Just now: A Sparrowhawk swooped low across our back garden and flushed some feral pigeons that were two doors down. I did not see the outcome.
Gary Ingram said
Mon Feb 15 12:29 AM, 2016
Hindley Garden Greenfinch 2 Goldfinch 6 Dunnock 4 Robin 2 Woodpigeon 2 House sparrow 4 Blackbird 2 Collared dove 2 Blue tit 1 Great tit 1 Magpie 1
Mike Cooper said
Sun Feb 14 12:42 PM, 2016
Hopwood heywood weekend 12-14/2
pair of house sparrows also first this winter!!!
dunnock 4
great tit
blue tit 2
coal tit 2
wren
goldcrest
woodpigeon
magpie nest building
Steve Judge said
Sun Feb 14 9:17 AM, 2016
Eccles garden last two days - 13th and 14th February 2016
House Sparrows x 2 (great to see them back in the garden again!) Goldfinch x 3 Dunnock x 1 Redwing x 1 (picking off remaining berries on lower branches of holly tree!) Robin x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Magpie x 1 Starlings x 7 Feral Pigeon x 5
David Walsh said
Fri Feb 12 12:40 AM, 2016
Eugene Dillon-Hooper wrote:
Buzzard over my Firswood/trafford garden this afternoon. A first that i've seen in the area. Bird feeders are starting to get more popular it seems too!
Any advice on where to put bird boxes? Do they need to be at a particular height for example?
Thanks, E
Try this link, Eugene
http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw/faqs
Eugene Dillon-Hooper said
Thu Feb 11 5:45 PM, 2016
Buzzard over my Firswood/trafford garden this afternoon. A first that i've seen in the area. Bird feeders are starting to get more popular it seems too!
Any advice on where to put bird boxes? Do they need to be at a particular height for example?
Thanks, E
colin moran said
Thu Feb 11 5:39 PM, 2016
4 male reed bunting 2 with silver leg rings in my worsley garden today
Keith Mills said
Sun Feb 7 10:25 AM, 2016
Just now: A Siskin (f) on my garden feeder, for sometime.
-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 7th of February 2016 02:49:33 PM
7 very nouisy canada geese over my bickershaw garden this morning@07-10
Vaughan Evans said
Thu Feb 4 5:49 PM, 2016
Over 25 Siskins this morning.. A few Redpolls too but no sign of the Blackcap for a few days now
Keith Williams said
Thu Feb 4 3:03 PM, 2016
Just had a male Blackcap feeding on a fat cake in my Pennington garden.
sid ashton said
Thu Feb 4 1:37 PM, 2016
A Treecreeper was a first for our Hale garden this morning. Also flitting about in the plum tree that is coming into bloom:- 3 Long-tailed Tits, a Goldcrest and a Nuthatch plus Great Tits and Blue Tits.
Ian Campbell said
Wed Feb 3 8:22 AM, 2016
Siskin in my garden yesterday and right now feeding on Niger along with 14 Goldfinch. Cheers Ian
Kristian Wade said
Mon Feb 1 6:05 PM, 2016
Late post for yesterday's Big Garden Bird Watch hour:
Nothing in about in the rain apart from: 2 Blackbirds, 1 Robin, 1 Dunnock & 1 Woodpigeon (No tits at all!)
Pity, because only 10 metres away in the field behind my house were: 1 Grey Wagtail, 40 Jackdaw, 12 Common Gulls, 8 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls & 140 Black-Headed Gulls.
Ivan Ellison said
Sun Jan 31 10:16 PM, 2016
My garden in Prestwich. 1 hour on Saturday between 1200 and 1300.
few regulars such as thrushes and doves absent during the hour.
