Three ravens closely shadowing a buzzard soaring over the lake at 17:30

Andy Bissitt wrote:

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A Red Kite was flying down the valley at 1.50pm at not a great height. It drifted off over Ernocroft Wood towards the Glossop Rd.

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 Saw one a couple of months ago at the back end of the Roman Lakes, which flew off in the Mellor Golf club/Mellor Moor direction,

so its good to see its still around

This pm. Very warm but birds not surprisingly very active taking advantage of the good weather. Nice to see 2 pairs of Song Thrush plus a singleton plus several singing birds.

A singing Redstart was my first there for a few years but was not able to lay eyes on it.

Vic C

Lunchtime visit.
17 Mandarin Duck pairs.(including the pair guarding the hide) ( Poor quality picture, sorry)
19 separate Mandarin Male.
50+ Canada Geese
7 Greylag Geese
12+ Mallard
2 Mallard Hybrids
5 Tufted Duck males
2 Tufted Duck females
6 Coot
1 Moorhen
2 Mute Swans
2 Herons
3 Chaffinch
2 Chiffchaff
4 Great Tits
2 Blue Tits
3 Wrens
5 Robins
5 Blackbirds.
10+ Black-headed Gull

16 pairs of Mandarins, plus a few unpaired drakes, on the canal. Eight tufted ducks on the boating pond. No sign of any mute swans. A female grey wagtail was the only bird on the river. Sunset chorus in Keg Wood included robins, great tits, coal tits, blackbirds, nuthatches, wrens and a song thrush. On the way back to the car park a heron and a buzzard flying in low to roost in Keg Wood.

20/06/23, 3:45 - 5:55 Two families of mandarin on the river above the weir. Juvenile dipper and grey wagtail on the river below the weir. A rather ghostly pair of Canada x greylag gosling's by the visitor centre. Buzzard over Ernocroft Wood.

Highlights of an early morning wander around were: 2 Greylag, 40+ Mandarin, Dipper, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Tawny Owl and 3 Swallow.

Originally posted yesterday by Dave Olive:

Etherow Country Park With Andy Tordoff

Greylag Goose - 2

Mandarin male/female

Mallard

Canada geese 

Coot

Muscovy Ducks - Several

Woodpigeon 

Cormorant - 1 (in tree top)

ChiffChaff opposite the river hide Several calling 

Crow

Wren calling

Robin - 3

Moorhen - 3

Great tit (Several on the hide feeders)

Blue tits as above

Nuthatch 2 on the hide feeders

Buzzard 

Coal tit on the hide feeders

Dunnock on the hide feeders

Chaffinch - male/female on the river hide feeders

Blackbird

Longtailed tit 3 at the river hide

Goldcrest opposite bank from the river hide

Redwing 1 opposite bank from the river hide

Goosander 2 on the river in front of the hide 

 

Understand that Defra have today confirmed the presence of Avian Flu at this site.

Noticed a couple of dead Canada Geese on the main lake yesterday when i was there

 

The Little Egret was sat in a tree about half way down the pool opposite the river side path.

2nd hand information of a Little Egret on the Keg pool this afternoon.

09:15-11:55

3 Willow Warbler, 2 Swallow, Dipper pair, Kingfisher pair, 12 Blackcap, 12 Chiffchaff, Grey Wagtail, 3 Stock Dove, 5 Goosander, 7 Nuthatch, 2 Treecreeper, 3 Common Buzzard ( one with a pale rump), 30+ Mandarin Duck, Sparrowhawk, Raven. Probable distant Green Woodpecker heard. 

Walk up to the top of the woods and back. Highlights 7 Cormorant, 8 Goosander (3m,5f), 50+ Mandarin, 2 Tufted, 2 Grey Heron and good numbers of Nuthatch, GS Woodpecker, Treecreeper and Bullfinch in the woods. 2 Meadow Pipits near the hide. Third visit here and still not managed to find a Dipper.

A good visit this morning with 33 species seen. A swan was on the main lake when I arrived but relocated to the Keg Pool. Other highlights were goosanders galore (7 on the keg pool - 2m 5f - 2or 3 above the weir), 2 GS Woodpeckers, a pair of grey wagtails near the hide, a small siskin flock near the shelter at the top end of the park and lots of nuthatch, coal tit and mandarins.

