Saturday 03 April 2010

3 Ringed Plover in a field off Riding Lane, late afternoon.

singing Chiffchaff and Goldcrest in Skitters Wood this morning and a pair of Bullfinch

I've just (literally) at 23.30hrs had a significant (for here anyway) movement of Wigeon over my house. Judging by the number of calls and the very audible sound of lots of wings over 20 seconds or so I would 'guestimate' easily over 100 birds. Judging from their fading calls they sounded like they were moving NW. Possibilities of finding them at the Flashes tomorrow? Somehow I suspect they'll go straight through.

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Tuesday 23rd of March 2010 12:06:50 AM

In Skitters Wood today a female Sparrowhawk caught a Magpie, whereupon every Magpie in Ashton-in-Makerfield seemed to appear to mob it!! Also 4 Crows, one with buff in the wings.

Also 5 Bullfinch, Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail and G S Woodpecker

13 Rooks at the Jubilee Park rookery this morning

Saturday 06 February 2010

A Peregrine flew over heading north at 12:00. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

Wednesday 03 February 2010

A Great Spotted Woodpecker this morning was a garden tick for me.

Sunday 10 January 2010

A female Bullfinch in our garden this afternoon. A garden tick after 23 years at this address!

a Snipe was flying around Bryn railway station this morning

Tuesday 05 January 2010

Early afternoon between Jameson's Farm and the Harrow Inn (got sent home from work early due to snow ):
9 Lapwing
4 Snipe
Hundreds of Woodpigeon

Wednesday 23 December 2009

1 Blackcap (male) in our garden this morning. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

Sunday 20 December 2009

Between Jameson's Farm (Golborne Road) and the Harrow Inn:
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
58 Lapwing
9 Snipe
c2000 Woodpigeon
c30 Starling
2 Mistle Thrush
1 Fieldfare
2 Pied Wagtail
4 Skylark
c30 Meadow Pipit


-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 20th of December 2009 05:03:52 PM

Friday 20 November 2009

Gutted! a flock of c15 probable Brent Geese flew over the South Lancs (aka Three Sisters)Industrial Estate at about 09:20 this morning. I was halfway between my car and the office and so didn't have any binoculars (got some in the car but was too far away )... The ones that got away!

On a happier note, 2 Goldcrests in our garden this morning were the first this autumn.

Edge Green road, ' field watch' 14.00 15.00
1 very posy kestrel
2 buzzard
2 crows
1 magpie
2 mistle thrush
1 flock of long tailed

cheers geoffno merlin (yet)

-- Edited by Geoff Hargreaves on Sunday 15th of November 2009 09:15:59 PM

Tawny Owl calling in Skitters Wood this evening

A large, loose flock of approx 600 Fieldfare were heading west over Bryn at approx 0825hrs this morning

Saturday 31 October 2009

Audible Migration over our garden between 21:00 and 23:00:
A skein of Pink-footed Geese heading east at 21:00.
70 Redwing calls heard, if each call represents a flock then that would be quite a few Redwing.
2 Blackbirds also heard calling overhead.

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 1st of November 2009 05:38:04 PM

Brambling at Skitters Wood this morning

47 Redwing, 6 Skylark and 3 Goldfinch SW over Skitters Wood this morning and a Goosander SE

Saturday 24 October 2009

I heard a Skylark call over somerfield car park just before 21:00 tonight. Never heard one at night before.

P.S. Where has the 'preview' option gone when posting on here?

On Thursday 22nd Oct at George's Pond there was a Mallard with 5 small ducklings, probably less than a week old (plus the resident Muscovy....)

Orange-Winged Amazon at Skitters yesterday. Then flew towards Jubilee Park area. I think one has been present for a couple of years in gardens near the town centre.