Steve Judge said
Sun Jan 31 5:56 PM, 2016
Eccles - my 1 hour Garden Birdwatch between 12:30 and 13:30 hrs (and submitted online on RSPB website) was:
Goldfinch x 1 Dunnock x 1 Blackbird x 2 Great Tit x 2 Starling x 15 Feral Pigeon x 6
Magpie x 1
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Sunday 31st of January 2016 05:57:43 PM
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Sunday 31st of January 2016 05:58:59 PM
Geoff Walton said
Sun Jan 31 5:24 PM, 2016
Romiley 11.20-12.20 Constant Rain
Blackbird 3
Goldfinch 6
Dunnock 1
Blue tit 1
Jackdaw 2
Collared Dove
Must been lucky, as have not seen anything outside that hour, and nothing yesterday
Mike Cooper said
Sun Jan 31 4:15 PM, 2016
I was going to do the rspb garden watch today in my Hopwood garden with my granddaughter but the constant rain suppressed the birds so I entered what I saw yesterday
blue tit 2 coal tit 2 dunnock 2 robin 1 wren 1 blackbird 1 magpie 1
numbers and species down from previous colder winters
Dave Colton said
Sun Jan 31 2:04 PM, 2016
Heyside, Royton.
A first time ever Goldcrest in the garden this morning.
David Morris said
Sun Jan 31 12:52 PM, 2016
I 'cheated' and did one count yesterday and one count today.
Yesterday's count, 9:30am-10:30am: Blackbird- 4 (3m, 1f) Blue Tit- 1 (just after the hour) Feral Pigeon- 3 Magpie- 2 Robin- 1 Starling- 4 Woodpigeon- 6
Also- 3 Grey Squirrels
However, I knew that wasn't a representative sample of the birds in my garden, so I thought I'd try again today (partly because I'd bought new bins yesterday after the first count and wanted to try them out!). Today's count (9:15-am-10:30am):
Blackbird- 3m Blackcap- 1 (both a lifer and a garden tick for me!) Blue Tit- 2 Dunnock- 1 (first I've seen in ages) Feral Pigeon- 1 Goldfinch- 2 confirmed, think there were 3 Great Tit- 2 Magpie- 2 Robin- 1 Starling- 4 Woodpigeon- 6
And two Grey Squirrels. Our regular escapee Crimson Rosella appeared for a bit before one of my cats chased it away, and I've been told it doesn't count as part of the survey. To be honest I'm just glad my missus was there to see it- she was away when I first saw/photographed it and whenever I've seen it since it's flown off before I could show her, leading to her teasing me about hallucinating seeing it!
Rene Griffiths said
Sun Jan 31 10:53 AM, 2016
Watched the garden for an uninterrupted hour for the RSPB Great Garden Birdwatch. We've had a buzzard stalking the garden the last few days and a Grey Wagtail was regularly visiting in addition to over 30 Goldfinches normally but of course.. none of these turned up for their annual hour of garden glory,, still it was fun.
Golborne urban garden (size = less than a tennis court with a pond, wildlife area, 4 fruit trees, holly, berberis and pyracantha hedge. Feeding area with mealworms, niger, sunflower, mixed seed, fat balls, coconut). Blackbird 2 Robin 1 Blue Tit 3 Goldfinch 8 Siskin 1 Starling 33 W. Pigeon 1 House Sparrow 7 Dunnock 1 Chaffinch 3
Notable absences of regulars: Coal Tit (normally 2 or 3), Collared Dove (normally between 3 and 10), Great Tit (normally 2 or 3)m Magpie
Steve Judge said
Sat Jan 30 5:29 PM, 2016
Eccles garden - male Blackcap came briefly to garden this morning. Nice surprise!
Last Blackcap seen in my garden was a female - about two years ago.
Steve Scrimgeour said
Sat Jan 30 3:19 PM, 2016
Doing ours tomorrow...
Neil Ferguson said
Sat Jan 30 1:43 PM, 2016
Anyone done the Big Garden Birdwatch today apart from me????
Roger Baker 3 said
Wed Jan 27 6:14 PM, 2016
Hiya Doc,
In cage-bird terminology the term "mule" is only used to denote a hybrid in which one of the parents is a canary .... Goldfinch and Linnet mules tend to be the commonest ... bred for their singing.
