Quick visit to Sunbank Lane shortly before dusk along with Henry Cook.

The conditions seemed perfect tonight, so I decided that I wanted to try for an Owl species of some sort for my Borough year list.

After heading back to the car in semi-darkness and seemingly "Owl-less" with not even a hint of a calling Tawny, suddenly a Little Owl flew onto a fence post only feet away from the car at the roadside, before disapearing off into the surrounding fields.

A patch first and a Manchester Borough lifer at the same time!

Also, a Moorhen roosting in a small pondside tree, a probable Goosander fly-over and 15 or so Pied Wagtails heading to roost.

80 Pink-footed Geese heading SW
Lot of bird activity in Sunbank Wood
- Coal Tit (not seen this for a while here)
Blue,Great and Long-tailed Tits
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
GS Woodpecker
Jay

Sunbank Lane this pm

3 Pheasants
1 Red-legged Partridge
1 Moorhen
30+ Rooks

Another tale from Monarch hangar.
On Friday on arriving in work at 06.15 their was a Meadow Pipit inside the Hangar with a few spiders in its beak,I opened the Hangar doors and out it flew,Today getting to work at the same time,blieve it or not,another Meadow Pipit in the Hangar,it may have been the same bird that came back I dont know,Again I opened the doors but this time It didnt want to leave,I left the doors open for about an hour untill security told me to close them.
I didnt see the bird again so hopfully it got out.
I hope it does not come back as its a very dangerous place for a bird.

young Swallow flew into Monarch Hangar window this afternoon,Lay there motionless,had to move it out of Danger, so put it in a cardboard box,It didnt move for over an hour,then took it outside it smelt the fresh winds,flapped its wings,so I launched it and it flew away like a rocket.
Made me feel Great.Happy journey home for both of us.

Tawny Owl calling away at 4.30am yesterday morning on Bailey Lane, Woodhouse Park (close to Manchester Airport)

1 Red-legged Partridge
20+ Swallows on the wires
Lot of shooting to the south so hundreds of Woodpigeon in the air
Chiffchaff
Bullfinch - first time I've seen them here

60+ Swallows mainly juvs around Aircraft Hangars this Morning.
2 Willow Warblers on fence and ground next to Fire Station.
4 Linnet back of Monarch Hangar.
Kestrel catching something,looked like a Pied Wagtail

Sunbank Lane - a very humid lunchtime

Juv Buzzard flapping between trees

40+ Woodpigeon
20+ Swallow

very quiet today - think the wind was keeping things hidden

Good numbers of Swallows and House Martins

cheers, i'll keep an eye out.

Buzzards will often circle over Sunbank Wood in particular from mid-morning onwards into the afternoon.
Thanks.
Henry.

been sunbank lane for first time last week, hoping to see the buzzards but never did, any advice where best to see them and what time?? Thanks

Airport Water Overflow Area
Green Sandpiper

Staff West Car Park
2 Linnets on Fencing
8 Goldfinch
32 Starling

Sunbank Lane Cattle Field

Grey Partridge
6 linnets
Lapwing

Friday, 15th July:

1 Hobby seen over "Runways" viewing park, heading NW at 1320.

A good, amusing article and photo about it in last nights MEN!

Well they're the British Ornithologist's Union's Records Committee rules really

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Well, I couldn't get a proven non feral UK immature Greater Flamingo past BOURC (due to not being able to prove it hadn't come from a private collection on the Continent, see the full article on the 'county rarity accounts' page on the website) so a mid-summer adult Lesser hasn't a cat in hells chance

---

No chance it could even go on my Manchester Borough List either unless Ian decides to change the rules??

Well, I couldn't get a proven non feral UK immature Greater Flamingo past BOURC (due to not being able to prove it hadn't come from a private collection on the Continent, see the full article on the 'county rarity accounts' page on the website) so a mid-summer adult Lesser hasn't a cat in hells chance

Strange! & we don't seem to be missing any from the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust centres!!

