Originally posted by Tony Galgani on 11th October:
Following a quiet few months 23 species whilst walking the whippet. Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the river. On the feilds 20 + Redwing,12 Common Gulls and a first for me 3 Pheasants.
In Chaddy woods a right commotion as a magpie was presumably after a nest in a Bush, there must if been 50 small birds going berserk , including Greenfinch,Chaffinch,Great Spotted Woodpecker,Wren,Blackbird Chiff chaff, Long tailed,Coal, Great and Blue tits,Treecreeper,Robins and Goldfinch. Seen similar before but not to this extent.
Also 2 pairs of Lapwing on the feilds,Oystercatchers piping , Swallows,Sand and House Martins, 3 Chiffchaff,Blackcap and Willow Warbler.
Robin, Magpie, Small flock of Long Tailed Tits, Small flock of Blue tits, Great Tits, Small Flock of Goldfinch. Little Egret was high up in a tree to the side of the river, 2 Grey Wagtail east of 2nd footbridge. Flock of Redwing in the Farm Field West of the Park. Kestrel 2 number. A Large flock of Starlings North of the park.
15 Lapwings - including a pair with 3 juvs - on fields just north of Chadderton Hall Park adjacent to the Rochdale Canal, also 1 Sand Martin and 10 Swallows
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Sun 4-Aug-13 Quick circuit of the park fields and canal, but fairly quiet. I keep hoping that I might find Tree sparrow here, but I could only find House Sparrow. :(
- 1 calling Chiffchaff - 80+ Woodpigeons - 30+ Swallow - 20+ House Martin - c20 Canada Goose + usual corvids, tit flocks etc.
A short walk around the park this morning and the surrounding fields and hedgerows. The park itself was very quiet the best birds being 18 Goldfinch 5 Siskin feeding on Alders.
Some of the hedgerows seemed to be alive with birds especially in the more sunnier spots;
5 Tree Sparrow 12 House Sparrow 8 Dunnock 9 Wren 4 Blackbird 1 Redwing lots of Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-taled Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch
from things ive read and i think its accurate, LTT bred earlier so seemed to be unaffected by the weather country wide but BT bred later and suffered because of the weather.
Revisited part of this tetrad this afternoon (17/1).
Whilst walking alongside the canal yesterday was told by a local resident that I should be able to find Dipper on a certain section of the River Irk. This was a bit of a (pleasant ) surprise to hear - thought I would check it out - nothing doing - but then the river was so full and moving so fast that nothing could have fed on or in it!!
At least 5 Song Thrushes singing in a fairly small area - including 3 almost on top of each other!
Finally, is it my imagination or do Long-tailed Tits seem to be more numerous than either Blue or Great this winter?
Did the 2nd winter visit of my Timed Tetrad Visits for this BTO survey square (SD80Y) yesterday (16/1).
Came across a large flock of c80 Siskins. Could hear them at first but despite scouring the trees could not find them - until I looked on the ground and noted that they were all feeding on the ground underneath the trees They were in a copse of mixed birch and alder at the side of the River Irk. I can only presume that the heavy overnight rain had washed off the seeds from the alder and birch trees and it was easier for them to feed in this manner They were also joined on the ground, feeding in exactly the same manner, by 2 Lesser Redpoll and 3 Goldfinch.
Also here 3 Song Thrush, including a singing male. 27 Redwing close by.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough at 11:05, 2008-01-17
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 11th of January 2011 07:26:42 PM
) surprise to hear - thought I would check it out - nothing doing 
- but then the river was so full and moving so fast that nothing could have fed on or in it!!
They were in a copse of mixed birch and alder at the side of the River Irk. I can only presume that the heavy overnight rain had washed off the seeds from the alder and birch trees and it was easier for them to feed in this manner