A female Shoveler at Dover Basin with 6 well-grown young - I think the first brood in the county this year?
At Lightshaw Hall Flash, a Black-tailed Godwit, and immature Redshank, 2 Snipe.
Had a small heron fly over the flat tonight at 10.10pm. was sat watching TV when saw it fly across the patio windows, (which i shot too to try get a better look) was too dark to get anything on it, but noted it it was smaller than a Bittern. It headed towards Ringley. Dont know if anyone is free tomo to have a lo...
Went down to Abbotsbury Swannery on Friday night to help out with a swan catch early on Saturday morning (806 swans caught!). However I did get chance to do some birding, had some good birds. Saturday afternoon we went to Portland Bill - we had 13 Common Scoter, Manx Shearwaters, Willow Warbs, Sanderl...
Chat Moss, Tuseday 24th July, mid-afternoon.
A nice few hours in the sun (where did that come from )...
Hobby- a cracking adult flew just 30 ft past us (me and my son) on Astley Road heading north by New Farm and field 19.
Yellow Wagtail- an quite huge (from a county perspective) 17 birds (at...
This evening Pete Berry and I had 2 Arctic Terns over Astley Moss heading low west, 2 Ravens heading south together and a very nice adult Peregrine that even perched up for a short while
A Hobby chasing hirundines at Compstall ETW (courtesy of Richard Else) and an Osprey over Keg Pool Etherow CP(Birdguides - nayone know anything about this?)
Just spent the day in the Lakes. Glorious sunshine
Not much birding done but did get a couple of Buzzards, Kestrel a Cormorant on Windermere and 8 female Goosander on Brothers Water. Lots of Mute Swans harassing small children. One woman described them as "evil" after one nicked the k...
A Grasshopper Warbler reeling away in the overgrown field with scattered Hawthorns opposite the junction of Rindle Road and Moss Lane, Astley this evening (18th July), no sign of the Stonechats that have also been around there but I'm sure they're still about.
Sunday 22nd July
Male Blue-headed Wagtail on Irlam Moss with atleast 6 Yellow Wagtails at the potato piles which is at the junction of fields 1, 2, 44 and 51, also Raven flying over south.
Info thanks to Steve Nelson (and Judith Smith for passing on to me)
Having a mass clear out and have a large collection of the IBIS journal the quarterly journal of the British Ornithologists union
they date back to 1957 right up to the 1990,s heavy duty stuff , anyway it seems a shame to send them to the tip.
anyone interested in them or can think of a good use for...
Common tern, 2 Common Sand, 4 GCG, 4 Dunlin West @ 15.45 55 Lapwing and a Whimbrel heard over @ 17.15. Groups of hirundines and swifts moving through too
Heavy rain so empty hides, never saw another soul all afternoon.
4 Green Sandpipers right in front of Swan Link hide along with a Common Sandpiper. When you see them together they are unmistakable. The Green's are a stunning bird close up.
A few Black Tailed Godwits in all their summer splendou...
King George V Pool - Sunday 03/06/07 early am
Female Pochard & 2 small ducklings, also, drake Mandarin, pair of Tufted Duck, 1 GC Grebe, Jay, singing Chiffchaff, family parties Blue & Great Tit, 2 broods of Mallard (2 & 12), pair of Grey Wagtail, 3 Blackcap (2 male), 2 broods of Canada...
Ok I have to admit that Mr McKerchar has got me.
Ian are you absolutely sure its 8 species and not 7. I can see seven species but then the last one is eluding me. I think I've found the one we're not supposed to be able to find, but then it could just be one of the 8 if you get my meaning. If it is, I've no chance...
5 Black tern at the private site i watch this eve. Flew off at 18.45.
My site list was only added today saying i had missed Black Tern on there!!
Also on way home at the Esso garage on Bury Old Road at Besses of the Barn a Hobby headed east/south east.
about a week in the urban jungle,20/07/07
4 coot and young plenty gulls
12 sand martins unidentiifed wader
2 moorhen
30+canada 2 cormarant fishing more over
2 grey wagtail 2 wren
6 goldfinch 20 mallard
12 greenfich to many piegeons
and at long last the swallows have fledged, 2 juv...
a bit bored in the wet weather the other day and watching moorhens!i can't ever remember seeing this in 30 years ,but i noticed juv moorhens from obviously the 1st brood this year say april,helping the perent birds feeding the newly hatched second brood?the elder young were actively searcing for foo...
18/07/2007 2 Green Sandpiper 3 Oystercatcher 2 Little Ringed Plover 1 Common Sandpiper (over head) Kestrel & Sparrowhawk 2 Mute Swans on the Glaze with 2 cygnets, one of the adults was green ringed CB51, I've been following this pairs nesting attempt for the BTO's Nest Record Scheme. They laid 8...
Adult Mediterranean Gull on Scotman's Flash 1215-1220pm today, as approx 1500 Black-Headed Gulls and 50+ Swifts fed on flying insects across the Flashes and surrounding area, drifting in from the north. The Med then took flight but the gulls in general were still aerial feeding so may still be pres...
A storm passed over Bolton about 7pm. Just after it passed there was about 30-40 Swifts screaming over my house. Forced together by the storm i presume. Fantastic sight. They quickly dispersed. Back to the usual 8 or so now.
Dean.
would there be interest in life lists for each of the Metropolitan areas in GM? I gather the rochdale birders are quite active on this.
On this topic - the Astley Moss Bufflehead was in Salford - but watching it involved standing in Wigan - would this count on my Wigan list?? This potentially life-c...
Moses Gate.C.P. Nuthatch in wooded Quarry behind cemetery, also 3 Pochard, 4 Tufted Duck, Common Tern, + Sedge Warbler on the canal at Prestolee. Shore Top. Teal, Little Grebe. Common Tern, 2 Stock Dove, 3 Little Owl,10 Goldfinch,18 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting.
An adult hobby was over the M602 at 12.15 today, close to the junction with the M60 (is this Worsley? - don't really know the area). A few house martins nearby - it may have been chasing these.
declan savage
