Thursday 8th April

Greenbank Playing Fields, Levenshulme (6.23pm).

- c25 Swallows in one group flying over south towards A6 / Fallowfield, silhouetted as they came racing over Mount Road and over the field. Thought they were Sand Martins but call suggested otherwise.
Surprisingly difficult to tell at speed and not the best of light.

Sunday 4th April

- 3 Sand Martin (1 then 2) south over Greenbank Park, Levenshulme, around 6.20pm

At least 2 possibly 3 Chiffchaff singing in scrub at side of Reddish works yards this afternoon.

Tuesday 23rd March
Teatime walk and playing football with Lucas on Greenbank playing fields in Levenshulme.

- c50 House Sparrows in bushes on one side of the field.
Lots of squabbling, chirping, and chasing around. Lucas was mesmerised by them.

Two sand martins flying low over Liverpool Road, Irlam at 5pm.

Single Peregrine Falcon showing well on Bolton Parish Church this morning 

 

Father in law has seen the pair regularly over the last couple of weeks on his walk home from work in the evening

 

Cheers

 

Bryan

 

Brother phoned me yesterday afternoon.

5 smallish Waders with quite long bills flew up from the marshy area behind my Reddish works yard (he works opposite us). Likely to be Common Snipe I thought.

I have been told about reports of a Little Egret at Hopwood Woods nature reserve in trub brook near to Hopwood Hall Farm, Middleton.

Here in Stretford, Lostock School's playing field usually has a couple of dozen black-headed gulls (sometimes as many as fifty) and an assortment of large gulls (it varies day to day, anything between two and two dozen, mostly herring gulls) loafing about or stamping for worms. Today there's been literally none. I wonder if they've all moved over to the flooded fields over on the Mersey valley.

Leigh Cemetery:

40+ Redwings
2 Mistle Thrush
Charm of 15 Goldfinch
1 Female Sparrowhawk ( chasing a blackbird)
20+ Blackbirds ( around the cemetery)
several Robins
2 Nuthatch
6 Magpies

90+ Magpie gathering to roost in trees off Collyhurst Road, Collyhurst at 3:45pm today, with more arriving as I left.

We do the Garden Bird Survey. Among other things, we also noticed that there have not been as many wood pigeons or greenfinches as before. Do not know why, but plenty of theories.....

Whilst walking the dog this evening at 10.40pm I could hear a tawny owl calling down Warwick road south, firswood, I then took a detour down the road & the tawny owl was then seen perched in an ash tree. The residents in the house directly opposite was also watching it. There was another tawny owl calling from the back of the houses at the same time. On the rest of my walk home, probably the same tawny owl was then seen on top of the chimney pots of a house on woodstock road, then flying onto another set of chimney pots & then on to some guttering. Possibly the most activity I have ever seen from a tawny owl

Chorlton Park 15:20 - 15:55

864 jackdaws flew overhead to roost on Hardy Farm and Chorlton Ees.

Today at 11:30

1 Rook on Audenshaw High School playing field

Oldham Town Centre this afternoon. Male Peregrine being harassed by a Carrion Crow at rooftop level behind The Spindles.

A Grey Wagtail was feeding in a puddle on the primary school roof that the office window overlooks today at Abraham Moss.

Also a Feral Pigeon was flying around with what appeared to be ribbon attached to it between the High School and the Test and Trace Centre, visible from the Abraham Moss tram stop.

As I waited for the bus by Barlow Moor Road tram stop 5:15pm - 5:35pm I counted 374 jackdaws flying over to roost over at Hardy Farm, mostly in flocks of six to a dozen but including a couple of forty-plus flocks.

Great Spotted Woodpecker low over Kirkmanshulme Lane near Belle Vue Dogs and landed in a bare tree near Gala Bingo early evening.

- adult type Common Gull in Tesco Gorton car park at teatime.

First one Ive seen in a while, it was joining in eating the food thrown down by a taxi driver, also shed loads of Black-headed Gulls and Pigeons.

A few evening walks last few days around Greenbank Park, Levenshulme and the playing fields.

Basically the usual suspects but amongst the more interesting stuff was...
- 2 Raven last night near Sandfold Lane refuse site
- 1 female Bullfinch
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Swift
- 6 Swallows
- 10+ House Martins
- 2 Ring-necked Parakeet (reported on thread)
- Long-tailed Tit 7
- 1 Coal Tit
- 1 group of 23 Magpies incl juvs
- House Sparrows in abundance too

I had another ride from Elton to Rossendale area.

I was struggling alittle with the humidity, my binos were steaming up from the vapors from my face and hands till a light breeze picked up.

So 47 species is all I've managed, highlights include:

Whitethroat
Blackcap
Willow warbler
Kingfisher
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Swift
Swallow
Bullfinch
Great spotted woodpecker heard only
Meadow pipit
Linnet
Stonechat juv.
Kestrel
Grey wagtail
Buzzard
And my biggest highlight was a big surprise, a female Marsh harrier passed through. At first glance I thought I was seeing things, but as she continued I could see that classic cream head, beautiful!!!!!!

Ta!

Friday 31st July

Greenbank Park and Mount Rd, Levenshulme area late afternoon.
c 40-50 Common Swift fairly high up.

Same walk mid-evening.
- 23 House Martins above Greenbank Park
- a lone Great Black-backed Gull low over the park too
- a further 11 House Martins over Michelles house
- 3 Common Swifts

Good number of Common Swifts again last night over Greenbank Park and Mount Rd, Levenshulme area.

Probably c40-50 birds high over the park, more birds c30 over Greenbank playing fields, and then on the walk back to Michelles a steady number of birds over Mount Rd and Barlow Rd, easily over 100 seen.
4 House Martins and a Swallow too!