A Peregrine was sat on the Liverpool street gasometer at 15.10 this afternoon. It flew off towards Trafford Park a couple of minutes later From its size, it looked like a male bird.

2 Swifts around Woden Street footbridge

2 singing Sedge Warblers by Trafford Road Bridge

A Peregrine carrying a small bird flew over Liverpool street at 7.15am heading towards Trafford park.

Around 12:00pm yesterday at Frederick Road over and around the JWS Recycling factory unit: 6 Swifts, 2 Greater Black Backed Gulls, 4 Black Headed Gulls and a lot of other gulls that I couldn't id without bins.

2 Lapwings over derelict land between Oldfield Road & Ordsall Lane

Chiffchaff singing by Eccles New Road early morning

2 Grey wagtails on Hope Street, Salford today at 2.55pm

A Whitethroat was back singing behind my Liverpool street workplace this morning at 6.20am. It was still singing 14 hours later in the same Hawthorn bush as I was leaving

Late report for Tuesday 12 April

I heard a willow warbler in the hedges adjacent to the railway in the Electricity North West office car park at Frederick Road, Salford. As with my other willow warbler at Barrow Bridge I couldn't see it - will I ever see one?

I also saw a blue tit, a great tit and a pair of bull finches in the same hedges.

A pair of Grey wagtails running around my works car park this morning at 6.30am and a Sparrowhawk perched on the gasometer at 12.20pm.

Robin on nest worsley village.

Female Sparrowhawk eating a Pied wagtail in a tree on Hope street, Salford at 12.20pm today

Hi Rob

The bird was pointed out to me by a couple of workmates who saw it fly off the gasometer as I was up a ladder at the time so using binoculars was impossible. I only could view this bird in silhouette against the sky.

The wings and body shape said big Peregrine but the very long straight narrow tail[twice as long as a normal Peregrines] was certainly not. The tail was stable in flight and not fluttering about as if it was trailing behind.

The large flock of BH Gulls [40+] which rest on my works roof scattered in panic as this bird was overhead.

I thought that it may have been an escaped falconers bird but you are probably correct about it being the Manchester female.

I had another sighting of a different Peregrine this afternoon as it put up a flock of gulls which were feeding at the treatment works a little further down the road from the Allied mill in Trafford park near Centenary Bridge. Also 8 Waxwings were perched in a Birch tree at Kestrel road in Trafford Park at 14.25pm this afternoon

A large bird of prey has just flew up from the Liverpool street gasometer. A lot bigger than a Peregrine with a very long narrow tail. Any ideas.?

Sunday 6th March River Irwell adjacent to Peel Park, early WEBS

Pair of Goldeneye
19 Tufted Duck
3 Little Grebe
5 Canada Goose
11 Mallard
1 Moorhen
1 Common Gull
50 BH Gull

Also, 3 Redwing & 2 singing Song Thrush

That would be the most obvious cause of confusion, Mike.

I've noticed considerable variation in the colour of winter plumage Little Grebes and your post prompted me to google some photos. Whilst doing so I found a link to one of Ian's old mystery bird competitions:

http://www.manchesterbirding.com/mysterybirdcompseptember.htm

Steve

Myself and 3 fellow students at Salford Uni did a 2 hour bird survey (1 of 6 between now and April for an assignment) in peel park yeasterday.

Despite the awful weather the highlights included:

Goldfich
Siskin
Treecreeper
GS woodpecker
Goldcrest
Long-tailed tit (in great numbers)
Redwing
Song thrush (in good song)
Goldeneye
Little grebe

Plus plenty of the regulars...

It was a real treat to see so many great birds in the middle of Salford, pretty much on the uni campus! Looking forward to the next survey...

Lesser spotted woodpecker on a tree in the park inside the horseshoe bit of the Irwell opposite Peel Park. Also 3 little grebe, two pairs of Goldeneye, several tufted ducks (with chicks), long-tailed tits, mistle thrush.

Regarding my previous post about the Peregrines.

Both birds were watched between 12.30 and 12.42pm as they flew over the EMR scrap yard in between Liverpool street and Regent road Salford.

Not very high and very easy to see, the smaller bird [m] kept swooping in on the female, just pulling out of his dive at the last second. Both birds circled the area flying at times very slowly making short fluttering wing beats then changing to fast swooping flights. The male went so slow at one point that he ended up hovering like a Kestrel before the female dived at him. Both birds flew off in the direction of Old Trafford .
Brilliant

16/02/11 c3:30pm

up to 100 Pied Wagtails on the grass around Kara Street near Langworthy Road

12/02/11

pre-roost gathering of c50 Pied Wagtails on Kara Street, off Langworthy Road, at 5pm

12/02/11 River Irwell WEBS

High water level

3 Little Grebe
6 Mallard
50 BH Gull
1 Moorhen

Also, c30 Redwings Peel Park

Similar birds (2 individuals) on Salford Quays today, see notes on seperate thread.

Below is the link to the article I mentioned the other day;

http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/id.htm

(need to cut and paste into browser !)

Robin - you get some very white headed members of the carbo race at Salford Quays at certain times of year, I havent seen any recently, although haven't particuly looked. Where was your bird? If you scroll through Rob's link you will find a link to an article on a Paxton Pits website. I can't get the link to work today but from memory, I read it some time ago, it was a very interesting article comparing the carbo and sinensis races of cormorant. Like some of the races of large Gulls seperation in the field can be quite challenging.