No sign on the Geodis roof at Pilsworth Industrial Estate today, but a reasonable flock flying around a flooded field at Pimhole, viewable between J3 and J2, northbound

And of course you only get hoodies north of the border! Except for the odd stray

The original 'rooftop lapwings and golden plover' thread caters for breeding records also though . Does a Lapwing breeding in an urban location in a 'normal' nesting manner deserve it's own thread? Is so, then why not for any other species in similar circumstances?

Also as in this case, such threads become confused and posts which may be better suited elsewhere become lost. My only worry is that the appearance of similar threads like 'winter thrushes' or perhaps future ones like urban Ravens, garden Cettis Warblers (we can hope etc only go to cause confusion as to which thread folk should post their sightings. As has happened here.

Urban Lapwings- hanging around in gangs (not flocks) on street corners, causing chaos around your local bus shelter or mayhem outside your local shop. They sound worse than hoodies

Mike Chorley wrote:

---

Hi Rob

The point of the original post was about recording Lapwings in urban settings during the breeding season, as opposed to the original one from Riggers which was about winter roosts.

---

Hi Mike, that would make perfect sense. And, looking through the previous posts, I can see that is what it was originally used for... My mistake

Hi Rob

The point of the original post was about recording Lapwings in urban settings during the breeding season, as opposed to the original one from Riggers which was about winter roosts.

I added the 'only' to the thread title as posting were creeping on about one or two Lapwings flying over 'somewhere.' That thread is particular to birds actually utilising rooftops as it is such an apparently unusual and perhaps isolated occurence, it quite rightly deserves one.

As for 'urban Lapwings' I couldn't agree more and feel it's unecessary. If they're using rooftops then stick them in the applicable thread if not put them in a relevant site thread or the bits n bobs thread. Threads for individual species just don't work on forums, unless they're for a particular reason like the rooftop Lapwings or Pink-footed Geese thread which allows easier tracking of skiens across the county.

As for most urban Lapwings roosting on roofs, you'd need to define urban. Manchester city centre is pretty urban but the Lapwings I've seen flying over are doing just that, flying over! Birds using rooftops where ever are usually pretty obviously doing so.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 18th of November 2009 08:10:55 PM

Just out of interest, what's the difference between this and the Rooftop Lapwing thread? I've noticed the Rooftop one now says "Rooftop (ONLY) Lapwing...". Would I not be right in assuming that most Lapwing seen in urban settings are likely to be rooftop roosting birds?
I often see Lapwings over the industrial estate near to my work. I only occasionally see them actually sat on a roof though. Should I only put them in the Rooftop thread when they are sat on a roof, but then put them in this Urban thread when I see them in flight? I'm confused
would it not make sense to just have one thread for all Lapwing in urban areas, whether sat on a rooftop or flying over?

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Wednesday 18th of November 2009 07:30:47 PM

No doubt heading for Morrison's supermarket?

Around 25 over Market Street in Hyde yesterday!

1 !? over Middleton Cemetry this morningheading due west

84 on the roof of Geodis, Hollins Brook Ind Estate, Roach Bank Way )nr ASDA at Pilsworth, this morning.

The whole Carpet Right group feeding on the grassy area in front of Newton Heath Silk Mill around 4.p.m. today. Looked to be about half a dozen juveniles in the group

" birds displaying over southern end of the Central Business Park 11.00, then 1 bird south along the line of the railway

Newton Heath, early afternoon. About a dozen Peewits over from Phillips' Park area, then droped down behind Bestway towards the bottom end of Northampton Road. Commuting or more coming to join the birds already in situ?

5 on the Dean Lane building site with a 6th overhead this morning. If work here continues at the same rate as last year, they could get their breeding site back for another year

Also 2 (paired up?) on the old Sharp building roof

50 NE over Dean Lane/Capet Right 10 a.m. today

single flying over ordsall hall/ colgate factory at 8 am

Single bird sw-ne along Oldham Road south end of Newton Heath 2.25 p.m. today. Time to start checking roofs?

Sport City
If the birds survived the Scottish invasion on Tues. they will survive anything !.
Cheers Ian
............................
Or even Wednesday

-- Edited by Ian Campbell at 17:22, 2008-05-16

Popped over to SportCity at lunch and found both Lapwing and Ringed Plover have successfully nested again this season. 2 pairs of Lapwing (one with at least 3 chicks of 2 weeks old, the other pair could be sitting still). 1 pair of Ringed Plovers with 3 chicks, still fairly small, perhaps 4-8 days old. Lets hope they make it through the next few weeks before the Hatton fight takes over that area!?

Hi

I regularly see a lapwing over Chester Road on my way to work every morning. I see it over the part where you cross the Trafford Border as it becomes a dual carriageway. It's usually over the metro/canal and there is definately some waste scrubland in that area so there might be a nest there.

Mark

Lapwings have been breeding around the City of Manchester stadium for the last 3 years at least, with chicks from 3 to 4 pairs each season. Unfortunetely with the gradual "improvements" to the outer car parks less rough ground is available for them to use.

I also had Lapwings displaying around the Hooper Street Council Depot near the city centre last summer, showing signs of having territory there, but could not locate the nest.

It is always worth keeping an eye out for Lapwings around the city, as they appear to nest in a variety of locations that go unnoticed. The peregrines in the city centre have preyed on them over the last few years, so they must be in and around the city.

Sorry, I meant Newton Heath (not Heaton, carried away by our 2008 lister...)
It's so problematical seeing onto these roofs. The Glynne-Webb site in 2004 is a new one. Yes, it was Kath who told me about the Newton Heath site.

Judith Smith wrote:

---

We think they have been breediing on the roofs at Newton Heaton for some years now.

---

There had been a pair of birds displaying over the L'Oreal building at Dean Lane for the past 8 years with one or two birds coming down onto that grass plot in front of the old Newton Heath Silk Mill. I saw juveniles there at least once. You may have the sighting, Judith, via Kath Butterworth. There were also displaying birds over the mill used by Morrisons just by the Manchester end of Broadway, but I haven't seen any activity there since they removed the upper floors. Hopefully, they have re-located. I also think that there may have been roooftop breeding in Oldham back in '04 on the Glynne-Webb building on Huddersfield road, having seen what looked like unfledged young on that roof. Unfortunately, that was when I moved to Werneth, so I don't pass there much now

One over the City of Manchester seemed to jinx the City team

We think they have been breediing on the roofs at Newton Heaton for some years now, as they do in Rochdale, Royton and formerly in Hazel Grove. If there is enough standing water on the roof for insect larvae, in theory the chicks can survive.

It seems some of our lapwings still have a taste for city living. A couple of birds still around the Hollinwood area recently and 2 today in Newton Heath, probably still looking for the L'Oreal building!