Poise Brook-Jim Fernley Bridge-Goyt Hall Farm 9-11am

1+ Meadow Pipit-behind Farm in horse paddock
Little Owl-usual spot
3 Chiffchaff
Little Grebe-nearly summer plumage
3 Stock Dove
2 Goldcrest
3 Mandarin(2 Drake)
4 Grey Wagtail
3 Pied Wagtail
8 Nuthatch
Treecreeper
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Female Goosander
1+ Common Buzzard
Cormorant
Moorhen
Common Pheasant
7 Jay
Plus many of the more common tits/finches/thrushes

Walk from Chadwick CP to Middle Farm and back with Tony Darby 12.10 - 2.20pm
Mandarin pair on Goyt
Treecreper
Heron
Buzzard
LT Tits gathering next material

Also at Middle Farm, very unexpectedly, a Red Admiral on the wing.

Offerton ETW:

Pied Wagtail 17
Grey Wagtail 1

Cheers, John

Poise Brook to Goyt Hall Fm 1-3pm
Dipper singing at confluence of Poise/ Goyt. One also upstream of Goyt later, could have been the same one. Excellent views to 10 meters.
3 Mandarin(2 Drakes)
2 Goosander (Pair)
Common Buzzard
6 Lapwings
Many Nuthatch
Treecreeper
GS Woodpecker
Good flocks of tits and finches too.

Goyt Hall Farm area:

Yellowhammer 1m (The first I've seen here this year)
Skylarks singing
Lapwing
Buzzard 3
Sparrowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
House Sparrow c20

Cheers, John

Pleasant stroll this pm 13:00-15:00 ,highlights....
Flock of 45 redwings
4 mistle thrush
little owl ,held its ground after being mobbed by 4 crows and a magpie!
2 song thrush
pied wagtail
several smallish parties of long tailed tits
2 jays,plus all the usuals

Cheers Chris

Brief hour this am before the 'snow'.
Little Owl (same place)
3 Mandarin, 2 drakes
6 Goosander
20 Fieldfare
5 Redwings
4 Stock Doves
Treecreeper
GS Woodpecker
Nuthatches
3 Grey Heron

Went looking for LS Woodpecker, which I haven't seen in the woods for a few years. Also no Dipper/Mandarin. Few Siskins, and no Redpoll/Brambling/ Meadow Pipit/ Yellowhammer, all of which I hoped I might see.
Still, got to be pleased with a great morning. River should be lower tomorrow, so might head off earlier instead of doing the garden birdwatch.

You seem to attract the birds Chris That was a good session.

Poise Brook-Middle Farm via Goyt Hall. 9.45-11.30
River high/fast. Some frozen ground.
High Lights:

Little Owl (first for a while, between 2 farms in tree in middle of field)
Common Buzzard
Female Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
2 Lapwings (field behind Goyt Hall)
40 redwings
12 Mistle Thrush(one checking ot Owl)
Grey and Pied wagtail
10+ Nuthatch
Treecreeper
2 GS Woodpeckers
5 Stock Doves(one in hollow in woodland)
Drake Goosander
Cormorant
2 Grey Herons
2 Bullfinches
Siskin
Many tits, finches, BH Gulls, Woodpigeons, Crows (many Blue Tits 'parachuting')
5 Jays

The strong winds this weekend put paid to my cyclo-birding, so I enjoyed instead the comparative shelter of the woodland around Poise Brook and the River Goyt on a gentle dog walk.

There is not much singing, but I did pick up the odd Great Spotted Woodpecker call, plus a few Nuthatch. There is quite a big mixed tit flock feeding, with Chaffinch, in beech mast below the edge of Offerton School playing fields. I have seen Brambling here in the past, but had no joy today.

The river is running pretty fast, which was not enough to deter a pair of Goosander and a group of ten Mallard, though there was no sign of Mandarin Ducks, which are usually easy to find here. By far the best bird found was Dipper. Two were on Poise Brook, close to the garages off Holiday Lane, no doubt pushed off the river by strength of current. Two Grey Wagtails were also a pleasing find.

Both Treecreeper and Nuthatch were along Poise Brook this morning. There was a pair of Goosander on the Goyt. No sign of Dipper or Mandarin.

