Pied wagtails still roosting on plane tree in Albert Square. About 300. I dare say some would have sucumbed to the cold spell.

I have noticed a small roost on the building I work in, St Peter's House, St Peter's Square, over the last 3 weeks. There are up to 75-80 birds that appear to roost on the buildings roof, perhaps taking advantage of the air-con systems blowing out warm air from the roof-top machines. During the build up to the roost you can observe small groups of 20-30 flying around the surrounding buildings before returning to the rooftop. Even had a few on the window ledge of my office!?

C200 last night in the 2 London Planes at the Library end of Albert Square. No birds at all roosting in St. Ann's Square last night.

-- Edited by Mike Chorley at 08:05, 2009-01-29

The pied wagtails which are now favouring Albert Square moved over to St Ann's Square tonight. They were beng predated by a male sparrowhawk even after 5.00pm!, using the ambient street lighting. I saw the bird only briefly on Wednesday and expected or hoped it would return. I imagine it will be back again for anyone wishing to add sparrowhawk to there city list. Best place to look for it is on top of Heron House. It hawks the wagtails as they come in landing on HH before they do their dash for the tree. Even in poor light the views are spectacular as it hunts.

AD

About 350 in Albert Square tonight and 50 in St Ann's Sq. The birds in St Ann's Square are often sent up owing to the noises made by the skate-boarders.

Last night it was a treat to see about 70 birds feeding on the ground in Albert Square in near darkness.

Paul Cliff wrote:

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Was shooting between mcfc and the gas works yesterday around 3.30 when a dozen or so passed overhead heading for the city centre. Funny watching them pass by knowing where they were heading!

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Yesterday evening a flock of around a 100 flew in at 4.00pm from the direction of the River Irwell with other smaller flocks following. About 150-200 roosted in a London planel tree in Albert Square and about double that number in St Ann's Square. If any more are roosting in the city, I do not know where. If you stand right under the gleditsia tree (on Deansgate side of St Ann's Sq) and look up you will see some of the birds roosting, some a little more than arms length.

The flock was more evenly distributed between the two Squares tonight.

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 19:49, 2008-12-30

Was shooting between mcfc and the gas works yesterday around 3.30 when a dozen or so passed overhead heading for the city centre. Funny watching them pass by knowing where they were heading!

l passed by the roost approx' 5.30pm and all the birds were asleep !! Not a one moving,all facing the same way and braving the weather,Christmas shoppers and birds oblivious to each other.Later just after 8pm,the rain was slowly coming down and these little birds were still there,why wouldn't they roost around the corner on New Bailey Street where the trees still have leaves and the office blocks could shield them from the wind??

-- Edited by Melanie Beckford at 23:06, 2008-12-18

500+ still in the roost at 6.30 this morning with a few running round st annes sq also!

The Pied wagtail roost that was in the Plane trees by the front of the town hall in Sale has gone. I wonder if they have joined the St Ann's square roost

rather difficult to count accurately but atleast 800 tonight and perhaps as manx as a thousand

I've been watching them build up in St Ann's Square for the last month or so too. They fly in from all over the place for the St Ann's roost and I see wagtails in good numbers flying over St Peter's Square in the direction of St Ann's every day before dusk. I have also noticed that wagtails are all over the city feeding on the roads and small squares since the freezing conditions have come in of late.

Phil Martin has watched a pree-roost assembly of these wagtails on the roofs of the Regents Retail Park across the river, and they fly off towards the city centre (information per his father, Brian)

Adrian Dancy wrote:

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Several hundred pied wagtails roosting in tree in St Ann's Square. You can watch them come in at around sundown. It is well worth a view.

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l was watching these birds one night last week and a passerby asked what l was doing.l pointed to the birds and told him what they were and he was astonished as he had always presumed their calls were a recording put on by the council!!!
obviously too much mulled wine to bother to look up!!

Several hundred pied wagtails roosting in tree in St Ann's Square. You can watch them come in at around sundown. It is well worth a view.