A young Coal Tit on my fence this morning. 2 recently fledged Starlings being fed by the parents on my patio and lots of House Sparrow activity on the feeders. (Cheadle Hulme garden)

Newly fledged Goldfinches and Greenfinches now visiting feeders with their parents.

Had 2 Fledgling Coal tits on the 17th, Lowton

I've got baby starlings, sparrows,robins and a young woodpecker in the garden. Had baby bullfinches last year and the adults are constantly in the garden so expect more of the same this year.

Found a Bullfinch nest in the side of my house- absolutely over the moon! Both parents in and out with twigs and other material, a joy to see!

Pair of Mallard with 7 chicks on garden pond this afternoon

A garden first this morning with a Whitethroat briefly this morning, incongruously along with a lesser redpoll (the first for a month).... Yesterday a stooping peregrine caused a kerfuffle amongst some pigeons just out of view, three sparrowhawks together (one seen off) and a couple of buzzards added to the raptor list.

Swift at last over garden in Timperley - first last year was 21st April but this is a more typical date.

Late post for Monday.

Buzzard circling overhead at 13:00.
At least 2 GSWoodpeckers drumming in woods at bottom of garden and 1 flyover.
Bullfinches and Goldfinches still visiting feeders regularly.
Dunnock pair (males) still chasing a female around.
Wrens seem to be well established at bottom of garden along the bank of the brook.
Pair of Collared Dove present most days.
Balckbird nesting next door
Blue Tits with eggs in nest box.
Magpies and Carrion Crows nesting close by.
Rick.

A male Sparrowhawk caught a Blackbird in my Swinton garden early this morning and spent a couple of minutes on its favourite plucking post before flying off.

About 30 minutes ago the female shot into the garden and hit a Wood pigeon so hard that I think that it was dead before it hit the ground. There are feathers all over the garden as the hawk plucked and trimmed the pigeon in the middle of my lawn before struggling to carry the bird off over my house.

Unfortunately I think the Blackbird was one of the parents which have chicks in a nest in my neighbours garden The Wood Pigeon is possibly one of a pair nesting in the Birch tree at the back of my garden.

Nature can be pretty cruel at times but that's just natures way.

can i have this as county garden birds! currently got 4 swifts over my garden and nieghbouring gardens in old trafford/manchester. been watching them since 6.50pm and there still around. also had 1 swallow and 3 sand martin heading west around 6.30pm

1 hour and 15 minutes later(see last post)the Sparrowhawk flew off carrying remains of Pigeon, I was surprised it could fly with the weight of what it had just eaten, a brilliant watch

It's good to see everyone taking an interest in nesting activities in their garden - but are you making the most of your observations?

If these records are submitted to the BirdAtlas project they will also be included in our projected new Greater Manchester Breeding Birds Atlas and provide a valuable conservation tool both nationally and locally.

You can get started by logging into Data Home at www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdatlas (click on the Login button). To find out what's been recorded so far in your local tetrads use the Any Square Summary function.

As usual, if you need any help, just get in touch with a Private Message

Steve

Nest building in my M9 Blackley Garden and other sundry items.

I put up four nest boxes, only one being used so far by a pair of Great Tits who are busy needlessly knocking away at the entrance hole and, more usefully, taking in lichen and moss.

Much more exciting. and a first, is a pair of Long Tail Tits just putting the finishing touches to a nest in a conifer bush in the middle of the garden near the pond. They are very tame and go about their work even when I'm sitting just a few feet away. I cant believe it. Fantastic. Once they are feeding the brood I should be able to get some great photos.

Elsewhere along the side of the garden a pair of blackbirds are building a nest in ivy halfway up a sycamore tree.

I have also see two wrens that appear to be collecting nesting material but I have not been able to identify the nesting area. Likewise, although a robin is clearly claiming the garden as his territory, there is no sign of any nest.....yet.

Three goldfinches meanwhile are almost permanently camped out on the thistle hanger.

The whole lot of them will need to keep a good look out. Mid-morning Saturday as I came out of the front door there was a general cafuffle in the front privet from which a very ruffled female Sparrowhawk, seen quite regularly, emerged. It flew up to a branch about two foot above me and for about 5 seconds quite heedless of my presence, licked its wounds after a failed but clearly bruising chase. It then flew off. A couple of minutes later its intended victims, three or four sparrows noisily but warily emerged.

I can take the Sparrowhawk but Magpies are a different story, last year I almost cried with despair at the constant alarm calls of the Blackbirds, whose nest had been cased by a ferocious and bloodthirsty magpie and who, despite my every effort to protect them, determindely disposed of the Blackbird fledgelings one by one. This was a first brood and I think the main problem was a lack of foliage cover.

Interestingly,I watched the same Maggie a week later disect and eat a large frog after first beating its brains out with its heavy beak. I am a reasonable chap, but that bloody Magpie.....

17:55 Sparrowhawk with missing primary over garden - possibly same one seen by Paul Dewey at Abney Hall Park on Wed 2nd March this year (posted Thurs 3rd). Abney less than half mile from home. 2 Wren at bottom of garden this am. Rick.

