1st ever male blackcap in the garden this evening in Horwich feeding on the fat balls - 2nd ever record in total also 2 Chiffchaff 1 Willow Warbler 2 Jays 2 Mallard 4 Chaffinch Blue Tit's taking nesting material into nest box (at last)
Neil Ferguson said
Fri Apr 26 1:16 AM, 2013
Ken Dunning wrote:
Spent last night at my daughters in Highfield Wigan and was awakened to a fantastic dawn chorus.
Thats 16 species in a 2 1/2 hour period, fantastic.
Which street in Highfield Ken?
I live in Grebe Close.
Vaughan Evans said
Thu Apr 25 1:45 PM, 2013
Following on from Sid's Hale post - some seasonal overlapping today. Still 6+ Siskins and a couple of Bramblings today along with four Willow Warblers that passed through briefly. A pair of Jays also made a showing before being seen of by a magpie.
-- Edited by Vaughan Evans on Friday 26th of April 2013 12:50:30 PM
sid ashton said
Thu Apr 25 4:39 AM, 2013
At 21.30 had a female Tawny Owl calling from one of the beech trees in our Hale garden.
We often hear them but this was the first time we have actually had such good views of one in the garden
Jon Beckett said
Wed Apr 24 4:06 PM, 2013
4 lesser redpoll in the garden eating niger/sunflower this morning, first I've seen here.
James Walsh said
Mon Apr 22 6:09 AM, 2013
3 Jays over Timperley garden this am
Gary Ingram said
Mon Apr 22 5:29 AM, 2013
Hindley Garden
After this mornings first of 2 Blackcap,this afternoon saw a first of 2 lesser redpoll on the Niger feeder with 2 Goldfinches.
dave broome said
Mon Apr 22 4:42 AM, 2013
A male Blackcap was feeding on fat balls in our Ashton-in-Makerfield today. Though the species is regular in our garden in summer, I've never seen them on there before. A friend mentioned one doing the same in his Billinge garden a couple of days ago. Presumably the cold spring may have resulted in less natural food being available for the first returning birds? There have also been the three males visiting Peter Alker's Waxwing apples.
Ken Dunning said
Mon Apr 22 4:16 AM, 2013
Spent last night at my daughters in Highfield Wigan and was awakened to a fantastic dawn chorus. The birds recorded in her garden were: 2 Blue Tit 2 Great Tit 2 Robin (with nest) 2 Bullfinch (nest building) 4 Dunnock 1 Pair Blackcap 2 Pair Blackbird 6 Wood Pigeon 1 Song Thrush 2 Collared Dove 6 Goldfinch 2 Chaffinch 2 Long Tailed Tit 1 Magpie 3 Jay (very noisy) and heard a Chiffchaff from front garden
Thats 16 species in a 2 1/2 hour period, fantastic.
Phil White said
Mon Apr 22 2:31 AM, 2013
Irlam back garden 1 Siskin (F) first this year on the feeders 2 Long tailed tit 3 woodpigeon 2 Dunnocks
Paul Coupe said
Mon Apr 22 12:50 AM, 2013
Single swallow over Harwood Road ,Tottington this afternoon. Seasons first for me.
Mark Burgess said
Mon Apr 22 12:11 AM, 2013
Boothstown Garden
Male Blackcap flitting about the canopy of an Oak tree feeding on insects, First this year for me.
Phil Owen said
Sun Apr 21 11:52 PM, 2013
Single Lesser Redpoll amongst the Goldfinches on the niger feeder in my parent's garden in Newall Green this morning.
A garden first for them!
Mark Walsh said
Sun Apr 21 11:49 PM, 2013
Still getting 5 Siskin on the sunflower hearts and also the first swallow over this morning.
Gary Ingram said
Sun Apr 21 5:11 PM, 2013
Hindley Garden
2 Blackcaps on the suet balls this morning.Garden first for me
Neil Ferguson said
Sat Apr 20 3:18 PM, 2013
The last 2 mornings I've had a Brambling on the feeders !!!!
Another first for me.
Are there any records of them nesting in the UK?
As we are in mid April now when do they normally migrate back North?
