Male blackcap back to visit this morning. Also in and around the garden today, goldcrest, mistle thrush, two jays, long-tailed tit amongst others. An afternoon walk around the local area for an hour showed just why I concentrate on my garden during winter. It's a desert out there!

Male Blackcap on fat feeders today in central Stockport garden.

A few unusual sightings from today in our Dukinfield garden

A Jay was taking fat from a coconut half, a very wary bird around here although they are in the area but generally only seen in Dukinfield Park. Also, first time I can remember seeing a Goldcrest taking fat from a feeder, these are a bit more regular in the garden during the autumn and winter but normally just picking around the trees and shrubs. 7 Chaffinches was a high count, during winter they usually peak at a maximum of 3 or 4 birds.

Good views of a Goldcrest this morning. Back feeding on the Silver Birch tree, with Blue Tits.

Weekend - 13-14 Dec
Hale

Female Blackcap, 8+ Bullfinches, 18+ Goldfinches, 2 Goldcrests, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Redwing, Female Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Greenfinch.
No House Sparrows, Starlings or Song Thrushes.

New garden tick a female bullfinch was feeding on black sunflower seeds.

male blackcap in my bickershaw garden this morning before the rain, usual blue and great tit, house sparrow, starling, collared dove, robin and dunnock also present.

A male Blackcap was a garden tick for me this morning. The first Redwings of the winter have also passed through a few times in the last week.

Hi Neil
I live in Newton Le Willows and have had a Grey Wagtail in my back yard for the past 4 winters. it must be coming for the food we put out and I assume it is the same bird as previous winters.

The unusual thing is we get very few birds in the back yard, which makes the visits even more odd. I wonder if this multi winter visiting behaviour may be something particular to Grey Wagtails.

It will be interesting to see how many years they visit for.

Neil Collier wrote:

---

It must be winter because the Grey wagtail has returned to our garden. He or she has been a regular visitor over winter for the last 3 years. Is the bird likely to be the same one each winter as we only ever get one ? Can anyone tell me what is the life span of these birds?

---

According to the BTO website's Bird Facts pages there is not enough data to calculate an average life span, but the oldest recorded bird was 7 years old, so yours may be the same individual.

It must be winter because the Grey wagtail has returned to our garden. He or she has been a regular visitor over winter for the last 3 years. Is the bird likely to be the same one each winter as we only ever get one ? Can anyone tell me what is the life span of these birds?
Other visitors :
Blue tits
Great tits
Blackcap
Coal tits
Goldcrests, a pair
Blackbirds
Goldfinches up to 20 at a time
Chaffinches
Sparrowhawk
House sparrows
Feral Pigeons

plenty of activity going on this morning in my old Trafford garden...

6 blue tit
2 great tit
2 coal tit
5 long tailed tit
3 greenfinch
12 goldfinch
3 blackbird
2 robin
4 collared dove
9 feral pigeon
1 starling
not many house sparrow though only 15

In the field behind my house several parts had flooded so I decided to see if any waterbirds had landed this afternoon. Sadly none were seen on the three main pools however 5 pied wagtails were on the shorelines. 79 starlings were also in a nearby tree performing some nice air acrobatics.

Just now: Goldcrest back feeding, on Silver Birch and Larch trees, in my Garden.
Coal Tit doing the same.

Sparrowhawk in garden looking for breakfast around feeders great views perched on fence but disappeared before I could grab camera.

Just now; A Goldcrest feeding in the Silver Birch tree in our garden.
First seen here this year

Male Sparrowhawk just spent the last two hours and forty-five minutes, plucking and devouring a Feral Pigeon in our Stockport garden.( times exact from CCTV footage.) Unfortunately the spot it picked to eat the unfortunate bird, was about the worst possible for decent photography, still managed to get a few half decent images thoughð. Cheers Chris

Another new garden tick this morning as a Goldcrest was buzzing around the oak tree at the back. It boldly ignored the attention of the aggressive local Robins for a good few minutes before moving on.

Other regular highlights at the moment are two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatch almost every day early on and excellent Coal Tit numbers.

Female Blackcap in my Stretford garden this morning, amongst the spent honeysuckle by the window - seemed to be watching me painting the inside ledge! Only for about a minute. Haven't seen a 'cap in the garden for a good few years...

Also, 10 Lapwing went over, heading north-east.

Male blackcap for short while this morning. Arrived with a flurry of blue/coal/great tits.

sparrowhawk loitering with intent @11-55, although very few small birds around 2 house sparrow and 3 starling, i had probably just missed a raid from the sparrowhawk.

Sorting out some birdseed I'd had delivered, I stepped into the garden this morning to see a buzzard swoop from over a neighbouring house at about twice rooftop height. Certainly lower than I've ever seen one from my garden, and quite thrilling. Another one drifted by about 100 meters away at the same moment. The question of the need to buy so much birdseed was raised in the afternoon as a Red Admiral buzzed round the garden!!!!!

2 Goldcrest in my conifer this afternoon.

A small part of the fieldfare invasion, 60, flew over the house this morning. I wish they had come down as I'd love to see the bullying mistle thrush try to keep any number of anything off the thousands of berries it is currently defending. As I say there are literally 1000's of berries just outside my front door, but not even a single blackbird can get more than a sniff.

A single Jay has started visiting the garden this week, the first I've seen in the garden for ages.
Also this morning:

26 House sparrow
3 Great tits
2 blue tits
2 Coal tits
3 Chaffinch
2 Dunnock
2 Collared dove
3 Woodpigeon
2 Magpie
2 Robin

A wren looking for spiders and insects among the potted plants. Not bad considering I live in a terraced house with just a back yard.

