Weds 29th Nov

- 8 Waxwings circling low over The Picture Dome market food hall in Macclesfield centre whilst I was delivering. Disappeared towards King Edward St.

After a busy morning twitching and then watching a United win, it was worth a drive over to Macc for any of the Redpoll's.
Found the location fairly easily, nice to meet the other 2 birders there.

7 Lesser Redpoll at one time
Only 1 Mealy Redpoll (much more grey and no warm look about it)
No Coues's Arctic Redpoll unfortunately for us.

Other feeder birds...
Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Collared Dove, and a large female Blackbird with a pale band around her neck and breast.

Also we all commented on one Starling on an adjacent house roof firstly doing an impression of a Great Spotted Woodpecker call and then a screaming Swift.

I didn't get there until 9am today having gone to more churches than I've ever visited in my life! The Bird Guides directions are not very clear. Coming from the West towards Macc ignore the church with the big spire which is at Henbury and don't go too far and end up at the Church of Latter Day Saints off the roundabout beyond. After the Cock pub and a line of fir trees on the left it's the first very sharp and narrow turning beyond that into Whirley road which is insanely used by huge lorries! (there's a black and white lorry directional sign to some agricultural plant). The Broken Cross Methodist Church about 50yds down on the left is the denomination you need! Opposite is a new housing complex and black metal gates across an entrance to a car park and a brand new pavilion which you can't see until you start walking through the pedestrian gate and round the corner. It's an area of sloping grassland not a 'football pitch'. Walk up to the clump of trees at the top left corner and then stand round behind them up against the hedge looking up and to your right to the big collection of feeders in the back garden of the third house along.

After just 10 minutes the Coues' Arctic Redpoll came in - the most ghostly looking finch I've ever seen so white is it about the breast, under tail coverts and rump. It's also long-tailed giving it an elongated appearance compared to two boldly marked and more rounded looking Mealy Redpolls which were also present from time to time. Interestingly looking at the Bird Guides photos later it came to exactly the same feeder and to the same perch as in the photos by John Adshead (presumably the lucky owner of said feeders). After around 5 - 10 minutes viewing it flew towards the 3 of us observers, alighted briefly in a tree and was gone. I stayed for another 2 hours and more birders came and went but it didn't reappear unlike the Mealy Redpolls which came and went more reliably. There are also around 20-25 Lesser Redpolls exhibiting a wide range of plumage including some splendidly pink-breasted males. All in all a Redpoll feast!

Ann Ribbands wrote:

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Nice to see you too, Sid and even nicer to see the arctic redpoll which was a first for me. Unfortunately it did not reappear over the next 2 hours!

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Yes Ann that seems to be it with this bird, as I know !!!! According to reports it disappears for long periods, but generally comes back at some stage during the day so patience is required. It was reported present at 06.30 this morning.

Nice to see you too, Sid and even nicer to see the arctic redpoll which was a first for me. Unfortunately it did not reappear over the next 2 hours!

Finally, after three visits managed to find the Coue's Arctic Repoll this afternoon at Broken Cross, Macclesfield. The bird is with a group of Lesser and Common Redpolls and visits feeders in the garden of a house backing on to the football field to the rear of the new pavilion on Whirley Road - through the black gates opposite the church. I had three sightings between 13.30 and 14.45, viewed from the copse. Visitors have been requested to respect the house owner's privacy.

Good to meet Ann and Mike Ribbands again just before I left and glad you saw the bird, almost upon arrival - how did you do that - 10 seconds for you 10 hours for me?



-- Edited by sid ashton on Friday 28th of March 2014 11:43:25 AM

About the only place I have seen Starlings and House Sparrows in abundance in Macc
is on Ivy Road on the rooftops of the 1930's houses. It is great to see more of these declining species!

Nick Isherwood wrote:

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dave broome wrote:

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adult Iceland Gull late morning, in sheep fields off London Road, almost opposite Macclesfield Football Club, among a gull flock consisting of approx 900 Lesser Black-Backed, small no's of Herring, 2 Great Black-Backed and approx 400 Black-Headed Gulls

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Venturing further afield Dave?

Thought you'd get a nose bleed if you left Wigan.

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I am normally restricted to a day out during the Wakes Week shutdown. I thought I'd see if it were true that the pavements were gold down south in Cheshire.

dave broome wrote:

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adult Iceland Gull late morning, in sheep fields off London Road, almost opposite Macclesfield Football Club, among a gull flock consisting of approx 900 Lesser Black-Backed, small no's of Herring, 2 Great Black-Backed and approx 400 Black-Headed Gulls

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Venturing further afield Dave?

Thought you'd get a nose bleed if you left Wigan.

adult Iceland Gull late morning, in sheep fields off London Road, almost opposite Macclesfield Football Club, among a gull flock consisting of approx 900 Lesser Black-Backed, small no's of Herring, 2 Great Black-Backed and approx 400 Black-Headed Gulls

2 present in the car park this morning at the junction of Crossall Street and Union Street

-- Edited by Mike Baron at 08:45, 2008-12-05

A Waxwing was present in trees in a car park at the junction of Crossall Road and Union Road this lunch - 9 were reported here yesterday. I also picked one up mid afternoon in a hedge off the A537 Chelford Rd (Knutsford) approx 600 yds NW of the junction with Sandhole/Sandlebridge Lanes - estimate SJ792760.