Gary Ingram said
Fri Apr 19 5:01 AM, 2013
Hindley Garden
Blackbird now sitting tight on nest in Daughters playhouse window box. 2 Woodpigeon and one collared dove scrapping over seed 2 Dunnock 2 Robin 3 Goldfinch 1 house sparrow 1 Chaffinch
Neil Ferguson said
Fri Apr 19 2:00 AM, 2013
A fantastic first for me this evening in Highfield Wigan.
We've had 2 visits to the sunflower hearts feeder by a pair of Redpolls.
Never ever seen one before anywhere so I'm well chuffed. They turned up at the same time as a pair of Siskins.
Ironically the painting by the descriptions in my oldest Bird Book which I bought on Holiday in Scarborough in 1967 features 3 Lesser Redpolls and 2 Siskins.
Jon Bowen said
Wed Apr 17 2:04 AM, 2013
2 Willow Warblers and a Chiffchaff in and around my Horwich Garden tonight, also a squadron of 6 Swallows doing fly pasts. Willow Warbler a garden first
Neil Ferguson said
Tue Apr 16 8:03 AM, 2013
Just had the first Great Spotted Woodpecker on the fat balls since last Autumn. Great to see it back again.
A I finished typing the above I heard a familiar chirp as well - the first House Sparrow I've seen in Highfield for about 8 months
-- Edited by Neil Ferguson on Tuesday 16th of April 2013 08:05:12 AM
Vaughan Evans said
Mon Apr 15 3:09 PM, 2013
27 Bramblings this morning and a couple of Siskin
Gary Ingram said
Mon Apr 15 2:06 AM, 2013
Hindley Garden
Blackbird built a nest in the window box of my daughters playhouse but as now laid two eggs in the window box at the side of the nest.
steven burke said
Mon Apr 15 1:43 AM, 2013
goosander over my old Trafford garden at 10.05am this morning heading south/west
Jon Bowen said
Sun Apr 14 8:50 PM, 2013
1st Swallow of the 'spring' buzzing low over my Horwich garden this morning
Richard Norris said
Sun Apr 14 5:41 PM, 2013
Not quite a garden bird, but still pleased (and quite surprised!) to see the first returning House Martin from my third-floor flat window in the middle of Hulme this morning.
Charles Farrell said
Sun Apr 14 4:02 PM, 2013
A pair of Bullfinch on the feeders in my mum's Alkrington garden for the 4th day running. A nice addition to the family garden list.
Richard Hart said
Sun Apr 14 2:50 AM, 2013
Male Blackcap in my Royton garden throughout the day taking sunflower hearts from the feeder, squabbling with and holding its own against the hordes of Siskin other finches and tits. But no sign of the male Brambling and Reed Bunting present on Thursday which were the first of the winter.
Mark Burgess said
Sat Apr 13 6:49 PM, 2013
Boothstown garden this am,
Willow warbler, First of the year for me.
Bill Myerscough said
Fri Apr 12 12:04 AM, 2013
11th April.
A pair of Mistle Thrush have surprisingly been regular visitors to my Chadderton garden since January this year, feeding on bread and sultanas. For the last few weeks, just one has appeared, possibly suggesting the other has been incubating? Today, an adult collecting and carrying away food from off the back lawn...although I'm not sure bread is the ideal food for Mistle Thrush nestlings?
On 8th April - an adult Woodpigeon with a recently fledged juvenile in the garden. With incubation and the time for young to develop in the nest being roughly 45 days min then this suggests eggs laid possibly sometime in the second half of February. A Collared Dove eggshell was been found in the garden a few weeks ago now - so they are probably not far behind with their first batch off the production line!
Blue Tits - a pair have been in and out of the sparrow terrace nest box on the side of the house. Not good enough for the House Sparrows though , who have never used it in all the years it has been up! There are 2 pairs already taking nesting material into roof spaces nearby though.
Cheers,
Bill.
