Peregrine flying over Bramhall Park at 8.30am
3 pairs of nuthatches nesting
4 goldcrest
2 coal tits
2 long tailed tits
4 mandarins on the pond
A kingfisher trying to swallow a big fish
A grey wagtail
1 buzzard
1 stock dove

Plus all the usuals

Bramhall Park morning jog:

At least 8 pairs of Mandarin Ducks on the main pond along with the usual Mallards, Canada Geese and Moorhens.

A Kingfisher perched above the little brook, a Dipper flying upstream on the main brook, and a Grey Wagtail.

A brief visit this afternoon gave me my highest ever count of Mandarins: 18, most of them males.

There was a flock of about 20 Siskins feeding in alders above the footbridge by the large pond. A single Grey Wagtail was on the river.

Having noticed that I was carrying binoculars, a lady came over to tell me that a Kingfisher had just headed upstream. She had also seen a Dipper here within the past week.

Bramhall Park morning jog:

Two dippers on the brook just inside the main gate off the big roundabout.

Only one male mandarin on the pond with the mallards and Canada geese.

2 drake Mandarins on Bramhall Hall Lakes

-- Edited by James Walsh on Saturday 17th of October 2015 07:22:31 PM

Two Swifts seen briefly, passing through - my first of the year.

Three Stock Doves.
Five Herons around three nests.
Chiffchaff.
Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Swallow.

Friday 17th April

1 Grey Wagtail
4 Grey Heron
2 Mandarin ducks
6 Chiffchaff
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Blackcap
2 Mistle Thrush (nest building)
10 Goldfinch
1 Song Thrush
1 Nuthatch heard only

Stroll around Bramhall Park then downstream along the Ladybrook, 8.00am

Dipper 1
Kingfisher 1
Goosander 1
Mandarin 2
Grey heron 2
Goldcrest 4
Treecreeper 7
Nuthatch 5
Greenfinch 1
Song thrush 4
Mistle thrush 1
Carrion crows 17
Usual bluetits, great tits, blackbirds, wrens, robins, woodpigeons, magpies, Canada geese, mallards and moorhens

Late post for yesterday, highlights:
8 Chiffchaff,
3 Willow Warblers,
3 male Blackcaps,
pair of Buzzards,
6 Grey Herons.
6 Stock Doves,
2 Mistle Thrush,
2 Grey Wagtails,
Large numbers of Magpies,one group contained 23 individual birds!
Plus decent numbers of usual tits and finches etc.
Cheers Chris.

A pair of Herons were nest building at the traditional site this morning. Two Stock Doves were in the adjacent pony field. It was good to hear Song Thrush singing.

In Bramall Park, three Mandarin Ducks (one male) were on the smaller of the two main ponds, along with a redhead Goosander.

Bramhall Park duck pond this morning had the usual mallards and Canada geese, plus 3 pairs of Mandarin ducks, a grey heron, 2 Goosander and a grey wagtail.

A dipper flew under Bramhall Bridge this morning as I was waiting for Bramhall Parkrun to start.

Late post for yesterday ,09:00-11:00 ....
A decent morning session , highlights...
Kingfisher, quite happily perched on branch over the stream, until a dog came bounding through the water!
Pair of mandarin ducks,
Two jays,
7 chiffchaff heard ,one seen,
Willow warbler,
2 wrens,
Pair of bullfinch,
Buzzard, "mewing ", from perch in tree,
Grey wagtail,
Female great spotted woodpecker ,
Green woodpecker ,heard calling, from over towards Cheadle Hulme ,
Female sparrowhawk over, mobbed by carrion crow,
4 grey herons,
Mistle thrush, two song thrush, and plenty of the usual tits,finches and robins etc.

Cheers Chris

4 / 3 / 2012

Pond behind the lake in Bramhall Park

Mandarin Duck - 4 (2m, 2 f)
- both males displaying

-- Edited by Phil Barnett on Monday 5th of March 2012 12:00:34 PM

I didn't know that there were grey wagtails in Bramhall Park. I must look more carefully, and thanks for alerting me to their presence. No chance of seeing them today though - I'm doing Bramhall Parkrun this morning, and the wagtails will make themselves scarce with over 300 runners thundering along the paths!