Also regularly seeing a Chiffchaff to the rear of my yard, amongst the willows. Formerly part of the Parsonage Pit site which is soon to be "developed".

Today's 'best of'

3 bullfinches in neighbouring garden
1 goldcrest
2 goosander over late p.m. plus the usual daily stuff, goldfinch, woodpigeon, coal tit, etc...

Sighting from my Garden, the field behind my house and on my street from 9am - 9.30am today

5 Blackbirds
8 Feral Pigeons
4 Magpies
12 House Sparrows
3 Blue Tits
1 Greenfinch
31 Starlings
2 Great Tits
1 Dunnock
1 Collared Dove
1 Grey Wagtail over

Yesterday:
3 Goldcrest in a bush on the side of my street with 2 Coal Tits and a Blue Tit

Heyside, Royton.

Within 5 minutes of opening the curtains this morning:

3 Great Tit
Coal Tit
Pair of Chaffinch
Dunnock
4 Goldfinch

On St Joseph's field, which backs on to our garden:

32 Black Headed Gull
3 Common Gull
2 Crow
Magpie

A new garden tick for me today in the form of a Siskin (well three of them!)

They were in a tree in next doors garden along with 2 Goldfinch and then flew off together out of sight.

This morning Heaton Mersey
4 Bullfinch (3m 1f)
2 Nuthatch
Plenty of Finches and Tits

Out in garden at 7.00 a.m. putting bird food out, a small flock of c30 fieldfare flew directly over quite low. Also a song thrush flew over calling.

Garden area starting to hot up now. Todays best were 30 goldfinches either in or flying over my alder tree, also song thrush (always nice to see), great spotted woodpecker, coal tits, jay, wren, and disturbed a mistle thrush which was almost sat on the front doorstep as it fed on berries from the Irish yew bushes. In contrast, an afternoon walk in a local SSSI woodland brought a single wren in the whole place. There's something wrong with our woods I feel. They no longer seem to hold birds in winter as if the food supply has been cut off. Either that or they are now totaly accustomed to moving into suburban gardens where they know what is waiting. Bird-brained means stupid? Never.

New bird for the garden list (Timperley) today - a grey wagtail feeding on the lily pads in our fish pond. It stayed for about 5 mins, long enough to be photographed.

The Goldfinches are really bringing in the goods this week - today's charm brought with it another garden tick for me, a lovely little Lesser Redpoll.

Hopwood heywood 10:30
At least 2skylarks over calling

earlier this morning in my old Trafford garden...

30+ house sparrow
1 robin
2 collared dove
1 starling
12 goldfinch
3 greenfinch
1 blackbird
1 dunnock
2 blue tit
2 great tit
2 coal tit
4 long tailed tit
3 mistle thrush, 1 chaffinch, 1 sparrowhawk over.
2 meadow pipit, over east.
60+ fieldfare at 8.55am over south/west & another 17 at 9.35am again south/west.

yesterday morning 3 siskin over south.
1 goldcrest.

A good day in my Chorlton garden - the first Chaffinch of the autumn plus two new garden ticks - a juvenile Siskin, which flew in with the usual mob of Goldfinches, and a Nuthatch.

Edit: And now a third new tick - 5 Ring Necked Parakeets have just flown in

-- Edited by Andrew Mitchell on Friday 31st of October 2014 03:22:48 PM

A very noisy female Tawny Owl around our Hale garden this evening.

Having not seen many birds in my Stretford garden for weeks, at 15:30 today there was a sudden avian explosion...

6 Blue Tit
2 Coal Tit
3 Great Tit
8 Long Tailed Tit
5 House Sparrows
1 Wren
1 Robin
1 Magpie

5 minutes of mayhem and then they were all gone!

3 Cormorant went over a few minutes later. Also, a Red Admiral fluttered past the window, plus a hefty number of ladybirds - seemed to be everywhere...

Single tree sparrow again at the top of my big conifer this morning.

-- Edited by Scott robinson on Thursday 30th of October 2014 12:45:51 PM

Finally flown the nest and have moved into a new house just off st helens road right near penny and already two new garden ticks.
Two tree sparrows have been visiting my front garden for the last two days, they show no interest in my feeders but land on top of a big conifer and have been staying for a few minutes before flying off.
Also a garden first for me a goldcrest was also in the conifer, plenty of the usual garden birds also visiting blue and great tits,robin,blackbird,goldfinch and a single greenfinch.

Good day in our Harwood garden today:
Pair of goldcrest
goldfinches
great tits
blue tits
long tailed tits
coal tits
chaffinches
magpies
greenfinches
dunnock
Feral pigeons

-- Edited by Neil Collier on Monday 27th of October 2014 05:51:11 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 27th of October 2014 08:13:34 PM

Some of today's garden bird sightings

2 Nuthatch
3 Collared Dove
13 Greenfinch on the feeders
A Sparrowhawk went through and everything scattered, although it's attempt appeared unsuccessful
12 Goldfinch in a tree opposite the front garden

6 Bullfinch over my garden in Lees at 0900 this morning. Only had singles on two occasions previously!

Hop wood heywood

Pair of chaffinches this morning first of autumn male very pale bird

A Jay in the garden of Store Street Nursery Ashton under Lyne. Second sighting.

Sale

First Redwing in the Garden this morning

Hopwood Heywood sat 18/10

6 collared doves

Mixed tit flock

6 coal tits 6 blue tits 4 great tits 8 long tailed tits 4 goldcrests

A lot of robin ticking and seemingly territory disputes recently - migrant birds arriving and muscling into local birds ranges?

2 Nuthatch on the feeders
Good numbers of Greenfinch present with at least 12 birds on the feeders and a flock of c20 in the general area