Other crosses are straight-forward hybrids, with the sire mentioned first in the cross.
Hope this helps.
Roger.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jan 27 3:51 PM, 2016
I asked for a few piccies if possible and having received them I can see that this bird is a finch breeders 'mule'. It's a hybrid between a Goldfinch and a bird of some other parentage, could be a Greenfinch, Canary or another hybrid. It explains why it is with Goldfinches now!
Doc Brewster said
Wed Jan 27 2:35 PM, 2016
Had news phoned into me of a Sinai Rosefinch seen in a garden at Lawton Moor, nr Wythenshawe Park. It is an escape but an interesting bird, currently feeding in the company of a flock of Goldfinches.
marvin lewis said
Sun Jan 24 9:30 PM, 2016
2 x Lesser Redpoll feeding on the niger feeders in my Prestwich garden, present over the last 2 days
David Morris said
Sun Jan 24 1:10 PM, 2016
First ever Bullfinches (1m & 1f) in my Chorlton garden earlier today.
Ian Campbell said
Sun Jan 24 10:16 AM, 2016
Male and female Siskin feeding on niger in my Radcliffe garden. Cheers Ian
Kristian Wade said
Sat Jan 23 6:26 PM, 2016
Blackbird singing this evening in my garden, think this mild weather is confusing them - I don't recall hearing them this early before
Steven Nelson said
Sat Jan 23 12:10 PM, 2016
11.30am- A Grey Wagtail over my Irlam garden today.
David Morris said
Sat Jan 23 11:12 AM, 2016
Two Ring-necked Parakeets back in my Chorlton garden this morning. Escapee Crimson Rosella spotted in neighbour's garden. A few more birds like this and I'll have a tropical bird sanctuary :P
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Jan 22 5:10 PM, 2016
Around half a dozen a Bramblings with Chaffinches in a Brooklands, Sale, garden recently.
Info thanks to Ian McDonald
Kristian Wade said
Fri Jan 22 5:05 PM, 2016
From the garden this aft.
-2 Greenfinch (First of the year) -5 Blackbirds -50 Starlings (In trees to left of garden) -8 Redwings (In with previous) -10 Feral Pigeon (Overhead) -3 Woodpigeon -2 Collared Dove -3 Great Tit -3 Blue Tit -1 Robin -1 Buzzard (In field)
With Buzzard, that's 3 raptors this week (Kestrel & Sparrowhawk seen earlier in the week)
Mike Cooper said
Fri Jan 22 4:30 PM, 2016
Hopwood heywood fri 22/1
after a quiet dull rainy start flourish of birds with outbreak of sunshine at 14:30
long told tit flick of c 15 with 2 blue tits, 2 coal and a great tit
also 2m blackbirds 2 Dunnocks 1 robin
Joel Tragen said
Wed Jan 20 8:26 PM, 2016
Had a lovely female blackcap come through the garden this afternoon, 13:15. First this winter.
Eugene Dillon-Hooper said
Wed Jan 20 1:03 PM, 2016
Just had my first bird on my new feeder i put in the garden a few days ago! Only a slightly nervous robin, but it's a good sign that more may follow!
Vaughan Evans said
Wed Jan 20 11:29 AM, 2016
Mike Cooper wrote:
just realised I haven't seen any house sparrows this winter!!!!!
Lost our House Sparrows in 2008
Bernard McGurrin said
Tue Jan 19 4:34 PM, 2016
blue tit trying to mate this morning, spring is coming
Mike Cooper said
Mon Jan 18 4:14 PM, 2016
Hopwood heywood
no sign off blackcap and less birds since snow and freezing conditions over the weekend
wren 2dunnocks robin 2blue tits
just realised I haven't seen any house sparrows this winter!!!!!
