On the subject of escaped birds (parrot sp. on Ashton-in-Makerfield thread), how far would you go to see a bird which you knew to be an escape? If your immediate reaction is that you wouldn't - if someone told you there was a Budgie outside your window then you would have a look. If it was in next door's gar...
This round-up is from the latest edition of `Birdwatch` magazine (Feb `09) ; Hooded Merganser, Great Blue Heron, and Wilson`s Snipe have been accepted onto Category A. Naumann`s and Dusky Thrush have been split as full species, as has Black-throated and Red-throated Thrushes. A further split is G...
Dave Steel has kindly copied a tape for me, made by Norman Rowbottom, who now lives on Anglesey, of Nightjars on Astley Moss (now the peat extraction site) in 1980, also with young, and Long-eared Owls wing-clapping and calling. Really evocative. If anyone out there has an up-to-date email for Norma...
Just to let you know - this Terek Sandpiper has been seen about 4pm ish yesterday and was refound early this morning at Heswall (same place) in amongst lots of redshank.
High tide is due 17.12 (7.8m) and it si hoped amongst us lot that it will be found again.
A public car park can be found near to Sheldr...
Dropped into Bempton Cliffs for an hour on Tuesday. Wow what a place for sea birds.
Found a Puffin myself !!! had seen 3 at flamborough half an hour before, but this was all the better because i found it myself. Also had
1000`s of kittiwake
1000`s of Guillemot
200 gannets
Razorbill
shags...
4 Song Thrushes 5 Wrens 2 Dunnocks 2 Chaffinch 4 Mute Swans 2 and 2 Mallards 6 Coot 20+ Canada Geese 5 Goosander 3m 2f 10+ Moorhen Mallards Robins 2 Carrion Crow 2 Long Tailed Tit 4 Goldcrests 2 and 2 in different areas. Blue and Great Tits 1 Coal Tit singing 1 Dipper 1 Bullfinch m 1 Kingfisher on moat at the en...
....but there'll be lots of Jam, Clash, Buzzcocks, Pulp, U2 and much, much, more at the Sylvan in Timperley on Saturday 21st Feb - free admission, no ticket needed so if you are hanging around in Timperley that night pop in to the pub and see me and some mates enjoying our other Hobby (geddit?!) as XL5 roc...
A shameless plea here. Between now and 10th July, please visit Vote here Then select the 'best environment project' category and select RSPB Old Moor. Click on 'more details' and at the bottom 'vote here' The winning projec...
Have been asked by a friend of a friend, to pass on any sightings of a Harris Hawk (jesses attached) in the area, as he's lost one. Post or p.m. me. Cheers, Mike
Having decided my photography skills weren't getting any better whilst my field craft was getting there slowly I booked on to a days one to one tuition in birding and specifically bird photography on Sunday. Given that at the start of the day I was just about on full auto all the time I was really pleased...
A Cattle Egret was at Belmont Reservoir yesterday but was harassed by the gulls, and there was no sign of it by 9.00 pm. It must be worth checking out Rumworth, Elton and obviously Pennington and the Wigan flashes, plus any fields with horses / cattle.
Ladies and Gents,
Was thinking of purchasing a Gull ID book and was wondering if anyone had their own favourite that they could recommend...
Thanks Steve
A European-wide survey of Golden Plovers & Lapwing is taking place over the coming week. BTO News says "Since the late 1970s wader experts across Europe have been gradually synchronising their counts of Golden Plovers. In October 2003 the best effort yet was achieved, with thousands of o...
28/6/09
First things first - a bit of advice : Don`t go here when it`s SCORCHIO There is nowhere to hide
8+ Black Guillemot,
2 Puffin,
6+ Fulmar,
Gannet,
10+ Kittiwake,
100`s of Guillemot & Razorbill,
Rock Pipit,
Peregrine,
(pr) Stonechat,
Yellowhammers & Linnets.
The Rochdale Observer reports that a Red Kite was found exhausted in Ashworth Valley, Rochdale last week and taken to the Three Owls Bird Sanctuary where it was rehabilitated and has now been re-released - but unfortunately in north Wales. Don't know anything more about this story but sounds pretty...
A WARNING TO WEAR LONG PANTS DOWN HERE,THE HORSEFLYS ARE MANY AND LOOKING FOR SHORTS WEARING PEOPLE LIKE ME. TWO NASTY BITES ON BOTH CALFS, REGARDS MIKE.
Just been going through my notes from todays trip to the Forest of Bowland and looked again at a siting we had:-
Big bird - buzzard sized hanging in the air with dangling legs - soaring on flat wings (unlike Common Buzzard). Viewed through scope as distant. Five fingers to wing tips. No colour/markin...
I included a bit about a Hobby that we saw yesterday evening in another posting and Ian Mc made the following request:-
"Your Hobby must be worthy of a mention in the county bird sightings forum Sid. Others might miss it here and with them altogether we may be able to build a better picture of thei...
It cannot have gone unnoticed these last few years how the media, trying to be "trendy," have got it hopelessly wrong; - as is often the case.
The BBC in particular thinks that the term "twitcher" has superceded "birdwatcher" (or "birder"), and that t...