Jon Bowen said
Thu Apr 11 5:20 PM, 2013
A male Dunnock has been knocking himself out all week singing from the willow tree in the garden. This morning his efforts seem have been rewarded as a 2nd Dunnock has appeared on the scene. Fingers crossed
Phil Owen said
Thu Apr 11 5:26 AM, 2013
2 Carrion Crows rather unusually flying from tree to tree near the garden and making a bit of a racket as I type.
Gary Ingram said
Wed Apr 10 11:24 PM, 2013
Hindley Garden
2 Blue tits 1 Great tit 1 Robin 1 Collared Dove 2 Woodpigeon 2 Dunnock 4 House Sparrow 2 Greenfinch 1 Chaffinch 2 Blackbird 1 Mistlethrush
Neil Ferguson said
Wed Apr 10 3:32 PM, 2013
Diane Wright wrote:
The male blackcap that has been regularly feeding in our garden in Lowercroft, Bury since the 20th February has now also disappeared and the last date we saw him was on the 31st March. It will be interesting to see if he returns next year.
Co incidentally I've just had the first Blackcap - a male - of the year on the fat balls in my Wigan garden this morning.
This is the first since last Summer so I'm assuming it's a migrant coming in??
Bill Myerscough said
Wed Apr 10 7:08 AM, 2013
Diane Wright wrote:
The male blackcap that has been regularly feeding in our garden in Lowercroft, Bury since the 20th February has now also disappeared and the last date we saw him was on the 31st March. It will be interesting to see if he returns next year.
Hi Diane,
It's nice to hear on the forum of the departure date of your bird and of Mike's too. We often get the information on the arrivals of birds but less often info on when bird(s) leave. The general thinking on our wintering Blackcaps is that they are a "different lot" from the large numbers than come and spend the summer with us. They are thought to be mostly central European birds and the timings of departure of yours and Mike's birds might possibly suggest they are already on their way back to where they came from? Even now it might be setting up home in that sunny and secluded little spot just by the Rhine that it has always set its heart on!
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 10th of April 2013 07:53:51 AM
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 10th of April 2013 07:54:43 AM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 16th of April 2013 08:43:24 AM
Diane Wright said
Wed Apr 10 2:43 AM, 2013
The male blackcap that has been regularly feeding in our garden in Lowercroft, Bury since the 20th February has now also disappeared and the last date we saw him was on the 31st March. It will be interesting to see if he returns next year.
Mike c cooper said
Tue Apr 9 12:05 AM, 2013
Hop wood, heywood
No sign of female blackcap since Friday 5th hope it's moved on rather than killed by cat as it was getting increasingly cocky / careless and feeding on ground more and more
Pair of goldfinches inspecting large leylandii fir
Single long tailed tit
Vaughan Evans said
Mon Apr 8 5:30 PM, 2013
High counts of 15 Brambling and 8 Siskin over the weekend. Single Redpoll, Goldcrest and Goldfinch plus a Rook on the fat.
Mark Rigby said
Mon Apr 8 1:53 AM, 2013
Had a Meadow Pipit over my garden this afternoon, a garden tick!
Ian Campbell said
Sun Apr 7 7:38 PM, 2013
Like the last post, just had 6 Siskin, 4 males and 2 females, feeding on sunflower hearts and niger seed in my Radcliffe garden, a garden tick for me. Cheers Ian
sid ashton said
Sun Apr 7 7:05 PM, 2013
A rare sight in our Hale garden at the moment, as I type a male Great Spotted Woodpecker hammering one of the peanut feeders with four Siskin close to it on the sunflower hearts
Nick Isherwood said
Sat Apr 6 5:40 PM, 2013
Had a Chiffchaff in the garden briefly this morning. Also had a male Bullfinch in yesterday too. Only my second record for the garden.
JasonAtkinson said
Sat Apr 6 2:56 AM, 2013
A good day in my Heald Green garden today with the added benefit of the nets open.
40+ Siskin, taking my total ringed in the garden to date to 74 plus 3 controls. 10+ Goldfinch including a presumed migrant with a high fat score. 1 female Nuthatch with a developing brood patch. 1 female Bullfinch with a delve losing brood patch. 2 Robins inc 1 female with egg and full brood patch so on eggs. Female Blackbird of presumed continental race. 6 Redwing moving through the garden.
