I've just had a detailed summary of House Martin nests at Northenden from Peter Helm. In 2008 there were 13 nests. This year, the same locations were checked and only 5 found.
That about sums up the House Martin situation this year.
It's raining again in this part of the world, and with the athletics not back on until teatime, I was faced with the choice of doing some Killer Sudokus, or swatting up for a forthcoming birding trip, or submitting this.
This won. So here's what's involved:
Often, when driving on a longish twitch wi...
I'm trying to locate Phil Jennison, so that I can use a photo of his in the 2008 county report. If anyone knows him, pleae ask him to contact me as soon as possible.
Big thanks first of all to this forum and members who helped us organise our holiday especially Mel B.
I realy dont know where to begin but the island is such a beautiful place and for birdwatching its paradise.
Visits to Calgary,Iona,grass point,loch na keal,glen more,laggen,tobermory are all w...
I don't know if your aware but large numbers of Albatross chicks and numerous other seabirds chicks are literally being eaten alive by mice(which are close relatives of our house mouse).There are over 1 million seabirds nesting on Gough Island including the critically endangered Tristan Albatro...
Whiteholme I hear you say,Where is it?.Its a Pennine reservoir just above Rochdale. If you stand on the West side of the reservoir you can toss a stone into the Greater Manchester county.
I have been watching Whiteholme now for well over Twentyfive years.Why bother?its difficult to get to,hardly e...
I do no serious wildlife photography these days except on a casual basis using my wife's little digital Cannon Ixus 60 which gives passable results (but nothing like the quality stuff as evidenced on this site for example).
I have bucket loads of slides going back 25 years from lots of trips using con...
I've jsut had to buy a new printer, so have a few unused b/w and colour cartridges which are no use for the new printer. They are for use on an Epson Stylus Photo 810/820/830/830U/025/935/C50. If anyone can use them, send me a PM.
Just a word of warning be very careful when handling sd cards out of the camera and into readers,as for the second time today i lost all the pictures on a card,and i had some stonking snipe shots,due to a small peice of plastic breaking off the edge of a card,once that happens the 2 contacts connect and all...
Some might think that this would be better placed in the 'out-of-county' birding section but as it has a great deal of relevance for us in Greater Manchester, here it is. I've often been accused of being 'over-zealous' in my removal and protocol of the posting of breeding species in the county but I'm a...
For those with a broader environmental interest the website below might be useful. Very much a work in progress but some interesting information there.
Mike
www.magic.gov.uk
And an example of the type of information available:
www.magic.gov.uk/staticmaps/national.asp
Just got back from a school trip this week in and around Normandy, France. Not much time for birding but highlight for me, (new ticks)
White stork flew over me no more than 3 or 4 metres above me
barnacle goose
also 50+ shelduck on the island to the side of Le Pont De Normandy bridge
cuckoo
little egre...
Plea for help, lady wife has just booked 2 weeks in Santorini going 28 July. Anybody out there ever been?, are there any recommended birding locations, any help gratefully received.
Cheers Ian
The last of the Swifts have left the area of Houghton Lane, Swinton. Every year fewer and fewer birds return. We used to have 3 pairs nesting in the eaves of our house, now it's down to 2 and the groups of birds that used number 10 to 15 flying around screeching has now been reduced to about 5 or 6. The Rspb are...
Hobby(Adult) again hunting on fields 98/99 next to Barton Airport flew off towards Bontany Bay woods this afternoon at 1630, they must be breeding local has anybody pin-pointed a possible location?
- Nice to have 2 Manchester birders and their wives up here yesterday as our guests, (John Rayner and John Tromans, et alia).
We nipped out for a couple of hours in the afternoon on impulse, primarily to visit RSPB Saltholme, (about 33 miles from where I live in Wolsingham).
Several hundred pairs of...
hello everyone, its a bit out of our area but for any womens open golfing fans at royal lytham, keep a look out for woodlarks this weekend, i spotted 2 pairs during 5 hrs of the golf, regards mike haylett
Pleased to get a site tick this evening, first time ever at this location a eclipse Shoveler. Not bad if you consider the reservoir is some 900ft in altitude.
species, 1 Shoveler, female Common Scoter.
Cheers Alan
Yesterday, Friday 1100' am 'ish supposidly insect survey but family of 5 kestrals
playing about in the breeze,a pair of green woodies showing remarkably well and a little owl being flightly
Hi all,holidaying in orlando with the family at the end of july , hoping to do some birdwatching in between the usual tourist stuff and would welcome any advice on birds to see, best places to go etc thanks in advance dave.
Cwm Nant y Eira - Montgomeryshire
Having spent over 200 hours of surveying in the wilder regions of Montgomeryshire from late April till today I have observed many birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, reptiles and flowers from Palmate Nexts and Pyramidal Orchids to Goshawk and Dormice.
Before...
Off on holiday soon.
Have the usual "Where to watch" books etc,so familiar with Cabo de Gata and Roquetas areas, but wondered if anyone had been recently to this part of Spain and therefore any first hand info?
Staying inland near Bedar.
Rob
I'm currently in Iceland for a month and have just returned from an 11 day expedition to Flatey Island in NE Iceland. Most of my time was spent bird ringing and surveying but did manage one or two birding days. Flatey is an amazing little island and has LOTS of birds!! Birds seen - Fulmar, Kittiwake, Puff...
I have just googled this bird and gone thro' 13 pages without a reference to it. Lots of other blue bits, tails and breasts etc. What am I missing?
Mike
Now is the time that large numbers of Lesser Black-backs are moving through our area on passage from breeding areas in N Lancs.
A good number of these are wearing coloured Darvic rings with numbers, letters or a combination of both, which are easily readable with scopes. I picked 2 up in about 150 bird...
