A bit like ....If the baby won't drink milk boil it

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Never mind the bird of the year what about the BIRDER

Congrats to STEVE ATKINS winner of tournament and owner of the trophy for this year, will get it engraved and present it as soon as all the snow has gone.

Well done steve, but I gather Ian wants it back! so could be a good comp this year

The points are always round the next corner, so Keep Birding

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Many thanks Paul, I look forward to receiving the trophy in due course. I hold the dubious distinction of setting a record for the lowest number of points to win the Manchester Birding Tournament so far. The same number of points in 2008 would have seen me finish in 8th place!
Anyway, the trophy shall have pride of place on my mantelpiece for the rest of the year, although I'm not expecting to retain it!

Steve

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Saturday 16th of January 2010 12:41:43 PM

I'd go for the Elton Bittern - totally out of the blue and away from the reed bed at the other end of the dip pool. Fantastic views of it relatively in the open.

Never mind the bird of the year what about the BIRDER

Congrats to STEVE ATKINS winner of tournament and owner of the trophy for this year, will get it engraved and present it as soon as all the snow has gone.

Well done steve, but I gather Ian wants it back! so could be a good comp this year

The points are always round the next corner, so Keep Birding

Adrian Dancy wrote:

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I'm not sure about favourite bird, I suppose for me black redstarts and peregrines hold a special place and to see both species mating was a thrill.

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That would make an interesting hybrid!

I'm not sure about favourite bird, I suppose for me black redstarts and peregrines hold a special place and to see both species mating was a thrill.

When I arranged for leave at work in the morning so I could do the dotterel in the afternoon a collegue said "why do you want to go up onto the moors in this bleak weather." She said "your mad" my boss said "he'll be in his element up there" Of course they were both right. It took me two buses a train and a taxi to get to the site and yes the weather was bleak and I mean real bleak, but these obliging posing birds were delightful to photograph and the poor weather helped in getting some nice arty shots rather than the usual portrait shots.

A real close second were the curlew sandpiper at Elton. Someone there was doing some paintings of them and I'd love to see how they turned out, they looked pretty good to me.

For me a Sparrowhawk........



Not the rarest i saw but the most memorable for me last year, i was just sat in the bunting hide feeding station at pennington flash and it flew in and sat in the tree about 10 feet away for about five mins, i think i shot about 50 photos it was there that long, eyeing up all those bulfinches...
-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Tuesday 12th of January 2010 09:11:41 PM

Job done,no votes, no questions see the web site for the answer,a cracking review of the year,and as a would be GM200 member(still parking cars) it really hurts to see the one,s I missed this year,but the ones I got to see 'magic our morris'

Quote showing my age Geoff

merlin up at watergrove for me - beautiful.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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I would be if I'd have been charging a tenner a pop for everyone who registered

....and good value at twice the price!

For me it has to be Black Redstart in Ashton under Lyne - a very pleasant surprise. Dotterel was a GM tick, so also a special bird.

Undoubtedly my best bird of the year was the Osprey diving for a fish at Dover Basin June 5th - a much-wanted county tick for me. And I also saw it at Horrocks Flash as it stayed around a week - unusually.
Close runner up was the Eider on the R. Roch.

For me 2009 was a bit of a wader year - the best were the Dotterel at Axletree Edge, finding my own Bar-tailed Godwit at heaton park res and adding Wood & Curlew sandpipers to my county list thanks to the low water levels at Elton.

2009 ranks as one of the best years ever for me, birdwatching in Rochdale. Local patch birding at its best, with all the most memorable birds found within a 3 mile radius of my home.
The Short-eared Owl on Kingsway, although first seen in late Dec 2008, was a great start to the year, giving cracking views on two occasions in January, standing on fence posts and hunting over the Juncus.
A flock of 24 Whooper Swans on Watergrove Resr in late Jan was a stunning sight. Probably the largest flock ever seen "down" in Rochdale.
My first Rochdale and GM Red Kite passed directly over my head in late June. Only seen thanks to a power cut at home. I would have preferred to have seen it at Watergrove, rather than over Perfect Paint Bodies on Dye House Lane Still you can't have everything!
My second Watergrove Osprey in early September.
My own Birds of the Year must be the 2 Hen Harriers watched over the space of an hour, one October afternoon, quartering the moors above Watergrove. The grey male was a stunning bird and the ring-tail very smart in fresh juvenile plumage. These birds have a real magical quality and never fail to give me a buzz, whenever I encounter one on the moors.
Probably my only disappointment, was realising that the pair of House Martins which have nested under the eaves of my house for five years, were not returning. I wonder what happened to them?

