A very tame Skylark on the football pitches today, allowing dogs to go right up to it before flying away a short distance. First Ive seen here. Also a Kestrel patrolling the fields and a Sparrowhawk displaying high overhead towards Stretford Ees.

Green N:40W  L. B.-b. Gull is a NW gull group bird, see their website for submission.  It was on Turn Moss a couple of times last week.

Most of the gulls have now gone, either they have run out of earthworms, or are sick of being chased around by dogs. Couple of peak counts in last few days:

Common Gull - 326;  L. B.-b. Gull  111. Don't think Herring Gulls got over 25.

One of the German Black-headed Gulls:

Ringed as adult female, breeding, on 30th May 2020 at Riether Werder, Germany (53 42 23 N;  14 16 03 E).

Seen there again 9th May 2021, then seen at Old Moor RSPB, Barnsley on 10th March 2022, next at Turn Moss on 12th January 2023, 1093km. from ringing site.

The other German Black-headed Gull:

Ringed as pullus on 1st June 2020 at Altfriedland, Markisch - Oderland, Brandenburg, Germany (52 38 N;  14 14 E).

Still there on 25th June 2020, but seen once in each of October & November 2020 at Queen's Park, Crewe, then at Sale W.P. in November 2021, February 2022, and four times in Nov. - Dec. 2022, then Turn Moss on three days last week.

Quick visit this pm.

Highlights:

2 Yellow-legged gulls. 1 of each; 2cy & 4cy. The 2cy was the same bird as yesterday, the 4cy was the same bird John had yesterday.

Have spent hours gulling at T.M. rainwater floods in the last few days. Best counts:

Black-headed Gull   1850   Read darvics of five Steve Christmas birds, a regular S.W.P. German bird, and a new Danish bird.

Common Gull   100+. Prob. many more, but disturbance by dogs too bad for proper count.

Yellow-legged Gull   1 ad.  - immaculate bird, not a feather out of place, nice pale yellow legs too, flew off towards Salford Q.

                             1 third winter, seen at S.W.P. a few days ago, but not ident. due to distance.

                             1 first winter (also photographed by Joel Tragen).

Herring Gull     19

L. B.-b. Gull     59

General disturbance made it all very difficult! Prob. many more gulls present.

Other species best counts:

Carrion Crow   135

Magpie   42

Redwing   102 early in year, 93 recently.

Starling   280

Pied Wagtail    33

Greenfinch    22 in view at once, but several others hidden in hedge. More than usual.

Got really cold & wet today, and dropped my scope in the mud, but same again tomorrow.

 

Have been keeping a watch on the gulls over the last couple of weeks, looking for signs of HPAI. Good numbers, all looking healthy, included peaks of 790 Black-headed, and 24 Herring Gulls, the latter more than I usually see here. Also during last week or so, all on school field, up to 56 Redwing, 2 Fieldfare, 8 Mistle Thrush, and 152 Starling.

One day, I was looking at a single Carrion Crow feeding on a football field when a dog ran at it. Instead of just flying off to somewhere more peaceful, if waited until the dog was very close, then took off and flew low over the grass, keeping just in front of the chasing dog. The crow obviously was putting effort into its flight, and just keeping about one to two yards in front of, and on the same level as the dog's jaws. After about 100 yards of this, the crow suddenly gained height and kept position about eight feet above the dog, the latter leaping up frantically, trying to catch the crow. Five to ten seconds of this ended when the crow set off again, low over the grass, again chased by the dog. Another 50 yards passed, then the crow rose and perched on a goal crossbar, the dog again leaping up towards it. The crow set off low again, but this time the dog was diverted either by another dog, or by its owner's call, and it ran off. The crow then resumed a more normal flight, soon perching in a nearby tree, and looked at me.

Anyone else seen a crow do this? 

Pink-footed Goose 131 > east @ 10.09

Woodcock 1 low overhead
Fieldfare 64
Redwing 48
Blackbird 21 (including migrants high south)
Song Thrush 6
Mistle Thrush 3
Goldcrest 5
Chaffinch 15
Redpoll 11
Siskin 5
Black-headed Gull 220
Common Gull 37
Herring Gull 5
Lesser Black-backed Gull 5
Ring-necked Parakeet 20 minimum

Redwing 724 (100+ touching down, most flying east, largest flock 350)
Fieldfare 1 flying east amongst 350 Redwing
Siskin 32
Wigeon 14-15 over west

Pink-footed Goose 204 : 60 > E at 09.02, 70 > NW at 09.21, 34 > E at 09.29, 10 > NW at 10.04, 30 > NW at 10.13
Mistle Thrush flock of 17

Kingfisher 1 flew low across the playing field adjacent to the cemetery towards Stretford Ees. My 2nd here (10 Jun 2019), still bizarre considering there is no water.

Pied Flycatcher 1 at the west side flanking the cemetery
Whitethroat 1
Chiffchaff 15
Mistle Thrush 24 juvenile together
Reed Bunting 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Ring-necked Parakeet 18

Garden Warbler 1
Whitethroat 3 juveniles
Chiffchaff 5
Blackcap 1
Swift 7
Swallow 15
House Martin 11

Mistle Thrush 16

Mediterranean Gull 2 adult
Black-headed Gull 67
Herring Gull 3
Lesser Black-backed Gull 60

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Thursday 23rd of June 2022 03:36:40 PM

Lesser Black-backed Gull 78
Herring Gull 2
Black-headed Gull 11
Ring-necked Parakeet 32
Mistle Thrush 7

Brambling 1 later flew to Ivy Green, this morning
Siskin 6

Brambling 1 (at least one) with 7 Chaffinch at the Hawthorne Lane end of Bolesworth Wood
Siskin 12+
Redwing 32+
Treecreeper 2

About 60% waterlogged, resembling a lake

Black-headed Gull c850. Darvics - white on right leg 8TA, green on left leg JCYO, also a blue one (North West - not read)
Common Gull 196
Herring Gull 8
Lesser Black-backed Gull 11
Mallard 14
Heron 1
Pied Wagtail 13
Sparrowhawk 1
Mistle Thrush 2

Woodcock 2 (1 flushed by a dog from the school hedge, another in Bolesworth Wood)
Siskin 9 (see a few most visits)

Spotted Flycatcher 1
Chiffchaff 11
Willow Warbler 3
Blackcap 2
Common Whitethroat 1
Swallow 2
House Martin 5
Common Gull 2 adult
Black-headed Gull 79
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3

Tree Pipit 3 (including 2 together in the SE corner)
Spotted Flycatcher 1 (school hedge)
Lesser Whitethroat 2 (school hedge)
Common Whitethroat 2 (school hedge)
Blackcap 2
Willow Warbler 5
Chiffchaff 8
Swift 8
House Martin 10
Swallow 1
Black-headed Gull 48

Male Plum-headed Parakeet amongst the Ring-necked at Turn Moss Road car park this morning

Mediterranean Gull - just the one adult this morning with fewer gulls present