Dragged back out for a quick dusk time walk, but it was well worth it.
Peregrine on the top arm of the pylons near the weir. Thought it was a wood pigeon at first glance, but it looked too high up. Luckily I'd taken the bins. It was having a good preen and then flew off towards Heaton Mersey.
Chiffchaff calling from back of horse field (my first this year)
A pair of kingfishers calling and flying upriver between patch island and garlic bend. Grey wagtail by M60 bridge.
Lots of dunnock, wren, chaffinch and goldcrest calls along the river between Geoff's bridge and the flood defence sluices.
Bad news, with yet more good birding habitat being cleared at Gorsey Bank. Used to be home to lots of blackcap, willow warbler & chiffchaff along with nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker. Now been flattened and all the trees chopped down ready for some kind of development I guess.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 13th of March 2016 01:08:23 PM
-- Edited by Steve Smith on Sunday 13th of March 2016 01:08:49 PM
Adult Drake WOOD DUCK looking stunning near rocks just down from weir on Weir Rd, flying/swimming strongly.
Also 10 Redwing, 3 Goosander, 2 Grey Wagtail, singing Dipper at Cheadle Bridge, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, 3 Bullfinch.
Can you tell me where Weir Road is, please.
i don't recall any road in Heaton Mersey call Weir Road. Is there any chance you mean Vale Road which runs down from the Crown Inn on Didsbury Road to the river and turns into Vale Farm, cattery next to the weir.
Three pairs of Goosanders at different locations between Heaton Mersey Business Park and the Glass Pyramid. Does anyone know what summer breeding grounds they, and other Goosanders on the Mersey, might have come from?
Alan Hill
At least one pair has bred along the Mersey over years
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Three pairs of Goosanders at different locations between Heaton Mersey Business Park and the Glass Pyramid. Does anyone know what summer breeding grounds they, and other Goosanders on the Mersey, might have come from?
A couple of spins along the river by Burnage Rugby Club on the way to and from Abney Hall Park, at about 930 and 1230. Nothing much on the way down, other than a smart Lesser Black-backed Gull and double figures of Common Gull amongst the Black-headeds feeding on the school playing fields. This is the most I have seen there. On the way back, a single drake Goosander, 2 Pied Wagtails on the bank in the middle of Grey Wagtail territory and best of all a nice flock of winter thrushes and Starlings on the football pitches. The sun was right on them and all the plumages looked fantastic. There were 7 Mistle Thrush, 8 or 9 Fieldfare and around 50 Redwings, plus 30 or so Starling.
Wood Duck (m) still around - feeding and preening by the water outlet that enters the river halfway between the weir at the bottom of Vale Rd and downstream to patch island. Also; Goosander (3) - 1m Moorhen (3)
Repost, with commas!
Burnage Rugby Club to the Weir 1pm - 3pm: 5x Goosander, Robin, Wren, Goldfinch, Flock of Redwing, Kingfisher - near the weir for 20mins, 2x Grey Heron, Moorhen
Feel free to delete my previous post?!
Between fletcher moss and Jackson's bridge 3 Little grebes 1 lone female Goosander and a pair just before fletcher moss 5 Grey Wagtail 1 Pied Wagtail 2 Moorhens a flock of 11 Fieldfare flew over from fletcher moss and landed in the fields on the other side of the river Cheers Joel
Quick walk in the miserable grey rain today 3:15pm - 4pm. 2x male Goosander 5x female Goosander 1x Kingfisher just in front of me - it had just caught a fish and ate it. Impressive work when the river is so high, fast moving and muddy. Wren and Blue Tit
I walked up and down between the Mersey Vale weir and Cheadle bridge for a couple of hours yesterday (Sat 21) in the bright winter light. No sign of dippers. 1 Goosander 2 Cormorant 3 Pied wagtail 2 Grey wagtail 6 mallard 1 moorhen n canada geese wrens, blackbirds, starlings, blue tits, great tits etc. Hundreds of blackheads on the playing fields, with a few common and lesser blackbacked gulls.