24/07/2015 11:24 Siskin 1 - colourful male on sunflower seeds feeder in our Walkden garden

Eccles 24th July 2015

Goldfinch 1 x adult; plus x 2 Juveniles
Dunnock x 1 Juvenile
Blue Tit
Collared Dove
Starlings x 10
House Sparrow 1 x adult; plus 2 Juveniles
Magpie
Feral Pigeons

Heyside, Royton.

After a lengthy absence of maybe 3-4 months, 2 Juvenile Greenfinch on the Nijer feeder this morning. Good to see them back I thought we'd lost them.

Red Kite over now at fairly low height - heading ENE

Another new tick this evening for my old Trafford garden in the shape of a Mediterranean gull it flew over calling & headed in a southerly direction at around 6pm. also a female bullfinch joined the many of goldfinch & greenfinch around my feeders.

Not really sure where to put this .. I have just distantly seen a flock of seven largish birds fairly high up heading across Altrincham in a NWly direction. My first thought was cormorants but the wing looked too deep. The frontal projection of the birds seemed longer than the rear. They were mainly gliding, flapping just occasionally and keep in pretty close but not structured formation. If anyone else sees them it woulf be good to know what they think they might be.

2 noisy Oystercatchers over my Irlam garden heading W at 11.05am this morning.

Fantastic views of 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the fence/feeders not 10 feet from the kitchen windows this morning. Beautiful Plumage !!

-- Edited by Neil Ferguson on Saturday 20th of June 2015 06:51:44 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 20th of June 2015 06:53:42 PM

I saw Bullfinches in the garden yesterday for the first time. The female was on a feeder eating sunflower hearts very greedily and the male bird put in a brief appearance in the nearby tree before they both flew off together.

Mike

Male Siskin on my feeders in Pennington garden yesterday.

Swinton South

Increasing numbers of House Sparrows have been coming to my feeders this year, I didn't see any last year so that's good.
Lots of Goldfinch, Greenfinch and a possible Nuthatch but too fleeting to be certain. Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Collared Doves and Woodpigeon clearing up the dropped food.

Just now; a Male Bullfinch back on our feeders. Last seen here a month ago.

Willow warbler singing by our garden in a Willow tree in Radcliffe this morning at dawn. Its not often these visit us here, nice!!!

around 9.40pm this evening over my old Trafford garden one of the resident swifts was taken by a hobby, unfortunately I did not see this happen as it was my nephew who did I was busy checking my wildlife camera images & video so I only managed to see the hobby fly around low over the neighbouring gardens with the unfortunate swift in its talons. I hope it wasn't one of the 2 pairs that are under my eaves
on another topic, it looks like my juvenile great tits have fledged today, I have had my wildlife camera on them today but out of all the images & videos taken I did not get to see any of them actually fledge, my memory card was full by 8.15am this morning from all the feeding from the parents, note to self, get a bigger memory card no evidence of any casualties around the garden so I hope they all fledged safely.

Common Tern over the house - nice garden tick

Male Tawny Owl making a big racket in our Hale garden at 03.40 this morning. Had a brief glimpse as he flew off when the security light came on triggered by a fox, which may have been causing the owl to make the noise, just a thought.

3 swallow buzzing over my and the neighbouring gardens

Dukinfield 19th May

First young Starlings appeared in our garden this morning, 3 of them. Also, a couple of juv Robins have been around for about a week now and a real garden scarcity has been seen twice lately, a Song Thrush, on a par with Fieldfare and a long way behind Redwing for number of visits into the garden.

Eccles Garden. 19th May 2015 16:40 hrs.

My wife said that she saw a small brown bundle (she think it was a house sparrow) descend from sky on to our outside patio floor. Within a second - a male sparrowhawk appeared and picked up the small bird and flew over neighbour's fence.

Great tits and house sparrow nesting in our roof again this year.

Finch fest in my hopwood heywood garden recently with singing chaffinch, greenfinch and several goldfinches

Also coat tit and gold rest

A vocal oystercatcher over to the north this morning at 09:00

Two male Bullfinches, briefly around my feeders this am. Two male being a garden first.

Both Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat singing from the hedgerow at the bottom of my garden on Green Avenue, Astley this afternoon.

Jay seen for first time in Hulme garden today.

The pair of Bullfinch back on my feeder, just now

Garden warbler singing in my old Trafford garden this morning, but did not want to be seen whilst hiding in the rhododendron at the bottom of my garden.

Eccles garden. Sunday 10th May 2015.

Jackdaw (1st time seen in garden!!!)
Swift x 3 (1st seen over garden this year)
Plus usuals...
Goldfinches
House Sparrows
Collared Doves
Mistle Thrush
Starlings
Dunnock
Blue Tits
Great Tit
Blackbirds
Magpie
Feral Pigeons


-- Edited by Steve Judge on Sunday 10th of May 2015 06:29:53 PM

Dukinfield.