Cheers Jason
Gary Ingram said
Sat Apr 6 2:41 AM, 2013
Hindley Garden
Blue tit in and out of box all day.Not carrying nesting material just site assessing.
Keith Mills said
Wed Apr 3 9:05 PM, 2013
For the last 3 consecutive evenings, there has been a pair of Woodpigeons sat 18 inches apart on my garden fence.(In the sunshine). They are there for up to an hour, ignoring my trips to the garden shed. Every so often they cosy up closer with some appropriate neck pecking. The future of this species on Ladybridge seems assured.
-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 4th of April 2013 09:01:11 AM
Bernard McGurrin said
Tue Apr 2 7:25 PM, 2013
the past 3 or 4 days i have been getting reed buntings in my bickershaw garden, the only time i have had them in the garden before was in the long cold spell ( frost + snow) about 3 yrs ago. goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, house sparrow, starling, dunnock,robin, blackbird,collared dove, wood pigeon, magpie and great spotted woodpecker also seen, i was getting a single coal tit every day but not seen for a fortnight may have fallen victim to the sparrowhawk that passes through every so often.
Vaughan Evans said
Tue Apr 2 4:38 PM, 2013
Still up to 10 Bramblings daily with some very smart looking males now ... Siskin numbers have dropped off with high counts not reaching double figures. Male Sparrowhawk makes regular forays to the the feeders and sits there looking rather forlorn. One or two Goldcrests regularly but total absence of Gold/Greenfinches, (not to mention House Sparrows and Starlings which seem long gone now), nor have I heard a single Song Thrush this spring....
Mike c cooper said
Tue Apr 2 3:54 PM, 2013
Hop wood, heywood
Female blackcap still feeding regularly over the Easter weekend
JasonAtkinson said
Tue Apr 2 5:00 AM, 2013
40+ Siskin 2 Fieldfare 1f Goldcrest Amongst the regulars in my Heald Green garden.
Cheers Jason
Graham Smith said
Tue Apr 2 1:04 AM, 2013
A Wood pigeon building a nest in front garden
Karen Foulkes said
Sun Mar 31 7:25 PM, 2013
A male Blackcap visiting our garden late morning, on the fatball feeder
3 Dunnock A pair of Long Tailed Tits were either looking for food or nesting material, along the edge of the shed roof, hard to ascertain which!
also
2 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Warbler
2 Jays
2 Mallard
4 Chaffinch
Blue Tit's taking nesting material into nest box (at last)
Which street in Highfield Ken?
I live in Grebe Close.
-- Edited by Vaughan Evans on Friday 26th of April 2013 12:50:30 PM
We often hear them but this was the first time we have actually had such good views of one in the garden
After this mornings first of 2 Blackcap,this afternoon saw a first of 2 lesser redpoll on the Niger feeder with 2 Goldfinches.
The birds recorded in her garden were:
2 Blue Tit
2 Great Tit
2 Robin (with nest)
2 Bullfinch (nest building)
4 Dunnock
1 Pair Blackcap
2 Pair Blackbird
6 Wood Pigeon
1 Song Thrush
2 Collared Dove
6 Goldfinch
2 Chaffinch
2 Long Tailed Tit
1 Magpie
3 Jay (very noisy)
and heard a Chiffchaff from front garden
Thats 16 species in a 2 1/2 hour period, fantastic.
1 Siskin (F) first this year on the feeders
2 Long tailed tit
3 woodpigeon
2 Dunnocks
Male Blackcap flitting about the canopy of an Oak tree feeding on insects, First this year for me.
A garden first for them!
2 Blackcaps on the suet balls this morning.Garden first for me
Another first for me.
Are there any records of them nesting in the UK?
As we are in mid April now when do they normally migrate back North?
Blackbird now sitting tight on nest in Daughters playhouse window box.
2 Woodpigeon and one collared dove scrapping over seed
2 Dunnock
2 Robin
3 Goldfinch
1 house sparrow
1 Chaffinch
We've had 2 visits to the sunflower hearts feeder by a pair of Redpolls.
Never ever seen one before anywhere so I'm well chuffed. They turned up at the same time as a pair of Siskins.