Paul Richardson said
Mon Jan 18 4:06 PM, 2016
2 Redpoll on feeders today - a big garden first for us here in Leigh.
S Rothery said
Mon Jan 18 2:51 PM, 2016
Greenfield garden First Siskins this winter - 2f 1m Blackcap still periodically Single Nuthatch, Jay, Song Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker 6 Long-tailed, 3 Coal, 4 Blue and 2 Great Tits 4 Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch 2 Collared Dove and 1 Wood Pigeon 1 Wren - first for 2016
Vaughan Evans said
Mon Jan 18 11:11 AM, 2016
The cold has brought quite an influx. Of note 8+ Redpolls, 5 Siskins, 2 Greenfinches, Male Blackcap (all month) and double-figure counts of blackbirds. Very few Redwings seen however.
steven burke said
Mon Jan 18 10:42 AM, 2016
2 ravens over my old trafford garden at 10.25am calling loudly heading west.
David Morris said
Sun Jan 17 9:43 PM, 2016
The Ring-necked Parakeet was back today a few times, and one on occasion brought a friend (which stayed in my neighbour's garden). The escapee Crimson Rosella also returned, and is becoming a bit of a running joke with my missus- she was originally away when I saw it, and every time I've seen it the past two days it's flown away before she can spot it! She's saying I'm hallucinating it...Also, after telling my mum it was back, she seems to think I should try and catch it and find it's owner- clearly she's never tried to capture a bird outside!
David Gornall said
Sun Jan 17 10:12 AM, 2016
So far this morning:
8 Blackbirds 3 Blue Tits 2 Great Tits 2 Chaffinch 2 Robins 2 Coal Tits 3 Wood Pigeon 10+ House Sparrow 2 Dunnock 1 Wren
Dunnock x 2 House Sparrow x 1 (first one seen for a while) Blue Tit x 2 Robin x 1 Blackbird x 2 Starlings x 15 Magpie x 2 Feral Pigeon x 5
Rob Creek said
Sun Jan 17 8:59 AM, 2016
Approx 2pm Saturday afternoon, just got in from work.
On and around the bird table/feeders in one go... - Blackbird 3 (2m 1f) - Robin 1 - Dunnock 1 - Coal Tit 1 (used to be a regular visitor but a rare one nowadays to our garden) - Long-tailed Tit 5 - Starling 10+ - Woodpigeon 1 - a Goldfinch singing in the big Silver Birch overhanging the front garden
Sunday morning. Put some food out half an hour ago, the visiting species were all on and around the table at once. - Blackbird 4 (3m 1f) - Robin 1 - Blue Tit 1 - Starling 5 - House Sparrow 1m - Woodpigeon 1 - Feral Pigeon 2
Andy Bissitt said
Sat Jan 16 10:04 PM, 2016
No 'massive influx' yet, in fact still quite quiet. First redpoll of winter on seed feeder (not nyjer which seems to have fallen out of favour). Best of rest - nuthatch, jay, mistle thrush, goldfinches. I expect more tomorrow with the snow now coming down in greater quantity.
A Sparrowhawk swooped low across our back garden and flushed some feral pigeons that were two doors down.
I did not see the outcome.
Greenfinch 2
Goldfinch 6
Dunnock 4
Robin 2
Woodpigeon 2
House sparrow 4
Blackbird 2
Collared dove 2
Blue tit 1
Great tit 1
Magpie 1
Hopwood heywood weekend 12-14/2
pair of house sparrows also first this winter!!!
dunnock 4
great tit
blue tit 2
coal tit 2
wren
goldcrest
woodpigeon
magpie nest building
House Sparrows x 2 (great to see them back in the garden again!)
Goldfinch x 3
Dunnock x 1
Redwing x 1 (picking off remaining berries on lower branches of holly tree!)
Robin x 1
Blue Tit x 2
Magpie x 1
Starlings x 7
Feral Pigeon x 5
Try this link, Eugene
http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw/faqs
Bird feeders are starting to get more popular it seems too!
