Most of the Newt barriers are now down and they are cutting the hay, so not much on the fields.
Small flock of Starlings and plenty of young Swallows

Finally got Spotted Flycatcher in the wood.

Chiffchaff and Blackcap still singing
lot of juv Robins about

Somewhere different to birdwatch for me, today
Sightings

Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Nuthatch

plus 2 Buzzards towards Hale Barns

02/07/2013 - Spotted Flycatchers have fledged several young in the wood. Also:

c20 House Martins
4 Swifts
3 Grey Wagtails - inc one youngster down on the Bollin
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Treecreeper
1 Goldcrest
1 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Bullfinches

A pair of buzzard sat on the gate just before the entrance this morning, and as we stopped to look at them they flew into the field but still within 20 feet of us, looked like a parent and juvenile but could be wrong.

Both were very pale coloured birds and seemed to be happy eating worms or insects of some sort from on the damp ground.

Jays still seem to be very active in this area, 4 very visible birds along the lane most mornings.

16/07/2010 - No sign of any Spotted Flycatchers this evening.

1 Kingfisher - feeding juv along the Bollin
2 Grey Wagtails - feeding what looks like a second brood along the Bollin
40+ Swifts
2 House Martins
1 Bullfinch
1 Linnet

and family of foxes on the Cheshire side () giving wonderful views, the 3 cubs frolicing around in the open!


-- Edited by Henry Cook on Friday 16th of July 2010 08:55:21 PM

23/06/2010 - 2 Spotted Flycatchers still present early morning, also several Nuthatch families very conspicuous now. Kingfisher flashed by on the Bollin river, below the wood.
North of the wood were 10 Linnets (3 pairs + 4 juvs) and 20+ Swallows (including first brood juvs) around the farm off Sunbank Lane.

on the way past this morning two great spotted woodpeckers in the trees just at the entrance, we didn't stop (Doh!) would have been nice to see and hear the flycatchers but we never stop if the big dogwalking van is parked there! Not big dog fans!

16/06/2010 - Me and Phil struck Sunbank gold this morning with 2 Spotted Flycatchers in the wood. Also about were a families of Grey Wags, Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers.

10/06/2010 - A walk to grab some breeding records for the atlas in SJ78X. Birds seen around Sunbank Lane, Sunbank Wood and the Bollin Valley up to Hale Golf Course and Hale Barns:

1 Kingfisher
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Oystercatcher (flyover)
2 Black-headed Gulls (flyover)
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Stock Doves
2 House Martins
4 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
2 Whitethroats
8 Goldcrests (singing males)
13 Coal Tits (good numbers around the larches in Sunbank Wood and the leafy gardens of Hale Barns)
1 Siskin (flyover)

Re: Pied Flys - The majority of nestboxes in Sunbank Wood seem to have been raided by Grey Squirrels/Woodpeckers either this year or in the past and are beyond use for any species now. Still must be a few natural holes knocking about but alas no flycatchers.

Checked Sunbank and Cotterill Clough (from the outside) for Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher this morning but it was pretty quiet despite good-looking nestboxes up in Sunbank Wood. Shooting across the road kept most things a bit low and quiet.
Grey Wagtail singing along the Bollin River, 1 Grey Heron over, 1 Stock Dove and 2 House Martins in the area.

15-04-09 - 18.00
2 Red legged Partridge in ploughed field off Sunbank Lane towards Romper

To add to Tony's list below, both Grey and Red-legged Partridge can be found in the fields on the Cheshire side of the river near to Ashley Mill

No records of either on the website Pete, which surprises me about PFs (but not Wood Warbler which is in freefall in the UK)

Does anybody know of any records of Pied Fly and Wood Warbler here ?. Surely this site has the potential considering the habbo and proximity to Alderley Edge as the PF flies. I must prompt MV management to erect some PF nestboxes. Nice to know other folk watch this place as I rarely get the chance to visit.

Kingfisher on the Bollin by Ashley Mill - Saturday 15.30

brief walk round before school for us
2 nuthatch (mating)
goldcrest
dunnock
long tail tits
blue tit
robin
blackbird ( saw the very pale (light brown) one on chapel lane as approaching wood)
treecreeper
carrion
heard the little owl (narrowed him down to one tree but could not see him!)

I grew up on Chapel Lane near to the wood and we used to get Marsh Tits in our garden in the 70's

-- Edited by Vaughan Evans on Friday 3rd of April 2009 12:50:52 PM

I covered the wood for the Cheshire Bird Atlas (even though it's mainly in Manchester !) and between 2005 and 2008 I managed to see 54 Species in total but it took a lot of visits. Linnet, Tree Sparrow, Little Owl and Yellowhammer were on the Cheshire side. LSW was a bit further downstream towards the Golf Club. I never did see Green Woodpecker though.

BH Gull
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Bullfinch
Buzzard
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Feral Pigeon
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Grey Wagtail
House Martin
House Sparrow
Jackdaw
Jay
Kestrel
Lapwing
Linnet
Little Owl
Long-tailed Tit
LS Woodpecker
Magpie
Mallard
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Nuthatch
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Redwing
Robin
Rook
Sand Martin
Skylark
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Stock Dove
Swallow
Swift
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Woodpigeon
Wren
Yellowhammer

That list is the result of about 5 hours in the area Sid. Things keep popping up over time and the larger the area covered.
Great conditions though today for birding around woodlands and rivers with the thin 'seeps' of distant pipits audible for example, with the lack of any wind.
Henry.

Nice selection there Henry - been there plenty of times myself and never such a good list. Must have had my eyes closed

01/04/2009 - A two woodpecker walk along the Bollin River and Sunbank Wood this morning but alas no lessers. Greens showed really well, yaffling away with a sunny, flower filled backdrop making it a lovely area for a spring walk. Grey Wagtails were collecting nest material near the bridge and flashing back and forth along the slow meanders. Sightings included:

2 GSWoodpeckers
3 Green Woodpeckers
2 Lesser Redpolls
3 Buzzards
6 Jays
1 Coal Tit
3 Meadow Pipits
1 Treecreeper
4 Nuthatches
1 Redwing
1 Mistle Thrush
4 Song Thrushes
7 Chiffchaffs (loads back now)
2 Stock Doves (singing birds)
4 Mallards
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Cormorant (over)
3 Pheasants

3 Buzzard circling low over the wood on 3rd June

Sunday 20th May

1 Kingfisher at the River Bollin
3 Goldcrest
all the usual common woodland species

see www.merseyvalley.org.uk on the sites page for more details on Sunbank Wood



-- Edited by Pete Hines at 03:35, 2007-05-23