8-10am Bongs La-Otterspool-River Goyt-Poise Brook
High Lights of a very pleasant dawdle around this morning:
Mandarin pair
Kingfisher (on Goyt)
Dipper( confluence of Goyt/Poise Brook)
8 Goosander(3 Drakes)
3 Cormorants
Grey Heron
Kestrel
Female Sparrowhawk
2 Buzzards
Single Siskin (with Goldfinches)
Goldcrest
Treecreepers and Nuthatches
Grey and Pied Wagtails
Singing Mistle Thrushes. 2 Redwings, Song Thrush.
Jay
Loads of Long Tailed Tits, with good numbers of Blue/Great/Coal.
Small numbers of Green/Gold/Chaffinches

Bredbury Hall to Goyt Hall Farm 11.30 - 12.45pm

1 Kestrel low over Middle farm.
Little Owl calling from inside one of the old barns at Middle farm.
Great spotted Woodpecker at Goyt Hall Farm.
Plus, as usual, lots and lots of House Sparrows.

I've usually seen Yellowhammer around Middle farm in the past, but they've been absent on my last three visits. Just hope they're still around.

Cheers,

Steve.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 6th of April 2016 04:10:14 PM

Bredbury Hall to Middle Farm this morning,

A large tit flock of mainly Long-tailed tits, with Blue, Great and Coal tit also contained 1 Goldcrest in woodland at the back of Kingsway.

Finch flock near the fish pond at Middle farm had Goldfinch, Greenfinch, chaffinch.

1 Cormorant over the Goyt.

Cheers,

Steve.

9th November

At the Hydro-electric station construction site a JCB was digging out bucketfuls of Japanese Knotweed - I wonder how this is this disposed of?

Flock of 31 Pied Wagtails by kennels
4 Meadow Pipits in with above
2 Flocks of Long-tailed Tits (c19 & c10)
The House Sparrow flock at Goyt Hall Farm now holds a female with a pure snow-white crown.
1 Male Wigeon on fish pools.
Single figure numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare

Cheers, John

3 goosander and a kingfisher on the river near the picnic area at otterspool this morning.

Hawthorns above the picnic area were very busy with a goldfinch flock, 1 male bullfinch and the usual tit species.

22 mistle thrush flew over rattling.

Bredbury Hall to Middle Farm this morning,

1 Bullfinch (fem)
1 Goldcrest (by Fishing pond)
Warbler sp. also at Fishing Pond but too distant to id.
Redwing
2 Greenfinches
2 Pied Wagtails (Middle Farm)

Plus the usuals.

Cheers,

Steve.

449 Fieldfares, 222 Redwings, 15 Meadow Pipits, 15 pied Wagtails and 2 Skylarks all over SW between 8.30 and 9.30 this morning.

25 Redwings over SW at 6.20pm.

Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaffs and Yellowhammer near Middle Farm. Also 34 Meadow Pipits over Sw.

1 Swift over south late pm.

4 Common Buzzards this morning started soaring from 10.30am, but grounded by a shower so got a great view of all of them in field with cattle in. Looks like 2 juvenilles and the 2 parents, all very good flyers, so fledged a while I presume?
Also 15+ Swallows around newly cut field behind Offerton High School
Nuthatches vey vocal, as were the Jays.
Not a lot of activity on the Goyt, a few eclipse Mallards, one Grey Heron.

Phil Panton wrote:

---

Have regularly seen one or sometimes 2 Buzzard in the air & calling, when i've been on the Middlewood way for the past few months .... Good to know that they seem to be growing in numbers around the area.

---

I've only just obtained a copy of 'Breeding Birds in Greater Manchester' summarising a previous survey covering 1979 - 1983.

Buzzard gets a single mention in 'Unusual Breeding Species' with only 1 record of a bird in suitable 'Habitat' submitted during those 5 years.

This makes Buzzard a much rarer breeding bird than Nightjar was in those days. How fortunes change.

Cheers, John

Have regularly seen one or sometimes 2 Buzzard in the air & calling, when i've been on the Middlewood way for the past few months.
There is also a Buzzard that can be guaranteed to be sitting on top of a telegraph pole in the middle of the field behind Seventeen Windows sometime during the day.
Good to know that they seem to be growing in numbers around the area.

3 Common Buzzards yesterday left Woodlands park(is this now Poise Brook 'nature reserve?) and soared very high up, calling constantly until drifted out of sight.

