I,m not sure how we compare to other counties,i havn,t the time or inclanation to go outside the county when there,s so much to see within an hours drive if you know where to look and thanks to the forum the 'info' is avialable and freely given.two years ago i would have gone to scotland for snow bunting and crossbills and norfolk for cettis and cattle egret, just goes to show what a good communication network we are building ,hats off to all contributors,
As for Warfy, I'm wondering what making him legendary, do you know something we don't
The mans a legend in his own lunch time
But it goes back to Dunham Massey while looking for lesser spot and other birders approached us and asked us if we were off the forum, as soon as we told them who we were, they shook his hand, and I believe the comment was" I am going home to tell my wife I have met the warfy
And without him in control of the months lists of birds to see i would not be on 170 for the year.
I think for me it's making the most of what we've got and not comparing ourselves, I don't think the likes of Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Berkshire (infact pretty much all of the 'shires') will be quaking in their boots just yet and looking at house prices in Hulme
As for Warfy, I'm wondering what making him legendary, do you know something we don't
The very fact that this thread appears must mean we compare pretty well with other places.
The band of GM birders that has formed is only going from strength to strength. I have met some great lads and lassie out birding over the last few years, but I believe Mr Mc Kerchar has laid a foundation that will make Greater Manchester, the place to bird.
Having discussed this with others I can re-call a time when as soon as you had free time you were out of the county east coast , spurn, martin mere, anywhere but local. and now you dare not leave.
I began the year with the legandary warfy and his dad attempting to beat the new years day record we drew, but we had some fun.
Then I thought I would have a go at the January record not bad 104 for the month, then with Warfy at the helm telling me what to see each week and month we have now reached May 2008 and what is my year list well hold on to your hats the Great White Egret was a county lifer for me and my ...170th for the year.......
Only with the help of Gm birders and the forum is this possible ( and blooming warfy shouting at me and telling me what to get next.)
So I dont care how we compare lets make them jealous they are not in GM.
As for me I will keep birding the GM way and see what happens.
I have spent the last few years twitching birds all over the British Isles.Dont even want to contemplate how much it has cost in fuel etc but I enjoyed it.
It was only by chance that I discovered this Website, but since that day my attitude to twitching rare birds has changed somewhat. Yes, it is nice to see firsts for the British Isles, and be one of the first people to see them and I dont think that will ever change.
But the last few months, I have been birding 4 or 5 times a week within Greater Manchester(one way or another) and the Buzz of finding my own Osprey was far greater than that of looking at somebody elses finds at the other end of the country!
In the end I think it is all relative. If you live on the East Coast then you expect to see Spring and Autumn rarities-but when was the last Red Grouse seen in Norfolk or Kent!
Would the rarity spotters at Flambourgh think of going inland and looking around a football stadium for Wryneck-course not because you dont get Wrynecks at football grounds!
If we dont look ,we will never know. I have seen Dartford Warbler next to Derby Countys Football ground!
I never dreamt seeing some of the birds I have seen in G.M. in the last few months.Mainly, due to the forum but more so to the band of county birders(Some very sound chaps in deed-you know who you are)
The more people looking-the more birds we will find.
I have to say it really is a county of two halves. If I lived out west, I think I would be fairly confident of turning something good up at least a couple of times a year. Over here in the east, apart from Audenshaw (ONLY Audenshaw, he says after last week), there is more than a feeling that most things of interest are on the slide (or have already slid off). I have to say that overall though, it has perked up quite a lot recently thanks to so many dedicated sorts getting out there and eeking out the rarities. Maybe that's the answer: the true status of a county in 'successful birding' terms is proportionate to the number of birders.
Keep watching the skies (borrowed from 'The Thing from Another Planet')
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Well, looking at this discussion from a "Newboy" point of view, and only having been birdwatching for a few years I think GM is a great place to go watching.
Although I like to find rare birds like most people, sometimes it's just nice to look at all birds, in any surroundings.
Since finding this web site I have started to visit Wigan Flashes, which has been an eye opener to have a wonderfull site on my doorstep.
Wigan Flashes has indeed attracted a relatively new, merry pie-eating bunch of enthusiastic and dedicated regulars over the past couple of years and already they are producing good birds there (along with those more 'established' regulars ), but I have a sneaky feeling we haven't seen the best from them yet
Personally, I don't need statistics, the fact that I've been birding out of county only half a dozen times this year speaks for itself. Good 'ere innit
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 16:59, 2008-05-09
Well put Ian - I'm ashamed of myself. I shall write out 1000 times 'Gtr Manchester is great no stats needed'
Definitely agree about coverage, although after bumping into what seems like every forum member at the Wigan Flashes over the last week, I'm thinking that it might be getting a bit crowded down there Will have to get back to Pennington.