Happy New Year to all GM birders

Steve


-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Saturday 2nd of January 2010 05:57:23 PM

brian fielding wrote:

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only one more registered member needed to make 500 on this site, you must be well chuffed ian!

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I would be if I'd have been charging a tenner a pop for everyone who registered

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 2nd of January 2010 08:53:41 PM

for me 2009 was an ok year with 5 county ticks, eider, dotterel, pec sand, curlew sand and osprey. worst dip, rose-coloured starling, cant decide between dotterel and osprey for my best bird.as for 2010 any of the following would be new county birds for me, avocet, bewicks, great grey shrike, marsh tit, black-throated diver, leaches or yellow browed warbler. good luck to everyone this year. ps only one more registered member needed to make 500 on this site, you must be well chuffed ian!

the black redstart was a welcome return to ashton but mine have got to be the kittewake and little egret on ashton moss

Much of the year was out of action for me but still added the fantastic Dotterel at Axletree Edge, the Pec Sand and Black Redstart again in Manchester City Centre. Stupidly though i didn't go for the Curlew Sands at Elton. Why? I could kick myself.

The ellusive Black redstart of Ashton u Lyne's town centre (got it in the end!).
Plus my sparrowhawk eating its dinner in my garden

My personal favourites of 2009:

Slavonian Grebe (Pennington Flash)
Whinchat (Viridor Wood)
Spotted Flycatcher (Haigh CP)

And the ubiquitous local Ravens & Buzzards....

Happy Days

Eider?, Dotterel? or Avocet?.

The winner is- Dotterel. A County and Oldham tick ond only 5 miles from my house.

At number three - the Axletree Edge Dotterel, in second place the Rindle Road Cuckoo but my winners - the Hobby family - who's nest was in Cheshire but nevertheless a county tick as mum, dad and three kids were seen several times on the wing over Dunham Massey Park and surrounds.

A happy and healthy 2010 to all

For me the Jack Snipe l saw recently at Elton....simply mega!!

Also l have to mention my self found Waxwings at Gigg Lane in Bury earlier on in the year

elton bittern ,castleshaw osprey (missed them both) and g n d hollingworth lake in this order happy new year to all forum folks and hopefully more birds to come next year(hopefully hobbies)

Don't mention them Dotterel

Nice event filled year,my vote goes to the Dotterel found at axle tree edge,although they may come through every year,their not always found, so it,s hats off to the finder and cheers to the forum for spreading the word so quickly

Best wishes to one and all geoff

Avocets at Rumworth for me Closely followed by the GND at Hollingworth.

I have done a Top 3 for 2009.

1) Eider.
2) Dotterel.
3) Pectoral Sandpiper.

The Eider and the Dotterel both took some finding, but the 2009 GM Bird of the Year has to be the Eider.

As Henry says it did lead us on a merry chase, but what on earth was a male Eider doing on the River Roch???

Best wishes for 2010 everyone!!

FOR ME
a pretty poor county year with the highlights being,The diver at Hollingworth,The fly through curlew sands at penny,and thr pec sand.

Yeah i'd definitely go for the Eider. It led me and Phil Owen on a merry chase but well worth it in the end!
The Lesser Peckers at Dunham were very welcomed after several years of trying to see them. Great little birds.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Thursday 31st of December 2009 02:40:23 PM

The river Roche Eider was a good bird to see locally in whats been a generally poor year compared to 2008, but for me it has to be the Elton Bittern, an event that may become legendary in Elton ornitholigical history. Always nice to see Wood & Curlew Sands locally, oh also at Elton

The Eider was a cool bird, nice little Gm twitch as well, but for me it was watching the Video of the Rose Coloured Starling, mega bird gutted we never got to see it, but it only goes to show whats going on in the small gardens of Manchester.

Keep Birding

Has to be the Elton Bittern for me. I expected it to have skulked back into the reed bed long before I got there, so thought I'd be lucky to get a brief flight view at best.

It turned out to be one of the showiest of Bitterns as it posed out in the open for well over two hours for the assembled photographers.

Cheers, John

Following on from the "Greater Manchester Bird of the Year 2008" topic, what were your favourites of 2009? My favourite has to be the Green-winged Teal, found while doing my December WeBS count with a stinking hangover (that's me not the teal!) the morning after my works Xmas party. But my Horrock's Flash Osprey (rather unexpectedly in June!) was also pretty special, even though I only saw it for a few seconds.