-- Edited by Kane Brides on Tuesday 5th of July 2011 05:46:46 PM

It seems (according to the Metro news) that a Lesser Flamingo turned up on the grass of the airport on Sunday evening and closed a runway for four hours in Monday due to it strutting around the actual runway!

Thanks to Kane Brides for the 'heads up'.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 5th of July 2011 05:25:14 PM

1 Red-legged Partridge
2 Grey Partridge
Buzzard
juv Linnets
Reed Bunting singing

NB The Bull was in the Curlew field

18/06/2011 - 6-7pm - Sunbank Lane area with Phil Owen:

2 Curlews - bubbling call heard, please stay well clear if walking through the fields as they were pretty flighty tonight
6+ Linnets - including juvs
3 Common Whitethroats
8 Swifts
20+ Swallows - including the first brood on the wing

Quick (and first) visit to Sunbank Lane area this afternoon, whilst passing on M56 -

Hundreds of Swallows.
1 Red-legged Partridge - year first.
3 Buzzards - 1 dropping into trees in distance.
5 or 6 Linnets - including what could have been 3 or 4 juveniles.
2 Curlews.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker calling in distance from Sunbank Wood.
Plenty of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch with many juveniles of each.

Rick.

The 2 grey partridges were present again yesterday evening around 18.00 in the same field very close to the tree lay by

Mid morning visit to Sunbank Lane/Sunbank Wood:

Lots of Swifts and Swallows
6 House Martins
1 Grey Partridge
2 Red-legged Partridges
2 Buzzards
2 Linnets
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
1 Reed Bunting
2 Treecreepers
2 Nuthatches with young

Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinch and Goldfinch also all with young and 2 Swifts mating mid-air.


-- Edited by Phil Owen on Tuesday 31st of May 2011 12:25:47 PM

Quick visit Saturday evening 6.30pm - 7.00pm:

1 Red-legged Partridge
2 Linnets
2 Pied Wagtails
1 Mistle Thrush
Lots of Swallows and Swifts

2 Grey Partridge still there - keeping low in the wind
Swift & Swallow zooming along the hedges
Common Whitethroat
Starlings amongst the cows (and big bull !)
2 House Sparrows by duck pond

Quick visit this morning with Henry Cook:

2 Grey Partridges still present
3 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Common Whitethroat
amongst others

errrrr...... well, 99.99% - they could of course have been red-legged partridge's wearing orange masks. For guide they were to the west side of the field about 10 metres from the hedge, a third of the way out across the field, though I guess they may have moved by now. One kept crouched low down (maybe a stealth partridge) the other very upright - must have been either on guard duty or had left his periscope at home.

I too had only seen red legged (partridge) there before actually.

I've only ever seen Red-legs in that field - are you 100% ?

Had a quick look around on te hway home from work last week - 2 Grey Partridge in the first field on the corner (by the pull over spot next to the tree)

Dodging the showers with Phil Owen this afternoon round Sunbank Lane

Mallard with young on pool in Sunbank Wood
Swift, Swallow, House Martin
Pied Wagtail
GS Woodpecker
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Jay

Pleasant walk this afternoon with my brother Dave and the 2 dogs:

1 Lesser Whitethroat still singing away amongst the usuals.

Apparently there are still some Tree Sparrows just about hanging on in the area,according to the farmer who I had a good chat with and who seemed to know his stuff.

I'll keep searching the patch!!

Afterwards over to The Romper for a nice afternoon pint



-- Edited by Phil Owen on Saturday 21st of May 2011 11:12:07 PM

2 Red-legged Partridge
Pied Wagtail (no Yellow )
10 Swift
12 House Martin
10 Swallow
No sight or sound of Cuckoo
Linnet (pair)
Lesser Whitethroat - Cotterill Clough
House Sparrows hiding in hedge pretending to be Tree Sparrows

Had a walk around all Hangars this afternoon observing the Starlings and Swallows,
Found 8 Starling nests and 4 Swallow nests in the process of being built.
Also Magpie nest being attacked by a Crow,Magpies could do nothing about it.

