Amazingly a wood warbler was singing from a sycamore south of the river in the golf course, south of Mersey bank playing fields earlier.
Also several house martins (finally) feeding with several swift, sand martins and a couple of swallows over the river.
One little grebe and one kingfisher foraging on the Mersey to the east of Merseybank playing fields this morning, along with the regular moorhens and mallards.
A few redwings around, and the regular flock of black headed/common gulls was flushed by a sparrowhawk over the fields.
if this is the wrong thread for this location please advise!
Back on the River a female Kestrel flew from wires near Simon's Bridge and landed right in front of a Poodle which sniffed at it and the Kestrel flew back to its wire. Weird!
Saw the Osprey on the morning of the 21st over Didsbury driving school (see other Disbury thread) Though assumed it was just passing over, interesting to hear of another sighting.
-- Edited by JamieDunning on Wednesday 23rd of May 2012 12:09:11 PM
26 species recorded tonight (6:45 - 8:45) on walk Ford Lane / Mersey / Simon's Bridge / scrubland in front of Stenner Woods as far as the Didsbury Flood Basin sign.
Most exciting find was 1 Garden Warbler
At least half-a-dozen Common Whitethroat, with four seen in exuberant songflight Blackcap male carrying nest material Skies full of Swifts, also a House Martin 1 Reed Bunting m
Post from yesterday evening (Northenden / Ford Lane / Simon's Bridge / Millgate Fields)
25 species definitely seen or heard. Only real surprise was two Stock Doves on playing fields just past Simon's Bridge.
Saw Grey Herons everywhere, including two separate occasions of a Heron being mobbed by a single Carrion Crow. Interesting to watch a Heron standing by the riverbank, extending its neck out to watch the crow as it wheeled overhead, then emitting an alarm call as the attacker divebombed.
-- Edited by Ollie Wright on Saturday 5th of May 2012 07:18:07 PM
From Northenden down Ford Lane via Simon's Bridge to the edge of Millgate Fields (after the flood, 4 - 6:30pm)
26 species recorded. Nothing outrageous, but interesting to see a Redwing and a Swallow on the same day!
The Redwing has been in the same spot the last three times I've visited - feeding with Blackbirds and Song Thrush in a field used by golfers to practise. The same field held three Grey Heron today, hunched under a bush.
One Swallow hawking over the River Mersey at Simon's Bridge.
Two Nuthatches near Simon's Bridge Seven Goosander overhead, in two groups
Short and very pleasant stroll up the Mersey from Northenden to Didsbury Golf Club
1 pair of Blackcaps 1 Song Thrush 1 Grey Heron overhead 1 Dunnock Lots of Blue Tits all around (to within a couple of feet), Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Great Tits, Woodpigeons, Carrion Crows, etc...
With thanks to Didsbury GC for letting me use their car park as the N side of the river is still flooded after the gates were opened last week.
The usual poor lack of birds alleviated by:
Goldeneye 8
BUT totally unexpectedly Lapwing 2 on the edge of a fairway within yards of the lake
Lapwing 2
Sometimes the pleasures of birding are finding things even if just be a common species where you didn't expect it. These were my first Lapwings in the Mersey Valley after years of birding here. They flew off over the lake not to be seen again.
-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Sunday 13th of February 2011 09:51:00 PM
Didsbury area of: Fletcher Moss Gardens, Stenner Woods, Millgate Fields, Mersey between Kingsway and Simon's Bridge and Loonts Lake. NB the latter is a private site. This area mostly hosts common species but odd rarities have been found.
Stenner Woods:
Treecreeper 1 Siskin 19 - a good count in short supply last winter GS Woodpecker 1 common species
Mersey at Simon's Bridge:
Meadow Pipit 2 Goldeneye f
Loonts Lake:
Doing WeBS early in case weather forecast turns out to be as bad as predicted - it's a 45 minute walk each way to get there from Simon's Bridge so plenty of opportunity to get soaked.
very disappointing as it was all last winter:
Goldeneye 8 4m Coot 6 L Grebe 2 Mallard 3 no Tufties at all for the first time ever on my visits Canadas 15 on GC with odd feral hybrid which has been present all winter - was subject of article in South Manchester Reporter
Millgate Fields: Heron Crows 90 assembling for Stenner Woods roost late pm 1 Snipe flushed
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