Saw one Robin passing a sunflower seed to another this morning. Rick.

just had a sparrowhawk over my garden, looked like a female form the size, and as usual i didnt have my bins on me. i see 1 quite often over mine and neighbouring gardens and almost every time i dont have my bins

Hi Pete, last year I saw a Sparrowhawk (female) locked in combat in front of Bunting Hide at Pennington Flash. It wasn't immediately obvious what the outcome would be.The Sparrowhawk prevailed. Eventually!

Just been watching my 1st garden (in Radcliffe!) Goldcrest for the last 20 mins feeding very acrobatically in a Birch tree, splendidly enjoyed from the conservatory with a glass of Chardonnay
Cheers Ian

A friend in Sale is getting a summer male Brambling in his garden.

chiffchaff @ 1.10 this afternoon
GSW on peanut feeder for the 1st time since January

As Spring is now fast approaching, I thought I would give an account of birds at my feed station throughout the winter. My garden is in Blacley Nortn Manchester. It is on a housing estate abot half a mile from Blackley Forrest and Blackley Crem.

I think the first thing I would say is how important it is to have a variety of feeders offering different fare, as this makes a huge difference to the variety of birds that regularly visit. On the bird table and on a small area of patio I use a mix of bread/biscuit and cake crumbs, mixed with raisens, grated cheese, finely chopped nuts, mixed seeds and occasional dried mealworms. I have a fat ball hanger: thistle seed hanger, black sunflower seed hanger and peanut hanger.

Throughout the winter I had the following visitors to the feed area as follows:

House sparrows: an argumentative resident poulation of about 15 birds who nest all year round in the eves of the house. They mainly use the table, the peanut hangers and fat balls.

Dunnocks: one or occasionally two, invariably on the ground under the table.

Robins: Usually one or two. On January 28th however there were five variously feeding
and fighting.

Wrens: resident in the garden, but a rare visitor to the feed area, mainly on the ground.

Blue Tits: habitual visitors, seven feeding together on the 20th December. Mainly attracted to the fat balls. table and peanuts.

Coal Tits: pair visit daily concentrating on the sunflower seeds but also regular feeders on the table.

Great tits: regular daily visitors, like the Coal Tits concentrate on the sun flower seeds but also table visitors.

Long-Tailed Tits, for many years rare visitors mainly in flocks in late summer. However, over the past few years increasingly regular. Have other people noticed a big increase in the number of Lng-tailed tits in gardens and when out and about? Anyhow, for the first time in about ten years a pair visit several times a day, and have been doing since second week of January occasionally joined by other birds. They love the fat balls and the table, especially the grated cheese.

Chaffinches: strangely, they are rarely seen in in the garden. However a male and female came daily during December and January, manily feeding on the ground.

Goldfinches: often seen from a distance but not at the bird table. I was therefore delighted when on 18th Feb, a pair found the thistle seed hanger. Every day since they have visited this hanger four and five times a day.

Blackbirds: resident male and two or three females seen daily up until Christmas, but strangely absent since. Mainly feeding on the ground.

Song Thrushes: used to see them a lot, but like earlier correspondent rare visitors these days. Only saw song thrushes on five days in the winter. Table and ground.

Mistle Thrush: one came down on Christmas day. That was it!

Starlings: half a dozen garrulous birds wait for me to put things on the table then it is a monkeys tea-party. If they do not like something, they dont leave it but toss it off the table. Fantastically beautiful birds though that sparkle on a sunny winter day.

Magpies: ubiquitous horrors! Very wary though and so only ever make quick raids, raking up as much cheese as they can from the table and then scarpering,

Jays: very rare visitor to the table, seen on only two occasions.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker: a single bird visited for about a week in February.

Female Sparrow Hawk: seen on three occasions. Photographed near the table after a failed attack on December 15th.

Collared Doves: a pair down nearly evert day, feeding on table.

Woodpigeon: single bird, occasional pair infrequent visitors to the table,

Feral pigeon: thankfully only one or two, visiting infrequently.

Female Tawny Owl regular night time visitor to tree at back of garden

So twenty or so species a fairly modest total but I enjoyed regularly seeing the goldfinches and log-Talied Tits at close quarters.

Highlights, Greater Spotted Woodpecker,]Mistle Thrush, Sparrow-Hawk, Gold Finches and Long-Tailed Tits.

Disappointments: not a single Grrenfinch. Also about five years ago Siskins came down daily throughout the winter but have never vsiited since. Nuithatches have also occasionally visited but not this winter. I should also say I have seen Bullfinches and a Blackcaps nearby in Blackley Forrest during the winter, but they have never visited the garden on any occasion.

As I say, I think if you want to attract a variety of birds I think you need specialist feeders. Also it can be a bit expensive but its worth it.

Nuthatch and Long Tailed Tits on my fat balls this morning!!

Blue and Great Tits also present.Blackbirds - first I've seen in the garden for a while - Chaffinch, Dunnock, pair of Robins,pair of Wood Pigeon, Magpie.

Wren still nsst building. Blue Tits checking out my other boxes.


One thing I have noticed though even on this page is the total absence of Song Thrushes sitings everywhere.

When did you last see one - I can't remember the last time I saw one anywhere!!!

A pale individual will almost certainly be a female. Subtle ageing features visible in the field are old greater coverts tipped yellowish-white, whereas new adult greater coverts are tipped green or yellowish-green. Also the tail is a god place to look with juvs having pointed tips and adults having rounded tips. I do have recent photos yet to process, when i do will post them here.

cheers
jason