Plenty of young Blue and Great tits at the feeders with Goldfinch adults and young as well, also one or two Greenfinch's and a pair of Chaffinch today. Surprisingly a Chiffchaff showed for a while as well which is a little unusual as I tend to get a few in September/October rather than this early.

-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Sunday 7th of July 2013 07:14:33 PM

Well, more like just-out-of-garden birds, but now my door is open, I can hear both Blackcap and Whitethroat singing nearby at the same time from the railway line, Monsall, North Manchester. Not bad.

Just had a Song Thrush giving us a marvellous performance in our Hale garden for about half an hour

-- Edited by sid ashton on Friday 5th of July 2013 09:47:11 PM

2 buzzards low over the woods behind my Horwich house. first of the year from the garden

Red Kite circling over my Woodford garden 8:30 this morning.

Martyn Jones wrote:

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I've just had a real Hitchcock (i.e. 'The Birds') moment! I don't know what my neighbour' has thrown on to his back lawn, but a swarm of 9 Black-headed Gulls were circling labove and dropping down low over it and they were soon joined by a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Carrion Crow and a Magpie, all of which were interested in something in his back garden. For a while they were all perched on nearby roofs, lined up just like in the movie - a shudder went down my spine when they all took off again to fly low over the lawn - oooohhh! I'll try to find out what they were going for. We don't normally get any gulls at all in our back gardens, although they do fly overhead as they go to roost.

---

Knowing what gulls are like I'd guess at a bag of chips.

I've just had a real Hitchcock (i.e. 'The Birds') moment! I don't know what my neighbour' has thrown on to his back lawn, but a swarm of 9 Black-headed Gulls were circling labove and dropping down low over it and they were soon joined by a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Carrion Crow and a Magpie, all of which were interested in something in his back garden. For a while they were all perched on nearby roofs, lined up just like in the movie - a shudder went down my spine when they all took off again to fly low over the lawn - oooohhh! I'll try to find out what they were going for. We don't normally get any gulls at all in our back gardens, although they do fly overhead as they go to roost.

Plenty of juvenile Blue Tits in the garden this morning. Also singles of Coal Tit and Great Tit.

Female Chaffinch also present.

Quite surprised to see male and female Siskin in our Ashton-under-Lyne garden this morning.

3 young goldfinch being fed by parents on and around the feeders this morning.

A very tame Jay coming within 4 foot of the kitchen window this morning (Chorlton, Manchester). Seemed to be finding some food on the lawn, although not too sure what. Luckily camera was handy!

-- Edited by Ben Smart on Sunday 30th of June 2013 11:01:13 AM

As soon as I let the dog out this morning I heard a Bullfinch calling. Only my second one in the garden, and the first this year.

Due to the wind & rain I spent most of yesterday checking the garden birds here in Bromley Cross.
3 Woodpigeons
2 Collared Doves
A flock of 10 Feral Pigeons flew over
1 Wren
1 Dunnock
1 Robin
Pair of Blackbirds
1 Blue Tit
1 Jay, as usual followed in by a couple of Magpies
I did not have a Jackdaw in the garden yesterday, but I normally have one taking a few peanuts in it's mouth from the bird table, and then eating them on top of my house extension. I did watch a pair though feeding young in a chimney pot nearby on Darwen Road. From an upstairs window I could see them dropping food into their greedy mouths.
6 Starlings
2 House Sparrows
1 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch

Black-headed Gulls flew over all day, and a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls passed over.

Looking through the kitchen window while washing up - the regular goldfinches on the niger seed feeder, but hang on! A stunning male bullfinch, unusual for Denton.

Loads of activity in the garden this last week or so. A pair of Bullfinches are now a regular feature and visit several times a day. Upto three juvenile Robins around too plus juvenile Dunnocks, Blue Tits, Chaffinches and Goldfinches - all local offspring I presume.

Birds starting to drift back today.

A pair of Blue Tits with 3 little fat fledglings today - really cute.

A pair of Great Tits all day.

A pair of Long Tailed Tits late on - first visit for over a month.

A Nuthatch this morning.

Regular visits from a couple of House Sparrows as well.

Loads of Chiffchaffs heard in the trees by the garden.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 23rd of June 2013 11:51:11 PM

Tawny Owl calling 11pm til 11 30pm. Ashton under lyne.

