of locations!! I wonder if the bird might have been carrying the equivalent of bedding material into a roosting site? - just a thought.
Whilst on the subject of nest building at this time of year. On this thread I posted details of a pair of Magpies early nest building activities in the silver birch tree in my next door neighbours garden on 28/11/08 and 3/12/08 (see post dated 14/2/09 on this "Bits and Bobs, Odds and Sods thread" for last update). They fledged young out of that nest last summer. Yesterday (24/10/09) - what may well be the same pair of Magpies started building a new nest in the same silver birch tree!! Both birds were seen to carry small spindly twigs into the tree and try to bond them around a fork in the tree....the site of the possible new nest is maybe only a yard or so away from the old nest, which appears to have survived virtually intact.
Regards,
Bill.
Paul Cliff said
Fri Oct 23 9:24 PM, 2009
manchester airport whilst waiting for my mate's plane to land, 18 pied wagtails moving sw over the airport hotel at 17.40.
Mike hirst said
Fri Oct 23 2:30 PM, 2009
An unexpected garden first this morning, a juvenile grey wagtail pottered around the pond and then spent a bit of time on the lawn before flying off.
Mike
Helen Jones said
Fri Oct 23 12:26 PM, 2009
On my way to work this morning I saw a starling with a beakful of what looked like nesting material. It looked like it was using it to build something in the gutter (unfortunately the traffic lights then changed so couldn't stay to watch what it was doing).
Has anyone else noticed similar behavious, or know what it was doing? Surely it's too early to be nest building??
Jimmy Meadows said
Thu Oct 22 8:15 PM, 2009
East Lancs Cycletrack Birds seen and heard while walking the Cycletrack Long Tailed Tits Blue Tit Great Tit Collard Dove Wood Pigeon Goldcrest Mistle Thrush Blackbird House Sparrow Greenfinch Gold finch jay Carrion Crow Jackdaw River Glaze i think this is what it is 2 Little Grebe Pr Mute Swans with at least 3 young 2 Grey Wagtail Pied Wagtail
Jimmy
-- Edited by j meadows on Thursday 22nd of October 2009 08:19:43 PM
Steve Suttill said
Thu Oct 22 9:53 AM, 2009
Bill Myerscough wrote:
20th October.
I presume these birds are mostly, if not all migrants? Mostly appeared to be first winter/ immature birds - no adult males or females apparently. It is thought that millions of continental Blackbirds spend the winter here yet it's strange how Blackbirds only appear in extremely small numbers (if they appear at all) on visible migration listings? Presumably because they are nocturnal migrants and/or travel singly or in very small groups?
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 20th of October 2009 02:09:29 PM
That's odd, Bill - I've noted an increase in my local blackbird population (which is usual at this time of year) but the vast majority round here are adult males. Do they behave like Chaffinches and tend to form single-sex groups?
Steve
Jimmy Meadows said
Wed Oct 21 9:35 PM, 2009
6 Siskins in trees at Samuel St Atherton this morning
Jimmy
Bill Myerscough said
Tue Oct 20 2:07 PM, 2009
20th October.
A really noticeable influx of Blackbirds into my Chadderton garden today - there haven't been any for weeks and today at least 9 Blackbirds and 1 Song Thrush (this species hardly ever seen in the garden - usually only during very hard winter weather). The birds were feeding on orange Pyracantha berries, red Cotoneaster berries, orange Rowan berries, picking worms out of the lawn and turning over leaves looking for insects and picking at (and leaving!) bits of beef fat that I had thrown out on the lawn - the Magpies wasted no time in taking those morsels though!
I presume these birds are mostly, if not all migrants? Mostly appeared to be first winter/ immature birds - no adult males or females apparently. It is thought that millions of continental Blackbirds spend the winter here yet it's strange how Blackbirds only appear in extremely small numbers (if they appear at all) on visible migration listings? Presumably because they are nocturnal migrants and/or travel singly or in very small groups?
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 20th of October 2009 02:09:29 PM
Paul Heaton said
Sat Oct 17 6:38 PM, 2009
Woodcock collected today in the town centre today just off Trinty way.