The Stockport Tourism Facebook site are reporting that Etherow has now lost all its Swans. The male was killed by a dog in the summer, the last of the 7 cygnets have just died from avian flu and the female has flown off. A number of Canada Geese have also died. The first time in over 20 years that Etherow hasnt had Swans.

Cheers, John

Only the Keg held any interest, with a single wigeon (f), and teal (m). The female mute swan and her 7 'babies' flew in as I watched joining a 'new' bird on the scene. Failed to note if it was a new male to replace the father of the immature birds who was killed by a dog in the Summer. Also seen: kingfisher fishing the Keg, Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, Jay, 20+ cormorants, 3 dabchick, siskin(s) heard only. Still not seen a fieldfare, and redwings are few in the general area. If Stockport Council has a commitment to increase biodiversity forced upon it, at least it should have an easy task, because it cannot get any worse.

11.30-12.30 just before the downpour. 

Dipper by weir, 2 Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, 8 Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, 27 Mandarin Duck, 2 Nuthatch. Only to hide and back.

9am-12 this morning

Garden Warbler on the right before Sunny Corner, Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzard displaying over Ernocroft Wood, 4 Swift, 2 Swallow, 6 House Martin, 8 Chiffchaff, a good number of Blackcap singing, Willow Warbler, Mute swan with cygnets, Tufted duck, 25 Mandarin mostly in eclipse + young, Grey Heron, 2 Grey Wagtail, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Nuthatch.

Cheers

Vicky

-- Edited by Vicky Harper on Saturday 12th of June 2021 06:24:25 PM

Nice few hours here today.

Highlight was a Peregrine chasing Feral Pigeons low over the car park and lakes for 10 minutes before giving up and circled high and drifted north.
A Garden Warbler was singing and showing well in the trees across the river from the hide, another two heard elsewhere.
Whitethroat singing near the hide.
Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff dotted around.
Grey Wagtail by the weir.
Counted 16 male Mandarins and five females. Two females had very young broods of six ducklings each.
Swifts and Swallows in small numbers.
Two Buzzards circling high above.
Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay amongst the commoner species.

Quick stomp around, late afternoon, hoping to encounter sand martins. Was very blowy, so not so much seen either there or on the route march to and from Romiley - no hirundines though half a dozen chiffchaffs singing (far end), plus another four en route. About a dozen pairs of mandarins scattered around the park and rather retiring, though a couple of small, more obvious parties of males too. Two little grebes on Keg pool along with half a dozen tufted ducks. Dipper heard but not seen on the river, one buzzard. Nice to see/hear displaying lapwings in the fields above the park, though only four individuals that I encountered.

1030-1230 Today. The road up from the Weir to sunny corner is being resurfaced but was not closed to pedestrians and the workmen seemed fine with us being there.

At the bus stop like hide on the hill in the woods (not sure how everyone refers to this one) - "top left" of park. Put mixed seeds on bird table

4+ blue tit

2 nuthatch

2 great tit

2 coal tit

1  Marsh/Willow tit. Based on other people's posts, was most likely Marsh tit but I'm not confident with these and all I can say is it was not a coal tit. 

3 robin

1 treecreeper (not on bird table).

 

@ Keg Pool:-

4 mute swans 

2 coot 

1 Kingfisher

1 little grebe

1 Male goosander

2 Canada geese

4 tufted duck

1 heron

 

Walking around:-

 jay, carrion crow, blackbird, wren, woodpigeon, song thrush, long-tailed tits, dipper on the river near the weir. Numerous mallard and mandarin ducks. 

Sound of woodpecker drumming but no sighting. 

Not heard (but would recognise): chaffinch; chiffchaff;

-- Edited by DaveGerrard on Thursday 18th of March 2021 05:14:44 PM

12.30 - 14.30

Highlights

2 Little Grebe, 4(2m 2f) Tufted Duck  & 5 (2m 3f) Goosander on the Keg Pool

First Blackcap of the year

Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming

Plenty of Nuthatch, Blue, Great, Coal & Longtailed Tit

2 Treecreeper

2 Goldcrest

3 Buzzard riding the thermals

2 Siskin on feeders

2.45-4.15pm just car park to weir and hide.

Great Crested Grebe, 5 Tufted Duck, drake Goosander, 28 Mandarin Duck, Goldcrest, 3 Nuthatch, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, 3 Cormorant. 

Yes around Keg Wood. Best place was conifers near Sunny Corner. 3 together their. Good luck.