At least 8 Common Whitethroats displaying/singing between pyramid and Burnage Rugby club all week.
Swallows scraping what little mud left from 'horse' field
Unidentified raptor from end of Vale Rd yesterday( No bins as usual on my bike)
Buzzard size, thin wings, flapping to gain height, not soaring, then a few sparrowhawk type lunges at a tree. Drifted off North. any ideas?
Chris H

A few of the main highlights of last week were:
Wed pm Green Woodpecker calling from trees to South of Geoff's bridge
Kestrel there a few mornings adjacent to pyramid
Lapwing in horse field Wed am
Sand Martin colony now well established, Swifts joining them often around the water.
Many singing Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Chiff Chaffs and Whitethroat
Bullfinches along the length of TPT
Grey Wagtails around Cheadle Bridge
Still 4 Goosanders around Burnage Rugby Club
Mallard with 8 young South of M60 bridge
Cheers
Chris H

A couple of swifts today with martins at Cheadle Bridge.
No sign of White Wagtail(there on Wed afternoon)
Chris H

POSSIBLE female redstart by large pond just past rugby club. Flew fast in front as I cycled past. Quick stop to look in hedge behind pond, near industrial estate, but couldn't find the bird.(15.45 this afternoon)
5 Goosander
Plenty of Sand Martins
Drumming Great Spot
Obliging Whitethroat and Blackcaps
Good numbers of butterflies too
Chris H

5.30 - 7.45. Evening walk upstream from the Galleon

Grey Wagtail 1
Grey Heron 1
Blackcap 2
Goosander (1, m)
Common Sandpiper (near The Galleon and on the Stockport bank of the river )

Cheers, John

Friday16th 1.45 to 2.45.
Quick visit up River Tame from Tesco's Portwood - to Harrison's Weir (10 mins walk).

2 Grey Wagtail
1 Dipper

On way back to car park - 1 very obliging Male Blackcap in full song.

Rick.

-- Edited by Richard Donkin on Friday 16th of April 2010 04:38:22 PM

-- Edited by Richard Donkin on Friday 16th of April 2010 04:39:26 PM

Thurs 11.30 to 16.30.
Took the bike and the bins along the Mersey from Cheadle to Stockport and then on to Reddish Vale.

Sand Martin flock of 25 to 30 birds just up river from Cheadle Bridge.
Lapwing in field on opposite side of river.
2 Pied and 1 Grey Wagtail in field at Vale Rd Farm.
Lots of Blue, Great and LT Tit, Wren and Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler.
More Sand Martin (approx 10) from King St Bridge.

Along River Tame Path towards Reddish Vale plenty more Chiffchaff, 5 Jay together near weir with Grey Heron and a few Mallard.

Reddish Vale.
Kingfisher on Tame near sluice gate and 2 Buzzard soaring overhead towards motorway.

Nothing else of note on way back - too tired and saddlesore.

Rick.

Chilly cycle this morning, but still a fair bit about.
Highlights: 3 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler, 4 Chiff Chaff, 12 Sand Martins(opp rugby club),
2 Female Goosander,2 Bullfinches, Jay
Thanks
Chris H

The Galleon - Cheadle Heath Sewage Farm

A walk along the Mersey produced:

Goosander, 4f
Teal, pair
Lapwing, 3
Sand Martin, 2
Chiffchaff, 3
Kingfisher, 1

Cheers, John

Sand Martins back just downstream from viaduct again
Still a good number of Chiff chaffs
Lapwing mobbing crow
Female Goosander
Grey Wagtail with a Pied on the same bit of sand

Chris H

If it is the section just before the weir coming from cheadle bridge end , then it is because national grid are having some tree work done as they were getting too close to the power lines.

They were starting yesterday as i did my circuit around the park. I suspect that they will be doing some just past the weir as well.

I heard chiffchaff near the 'horse field' at vale farm, possibly another bird, otherwise similar birds to Chris, without sand martin today and only 4 redwing.

2 Lapwing opposite rugby club
Gt Spot in orchard.

Walk along river and around nature park.

10 Goosander
9 Canada goose
7 Mallard
2 Gt Spotted woodpecker (one heard only)
Lapwing (heard only)
Moorhen (heard only)
2 Grey wagtail
5 Jay, in a flock together
30+ Carrion crow in one loose group
Magpie
2 Buzzard
Usual tits and finches (inc 2 bullfinch)
A few black headed gulls

And my first 2 sand martins of the year, flying around the area they frequented last year.

Bit disappointed no chiffchaff today, but only a matter of time.