Walk 10-11.30 Bongs La-Otterspool-Poise Brook
High Lights:
Large roving flock just down rd from Windy Ridge Fm:- Treecreeper, juv Blackcaps and Chiff Chaffs, Nuthatch. 50+ Goldfinch on thistles. 10 Swallows, 15 House Martins and 2 Swifts
2 Grey Wags at sewerage fm
Stock Dove by Riverside Fm
5 Mandarin, 1 Cormorant, 2 Grey Herons on Goyt
From Jim Fernley bridge I watched a female Sparrowhawk bathe in the river for over 5 mins, sometimes going fully under the water. Fascinating stuff
Also a few dragonflies from the bridge(small and orange)

No Hobby this morning
1 Peregrine
1 Sparrowhawk
95 House Sparrows in 1 flock at Goyt Hall Farm
Family of Blackcaps at Middle Farm

Cheers, John

Tues 16/8/11 pm

Hobby showed well again by Middle Farm at 5.15pm.

Also a single Swift.

16 Aug (08.45 - 10.00)

Mixed Hirundine flock mainly House Martins plus a few Swallows and a couple of Sand Martins

Hobby overhead at Middle Farm at 09.25. In view for 5 mins as it flew through the hirundines but not actively hunting, it then did a broad, distant sweep round over Bredbury before losing it to view behind Woodbank Park.
Sparrowhawk (a large female)
3 House Sparrow flocks (c60, 20 and 15)
Goldfinch (55)
Chiffchaff in full song

Cheers, John


-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 09:33:49 AM

Mon 15/8/11 am

Hobby again, showed well chasing Hirundines by Middle farm at 8.20am and again at 9.10am.

Also 2 Kestrels and 2 Sparrowhawks in the area.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker showed very well feeding in the Horsefield between the 2 farms.

Mon 8/8/11 - am.

Hobby - 1 showed well at around 8.40am chasing hirundines by Goyt Hall Farm..

Mandarin - 6 birds feeding in stubble field with Corvids and Woodpigeons!

A little out of the reserve, but above Woodlands park is Fairway school, behind which are a few ponds (access off Hall Pool Drive, St John's Wood estate).
Thought I was lucky a week last wed(19 July) to find a female Redstart here, flitting around the hedge, but today ANOTHER one (or the same)
Bonus in that it is also part of my back garden!
Might be worth checking out the area to see if it is still about.
Also male Blackcap and Chiff Chaff's there.

Lovely walk 8.45-10 30. Bongs La-Otterspool-Jim Fernley bridge. Highlights:

18 Mandarin, with 2 seperate broods of 12 and 8
Kingfisher
Peregrine Falcon and Common Buzzard
Linnet (path to Waterside Farm)
100+ hirundines and Swifts near Sewerage works, including a few Sand Martins. 12 House Martins collecting mud at the same time.
Plenty of Nuthatches and young
GS Woodpecker
8 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaff, one with young
3 Grey Herons
Family of Bullfinches
Goldcrest
Many roving parties of tits, one harassed by a Jay

Tawny Owl calling by Jim Fernley bridge at 9pm.
Plenty of Swallows by Goyt Hall Fm.
Lovely dusk chorus from woodlands.

Tues - 3/5/11

Hobby by Goyt Hall Farm at 8.50am flew up into trees briefly before departing NW and lost to view.

Late post for yesterday ,27/04/11 ,0700-0900 ...
Highlights were ..
2 Blackcaps near Jim Fearnley bridge ,GSW heard drumming nearby .
8 chiffchaffs ,3 seen
2 willow warblers
8 swallows near Chadkirk kennels also a single wheatear and 2 dunnocks around muck heaps in same area .
Buzzard over, also male kestrel perched on phone wires towards Chadkirk.
It looks like SMBC are serious about the compulsory purchase of the land near the weir , between Mill Lane and Otterspool Rd., for a Hydro-Electric power scheme .The Christmas tree in Stockport Precinct should be well lit this year then!!!

Cheers Chris

Poise Brook Local Nature Reserve - Offerton 08.00 - 09.00

3 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
Goldcrest (pair feeding young)
Remarkably little Woodpecker activity (no drumming at all)

Cheers, John

Poise Brook to Woodbank Park 08.00 - 09.45 6 Chiffchaffs 3 Blackcaps 1 Swallow 10 Jays (inc single flock of 6) 3 GS Woodpeckers 5 Nuthatches Stock Doves singing Sparrowhawk over Blue, Great, LT Tits, Song & Mistle Thrushes, Blackbirds, Wrens, Robins all in song Goldcrest nest with a pair busy nest building. Cheers, John

Today's 'goodies'. Blackcap and chiffchaff in song at old tree nursery by the weir. Also another chiffy across the road in Marple wood. A pair (?) of goldcrest in Waterside Farm garden. 3 mandarin on the river. Chiffchaffs at Poise Brook and the small wood on the right of the path leading to Goyt Hall Farm. A swallow was on the telephone wires by the stables at the farm and six lapwings were on the 'set aside' out on the fields there. Buzzards were everywhere obviously!