Any advice on where to put bird boxes? Do they need to be at a particular height for example?
Thanks,
E
4 male reed bunting 2 with silver leg rings in my worsley garden today
-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 7th of February 2016 02:49:33 PM
Over 25 Siskins this morning.. A few Redpolls too but no sign of the Blackcap for a few days now
A Treecreeper was a first for our Hale garden this morning. Also flitting about in the plum tree that is coming into bloom:- 3 Long-tailed Tits, a Goldcrest and a Nuthatch plus Great Tits and Blue Tits.
Cheers Ian
Nothing in about in the rain apart from: 2 Blackbirds, 1 Robin, 1 Dunnock & 1 Woodpigeon (No tits at all!)
Pity, because only 10 metres away in the field behind my house were: 1 Grey Wagtail, 40 Jackdaw, 12 Common Gulls, 8 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls & 140 Black-Headed Gulls.
My garden in Prestwich. 1 hour on Saturday between 1200 and 1300.
7 goldfinch, 10 greenfinch, 3 bullfinch, 1 chaffinch, 1 Siskin, 6 blue tit, 3 great tit, 2 coal tit, 2 longtailed tit, 2 robin, 3 blackbird, 4 house sparrow, 1 dunnock, 2 magpie, 1 blackcap, 6 feral pigeon, 3 wood pigeon, 1 sparrow hawk.
few regulars such as thrushes and doves absent during the hour.
Goldfinch x 1
Dunnock x 1
Blackbird x 2
Great Tit x 2
Starling x 15
Feral Pigeon x 6
Magpie x 1
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Sunday 31st of January 2016 05:57:43 PM
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Sunday 31st of January 2016 05:58:59 PM
Romiley 11.20-12.20 Constant Rain
Blackbird 3
Goldfinch 6
Dunnock 1
Blue tit 1
Jackdaw 2
Collared Dove
Must been lucky, as have not seen anything outside that hour, and nothing yesterday
I was going to do the rspb garden watch today in my Hopwood garden with my granddaughter but the constant rain suppressed the birds so I entered what I saw yesterday
blue tit 2 coal tit 2 dunnock 2 robin 1 wren 1 blackbird 1 magpie 1
numbers and species down from previous colder winters
A first time ever Goldcrest in the garden this morning.
Yesterday's count, 9:30am-10:30am:
Blackbird- 4 (3m, 1f)
Blue Tit- 1 (just after the hour)
Feral Pigeon- 3
Magpie- 2
Robin- 1
Starling- 4
Woodpigeon- 6
Also- 3 Grey Squirrels
However, I knew that wasn't a representative sample of the birds in my garden, so I thought I'd try again today (partly because I'd bought new bins yesterday after the first count and wanted to try them out!). Today's count (9:15-am-10:30am):
Blackbird- 3m
Blackcap- 1 (both a lifer and a garden tick for me!)
Blue Tit- 2
Dunnock- 1 (first I've seen in ages)
Feral Pigeon- 1
Goldfinch- 2 confirmed, think there were 3
Great Tit- 2
Magpie- 2
Robin- 1
Starling- 4
Woodpigeon- 6
And two Grey Squirrels. Our regular escapee Crimson Rosella appeared for a bit before one of my cats chased it away, and I've been told it doesn't count as part of the survey. To be honest I'm just glad my missus was there to see it- she was away when I first saw/photographed it and whenever I've seen it since it's flown off before I could show her, leading to her teasing me about hallucinating seeing it!
Golborne urban garden (size = less than a tennis court with a pond, wildlife area, 4 fruit trees, holly, berberis and pyracantha hedge. Feeding area with mealworms, niger, sunflower, mixed seed, fat balls, coconut).
Blackbird 2
Robin 1
Blue Tit 3
Goldfinch 8
Siskin 1
Starling 33
W. Pigeon 1
House Sparrow 7
Dunnock 1
Chaffinch 3
Notable absences of regulars: Coal Tit (normally 2 or 3), Collared Dove (normally between 3 and 10), Great Tit (normally 2 or 3)m Magpie
Last Blackcap seen in my garden was a female - about two years ago.
