5 Goosander (3m 2f) 5 Tufted 2 Ring-necked Parakeet (m & f) by the pond were later relocated on feeders across the road at Alexandra Park House, 28 Alexandra Road South (viewed from inside the Park).
-- Edited by Pete Hines at 18:56, 2008-12-28
__________________
Updated birding videos on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/c/PeteHinesbirding
6 Ring-necked Parakeet by the pond, containing three adult males flew off in the direction of Whitworth Park at 16.18 today 2 Cormorant & 4 Tufted on the pond on 31st Oct
__________________
Updated birding videos on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/c/PeteHinesbirding
I understand that Declan was brought up in Belfast, so Alex Park shouldn't worry him...
Declan: can you make sure you enter up the Tawny Owl on the Atlas website? Not many people are doing nocturnal or crepuscular (great word that!) visits and we risk under-recording Tawny Owls, etc. Don't suppose you get many Nightjars though...
Not that brave really Tony - its where I live. There were 3 of us - safety in numbers, and all that. Actually its pretty safe most of the time if you keep your wits about you. I've been more nervous at times at other better known (non city centre) sites (ones with hides and visitor centres and everything) when representatives of the local population have hurled verbal abuse and on one memorable occasion released a not-so-friendly pair of pit bulls in our direction. Never had that anywhere round the city centre.
Usual stuff in the park this evening, plus male Sparrowhawk again, and a small influx of Tufted Duck (13, compared to usual 4 or 5), and a female Pochard. 2 Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff singing in the evening chorus.
Did my TTV survey for Whalley Range (incl Alex Park) yesterday.
New birds for the year were 1 each of singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap, plus the following more usual stuff (list includes nearby streets, gardens etc):
37 species altogether which isn't too bad for an inner city area. Quite a bit of breeding activity observed but I won't say what on here after having my wrists slapped (quite rightly) by Mr McKerchar last week for an earlier post.
very little on the pond/lake - usual swans and canada geese but only a handful of mallard and no sign on tufties, herons, goosanders or cormorants.
sightings elsewhere in the park included: Sparrowhawk - 1 GS Woodpecker 2 Stock Dove 1 Woodpigeon 59 R N Parakeets - 3, Grey Wagtail 1 male Mistle Thrush 2 Song Thrush 2 Blackbird 6 Nuthatch 2 Treecreeper 1 Goldcrest 3 L T Tit 4 Jay 2 House Sparrow 2
Alexandra Park (around the small lake/ pond) - 8.00 - 8.30 am today.
7 ring-necked parakeets - lots of noise - in trees on small island on the lake (see other thread) pair of Goosander on lake 1 GS Woodpecker drumming and calling 2 Goldcrest 1 Treecreeper 45- 50 Redwing 1 Nuthatch 4 L T Tits 2 Cormorants 4 Tufted Duck
A pair of Ring-necked Parakeets were inspecting a cavity in an old forked ash tree at the north end of the pond before flying off north-east at 17.15 50+ Redwing (many in song) 3 Gt/Sp Woodpecker (1m, 1f & 1 heard drilling) 1 m Sparrowhawk 1 horrible hybrid goose, Greylag x Swan Goose type?, which was at Chorlton WP briefly this morning.
-- Edited by Pete Hines at 19:59, 2008-02-27
__________________
Updated birding videos on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/c/PeteHinesbirding
Cheers Pete. I'll keep the parakeet sightings going on the other thread from now on. I'm off to portugal for a week tomorrow, but will be back in the park on my lunchbreaks next week. Declan
Great to hear news from Alex Park Declan. I'm amazed at the Goosanders. I know Tony O'Mahony has recorded Firecrest and I think Spot Fly there in the past. I know it's a bind but it would be useful if you could cross-refernce the parakeet sightings to the sth mcr parakeet thread just to keep them all in place ( there have been a couple of other parakeet sightings, Whalley Range and Platt Fields that have 'gone missing' ). I've a colleague who lives in the park-house by the pond and I've asked him to let me know of any, though he's not a birder. Cheers
__________________
Updated birding videos on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/c/PeteHinesbirding
Pair of Goosander back on the lake today, along with usual waterfowl. Woodpeckers (2), parakeets (2), nuthatches (2), goldcrest (3) and treecreeper (1) among the trees.
Called into the park on my way to work this morning (8.40 -9.15) , to see if the 2 parakeets were still around (saw them on monday). They were there in the same holly bushes just east of the lake, being very vocal, a m and f.
I was surprised by how much other stuff was around too - Its only a short walk from home but I never expect there will be much to see there. Best birds this morning were a pair of Goosander on the partially frozen lake, with usual Canada geese (31) mallard (16), BH Gulls, coot (2) and moorhen (3). A GS Woodpecker was drumming in tall trees close to the lake, but hard to see most of the time. I counted 33 Redwing in the same trees, but suspect more were around, and there was a mixed finch flock totalling approx 40 birds in the tree tops, mostly Goldfinches, but at least 8 Siskin, and a few Greenfinch too. Mistle and Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Robin, Wren and Chaffinch were all in song despite the murky weather. All in all, an unexpectedly good morning.