Keep Birding.
Dave Thacker said
Sat Oct 17 6:26 PM, 2009
A pair of Ravens were flying around the gasometer on Liverpool street, Salford today at 10.10am. They eventually flew towards Regent road whilst calling to each other.
Jimmy Meadows said
Fri Oct 16 6:59 PM, 2009
Sparrowhawk scattering Pied Wagtails and Pigeons off the roofs at Bengal St Leigh this morning then landed in a tree there Also 6 Jackdaws in Bradshawgate
Cheers Jimmy
Helen Jones said
Wed Oct 14 5:12 PM, 2009
Three mute swans flying very low over Sale town centre at 3pm
Jimmy Meadows said
Tue Oct 13 11:01 PM, 2009
Tonight lots of Redwings going over Beech Hill going south i think as it was pitch black Its nice to hear them coming back Beltin
Dave Thacker said
Tue Oct 13 7:19 PM, 2009
A Buzzard flying West was being mobbed by two Crows as it flew above Regent road in Salford at 16.55 this afternoon.
I was going to say a similar thing on my Hollingworth post but I thought it can't be true that there were two Magpies with their builders hats on in the trees next to the disabled car park there
Keep birding
They must have had a good aim to land on there
pr Mute Swans on pond at Brandons Farm top of Gidlow Lane this dinnertime
Keep Birding
I called Raptor Rescue, and ended up having to call the fire brigade. It took two fire rigs, one with cherry picker, to get the bird down, which it turned out was wearing jesses which had become caught. After a quick snack of chick leg the bird seemed remarkably calm although very bedraggled from sitting in the rain, and none the worse for wear.
Certainly got the curtains twitching on the street! Huge thanks to everyone involved, especially to Barbara from Raptor Rescue for coming out so quickly.
Counted at least...
3 Collared Dove
8 Chaffinch
5 Goldfinch
5 Greenfinch
5 Blue Tit
4 Great Tit
2 Coal Tit
13 Starling
A Jackdaw
2 Dunnock
A Magpie
3 Blackbird
and I'm pleased to say another visit from our Nuthatch!
just not quite close enough to get on the garden list
cheers geoff
1 today in Middleton cemetry as well. Although, as I've seen a fledged juvenile being fed in the grounds of Failsworth Parish Church in January it may not be too early for them
30 BH Gulls
2 Moorhen
6 Cormorant
3 Crows, all in and around the Courts in Manchester.
oh and a few pigeons
no far from your workplace young whippersnapper Warfy.
keep birding
1 at Harpurhey Ponds, Harpurhey yesterday 14/11 and 1 near Gigg Reservoirs, Bury today 15/11.
Bill.
Did my first winter visit for one the tetrads (SD80B Prestwich) that I am covering for the next year for the BTO 2007 -2011 Atlas project this morning. A very enjoyable visit to this tetrad which covers Drinkwater Park, a section of the River Irwell, Prestwich Clough and some of the built up parts of Prestwich.
To continue the theme of counting ....... 2 Mute Swan, 9 Canada Goose, 16 Mallard, 23 Tufted Duck, 1 Goldeneye, 4 Goosander, 1 Pheasant, 4 Little Grebe, 2 Cormorant, 1 Sparrowhawk, 7 Moorhen, 38 Coot, 26 Black-headed Gull, 18 Feral Pigeon, 20 Woodpigeon, 4 Collared Dove, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Grey Wagtail, 21 Wren, 17 Dunnock, 33 Robin, 19 Blackbird, 21 Fieldfare, 1 Song Trush, 6 Mistle Thrush, 20 Long-tailed Tit, 6 Coal Tit, 16 Blue Tit, 18 Great Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 4 Jay, 17 Magpie, 2 Jackdaw, 10 Carrion Crow, 2 Starling, 13 House Sparrow, 5 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 11 Goldfinch, 29 Siskin, 4 Lesser Redpoll and 2 Bullfinch.
43 species in 2 hours on a lovely autumn morning..... 462 birds over 120 minutes - that's 3.85 birds per minute - who says that atlas type bird watching can't be interesting and enjoyable!
Keep atlasing,
Bill.
