Wednesday 3rd October. (Apologies for the late post, I've been weighed down in work amongst other stuff)
Out delivering early afternoon when I got a phone call from my brother who works at a neighbouring business to where I work in Reddish. There was a lot of commotion over our works yard as a fairly large Bird of Prey was being harassed and mobbed by a gang of Magpies and Carrion Crows. It landed in the trees at the back and was subjected to a right good mobbing by the sounds of it. He was describing a Harris Hawk so anyone in the Reddish, Stockport area be on the lookout.
Thursday 4th October. - 2 Ring-necked Patakeets over the works yard making a right racket as they went by!
Friday 5th October. - 1 Sparrowhawk circling over works yard
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 5th of October 2018 07:51:23 PM
Hobby hunting hirundines over one of the turn-out paddocks at the stables I ride at off Knott Lane near Ashton today; made a kill and flew off SW, roughly in the direction of Daisy Nook. Single swift, too.
a little gull flew from in from the east to Spring Mill Res, Whitworth this afternoon. The Rochdale/ Rossendale boundary cuts through the south east corner of the res. For those of finicky nature the bird did fly through the Rochdale part of the res. The bird was still present when I left @ 10 to 5 and was being watched by Alan Nuttall
Totally forgot to post this... on Saturday afternoon (04/08/18) I was locking the yard gates when a single Common Snipe was flushed from the marshy area behind our North Reddish depot. I watched as it zigzagged away ever higher and was lost to view.
Yesterday, Saturday 16.05.18.(pm)- a walk down Rossmill lane Hale , along the R.Bollin hoping for Spotted Flycatcher but no luck. I did find 3 young Nuthatch begging food as well as lots of young Blue tit doing the same. And 2 female Blackcap. There are generally Great Spotted Woodpecker about ,but not yesterday (even though there was a lot of evidence to the contrary ). One thing I did find disturbing was the total lack of insects flying about - you generally get "gob- fulls" near the R.Bollin. Things might change when the Himslayan Balsham starts to flower. Ps. heard a single chiffchaff only when I was leaving .
-- Edited by phillipskelly on Sunday 17th of June 2018 02:29:40 PM
No insects, no spotted flycatchers: in fact no nothing! The future is ours to see right now I'm afraid. This year is a shocker.
Yesterday, Saturday 16.05.18.(pm)- a walk down Rossmill lane Hale , along the R.Bollin hoping for Spotted Flycatcher but no luck. I did find 3 young Nuthatch begging food as well as lots of young Blue tit doing the same. And 2 female Blackcap. There are generally Great Spotted Woodpecker about ,but not yesterday (even though there was a lot of evidence to the contrary ). One thing I did find disturbing was the total lack of insects flying about - you generally get "gob- fulls" near the R.Bollin. Things might change when the Himslayan Balsham starts to flower. Ps. heard a single chiffchaff only when I was leaving .
-- Edited by phillipskelly on Sunday 17th of June 2018 02:29:40 PM
Finally got a chance to explore round the back of part of the works yard yesterday afternoon, in North Reddish. It's very much overgrown and mostly inaccessible but there is a large pond / lagoon surrounded by reeds and a marshy area, and straight away it reaked of Warblers!
- no sign nor sound of the Garden Warbler from Thursday - 1 singing Lesser Whitethroat was a welcome sound though - 1 Common Whitethroat - 1 Willow Warbler - 2 Blackcap - 1 Chiffchaff doing a spot of flycatching from a branch over the water - 2 Wren - 1 Great Tit - 2 Robin - 1 Dunnock - 2 Coot ...and plenty of Goldfinches singing
- Garden Warbler singing this morning and this afternoon behind the works depot in Reddish. There's a lot of inaccessible scrub and marsh behind the unit so no chance of looking for it unfortunately unless it makes its way nearer the actual yard.
Also singing... - Blackcap - Willow Warbler - Chiffchaff - Common Whitethroat - Robin - Goldfinch
Pulled up at the depot yard in Reddish around 4.45pm this afternoon when a Hobby went steaming over at some rate, seconds later I realised it was homing in on a Swallow that was flying around up ahead.