Just noticed 2 Goldfinch sat on the feeders ........ first since September ??

Roger.

3 fledgling Bullfinches this morning.

Ian Campbell wrote:

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Just looked out of kitchen window whilst getting a glass of wine to see a female Redstart, this day keeps getting better.
Cheers Ian

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Just the one, Ian?

Just looked out of kitchen window whilst getting a glass of wine to see a female Redstart, this day keeps getting better.
Cheers Ian

Joel Tragen wrote:

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steven burke wrote:

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finally it looks like the resident swifts are back over & around my old Trafford garden whizzing around schreeching, 5 of them today & almost 2 weeks later than usual !

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Might be the same ones I had over my house to day as well my house is on the old Trafford, chorlton, firswood border. I counted 4.

-- Edited by Joel Tragen on Wednesday 6th of May 2015 12:56:45 AM

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Quite possibly Joel, it looks like we actually live close to each other, I actually live on Addison crescent.
This evening there are now 15 swifts whizzing around.

Male Bullfinch back on my hearts feeder; just now.

steven burke wrote:

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finally it looks like the resident swifts are back over & around my old Trafford garden whizzing around schreeching, 5 of them today & almost 2 weeks later than usual !

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Might be the same ones I had over my house to day as well my house is on the old Trafford, chorlton, firswood border. I counted 4.

-- Edited by Joel Tragen on Wednesday 6th of May 2015 12:56:45 AM

finally it looks like the resident swifts are back over & around my old Trafford garden whizzing around schreeching, 5 of them today & almost 2 weeks later than usual !

Originally posted today by John Edwards:

Male redstart in my garden off Oldfield Rd. Altrincham on 30 April.

A busy day (for me anyway) in the garden yesterday on the feeders with:

1 Male Greenfinch which has been visiting daily for a few days.
3 Dunnocks (1 fledgling and the parents)
3 Robins (1 fledgling and the parents)
2 Blackbirds (m+f)
1 Woodpigeon
1 Collared Dove
2 Blue Tits
1 Great Tit
1 Coal Tit
3 House Sparrows
2 Starlings

A Feral Pigeon was threatening to land on the feeders which is the first one ever in my garden (hope they don't make a habit of visiting)

Also, a male Chaffinch singing next door

Raven cronking passing over my bickershaw garden 10mins back,

Lesser Whitethroat still singing from hawthorn hedgerow off Green Avenue, Astley this afternoon; at the bottom of my garden.

In my Eccles garden. 1st May 2015 19:00 - 19:10 hrs.

Goldfinch x 2
House Sparrow x 3 (2M and 1F)
Dunnock x 2
Blue Tit x 1 (who was intent on chasing off Goldfinch)
Starlings
Feral Pigeon x 2

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Male Lesser Whitethroat singing away in the hedgerow at the bottom of my garden in Green Lane, Astley this morning.

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Still singing away this afternoon at 4pm.

Willow Warbler yesterday in my Hulme garden. This morning was woken by a screeching accompanied by frantic Blackbird calls, then wasn't surprised to see the garden littered in Blackbird feathers (male adult), left presumably by a Sparrowhawk, though I didn't see it. Blackbirds have been nesting for years in the ivy between my garden and next door's, including this year, but not sure yet if the predated bird is one of those.

Bullfinch; The male on my feeder this am and the pair came in yesterday at 2000 hours
and stayed on the feeder for over 2 minutes

Male Lesser Whitethroat singing away in the hedgerow at the bottom of my garden in Green Lane, Astley this morning.

A male Bullfinch was visiting my feeders in Lowton this morning rare in my garden.
Plenty House Sparrow and Goldfinch.

A first Willow Warbler in my Norden garden this am

Just now: A Pair of Bullfinch side by side on my Hearts feeder.
Third evening visit running, but first time on the feeder. Wonderful sight after years of perhaps the odd
glimpse of a single

-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 23rd of April 2015 07:07:58 PM

I had a Blackcap flitting around in the plum tree in the sunshine yesterday evening. This morning around 6:30am I was trying to identify a streaky LBJ and then saw a smart looking male Reed Bunting hopping on the ground below. Both were firsts for my "garden list" since I moved from Cheshire to Gtr Manchester in February. I also get a good number of Goldfinches, a couple of Greenfinch, a Coal Tit and plenty of House Sparrows as well as the usuals.

Bit of a stretch putting this sighting in garden birds, but was certainly seen from my Heaton Moor Garden at approx 4.30pm, Peregrine falcon, carrying a kill, what looked to be a pigeon. It was flying just above the tree tops and calling as a crow flew near it and it then circled for a few mins to gain height before I lost view of it, as it was in the sun.

A pair of Bullfinches flew down from from one of my trees onto a Tulip leaf tree behind my feeders.
Really close views ,but as I was sat out listening to the Wren in the nest box
they flew off
My first garden pair.