Hi I wasn't really thinking when I said there wasn't anywhere near the wood for a Heron, was I? That's me told.

Patch tick today Bullfinch, a splendid male in the field on the airport side of Ringway Road. Also 2 Buzzards.

The work on the fields off Styal Road is for an airport car park, as opposed to the link road, although the bit I was wandering around today will be obliterated by the link road in due course. They're extending the railway station and building the tram to the airport, so the requirement for more parking seems interesting to say the least.

The Herons are probably from The River Dean at Styal,about a two minute flight from Wythenshawe

Simon - If you look on Google maps - other sites available - you will see several ponds just off Simonsway on the opposite side of the road to the Atlantic Business park. Presumably, the heron was heading for one of these. Buzzards are regular visitors around the BW area.

-- Edited by Mark Battersby on Friday 14th of February 2014 05:23:00 PM

Patch ticks today, Jackdaw, not that amazing, and Grey Heron, slightly more surprising. It was flying over Big Wood, heading west to east, there isn't any obvious body of water it could have been heading for before Stockport, if it stayed on that heading. Mysterious...

I've dug this thread out because I now work in Wythenshawe and was worried that a lunchtime walk might not match up to Didsbury where I used to work, but today it has excelled itself. My office is just off Simonsway and so I can either walk to Ringway Road for some nice open fields full of winter thrushes or the other way to Big and Hatchetts Woods. Today in Big Wood I saw Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper. These are 2 of the 3 birds that mean that a wood is an actual wood and not just some trees, the other being Nuthatch. This despite Big Wood being a terrible name for what is clearly a small wood. The other cracking bird around is a female Sparrowhawk that I've seen every day this week. Great views of her being irritated by a Jay the other day. There also seems to be a local Buzzard, and there are Goldcrest and Mistle Thrush as well as the ubiquitous birds you'd expect. Echoing a comment below, only a single Chaffinch so far despite dozens of other common garden/park birds.

So my plan is to keep going with this patch, coax a Nuthatch out of hiding and see what happens in the spring; maybe a warbler of some description. I'm kind of hoping for a Tawny Owl to be hiding in there somewhere too! I'm looking at about 30 species in the square mile or so around the office so far, so my target is 50. Will need some luck but you never know...

Any locals, if you're about at lunchtime and you see a guy staring at the trees then it's probably me!

26 Mistle Thrush flying around The Forum area for the last couple of evenings.

Meadow Pipit over Hollyhedge Park Benchill whilst walking the dog at 6.30pm this evening.

Large female Sparrowhawk hunting over the gardens on Lyndene Road in Benchill.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker spotted atop a tree on Moorcroft Rd

-- Edited by IanPlant on Tuesday 18th of January 2011 04:04:04 PM

27th June 2010 01:10am and again at 01:25am

While sat in our garden we heard a Tawny Owl over towards the motorway East of our house.

Ian

-- Edited by IanPlant on Sunday 27th of June 2010 01:33:52 AM

Great spots visit my mum's garden on other side of Peel Hall road on a daily basis, most likely from that wood, although big wood on Simonsway also similar habitat. Nuthatch is a less regular visitor, but bullfinch again is almost daily. She has always had better birds than in my garden, notably a little owl for 3 days a few years ago. I'm not jealous though, honest.

i live in peel hall and have heard woodies banging away over the last 3 weeks
there in the woods by st elizabeths school been for a look but no joy
also had a great spotted on a peanut feeder last year

I've no idea where the Green or Lesser-peckers breed.

I first saw Green at Wythy Park in August '92. Next from Oct 2001 at Barlow Tip then every winter there, except 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, then again from late winter 2005. In 2002/2003 there was a pair and I was hoping they would breed, but there were no records after mid-April. With sightings of a Green recently coming in on his forum, from Barlow Tip, Kenworthy Woods, Millgate Fields and Wythenshawe Park, all in close proximity, I wouldn't be surprised if they refered to same wandering bird. Who knows?

I recorded Lesser-pecker at Nan Nook Woods in March '92, '93 and April '96, though I hadn't visited again till the other week, with no joy. I've never checked Gib Lane Wood at that time of year, but they both look good. 

Nice one getting the Lesser-spot Phil, as you know I checked out Nan Nook Wood, Wythenshawe Park (adjacent to Wythenshawe Rd) briefly on 9th Feb but with no joy, but prob a bit early in the year for the birds to be calling. Was it calling Phil ?. I've recorded Lesser-spot here over three years during March in the early 90's. Gib Lane Wood must be worth checking as well - the larger wood in the Park adjacent to the Princess Parkway A5180.