Very late post for Thurday,23rd .. 11am ...
2 grey herons carrying sticks,
5 very vocal song thrush,
2 pair mallard,
Grey wagtail , totally oblivious to my presence ,just inside Bramhall Park...

19th February 11.00-11.15

A fleeting visit didn't show too much.
2 Grey Heron
3 Goldfinch
Plenty of Great Tits calling.

Female Mandarin on the main lake at the base of Bramhall Hall this morning. Also a couplle of Grey Wagtails, with one approachable to a few meters.

I took a very brief stroll along the section near Bramall Park this morning, while waiting for my son's football match to get started. Highlights were a Grey Wagtail, two Nuthatch, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Mistle Thrush. No sign of Treecreeper, which was in with the tit flock this time last week.

24th August 10.30-11.00am

2 Nuthatch
5 Jays all together squawcking like mad at the Magpies
6 Goldfinch
1 Common Buzzard heard.

1 adult and 1 juvenile Grey Wagtail, so at least 1 of the 2 chicks seen in the nest has survived. Nest now empty.
Rick.

13:00 to 13:45 Sunday

A very quick visit produced views of:
2 Grey Wagtails collecting food and taking it to nest site.
Carrion Crows feeding newly fledged youngster.

Very little else about due to disturbance from the hordes of people/dogs enjoying the sun.

Rick.

13:30 to 14:30 highlights:-

Mandarin Duck, now with only 3 ducklings showing near her.
1 Dipper - orange ring on left leg and orange over silver on right; one of original adults who produced at least 2 juveniles in May.
1 Grey Wagtail.
1 Grey Heron.
Several singing Chiffchaff.
3 House Martins.

Rick.

11:30 to 12:30

Fantastic to see Mandarin Duck with 6 chicks
Grey Wagtail still sitting on nest.
Buzzard overhead - then decended towards Adswood Tip area.
1 adult and 2 juvenile Grey Herons.
Small family of Long-tailed Tits including at least 4 juveniles.
Mink at Bramhall Park Tennis Club bridge

Rick.

Today between 11:15 and 12:30

Small family group of Nuthatches - 5 in all including juveniles.
1 Grey Wagtail sitting on nest - this is in different location to the earlier identified nesting site.
6 separate family parties of Wrens with fledglings and 2 separate sightings of Wrens carrying food to nest sites ( a good year for Wrens).
4 Grey Herons in the meadow - all appeared to be juveniles.
2 separate sightings of Kingfisher.
1 Dipper - one of the original adults (with orange ring on right leg; couldn't see its left leg).
The Treecreepers seem to have fledged - no sign of any activity at nest site seen yesterday.
2 Stock Doves.
1 Mistle Thrush and all the other usual birds.

No sign of mink today.
Rick.

This afternoon between 13:30 and 15:00

2 Grey Herons
2 Grey Wagtails
Pair of Treecreepers feeding at least 3 chicks at nest, , 1 adult removing faecal sac.
House Martins - 30+
Swallows - 6
Swifts - 8
Several singing Chiffchaff - heard but not seen
Nuthatch heard but not seen
Many singing Chaffinch
Song Thrush singing
Blackbirds carrying food

Juvenile(s) with adult(s) of the following:
Woodpigeons
Starlings
Robins
Wrens
Great Tits
Blue Tits
Long Tailed Tits
Carrion Crows
Goldfinch

1 Mink -

Rick.

14:00 to 15:30

5 Grey Herons
2 Grey Wagtails - very busy collecting food and flying to and from what I hope is their nest site
3 Drake Mallards
35 Woodpigeons
Wren still going in and out of nesting hole.
1 Chiffchaff singing
Precious little else

Rick.

Between 16:30 and 17:00

2 Juvenile Dippers feeding in the brook - 1 appeared to have a ring on its right leg but difficult to see details
1 Wren going in and out of nesting hole.

Rick.

This afternoon during brief visit :-

1 Dipper
1 Grey Heron
1 Swallow
1 Jackdaw
1 Chiffchaff
1 brand new looking kids bike in the brook as well as the usual rubbish

Rick.