Doing ours tomorrow...
Anyone done the Big Garden Birdwatch today apart from me????
In cage-bird terminology the term "mule" is only used to denote a hybrid in which one of the parents is a canary .... Goldfinch and Linnet mules tend to be the commonest ... bred for their singing.
Other crosses are straight-forward hybrids, with the sire mentioned first in the cross.
Hope this helps.
Roger.
I asked for a few piccies if possible and having received them I can see that this bird is a finch breeders 'mule'. It's a hybrid between a Goldfinch and a bird of some other parentage, could be a Greenfinch, Canary or another hybrid. It explains why it is with Goldfinches now!
Had news phoned into me of a Sinai Rosefinch seen in a garden at Lawton Moor, nr Wythenshawe Park. It is an escape but an interesting bird, currently feeding in the company of a flock of Goldfinches.
Cheers Ian
Info thanks to Ian McDonald
-2 Greenfinch (First of the year)
-5 Blackbirds
-50 Starlings (In trees to left of garden)
-8 Redwings (In with previous)
-10 Feral Pigeon (Overhead)
-3 Woodpigeon
-2 Collared Dove
-3 Great Tit
-3 Blue Tit
-1 Robin
-1 Buzzard (In field)
With Buzzard, that's 3 raptors this week (Kestrel & Sparrowhawk seen earlier in the week)
Hopwood heywood fri 22/1
after a quiet dull rainy start flourish of birds with outbreak of sunshine at 14:30
long told tit flick of c 15 with 2 blue tits, 2 coal and a great tit
also 2m blackbirds 2 Dunnocks 1 robin
Lost our House Sparrows in 2008
Hopwood heywood
no sign off blackcap and less birds since snow and freezing conditions over the weekend
wren 2dunnocks robin 2blue tits
just realised I haven't seen any house sparrows this winter!!!!!
First Siskins this winter - 2f
1m Blackcap still periodically
Single Nuthatch, Jay, Song Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker
6 Long-tailed, 3 Coal, 4 Blue and 2 Great Tits
4 Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch
2 Collared Dove and 1 Wood Pigeon
1 Wren - first for 2016
The cold has brought quite an influx. Of note 8+ Redpolls, 5 Siskins, 2 Greenfinches, Male Blackcap (all month) and double-figure counts of blackbirds. Very few Redwings seen however.
2 ravens over my old trafford garden at 10.25am calling loudly heading west.
8 Blackbirds
3 Blue Tits
2 Great Tits
2 Chaffinch
2 Robins
2 Coal Tits
3 Wood Pigeon
10+ House Sparrow
2 Dunnock
1 Wren
Dunnock x 2
House Sparrow x 1 (first one seen for a while)
Blue Tit x 2
Robin x 1
Blackbird x 2
Starlings x 15
Magpie x 2
Feral Pigeon x 5
On and around the bird table/feeders in one go...
- Blackbird 3 (2m 1f)
- Robin 1
- Dunnock 1
- Coal Tit 1 (used to be a regular visitor but a rare one nowadays to our garden)
- Long-tailed Tit 5
- Starling 10+
- Woodpigeon 1
- a Goldfinch singing in the big Silver Birch overhanging the front garden
Sunday morning. Put some food out half an hour ago, the visiting species were all on and around the table at once.
- Blackbird 4 (3m 1f)
- Robin 1
- Blue Tit 1
- Starling 5
- House Sparrow 1m
- Woodpigeon 1
- Feral Pigeon 2
No 'massive influx' yet, in fact still quite quiet. First redpoll of winter on seed feeder (not nyjer which seems to have fallen out of favour). Best of rest - nuthatch, jay, mistle thrush, goldfinches. I expect more tomorrow with the snow now coming down in greater quantity.