1st Feb 8.00am - 8.20am Lake 85% frozen

c5 Moorhens
6 Coots
8 Tufted Ducks (5 males 3 females)
c45 Mallards
1 Little Grebe
3 Shovelers (2 males 1 female)
c30 Canada Geese
2 Mute Swans & 2 juvenile
2 Grey Herons

9 Woodpigeon
4 Magpies
5 Carrion Crows
3 Backbirds
3 Redwings
2 Blue Tits
3 Robins

24th January.

Late morning.

Now 5 Mute Swans - 2 adults and 3 juveniles. As per Peter Hines post dated 4/12/09 - the 2 adults were HI4 and HJ4. What I presume are their two juveniles were still here - HH4 was hidden away in a corner of the pond area out of sight of the adults and HF4 was actually outside the perimeter fence of the pond and at risk from dogs etc. I understand that the adults have vacated the site for a short while during the cold spell and it looks like they have now returned to try and evict the juveniles? My observations would suggest this is what was happening. The other "interloper" juvenile bird had a metallic BTO ring on its left leg which I am 99% certain read ZY1766. Can anyone throw any light on this?

The Little Grebe was still here along with 7 Tufted Duck. 2 Coal Tits exchanged calls. No Shovelers or Goosanders when I visited.

Cheers,

Bill.

21st Jan 8.05am - 8.25am

14 Moorhens
4 Coots
c70 Mallards
5 Shovelers (4 male 1 female)
1 Little Grebe
27 Canada Geese
3 juvenile Mute Swans
1 Grey Heron
1 Cormorant over

11 Woodpigeon
12 Magpies
2 Carrion Crows
4 Blackbirds
3 Robins
1 Great Tit
8 Blue Tits
1 Dunnock
1 Wren

19th Jan 8.15am - 8.40am

12 Moorhens
3 Coots
c50 Mallards
4 Shovelers (3 male 1 female)
1 male Goosander
37 Canada Geese
3 juvenile Mute Swans

12 Woodpigeon
8 Magpies
2 Carrion Crows
4 Blackbirds
1 Song Thrush
3 Robins
2 Great Tits
2 Blue Tits

17th Jan 13:00 - 13:45

Lake remains 90% frozen

12 Moorhens
3 Coots
15 Mallards
4 Shovelers (3 male 1 female)
1 Little Grebe
18 Canada Geese
3 juvenile Mute Swans
1 Grey Heron

9 Woodpigeons
c50 Magpie
3 Carrion Crows
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Blackbird
2 Robins
4 Great Tits
4 Blue Tits
1 Long Tailed Tit

13th December @ 10.50 am.

An amazing 31 Goosander (11 males) here this morning. Hardly seemed enough room for them all on this small pond in this popular urban park!
Plus 1 Little Grebe, 1 drake Shoveler, family party of 2 adult and 3 immature Mute Swans.
In the park - 5 Mistle Thrush (1 singing), 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Jay and c12 Redwing.

Cheers,

Bill.

brief walk at 10am Sunday - the parakeets were in the usual area between the lime walk and the lake - both getting very agitated by a grey squirrel in the tree - are they being protective of themselves or is there any thing else to protect?

Pete

lunchtime today

11 Tufted Duck
4 Ring-necked Parakeets
drumming Great Sp Woodpecker
Grey Wagtail pair
Coal Tit 2
Goldcrest 2
Nuthatch 3
2 singing Blackcap
Chiffchaff 1
Grey Heron 1
Mistle Thrush 4
Coot with 1 chick

Late afternoon today:

Tufted Duck 12
Grey Wagtail - pair
Treecreeper 2
Jay 5
RN Parakeet 3 or 4
Nuthatch 3
Goldcrest 2
Coal Tit 4
GS Woodpecker 2
Mistle Thrush 2
singing Blackcap
Coot with 2 chicks

Yesterday Sunday 5th

1 Pink-footed Goose on the island
1 redhead Goosander
10 Tufted
2 R-n Parakeet
1 Blackcap

Tawny's regular at my home in Chorlton

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Monday 6th of April 2009 10:14:09 PM

I've not been back after dark Brandon, so can't say either way if its still around. There was one there around this time last year too.
declan

Alex Park/ Whalley Range area TTV completed this morning (8 -9.00)

45 species in total. Plenty of breeding activity recorded.

Cormorant 1
Grey Heron 1
Canada Goose 21
Pink-footed Goose - 1 - the bird that has been at Chorlton WP?
Mallard 14
Tufted Duck 6
Goosander 1 redhead
Sparrowhawk 2
Moorhen 13
Coot 9
Black-headed Gull 4
Feral Pigeon 100+
Woodpigeon 79
Stock Dove 2
Collared Dove 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Ring-necked Parakeet 2
Grey Wagtail 2
Pied Wagtail 5
Wren 19
Dunnock 16
Robin 27
Blackbird 32
Song Thrush 9
Mistle Thrush 15
Redwing 2
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 1
Goldcrest 6
Treecreeper 2
Nuthatch 4
Coal Tit 1
Blue Tit 44
Great Tit 39
Long-tailed Tit 21
Starling 23
Jay 6
Magpie 54
Jackdaw 10
Carrion Crow 37
House Sparrow 39
Chaffinch 20
Greenfinch 21
Goldfinch 24
Bullfinch 1

Also present : Orange-winged Amazon Parrot - 1, showing well all morning in the park

Sightings of our little fury friends can be found on the wildlife forum - for all things fury and flowery

found at www.manchesterwildlife.com - or click the link at the bottom of this post.