While doing my Daily feed to my group of Starlings 20+,the one with a silver ring on its right leg turned up again,it was limping as though the ring was causing pain,The ring was low down resting on the foot.

-- Edited by Charles Coutts on Thursday 12th of May 2011 07:59:14 PM

11/05/2011 - Did my Breeding Bird Survey tetrad of Sunbank Wood upto Sunbank Lane and round to Cotterill Clough and a few other out of tetrad spots. The Cuckoo was still present, singing briefly from Cotterill Clough, no sign of Phil's Yellow Wagtail though, also seen were:

2 Lesser Whitethroats - 1 along Sunbank Lane, 1 by Cotterill Clough
1 Common Whitethroat
5 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 House Martins
3 Sand Martins
20+ Swallows
4 Swifts
2 Treecreepers
1 Nuthatch
2 Red-legged Partridges
3 Linnets
1 Reed Bunting

Late afternoon walk round Sunbank Lane and Sunbank Wood:

Cuckoo still present, calling from Sunbank Wood briefly
2 Linnets
1 Lesser Whitethroat
Good numbers of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Tuesday 10th of May 2011 11:57:24 PM

Quick visit this morning with the dog:

1 Yellow Wagtail (finally managed to locate the bird feeding amongst the cattle after hearing it several times on arrival, a site tick which I have been keeping my eye out for)
2 Pied Wagtails
6 House Martins
4 Swifts
1 Linnet
4 House Sparrows

Cuckoo still present this evening, calling away in Sunbank Wood and then over at Cotterill Clough.

Managed to find a Lesser Whitethroat tonight rattling away in the Hawthorns (my first one at this site) and also present were:

1 Stock Dove
1 Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Swifts
4 Swallows
amongst others

Thanks for the message Phil.
Seeing this herald of late spring is going to be a tricky task! Good luck!

Nice early morning walk around Sunbank Lane and Sunbank Wood:

1 Cuckoo (singing in Sunbank Wood)
1 Linnet
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Treecreeper
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Whitethroat
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
1 Buzzard
2 Red-legged Partridges
2 Grey Wagtails feeding young
2 Swifts
1 House Martin
Lots of Swallows
amongst others

06:45
2 Oystercathers again landing on Servisair roof staying 5 minutes before flying off;
Does anyone know why they do this,No sign of them nesting anywhere.

Productive morning with Phil Owen - Sunbank lane - Sunbank Wood

2 Snipe
Red-legged Partridge
1 fem. Wheatear
Common Whitethroat
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
2 Linnet

19/04/11 1600hrs - 18-00hrs

R2 Tunnel and environs

1 willow warbler
4 grey wagtail
3 gold finch
chiffchaff (double figures, sounds like a different one every 50yards as there is so many)
1 kestrel (m)
3 skylark
2 oyster catchers
2 resident buzzard (circling above R2 about 50ft from the ground. At 1730hrs, they were nearly taken out by the incoming Belgian prop plane, don't know how they weren't.


Andy.

2 Ravens flew over, flew across from Styal area,loud cronkin to each other,then caught the thermals around Sunbank Wood area and had a good glide around at 16:30

4 Oystercatchers circling Airport at 07:30,flew off towards Knutsford
2 Ostercatchers,the local ones flew in from Cargo area and landed on Servisair roof again at 09:30,but only stayed a few minutes before heading over runway towards Styal

Taxiway near Fire Station
2 Oystercatcher flew off towards Cargo Centre

Clough Bank Farm
2 Chiffchaff
4 Bullfinch
Robin still around with silver ring on leg
lots of pairs of Goldfinch
Heard Pheasant and G S woodpecker.

Tuesday, 12th April.

birds seen from the Viewing Park, now known as Runways, I think.

Buzzard 1
Swallow 2 quickly through north.
Sand Martin 2 separate singles as above.
Oystercatcher 2 in front of viewing mound for a short while.
Linnets.
Starlings.
Pied Wagtail 1
Kestrel 1f
etc.

If you are on the public path alongside runway 3 I think you are just in Cheshire. I had a Skylark above me there Sunday on a bike ride