A Song Thrush singing strongly (maybe not quite full song but definitely not sub-song either) near to Sainsburys at Heaton Park at 8.00am today.
Bill.
Canada geese 43
Magpie 35.
On Flixton road this afternoon.
keep birding
60+ Fieldfare all heading towards the quays
12 Cormorants
2 Sparrowhawks
1 Kestrel
2 Mute swans
1 Peregrine.
Cheers Ian
Maybe some of our smaller roosts are making a move for the winter-time. A cold one in prospect perhaps?
Cheers Ian
Normally when I fill the fat feeders, within a couple of hours there is a feeding frenzy and they are stripped clean within a day or two, but I last filled them about three weeks ago and they're still full, with not a single starling visiting the garden.
Does anyone know why this would happen?
At a wet and windy Drinkwater Park (SD804024) this afternoon. A drake Wigeon was a nice surprise amongt the 43 Coots, 6 Moorhens and c20 Mallards. Also present - 19 Tufted Duck (which presumably had come off the nearby River Irwell, which was in spate?) and 1 Little Grebe. Kingfisher heard but not seen.
Cheers,
Bill.
2 Jack Snipe today
Info thanks to Tom Morton
Cheers Ian
Hi Helen,
Nest building or maintenance is a possibility or maybe there might be another explanation? I know that in the house next door to where I live in Chadderton that Starlings nest in the roof space behind the fascias each summer and usually fledge two broods. This hole in the roof space is also used by a pair (the same one?) throughout the winter for roosting. With this nesting hole/roosting space being in use for almost the full 12 months of the year I suppose that it might not be the most hygienic of locations!! I wonder if the bird might have been carrying the equivalent of bedding material into a roosting site? - just a thought.
Whilst on the subject of nest building at this time of year. On this thread I posted details of a pair of Magpies early nest building activities in the silver birch tree in my next door neighbours garden on 28/11/08 and 3/12/08 (see post dated 14/2/09 on this "Bits and Bobs, Odds and Sods thread" for last update). They fledged young out of that nest last summer. Yesterday (24/10/09) - what may well be the same pair of Magpies started building a new nest in the same silver birch tree!! Both birds were seen to carry small spindly twigs into the tree and try to bond them around a fork in the tree....the site of the possible new nest is maybe only a yard or so away from the old nest, which appears to have survived virtually intact.
Regards,
Bill.
Mike
Has anyone else noticed similar behavious, or know what it was doing? Surely it's too early to be nest building??
Birds seen and heard while walking the Cycletrack
Long Tailed Tits
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Collard Dove
Wood Pigeon
Goldcrest
Mistle Thrush
Blackbird
House Sparrow
Greenfinch
Gold finch
jay Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
River Glaze i think this is what it is
2 Little Grebe
Pr Mute Swans with at least 3 young
2 Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Jimmy
-- Edited by j meadows on Thursday 22nd of October 2009 08:19:43 PM
That's odd, Bill - I've noted an increase in my local blackbird population (which is usual at this time of year) but the vast majority round here are adult males. Do they behave like Chaffinches and tend to form single-sex groups?
Steve
Jimmy
A really noticeable influx of Blackbirds into my Chadderton garden today - there haven't been any for weeks and today at least 9 Blackbirds and 1 Song Thrush (this species hardly ever seen in the garden - usually only during very hard winter weather). The birds were feeding on orange Pyracantha berries, red Cotoneaster berries, orange Rowan berries, picking worms out of the lawn and turning over leaves looking for insects and picking at (and leaving!) bits of beef fat that I had thrown out on the lawn - the Magpies wasted no time in taking those morsels though!
I presume these birds are mostly, if not all migrants? Mostly appeared to be first winter/ immature birds - no adult males or females apparently. It is thought that millions of continental Blackbirds spend the winter here yet it's strange how Blackbirds only appear in extremely small numbers (if they appear at all) on visible migration listings? Presumably because they are nocturnal migrants and/or travel singly or in very small groups?
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 20th of October 2009 02:09:29 PM
Keep Birding.
Also 6 Jackdaws in Bradshawgate
Cheers Jimmy