No sign today of the flock of 80+ starling, 14 Fieldfare or kestrel I failed to post last Monday

A different Little Grebe today, almost summer plumage, by weir with salmon sculpture.
Kestrel on viaduct
Lapwings again
5 Grey Wagtails around Cheadle Bridge.
Cheers
Chris H

A pair of Goldeneye near Parrs Wood playing fields early on.
8 Goosander near George's bridge
Drumming GS Woodpecker near kennels
Bullfinch in shrubs opposite Crown Pub, 2 near pylon/metal bridge
Cheers
Chris H

Almost spring like today.
40 Fieldfare on field opposite Burnage RFC
8 Redwing in horse field near kennels
8 Goosander(Pairs)
200+ gulls on Parr's Wood fields. Mostly Black Headed, a few Common's.
Plenty of finches and tits

Chris H

Noticed Kestrel seemed to be more regularly about last years winter site around the Pyramid(wasteground just down stream). 2 Bullfinches, too.
Of interest, a landslip on the bank opposite has resulted in tree in the middle of the Mersey. Magpies were still on the nest in the middle of it on Wed, maybe retrieving sticks?
A couple of pristine looking Goosander on the river, too.
Chris H

20 Fieldfare this morning on Northern bank of the Mersey near Parrs Wood playing fields. This is snow free, and am sure may be worth a look later in the day. (It's only just light as I cycle past.)
Also
Female Goosander
4 Redwings
25 Canada Geese
Cormorant
Lapwing(heard but not seen)

Cheers
Chris H

Wander around Mersey Vale towards Cheadle bridge in sunshine.
Nature Park

5 Lesser redpoll
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Bullfinch - fem
Blue, Great, Long-tailed and coal tits
Greater spotted woodpecker
Carrion Crow
Blackbird
Mistle thrush
house sparrow
magpie
robin
dunnock
wren
woodpigeon
grey wagtail

on river

Grey heron
Goosander - 1 male, 2 fem
Mallard 15
Moorhen 3
Pied wagtail
cormorant 5 on usual pylon

Fields outside nature park

Stock dove 3
Woodpigeon 18
Black Headed Gull c150, 100 of which were over UU site
Common Gull 1 (although probably more in flock in the air)

Also had a Nuthatch whilst walking to park.







-- Edited by Paul Dewey on Thursday 10th of December 2009 06:13:25 PM

Wander around Mersey Vale Nature Park and along the river.

Chiffchaff still occasionally singing
Song thrush
Blackbird
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Blue, Great and long tailed tits
Goldfinch, approx 35 in very mobile flock
2 Grey heron
3 Cormorant
Carrion crow
3 Jay
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Mallard
6 goosander
Grey and pied wagtail
Heard a great spotted woodpecker

Also 2 buzzards, both seen to land in trees which must be somewhere in or near Abney hall, one briefly mobbed by a sparrowhawk. A possible 3rd buzzard also seen slightly later heading west

Still a few butterflies inc painted lady and a common darter




-- Edited by Paul Dewey on Wednesday 9th of September 2009 03:49:49 PM

Had my first sand martins of the year on the mersey. Four birds busily looking for a place to nest.

Looking back at my previous posts had a first today in the form of 2 coot on the river, not that exciting i know but a first for me at this site.

Also 5 chiffchaff, single lapwing and pied and grey wagtails. Usual tit species, corvid and wood pigeons.

Walked mainly around Heaton Mersey nature park.

2 Buzzard over field at end of UU site, may have crossed motorway.
2 Lapwing
Pied Wagtail
Grey wagtail (3)
46 wood pigeon in flock on pay and play course
2 Chiffchaff
Goldfinch
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Grey heron
Goosander (pair)
Mallard
Moorhen
Great, Blue, Coal and Long tailed tits
Dunnock
Robin
Wren

Walk today turned up less birds than I hoped but sightings as follows

Chaffinch 2
greenfinch 1
goldfinch 8
dunnock 2
robin 4
wren 4
redwing 2
fieldfare (1 in fields nr cheadle bridge)
blackbird (loads)
mistle thrush 6
starling (a few)
cormorant 3 on usual pylon
grey heron 1
magpie, 14 in vale farm field alone
carrion crow
mallard (20+)
blue, great and long-tailed tits (3 flock of latter)
wood pigeon (hods of em)
moorhen 6
Buzzard (1 in fields nr cheadle bridge).
black headed gulls
Goosander 2 fem, 1 m

Most maddening was seeing a wader flying over industrial estate near pyramid, which I was unable to id fully. Unfortunately it was flying away from me at some distance and only got a brief glimpse of its bill and its back. It was either a woodcock or a snipe and as it looked quite bulky and brief look at bill seemed quite chunky I would plump for woodcock if pressed, but not with enough conviction for it to be a record.



-- Edited by Paul Dewey at 15:47, 2009-01-09

Hi Paul,

Sand martins were back at the breeding site in Stockport Town Centre on Wednesday last week - possibly earlier because I didn''t check earlier in the week.