Me, my wife and daughter were in our garden at tea time when a male Sparrowhawk blazed in and tried to snatch a Blue Tit from the feeders. It chased it round the back of the shed and almost caught it at one point before it gave up and flew to the tree at the top of the garden. All this happened literally five yards in front of us. A brilliant sight and over in the blink of an eye too.

Leigh (Lilford) garden today -

Juveniles this morning of Robin, Coal Tit, Great Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Blue tits no longer using nest box so presuming their young have fledged.

This evening 9.30pm both male and female Tawny Owls calling softly in the thick stand of trees over our back.



What's all this depressing talk of tipping points? Been the best couple of weeks in the garden, even with last week's rain and wind.

I love seeing the 'charm' of goldfinches that visit our garden to feed on the nyjer seeds.
Nuthatches and treecreepers scuttle up and down mature beech trees.
Although in summer the garden is fairly quiet.

I love seeing the 'charm' of goldfinches that visit our garden to feed on the nyjer seeds.
Nuthatches and treecreepers scuttle up and down mature beech trees.
Although in summer the garden is fairly quiet.

Sitting at my laptop today I heard a call of a Long Tailed Tit and when I went outside to the balcony (I live in a tower, first floor) I could see three Long Tailed Tits at 'eye-level' in the small silver birch. Nice to see.

Standish garden today.

1..... Robin
2......blue tits (feeding young in nestbox)
14... Jackdaws around and about the garden with one fledged youngster in the garden
1......Coal tit
3......Chaffinch
3......Greenfinch
5......Goldfinch
1......Goldcrest
3......House Sparrows
2......Dunnock
1......Great tit
2......Woodpidgeon (nesting in tree)
1......Collard Dove
3......Starlings
1......Mallard (sat on house roof)
1......Heron (fly over)
2......Buzzards (circuling high overhead)

Saturday 15th June, Dukinfield

4 new juveniles today. Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Goldfinch and Magpie, singles of each.
Already visited by Robin, Greenfinch, House Sparrow and 6+ Starling.

Also 2 active Great Tit nests barely 6 metres apart plus a Blue Tit nest above the front porch.

Seem to be topping up the feeders more often now than at any time this year,
especially the fats that are getting hammered by House Sparrows, Starlings, Jackdaws, Magpies and Tits.

Sale Garden;
Grey Wagtail visited our pond this afternoon

Very quiet in Highfield Wigan now the nesting season is in full swing.

Only regular visitors are Great Tits and Chaffinch. A Goldfinch this morning and a female Greater Spotted Woodie on the fat balls this afternoon.

However yesterday morning high in the sky directly above the garden was a scrap between a Buzzard soaring on the thermals and a Carrion Crow mobbing it.

There are young Magpies in the trees next to the garden.Young crows in the vicinity also perhaps?

Also 2 Jackdaws over while I was cutting the front lawn yesterday morning.

-- Edited by Neil Ferguson on Monday 10th of June 2013 10:31:34 PM

Unusually busy morning in the garden while we had breakfast.

1 magnificent Jay on the fat feeder
Great spotted woodpecker
Carrion Crow touched down briefly
Nuthatch
Coal tit
Juvenile Robin
3 House Sparrows (quite unusual here)
9 Starlings over

+ the usual wood pigeons and magpies

Leigh (Lilford) garden:

Female Tawny Owl calling softly in trees behind our garden as I was watering plants at 9.30pm, and glimpsed her flying off through trees to continue her mewing calls from the far side.

Hindley garden

2 Dunnock
2 Goldfinch with 2 fledglings
6 House sparrow
2 Chaffinch
2 Woodpigeon
2 Magpie
2 Blue tit in and out of nest box feeding hungry chicks
1 Reedbunting
1 Starling Juvenile

Boothstown garden late afternoon.

2 Sparrow Hawks circling over head with 12-15 House Martins above them, the House Martins didn't appear to see the Sparrow Hawks as a threat as they came quite close at times and didn't mod them either,

We've had a tail-less Wood Pigeon around the garden for a good few months, which is paired with a normal-tailed female. The tail-less one does a lot of the chasing, so I'm assuming it's the randy male.

The usual 3 or 4 Dunnocks around my garden today, and as usual under the feeders; but for the last 2 days
I have noticed one of the Dunnock has no tail whatsoever.

The inland oystercatcher that I referred to in the Bits & Bobs thread last week is now an official garden tick, as it flew low (about 30 feet up?) & loud over my garden at 6-00 a.m. this morning.

