Just returned from my annual migration to the Isles of Scilly, where I left several other Manchester birders. It was an above-average year this year, with fantastic weather after strong easterlies on 9th-10th which brought a good selection of birds in. Black-eared Wheatear was a new British tick f...
10:30 Sat 23/10/10
Pure white wings, tail, rump and belly. Mottled grey back, sooty light gret head and breast. Black legs, bill & eyes.
Being mobbed by up to 5 ordinary Carrion Crows.
Three Wax Wings at work in tree at Washington Street just off bottom of Deane Rd ! Turn into washington Street car park on the left for Enterprise Centre ,immediately as you go through the gates their are offices on the right, the tree is just after the offices and they are feeding on the berries on the bus...
O.k. you well-heeled twitchers; hand over your money!!
I'm sure you're all chewing the covers of 'Rare Birds in Britain' as you try to suppress your twitchy tendencies and put thoughts of the Green Heron in Cornwall to the back of your over excited minds. But say one, or something like it, did appear...
Had cracking views of a buzzard in the field behind my house SD934014. It came down to grab something missed and hopped around the field for a few mins then took off, flew towards oldham as another appeared with it n the sky and then 10 mins later came back down to filed then flew off in the direction of Duki...
Just in case anyone is interested (probably not), there are a couple of interesting photos of an aberrant Brambling on the Spurn Bird Observatory website in the October sightings section. I like to test mself on the photos on here and I didnt have a clue with this one. A good example of variation / aberr...
Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 2010 is a new online report published by JNCC on behalf of the Seabird Monitoring Programme Partnership.
It provides the latest status report on the UKs internationally important breeding seabird populations and helps to identify the likely dri...
Had to drive to London this morning and set off at 5 am, only plus point was hoping to see a Red Kite on the M40 as caught a couple last time I drove down. Passed Warwick and around dawn wasn't disappointed. over a 10 mile run counted 18 birds , but my question is for my educated members ? I thought that the Red K...
After seeing the Swift at Watergrove this a.m., certainly my latest ever in GM, I decided to do a bit of research on the database and in the old GM Bird Reports and was surprised to find out how many October and even November records there have been since 1972. I don't have the earlier reports, apart from 1...
Did a roving report today, a really enjoyable session.
30 species including 27 Mallard,4 Grey Heron, 3 Goosander,1 Cormorant,1 Kingfisher all
on the Irewell in Ramsbottom!
Whilst enjoying this spectacle - 2 Ravens over going east and 8 Swallows fast and low
south
This between 1230 and 1...
for those of you who don't know, it is a qr code...
if you have a qr app on your smart phone (free to download) it reads it and takes you to web address within the code.
the one pictured here (free...
Lots of young goldfinches in and around our garden this year due, I suspect from us having nyger seed feeders both in the front and back garden. However they are forever flying into our windows, sometimes they just knock themselves out and manage to fly away after ten minutes or so, but at least three ha...
Thanks for the excellent Horwich Moors site guide ,gives me some idea of places to visit that im missing when i go up there,I can see a few full day hikes up there next spring/summer will be very much enhanced by the guide.thanks again for taking the time to produce these guides-beltin
I'm off to Holland for a Stag weekend in mid September with some mates, but am looking to fly over a few days earlier to do some birding. I've had a quick search on the internet for bird guides to Holland/Netherlands etc, but can't seem to find much in the way of modern books or guides. Does anyone know of an...
I work on miry lane + sumtimes walk along canal+douglas in lunch break. saw goosanders at walmsleys pond last winter,and was wondering if ther was a legal way to get to the pond. just view from otha side of canal at mo. i know its owned by anglers association,but no idea how they get to it. can anyone help....
"Making space for nature" is an important report published today by a committee chaired by Prof Sir John Lawton on the state of England's nature reserves. Described as"An independent review of Englands wildlife sites and the connections between them with recommendations to hel...
hi can anyone tell me the best place to park and get on Audenshaw Reservoirs ?
quite new to bird watching at the grand old age of 40 .. only ever watched birds when camping and out walking. . . but have now decided to take it a bit more seriously (and get out more).... also any other places where i can go would...
Been meaning to do this for a few years and finally booked it over t'internet on Thursaday night with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Sailed from Heysham yesterday at 14.15 which meant three and a half hours sea watching before the ferry reached Douglas. I wanted the return leg on the same day, so t...
A juvenile Gannet was found at Crompton Lodges, Moses Gate Country Patk at around 6:30pm tonight whilst the finder was ringing Mute Swans! The bird is currently sat in the middle of the lodge. Info thanks to Kane Brides. Further information/posts should be directed to the Moses Gate CP thread. -- Edi...
To eradicate any species,from anywere to me beggars belief,and how this can be justified,by the rspb,wildfowl trust,etc is even worse,lets just hope that one day a whooper swan doasn't breed with a Mute,or we can all just wait at Martin Mere,and shoot the lot The ruddy duck is very special,to me when...
As migrants, it struck me this morning that all the singing Chiffchaffs i've often witnessed in autumn here and winter down in the SW, wont be the areas breeding birds. So why would they expend energy and risk predation in holding territory at these times of year? Thanks. Henry. -- Edited by Henry Cook...
Been visiting friends in this area and found a cracking reedbed reserve called Karsibor Kepa on Wolin "island" near the German border. This wasn't really a birding holiday, we didn't even have a scope but we managed over 60 species in two weeks, highlights being a total of six White-Taile...
HELLO, SPENT THE LAST 3 DAYS AT BEMPTON CLIFFS, AND FLAMBOROUGH HEAD. BEMPTON IS SUPERB AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, MANY FULMAR,GANNET,WHEATEAR,LBB GULL, GBB GULL, AVOCET,JACKDAW, HERRING GULL, PLUS MANY MORE INCLUDING FLYCATCHERS. GIVE IT A VISIT ITS VERY WELL WORTH IT. GIVE ME A MAIL IF YOU HAVE BEEN AN...
thought i would post a link to a nice little article i saw on bbc website today about a record breaking arctic tern, just in case anyone missed it.
arctic tern
we have had House Martins breeding in our cul de sac for the last 15 years , apart for the last two years when we have had a no show due to falling numbers , woke this moring to have 50+ buzzing around the area , surely its to late to breed ?
They is a lot of activity , also noticed good numbers yesterday on Deane...