Post for yesterday ,29/03/11 pm ...
Three chiffchaffs seen , all singing , in the wooded area , adjacent to the main weir.
Only two lapwing behind Goyt Hall Farm .
All other usual suspects present ..


Cheers Chris

Mon 28/3/11 - early am 2 male Wheatears this morning in the field behind Goyt Hall Farm near the mounds.

I passed through from the Bredbury end towards Chadkirk late afternoon in the hope of Yellowhammers. No luck on that score, though Chaffinch and Greenfinch were singing in the sunshine.

There were a few Pied Wagtails around and many Woodpigeons. A Woodcock, which flew from the edge of the woods, near to the path down to Jim Fearnley bridge, was a pleasant surprise.

A Buzzard was using the wind to hover over Chadkirk Garden Centre.

Late post for yesterday , 12/03/11 pm ...
Plenty of blue, great and long-tailed tits ,nuthatches and treecreepers in woods around Poise Brook .
Pair of grey wagtails near Jim Fearnley bridge.
Only a handful of fieldfares left around Goyt Hall Farm,
Five pairs of lapwings visible in fields to the rear of GHF...
Several good sized flocks of wood pigeons , with a scattering of stock doves on farmland ..
Three grey heron
Peregrine over towards Vernon park ..
Three song thrush ,sat in a tree with 60+ starlings ,near Bredbury Hall..
Also two yellowhammers over hedgerows approaching BH ...


Cheers Chris

Stockport Borough Year List : 70 ... latest ,oystercatcher (Woodford),peregrine and yellowhammer ,(Bredbury )

7th March

Dipper flew by calling
Goosander 2f, 1m
Peregrine
Redwing 18
Nuthatch 6
Stock Dove 6 (including one sat beside suitable nest hole).

A thank-you to whoever in putting handfuls of bird seed down on the path. Lots of Robins, Blue Tits and Great Tits taking advantage.


Cheers, John

25th Feb

2 Lapwings at Goyt Hall Farm. 3 Yellowhammers have now returned (including 2 pristine males) and a distant Peregrine

Cheers, John

Thurs - 24/2/11..early am

pair of Mandarin on the pool by Middle Farm this am, viewable from the public footpath..

Late post for yesterday, 22/02/11 13:00 - 15:00 hrs .
Cricket club to Jim Fearnley bridge ...
Two song thrush
mistle thrush
jay
two treecreepers
several small flocks of long tailed tits
GS woodpecker
pair of goosander fishing near bridge
plenty of robins,blackbirds and usual tits and finches
Goyt Hall farm to Bredbury Hall...
Dozens of magpies
large flock (150+ woodpigeons )
6 crows
pied wagtail
Single lapwing ( first I've seen here this year ) constantly getting disturbed by model planes!
Several colonies of house sparrow getting very vocal in hedgerows .
Still no sign of little owls

Cheers Chris


Stockport Borough year list 2011 -65 ( latest additions kestrel(Chadkirk) and lapwing ( GHF ))

Otterspool Bridge - Goyt Hall Farm. Very breezy!

On river:
Cormorant 2
Grey Heron 4
Mallard 22
Goosander 7

Elsewhere:
Stock Dove 7
Magpie 16 together
Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard (1 of each)

Absentees:
No Mandarins at all, probably looking for quieter waters (Etherow?)
No sign of the Little Owls at Goyt Hall Farm this year - may have succumbed in the cold weather.

Cheers, John

Productive morning from Holiday Lane to Goyt Hall Fm and then towards Chadkirk.
Nice to meet Dave Pollard
High Lights:
River:5 Goosander(3 Drakes), at least 1 Dipper, Kingfisher near confluence of Poise Brook and Goyt, 2 male Teal,2 Grey Heron
In woods:15 Siskin,Goldcrest,3 Nuthatch,2 Stock Dove,2 Bullfinch
Farmland:25 Redwing
Lots of the more common tits and finches
Chris H