Afternoon visit with Henry Cook:

3 Treecreepers (a pair and later a seperate individual)
3 Jays
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Coal Tits
4 Goosander
1 Goldeneye
3 Mistle Thrushes
3 Mute Swans
amongst others

Stubble field north end

19 Reed Bunting
30 Chaffinch
21 Linnet
23 Greenfinch
3 Stock dove
3 Jay

Stubble field North end

70 Chaffinch
Bullfinch over
3 Greenfich
3+ Reed Bunting
Linnet
70+ Magpie
Sparrowhawk
Jay
Great-spotted Woodpecker

ad Iceland Gull (presumably the Pilsworth bird) bathed for c10 minutes mid pm then flew south.

A Great Black-Backed Gull spotted form the M66 heading in that direction. What a brute of a bird. It's bill was very evident in flight.

Early morning walk

Boating Lake
21 Goosander, 7 Cormorant, 2 Pochard and 7 Tufted Duck

Band Stand pond
Kingfisher and 56 Mallard

In the woods
20+ Long-tailed tit, 4 Goldcrest, 5 Coal tit, Jay and 2 Nuthatch.

14 Grey Geese flew over northern end not happy they were pinkfeet but by time got scope on them they were flying away.

The northern edge of the park and the stubble field just over the north wall held a lot of birds

100+ Chaffinch, 40+ Linnet, Bullfinch, 7+ Reed Bunting, 25+ Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 40+ Redwing, 5 Fieldfare, 7 Stock Stove, 60+ Magpie and 300+ Jackdaw.

A Common Buzzard put all of them up at one point.

16/11/2011 - 1.30-3pm with Phil Owen. Sightings from around the park, boating lake and from the tower:

c60 Pink-footed Geese - flew north at 3pm
9 Great Black-backed Gulls
14 Lapwings
3 Little Grebes
2 Wigeons
c30 Teals
c20 Cormorants - mainly on the boating lake
11 Goosanders
1 Mistle Thrush
2 Goldcrests
1 Nuthatch

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 05:13:36 PM

Not really supposed to post sightings from the res but doing so as might encourage other folk to check their local res tomo as also a few ducks on here

35 Teal
16 Wigeon
6 Shoveler
4 Gadwall
3 Pochard
30 Goldeneye

and a drake Common Scoter.

Might be worth checking your local res tomo Slav Grebe, Scoter and Little Gull in Bury area who knows what might be elsewhere!

-- Edited by Simon Johnson on Friday 11th of November 2011 05:09:46 PM

-- Edited by Simon Johnson on Friday 11th of November 2011 05:10:09 PM

8th November am.

Wondering if the boating lake has been re-stocked with fish recently?.......... as there were high minimum counts of 31 Cormorant and 32 Goosander (all redheads) there this morning! Also 4 Grey Heron and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Plus 1 drake Shoveler and 3 Tufted Duck.

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 8th of November 2011 08:22:13 PM

843 Woodpigeon SW
Brambling
160 pinkfeet east 8.36

Also a large pipit south with 4 Redwing. Didnt call. Longsish tail and Wagtail like flight

migration watch 7.15 to 12.30pm

Rock Pipit se
Meadow Pipit 87 south
Pied Wagtail 46 s/sw
Swallow 2 south
House Martin sw
Skylark 20 sw/se
Brambling s
Chaffinch 131 s/sw
Song Thrush 17 s/se
Golden Plover 6 south
Lapwing 96 sw

rough counts of
Redwing 1681 w/sw/s/se
Fieldfare 2526 sw/s/se
Starling 1125 w/sw

Raven 2 - landed on BT tower before heading south

Wheatear

-- Edited by Simon Johnson on Friday 14th of October 2011 09:58:28 PM

5 Whooper Swans nw at 8.45
Single Swallow south
Single Redwing west
lots of Goldcrest calling around the st Margrets road entrance

Migration watching 7-12

Bar-tailed Godwit calling over but couldnt see it
Lapwing 60 sw
Pinkfeet 307 - seen very distant over Holcombe and were picked up over winter hill
Meadow Pipit 394 sw
Pied Wag 61 sw
Siskin 18 se
Redpoll 4 se
Chaffinch 40 south
Skylark 5 sw

2 Hours Vis Mig this morning

Meadow Pipit 674 sw
Swallow 85 south
House Martin 92 south
Pied Wag 19 south
Lapwing 17 south
Chaffinch 3 south
Goldfinch 13 south
Siskin 2 south plus 3 groups unseen
Song Thrush se
Grey Heron high bird se
Goosander se
Mallard 16 south

few waders over in the misty conditions this morning

2 Golden Plover, Ringed Plover and a Redshank S or SW

Just outside the park, on my own street, milton road, coming back from heaton park tram stop I had a very unexpected sight soaring in the gales above. A juvenile hobby coming from heaton park reservoir direction glided off towards the south west at about house height. Cracking to get one in such unusual circumstances

That's the second unexpected hobby I've seen locally this year, after I saw one overhead at the ben and jerry's heaton park gig in july?!

-- Edited by Sean Sweeney on Tuesday 13th of September 2011 08:21:14 PM

Swallow 400+
Sand Martin 15
House Martin 150
Kestrel 2

Around the horse paddock at the BT tower

GSW, Jay 2, Chiffchaff 3, Linnet 17, House Martin 80+, Swallow 100+, Buzzard, Kestrel 2
Sparrowhawk 2.

On the move

Cormorant 3 NW
Meadow pipit 6 S
Swift 2 S
House Martin 116 S
Swallow 281 s-sw

This eve feeding at the north end of the park

Swift 40
House Martin 100+

Had a couple of nice long walks around the park yesterday and today. Lots of young birds about including: Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits, GS Woodpeckers and Nuthatch. Unfortunately, the Canada Geese appear to have had multiple broods between them, but on the brighter side Moorhen, Coot and Mallard all have chicks and seem to be doing well.

Very high numbers of House Martin this year too, with 30-40 feeding over the cow fields and upward of 40 Swallows feeding over the fields in front of the main Hall, which is encouraging from recent years low figures.

Other than that lots of the migrants are now bedded in, but are quite happily singing away from the trees, including Blackcap and Chiffchaffs.

Bird of the day though has to go to a male Mandarin, my first for Heaton Park and a new one for my GM list too, so should take me to 177 for my GM life list now, chuffed!?! Having just been watching some young Coot I was amazed to see a male Mandarin on the banks minding its own business, lovely birds and despite the origin being unknown it never fails to please me seeing these birds..........

40 House Martin and 20 Swallow feeding over Highland cow field in park.

Also single Arctic tern flew west

Dunlin flew south over park

Swift 20+

On the main boating lake

2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Muscovy Duck
1 Pink-footed Goose
7 Greylag
5 Tufted (2F 3 M)
Couple of Mute Swans
At least 50 Canada Goose

Couple of Blue Tit
Several Blue Tit
4 Starling




-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 28th of April 2011 04:32:15 PM

Male Wheatear in the horse paddock near to BT tower