Mid afternoon matinee performance of the Dawn Chorus,
provided the entertainment at the Burgess family BBQ this sunny afternoon.

First performer atop a conifer was a male Bullfinch.
Non birding members of the family judged the rendition to be all show and no substance.
Next up Dunnock giving an excellent 2 minute fluty performance.
But by unanimous decision the afternoons best solo performance went to the male Blackcap
Flitting about in the oak canopy, at times upside down, A shy performer on stage but acoustically sublime.

Both a male bullfinch and 2 long tailed tits arrived at the same time this afternoon. Both are uncommon visitors to my garden in Bromley Cross, Bolton.

1 Fledgling Greenfinch on my back lawn this morning

For a few seconds this afternoon, we had a Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in our Leigh garden at the same time. Jay not unknown though not frequent, woodpecker relatively regular - but together, what Big Chief I-Spy would have called a "Red Letter Day" and would definitely have scored 50 points!

Pair of Woodpigeons are eagerly eating the chicken skin and bits I've just picked off the bone. Might sound a bit surprising but infact alot of our table species here in our Dane Bank garden will eat a varied diet.. Blackbirds, Starlings, House Sparrows, Robins (and obviously the Magpies) will eat most things we put out, we always know when the Blackbirds and Robins chicks have hatched as the last few years they seem to almost beg for cheese inparticular.

A male Chaffinch feeding seeds from the feeder to a well developed fledgling this morning. Also we've been getting a pair of Bullfinches in the garden every day now which seems to suggest breeding nearby somewhere.

About 10pm last night a female Tawny Owl was calling in the trees adjacent to our garden near Lilford Park, Leigh. First time I have heard one this year. My wife had a sight of it flying into the trees - there were a lot of bats around, which I guess may be what was taking its interest.

A Blackcap was singing away in my garden this morning.The first in the garden this year,[to my knowledge].Green-veined White Butterfly also present.

Hindley Garden

4 Juvenile Dunnocks fledged this morning and enjoying fall out from suet feeders.

1 Goldfinch assume partner on eggs

6 house sparrows working hard on the fat balls to feed their newly hatched young

2 Blue tits back and forward to nest box and what a racket when they enter the box,sounds like full house of chicks.

3 collared Doves

3 Woodpigeon

2 Adult Dunnocks

1 Robin

1 Blackbird.

Had 10mins watching the feeders in my Irlam garden not a lot going on out there due to the mini tornado
1 Blue tit hanging on to the peanut feeder for dear life .

-- Edited by Phil White on Friday 24th of May 2013 11:58:29 AM

Hindley Garden

6 House Sparrow
2 Dunnock
2 Blackbird
4 Collared Dove
2 Woodpigeon
1 Jackdaw mugging a magpie of his bread.

Lot's of House Sparrows about today in my Irlam garden +
Starling fledglings
3 woodpigeon
5 Goldfinch
3 Blackbirds having a squabble
3 swift over

Nice to see plenty of house sparrows in my leigh garden. Anyone else noticed this, mike

This Morning back garden:
1 Pair Great Tits ( helping themselves to honey bees!)
1 Pair Blue Tits
1 Coal Tit
2 Dunnock
2 Robins
3 Blackbirds
3 Starlings
Several House Sparrows, including fledglings ( 2 of which also like Honeybees!)
2 Stock Dove
3 Collared Dove
1 Woodpigeon

Update: Just seen 2 fledgling Robins being fed as I made a brew


-- Edited by David Gornall on Wednesday 22nd of May 2013 09:49:01 AM

It's not just built up areas Vaughan a walk on Chat Moss and there seem to be lot's just sat about in field's and today I came of the M6 at Lymm services and there were a pair sat in the middle of the of the roundabout island

Interesting to read about the mallards - I had a a group of ten in my garden back in May 2006 - the one and only time they have alighted - is anyone aware of why they should be attracted to more built up areas at this time of year?

Late report for Saturday 18 May afternoon: juvenile sparrowhawk on our garden fence taking in our bird feeders.

By the way, I've noticed that the numbers of house martins on the Edges Fold estate where I live have really dropped off this spring. We usually get dozens feeding over our house but the sky is quiet at the moment with just one or two overhead. Any ideas why the big drop off?

the coal tits have been fighting it out all day on the feeders!