Dave

Thats an excellent record Brandon. Nice one. I shall keep my eyes peeled.

brandon mulhern wrote:

5 raven (1 huge one) several blackbirds and rooks (no jackdaw).


Brandon,

Some interesting sightings. I've never seen Raven or Rooks in the park. Where did you see these? A few pairs of Carrion Crows are nesting there at the moment, but any other large black corvids (apart from the odd jackdaw) would be a very unusual record.

Declan

interesting visit today 12 - 1.30 knew it would be as we had no camera!
1 amazon parrot (on the st. bedes side of the park, first time we have seen it having been looking for the rn parakeets!)
1 gs woodpecker (heard another but not seen)
1 wren (first one we have seen in the park, it was in the bushes next to football pitch)
1 chaffinch (in trees near wider part of the pond/lake)
2 treecreeper
8 goosander m & f
2 heron
5 tufted
3 long tail tits
2 mistle thrush
coaltit
5 poss crows (1 huge one definately raven) several blackbirds (no jackdaw).
moorhens, canada's, pidgeon's, mallard and coots.
and last but not least a little bat of some variety openly flying around picking off the insects for a good 20 minutes in broad daylight........ (kind of hoped the sparrowhawk was about as he would have had the bat for breakfast!)
Brandon
oh and a gorgeous goldfinch in the trees at salford sainsbury's on regent road. He was with two playful dunnocks flying all over the car park!
met Mike colbridge testing his camera on the amazon and treecreepers.

-- Edited by brandon mulhern on Sunday 29th of March 2009 01:44:23 PM

-- Edited by brandon mulhern on Sunday 29th of March 2009 01:52:48 PM

7.00 -8.00 am this morning:

Sparrowhawk pair displaying high over the park; male then landed in usual tree on island
pair of Grey Wagtails
RN Parakeet 2
Goosander 9 (1 male)
Tufted Duck - 3 pairs
Grey Heron 2
Jay 3
Stock Dove 1
Chiffchaff 1
Treecreeper 1
Nuthatch 3
G S Woodpecker 3
Goldcrest 3
Mistle Thrush 4
Song Thrush 3
Long-tailed Tit - pair nest-building
great dawn chorus - singing birds everywhere

8.30 this am,

Mute Swan - male - first for many months
Goosander - 6 redheads
Grey Heron 2
Tufted Duck 2
GS Woodpecker 4
Nuthatch 3
RN Parakeet 2
Bullfinch female
Chiffchaff 2

plus usual

early am today:

Blackcap singing
GC Grebe still present
11 redhead Goosander and one smug looking male
2 parakeets (no sign of Amazon parrot)
male Sparrowhawk
Cormorant - 2 circled over the pond but didnt land
2 Grey Heron
pair of Treecreepers
2 Stock Dove
Nuthatch 1
G S Woodpecker 1
Jay 2
Mistle Thrush - 2 pairs
Song Thrush 3
Goldcrest 2
lots of birdsong

9th March - 12.45 to 2.15 pm.

Large numbers of the commoner species - c80 Woodpigeon, c40 Feral Pigeon and c40 Magpies - including one fairly dense foraging flock of c25 birds. 3 pairs of Magpies were nest building.

On the pond - 60+ Canada Geese, 60+ Black-headed Gulls, 14 (11 males) Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, a few Coots, Moorhens and Mallards. 17 (5 males) Goosanders - it is interesting to note how much more tolerant these suburban Goosanders are of the presence of humans - the ones that I see at more rural Piethorne, if you get anywhere near to them, then they are off!

10 Mistle Thrush - 5 pairs,
c55 Redwing - many were in the trees at the edge of the playing fields - they kept up an incessant low-level communal "chatter" which was remarkably similar to the sounds that Siskins make when they get together in large numbers.

1 Goldcrest, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Coal Tit, 1 male Great Spotted Woodpecker and a pair of Long-tailed Tits investigating a possible nesting site, 8 Goldfinch and 2 singing male Chaffinches.

No Parakeets or Parrots but still an very enjoyable visit.

Cheers,

Bill.

3 Goosander
5 Tufted
2 Heron
1 Sparrowhawk - obliging male in tree by pond this pm

pair Ring-necked Parakeet
3 (2m 1f) Shoveler
4 (2m 2f) Goosander
1 Little Grebe
3 Goldecrest
Gt/sp Woodpecker
Nuthatch
Redwings

3pm-4pm sunday first time we have been to Alexandra park birding, we saw
2 grey herons (around pond and in trees )
2 gs woodpeckers ( in ash tree near pond )
5 long tailed tits
20+ redwings (on football pitch and in trees nearby)
~5 mistle thrush (mixed with redwings on pitch)
5 goosander 1f 4m
~6 tufted duck
plus regular pond life, moorhens fighting, canada geese, coots, mallards m and f, bh gulls swooping on heron in tree, magpies, pidgeons, robin and some finches which we never got to identify as light was fading!
all in all glad we went (except for not seeing the parakeets and sparrowhawk) the parakeets being the reason we went !!! Not complaining tho.

-- Edited by Bman at 17:16, 2009-01-25

Nice flock of c90 Redwing and a dozen or so Mistle Thrush on the playing field this morning. Also c100 BH Gulls, and 2 Stock Dove with c50 Woodpigeon
8 Goosander (5 males), 2 R N Parakeets, male Sparrowhawk and usual other stuff.
declan