Ironically the painting by the descriptions in my oldest Bird Book which I bought on Holiday in Scarborough in 1967 features 3 Lesser Redpolls and 2 Siskins.
Willow Warbler a garden first
A I finished typing the above I heard a familiar chirp as well - the first House Sparrow I've seen in Highfield for about 8 months
-- Edited by Neil Ferguson on Tuesday 16th of April 2013 08:05:12 AM
Blackbird built a nest in the window box of my daughters playhouse but as now laid two eggs in the window box at the side of the nest.
Willow warbler, First of the year for me.
A pair of Mistle Thrush have surprisingly been regular visitors to my Chadderton garden since January this year, feeding on bread and sultanas. For the last few weeks, just one has appeared, possibly suggesting the other has been incubating? Today, an adult collecting and carrying away food from off the back lawn...although I'm not sure bread is the ideal food for Mistle Thrush nestlings?
On 8th April - an adult Woodpigeon with a recently fledged juvenile in the garden. With incubation and the time for young to develop in the nest being roughly 45 days min then this suggests eggs laid possibly sometime in the second half of February.
A Collared Dove eggshell was been found in the garden a few weeks ago now - so they are probably not far behind with their first batch off the production line!
Blue Tits - a pair have been in and out of the sparrow terrace nest box on the side of the house. Not good enough for the House Sparrows though , who have never used it in all the years it has been up! There are 2 pairs already taking nesting material into roof spaces nearby though.
Cheers,
Bill.
2 Blue tits
1 Great tit
1 Robin
1 Collared Dove
2 Woodpigeon
2 Dunnock
4 House Sparrow
2 Greenfinch
1 Chaffinch
2 Blackbird
1 Mistlethrush
Co incidentally I've just had the first Blackcap - a male - of the year on the fat balls in my Wigan garden this morning.
This is the first since last Summer so I'm assuming it's a migrant coming in??
Hi Diane,
It's nice to hear on the forum of the departure date of your bird and of Mike's too. We often get the information on the arrivals of birds but less often info on when bird(s) leave. The general thinking on our wintering Blackcaps is that they are a "different lot" from the large numbers than come and spend the summer with us. They are thought to be mostly central European birds and the timings of departure of yours and Mike's birds might possibly suggest they are already on their way back to where they came from? Even now it might be setting up home in that sunny and secluded little spot just by the Rhine that it has always set its heart on!
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 10th of April 2013 07:53:51 AM
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 10th of April 2013 07:54:43 AM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 16th of April 2013 08:43:24 AM
It will be interesting to see if he returns next year.
No sign of female blackcap since Friday 5th hope it's moved on rather than killed by cat as it was getting increasingly cocky / careless and feeding on ground more and more
Pair of goldfinches inspecting large leylandii fir
Single long tailed tit
Cheers Ian
40+ Siskin, taking my total ringed in the garden to date to 74 plus 3 controls.
10+ Goldfinch including a presumed migrant with a high fat score.
1 female Nuthatch with a developing brood patch.
1 female Bullfinch with a delve losing brood patch.
2 Robins inc 1 female with egg and full brood patch so on eggs.
Female Blackbird of presumed continental race.
6 Redwing moving through the garden.
Cheers
Jason
Blue tit in and out of box all day.Not carrying nesting material just site assessing.
They are there for up to an hour, ignoring my trips to the garden shed. Every so often they cosy up closer with
some appropriate neck pecking.
The future of this species on Ladybridge seems assured.
-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 4th of April 2013 09:01:11 AM
goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, house sparrow, starling, dunnock,robin, blackbird,collared dove, wood pigeon, magpie and great spotted woodpecker also seen, i was getting a single coal tit every day but not seen for a fortnight may have fallen victim to the sparrowhawk that passes through every so often.
Female blackcap still feeding regularly over the Easter weekend
2 Fieldfare
1f Goldcrest
Amongst the regulars in my Heald Green garden.
Cheers
Jason
3 Dunnock
A pair of Long Tailed Tits were either looking for food or nesting material, along the edge of the shed roof, hard to ascertain which!