2 Goldcrest and Blackcap (m) in garden this morning.

Hi Ian

lol while I agree 100% I am more worried about the wife chasing it with a garden brush because its hurting her sparrows (You should hear her when she is watching an Attenborough production ).

More seriously ; there are a number of Sparrowhawks in the area (Although I am only just becomning adept at identifying them) so I get to see them regularly anyway. I was thinking of maybe repositioning the feeders slightly so they have some shelter from the bushes. Its taken a while to entice some the visitors I am currently getting and would hate to loose them. I was alittle puzzled yesterday when filling the feeders. The exposed one (Where the Sparrowhawk was seen) was still half full which is unusual. I am presuming (But its a big leap) that its due the the Sparrowhawk.

Cheers Dave

Davidcaron62 wrote:

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Any advice on what to do if it returns?

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Enjoy it ! There are 15 million (wintering) Blue Tits in the UK. There are only 40 thousand breeding pairs of Sparrowhawks in the UK. I know which I would rather see David

Heard at 5am today Tawny Owl Calvecroft rd Wythenshawe

There was a lot of activity in my Boarshaw garden this morning including a Great Spotted Woodpecker. A first for me .

Dave

-- Edited by Davidcaron62 on Saturday 19th of November 2011 05:08:50 PM

This really must be the "Season Of mists and mellow fruitfulness" around here because my feeders are really quiet at the moment apart from the odd tit !!

Had a peregrine fly over my house today in whitefield and then land on the top of a pylon by the M60

female Great Spotted Woodpecker having plenty stale birthday cake this morning by Skitters Wood, Ashton-in-Makerfield

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 5th of November 2011 12:02:41 PM

A Goldcrest in my garden this morning, rooting around the conifers at the back. Fifth year in a row I have one visit my garden now.(Cheadle Hulme)

1st time visitor to feeders today
Chaffinch

5 redwings over at 5 20 wythenshawe calvecroft

A strange garden first for me yesterday .. a juvenile pheasant !!
The said bird getting stalked through the shrubbery , by a neighbour's moggy. I shooed the cat away, only for the pheasant to take flight over the house behind our garden, heading for the heavily wooded area adjoining St.Mary's Way... virtually central Stockport !!!

Cheers Chris

The GS woodpecker was in my Heaton Mersey garden this afternoon, just as the local sparrowhawk flew in. The Hawk took a greenfinch from the feeder and spent 20 minutes eating it on the lawn. For all of this time the GSW was frozen with fear in the newly cut sparse tree hiding behind the main stump. Was amazing to watch. A magpie eventually turned up pecking and annoying the Hawk and it finally flew off, leaving the GSW to make its escape.

At 4:25 this afternoon whilst say outside working on rugby drills for training tomorrow, a magnificent female Goshawk drifted west, fairly low over my house in Astley.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've seen this and it undoubtably comes from the very well known falconer who lives about 400 yards or so west of me and flies a Goshawk . Still, a great bird and always nice to soak up those ID features

New garden bird for me, Kestrel!

A small sign of winter today as the usual flock that inhabits our estate during the shorter days was noted on a neighbour's larch feeding on the cones, viz c18 goldfinches and 4 or 5 siskins. A goldcrest was also in my garden for a while.

Middleton

Lots of long-tailed tit in the garden today. A first for me.

Dave

Good to see two Coal tits back in our garden after a bit of an absence.

1 oystercatcher high heading south/south westerly over my old trafford garden tonight at 8.10pm. also 16 house martin circling around having a feed & 6 swifts

The sparrowhawk may have been anting .

Sat in the mother inlaws living room watching Joey Barton falling to the floor from a slap from Grevinho whilst the family watched the Sparrowhawk fly into the hedge, take a sparrow then land on the lawn to consume it.
Apparently I should have been there!!!!!!

Thats 3 birds in the last three visits!

Lying in wait?

We had what was for us a strange happening in our Hale garden this morning. Mrs A looked out of the kitchen window and noticed a bird lying on our lawn - looking through the bins it turned out to be a young Sparrowhawk, still with some white in its plumage.

It was there for about 20 minutes looking quite perky - at first we thought it may have been injured - a possible window strike. We decided to take a closer look and as soon as we got within 20m of the bird it was away, obviously not injured. During the time it was on the lawn we didn't see any other birds visiting our feeders. So my questions - is this lying in wait a hunting technique of Sparrowhawks and has anyone else ever seen it?





-- Edited by sid ashton on Tuesday 9th of August 2011 02:31:01 PM

An oystercatcher flew over my house, calling, last night

Tawny Owl in trees at bottom of garden at 03.15 this morning, calling for about 10 mins before flying away through woods.

A lot of calling Nuthatches throughout the last week with many making visits to the seed feeders.

Bullfinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches and the occasional Chaffinch also visiting feeders along with the usual Blue and Great Tits.

A pair of Collared Doves, 5 Dunnocks and 4 Blackbirds are regular visitors to the garden to pick up the seeds dropped from the feeders.

Rick.

-- Edited by Rick Donkin on Friday 5th of August 2011 07:26:19 PM