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I'd kept schtum up to now having commented on this very subject a couple of times recently, lastly on the website news (now archived) with the comment ' Our 'little inland north-west England' county continues to put others to shame with it's birding community in full swing, the only way now is up...' but I ask the question, do we really need statistical analysis?
I have no doubt what so ever, that we (I know for sure that I have) have all moaned about living in Greater Manchester, being landlocked, migrant starved with so few rarities and I for certain would have jumped at the chance of moving county, Cornwall if you don't mind, but with no chance of employment in my current profession and other reasons (I actually like it here really) I decided to try to do something about it atleast for myself and in a round about way (that and it being a very long time ambition) is how this website came to being. Instead of complaining about how dire the birding was, drum up some enthusiasm, get out there and make the most of what we've got. But what have we got?
Actually, quite a lot! We're a small county so getting about (in these high petrol priced days) isn't too bad, have a very full variety of habitats (more than most) and a variety of birds that some counties really would appreciate. Rarities? Do we do poorly or infact do we really not look hard enough, are our search images for those rarities not turned on until we hit the signs saying Easington One of my favourite county birding legends is that of Geoff Lightfoot who's local patch was one of Adswood Tip, one of the most unassuming and perhaps least rarity likely patches in the county but Geoff is fabled to wear out 3 pairs of wellies a year tramping around that patch and his list of finds was deeply impressive, especially considering the habitat. So, how often do we think Pennington gets well and truly thrashed or what about the Wigan Flashes, the mosslands and moorlands? They all still receive only a small percentage of the coverage they really deserve, although that is increasing rapidly but have you ever wondered why Audenshaw Reservoirs seems to do so well for decent birds? Sure it's a very good site, often the first expanse of water birds see as they cross the Pennines (and it's so large anyway) but it has a long-time band of very dedicated and enthusiastic birders that other sites can't currently compete with and that itself has a large bearing.
I could go on and on, 'cos it's a favourite subject of mine but looking at the County Bird Reports for surrounding counties last year, we held our head very high in my opinion and I have no hesitation to say that I expect our profile as a birding county to improve no end, especially if this year is anything to go by, just a good year so far or more effort by everyone all round ? Either way, few could complain so far
Personally, I don't need statistics, the fact that I've been birding out of county only half a dozen times this year speaks for itself. Good 'ere innit
When I worked in Kent at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory a copy of the latest GM annual bird report arrived in the post. One of the locals, seeing the thickness of it commented sarcastically something along the lines of "Greater Manchester? ..... That must be a f*****g ten-year report". There definitely is a perception among "outsiders" that around Manchester, in between dodging the rain and bullets that we have nowt but Jack Duckworth's pigeons to look at.
I don't think we have it bad at all, with the range of habitats within a relatively small area. Of course any county with a coastline will get more than us. As for Yaaaarkshire, the size of that county is just ridiculous, they're being greedy.
As for other land-locked counties we must compare with anywhere else. I think the contrasts within short distances al add to the interest. Being on Smithills Moor with calling Red Grouse around you, it is quite staggering how close the city centre looks.
After chatting with other GM birders today, reading some other posts on here, and after what has been a cracking weekend in the county in general I started wondering if there is anyway of comparing how good GM is as a 'Birders County'.
I dont mean for an overall species list, because I'm guessing we would fall some way behind the coastal sites on that score. I was thinking more about the overall birding experience that could be had. We have Wigan Flashes, Pennington Flash, some of the big reservoirs up in the hills. Moorland, ancient woodland, peatbogs, farmland and places like Audenshaw and Heaton Park (OK permit only but they're there nontheless).
There must be a few inland counties that struggle to match that, and possibly a few coastal counties as well (cant think of any moorland in Norfolk). My mate comes from Oxfordshire which gets a grand total of 2(i think) entries in the where to watch section of the last Birders Yearbook I bought.
When I go across the border to Yorkshire I sometimes get a bit of a ribbing from some of the regular birders over there about our little land locked urban county, but if you look a bit deeper, I reckon we dont have it too bad.
What does everyone else think?
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Either way, few could complain so far 