-- Edited by Rick Donkin on Monday 16th of May 2011 05:17:39 PM

This afternoon between 12:30 and 13:30

2 Dippers
5 Grey Herons
Nuthatch
1 female Mandarin
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Song Thrush brightening up a dull afternoon with it song
Chiffchaff
Blackbirds
Wrens
Dunnocks
15 Swifts
Several Swallows and Sand Martins
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Rick

-- Edited by Rick Donkin on Sunday 15th of May 2011 02:13:48 PM

16:45 to 17:00

2 Dippers.
1 Wren with beakful of flies/grubs disappearing into undergrowth.

Rick.

This morning - 2 Dippers still present (very briefly before they both flew off up the Brook).

Rick.

This afternoon:
1 Dipper
1 GSW
2 Common Buzzard
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Chiffchaff
1 Grey Heron

Dippers still present.
1 Kingfisher.
3 Swallows.
Rick.

Very quick visit in passing - 2 Dippers at 11:00am
Rick.

A brisk walk this evening.
1 Dipper
2 Grey Wagtail
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Chiffchaff
1 Buzzard circling overhead
I then cut through to Tenement Lane and walked back towards the railway and parallel to Adswood Tip. (I will crack the tip another time)
1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker
1 Song Thrush
Plus lots of the usual stuff.

Just a quich mooch as there were far too many people along the brook.
Of note though:
2 Dippers
2 Kingfishers
1 Chiffchaff heard towards the tip
1 Mistle Thrush over
2 Mandarin by the road bridge

Quick early morning visit - 1 Dipper (orange ring on each leg).
Rick.

A beautiful afternoon: lots of people, lots of dogs. I walked from Bramall Park to the viaduct, managing to see two Dippers (one with an orange ring on each leg) and a pair of Grey Wagtails. The oiliness of the water, which I noted a couple of nights ago now seems resolved.

Quick walk from cheadle hulme station on the way home produced a pair of dippers , a kingfisher and a very shy pair of mandarin.

I cycled this stretch late evening. It was not really a birding sortie, though I did notice the four drake Mallard that I flushed from the river.

Worryingly, there was a very visible oily contamination of the surface of the water, rather like the colourful patches that you see on roads after heavy rainfall. It was not noticeable upstream of the stone bridge, but this may just have been down to the different quality of light.

Pair of Dipper still present this afternoon on way to see Wood Warbler. One has Green ring on left leg and Orange over Silver on right. The other dippers rings I still can't make out. The green/orange/silver ringed one still there on return.

Rick.

09:00 to 09:35

2 Dippers Both Dippers appeared to have rings - 1 bird had yellow or pale green ring on left leg and orange on right leg. Couldn't make out the details on other bird as it was too active.
Pair of Mandarin Ducks - male displaying to female with 'head jerks and raising up and wing flapping'. Going quite mad really.
Grey Wagtail
3 Sand Martin overhead
Nuthatch
Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers calling/singing
3 Grey Heron

Rick.

-- Edited by Rick Donkin on Tuesday 26th of April 2011 11:18:48 AM

Very quick visit 12:00

Pair of Grey Wagtails collecting beak fulls of insects
4 Grey Heron
Buzzard flew from tall trees along Tenement lane and immediately mobbed by 2 Crows who, I think, have a nest in the vicinity.
Usual smaller birds singing away but absence of Warbler song.

Many kids and dogs playing in brook so little else happening - roll on new school term

Rick.

This fine sunny morning with Geoff Lightfoot and Barry Shaw,

Pair of Mistle Thrush
Pair of Mandarin Ducks
4 Grey Herons
Dipper
Blackcap - 1 male
Buzzard in tree near 7 Arches
Many Wrens, Blackbirds, Great & Blue Tits and Robins.
Great Spotted Woodpecker heard drumming, then 1 in flight near 7 Arches

Rick.

Driving along Ladybridge Road at 13:50 this afternoon saw 4 Buzzards circling overhead just beyond 7 Arches viaduct.
Rick.

A very quick visit this afternoon produced 2 new sightings for me in this area of Male and Female Mandarin Ducks and Swallow.
Rick.

Sunday 10th April 7.45-8.45

Managed to find the Blackcap this morning, which obligingly sat on the end of a branch and sang away.
A female Mandarin was sat on the bank of the river.
2 GSW (both drumming)
3/4 Chiffchaff
3 Heron
Dipper seen on 3 occassions, both towards Bramhall and towards the arches.
1 Wren
3 Goldfinch
3 Mistle Thrush
No Kingfisher this morning though.