Saturday 17 October 2009

2 Buzzards drifting NW high over our house at 13:20 today, also 2 flocks of 50+ Redwing NW. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Saturday 17th of October 2009 08:13:18 PM

Monday 05 October 2009
21:20-23:20

with the nights drawing in I thought I'd try and make the most of it... Rather than a visible migration (vismig) watch, I tried an audible migration (audmig) listen. The results are as follows:
2 Redwing
3 Mallard (or it could have been the same mallard three times)
1 noisy Pipistrelle Bat
1 Bottle of wine


-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Tuesday 6th of October 2009 12:14:26 AM

1 Oystercatcher over Birchall High School tonight around 6.30pm

A Redwing called overhead tonight at about 2135hrs, it sounded very high up - presume there will be more tonight with the full moon

at least 2 Siskin calling over Skitters Wood this morning, Kingfisher on Millingford Brook

Kingfisher a few times over the past few days on Millingford Brook, moving noisily between Skitters Wood and the town centre. 2 flew through our garden a couple of evenings ago, in an arc from the brook, seemingly in a vocal chasing session.

Oystercatcher over my house at 18:30, quite low heading SE and calling a lot.

Nice to see at least 2 pairs of House Martins nesting on the library (just to R of entrance) and back on the newish nrsing home opposite, all in the town centre.

I've had 1-2 over my house early morning (around 8-ish) Friday and Saturday, heading your way, Dave.

Oystercatcher calling over Skitters Wood this morning, juv Bullfinch feeding on Common Bistort seeds

Oystercatcher and Lapwing feeding on Nicol Road playing field this morning

female Pheasant with 4 small juvs at Booths Brow Farm, Downall Green yesterday, first brood of Swallows fledged this week

Fledged Chiffchaffs at Skitters Wood today, Goldcrest fledged juvs last week

4 Buzzards circling over bryn road @ 15:00, a nice addition to my office list.

an Oystercatcher flew south over Ashton town center this evening (9th June).

Maybe the same as I had near Haydock island when doing a BBS there 23rd.

1 Cockatiel over Allscott Way yesterday afternoon, heading south.

A Shelduck flew over the old sewage works this morning. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

---

Stuck waiting for a bus for 1/2 an hourgerrad st and gas works site

a few feral pigeons,jackdaw,rook,crow,bh gull,plenty starlings,6 blackbirds,2 dunnock
1pied wag,and the then the bus came.

cheers geoff

---

That's one great thing out of many about birding Geoff. You can do it absolutely anywhere.
Certainly helped the odd 2 hour wait at train stations on my travels around the country!

Stuck waiting for a bus for 1/2 an hourgerrad st and gas works site

a few feral pigeons,jackdaw,rook,crow,bh gull,plenty starlings,6 blackbirds,2 dunnock
1pied wag,and the then the bus came.

cheers geoff

2 Yellowhammers along Edge Green Lane

2 Grasshopper Warbler and a Whitethroat at the old sewage works this morning. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

Grasshopper Warbler at the old sewage works yesterday am. info thanks to Terry Thorpe

Could be, I remember free-flying Macaws at Haigh in the 1980's

2 Buzzards circling fairly low over the King George playing field near the town centre, mid-afternoon, then rose to a great height, presumably having found a good thermal, when they were briefly joined by a third bird. After that flew off north the 2 were dislaying and tumbling before flying off to the south-east.

Nuthatch calling in Skitters Wood, where the first singing Blackcap was on Friday

-- Edited by dave broome on Sunday 12th of April 2009 08:31:37 PM

the parrot has apparently been seen a few times recently in the same area by my sister while dog walking. maybe its just someone's pet and its allowed out into the trees?

Willow Warbler was a garden tick for me yesterday

Second-hand report of a Curlew over Ashton-in-Makerfield on the morning of 03 April 2009.

A Dunnock singing it's liitle heart out early this morning on the garage roof.
Maybe not very rare but fantastic to watch..... setting my alarm clock early again tmz

That does look rather like an Orange Winged Amazon doesn't it (see avatar). One visits my allotment regularly and seems to be currently calling for a mate (see South Manchester Ringnecked Parakeets). Please give yours directions to Fallowfield it might make mine very happy!