Grasshopper warbler briefly heard reeling near the stables I ride at off Knott Lane, outside of Ashton. Also first swift of the year heard over the stables early this afternoon. Plenty of swallows recceing out potential nest sites, too.
Saturday 28th April. - 2 Swallows flying around over the works yard in Reddish mid-afternoon and at the same time 2 Ring-necked Parakeets flew right over me calling, heading in a straight line towards Levenshulme / Fallowfield.
Monday 30th April. The following were heard only in the scrub area around the works yard this morning. - Blackcap - Chiffchaff - Willow Warbler - Common Whitethroat
I came home the other day, and I saw something I have never seen before. It was two dunnocks mating. They were not easy to see as they were scuttling about under branches, but I checked on the RSPB website, and that looks like what I saw. Not easy to describe, as it seems a bit vulgar, but I did watch for a minute or two.
- Blackcap and Chiffchaff seen in the shrubbery surrounding the works yard in Reddish this afternoon. They've been singing the last few days and I finally had a few minutes to spot them.
A Skylark was feeding with a flock of Redwing on Davyhulme Park this morning, my first record here (presumably here as the earth is relatively softened by the heavy foot traffic). 4 Fieldfare were also observed.
On Tuesday morning two of the resident Carrion Crow were "bathing" in the freshly fallen snow (either that or copying the kids snow angels!!).
A rather surreal sight of 2 Oystercatchers feeding on a grass verge alongside the A57 at the Northbank Industrial Estate in Irlam this afternoon at 16.10. One bird virtually stood on the kerb a few feet from the busy traffic!
Whilst being driven from Middleton to Tatton Park and back again around the M60 today,
- A cormorant on a streetlight in the middle of the motorway at the north end of the stretch that passes Auden Shaw Reservoir. It was there at 10:45 and still doing the same thing about 3 hrs later
- Similarly a roadside Buzzard along the stretch that backs onto Rhodes/Alkrington Woods was there at the start and end of our journey
2 other Buzzard on motorway lampposts around the stretch near Reddish/Brinnington and one on a fence near the DHL/Amazon depots near Manchester Airport(which I guess is over the border in Cheshire)
Some nice flyovers at the stables I ride at off Knott Lane, near Ashton today; 33 pink-footed geese heading s at approx 1.55, 5 snipe directly over them heading n, then 4 goosander heading sw later on in the afternoon.
3 Goosander flew east to west over the M60 just before Sale Water Park at 8.10am this morning and began descending towards the R.Mersey by Washway Road.
Spotted from the motorway on the way home tonight - a small (maybe a couple of thousand) Starling murmuration on the western side of the M6 between Jcnt 24 Ashton and Junct 25 exit for Wigan. Obviously difficult to pinpoint the exact location as I Was driving and they were flying around, but I'd guess that someone stood on the motorway bridge on Lowbank Road might stand a chance of seeing them. Always a chance it could increase in size if the site is suitable.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
The change in the weather brought a fine adult yellow-legged gull to the group loafing on the roof of Lostock School, a nice tick from the front door. Sadly it stayed out of camera reach until it decided to fly off in the direction of Salford Quays.
- 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull on lamp post near crossroads of Chapman St and Cross Lane in Gorton. It's the same bird that's been at Redgate Recycling recently.
Some Black-headed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls flying round the bit of a green at the crossroads.
Dog walk this morning, fields behind bedford high :
20 Fieldfare 6 Redwing several Blackbirds 1 Grey Heron 8 Goldfinch 6 Meadow Pipit Several Blue & Great Tits 1 Mistle Thrush (Bents carpark) 1 Merlin (near greyhound roundabout close to River Glaze) plenty Jackdaw, gulls & Collared Dove flying over & around
Nice mixed thrush flock feeding on one of the fields at the stables I ride at off Knott Lane, near Ashton; 17+ redwing, 11 mistle thrush and 2 fieldfare.
First fieldfares of the autumn / winter, too; about time.