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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> GREATER MANCHESTER BIRD SIGHTINGS -> County garden birds
Post Info TOPIC: County garden birds
Richard Thew


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RE: County garden birds
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After getting very close encounters of blue tits and a great tit on my hand in my Radcliffe garden this spring, I have been stunned asto how a coal tit landed also within a few feet from me these last few days, also bringing 3 youngsters with it!

I am now also getting 2 bullfinches regularly and this morning I had 2 males and a female along with the calling of a few youngsters in our trees too!!!
But, getting any pictures is very difficult as ...

1. They won't stay still long enough
2. Very poor lighting (mostly due to the weather)
3. Their visits are usually short lived and
4. They arrive unexpectedly.

This has been a bumper season for our local sparrows too!

Ta!

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phillipskelly


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At 10am this morning on and around my Stretford Backyard feeders were 15 finches.
Greenfinch - 1.
Goldfinch - 14 .
After the 15 flew off 4 youngsters arrived and eventually got the hang of using the feeders after watching the adults.
You can always tell the brand new youngsters fro older ones by how small the head is,which in turn makes the eyes look big. Also the time taken to pull a Sunflower heart out,turn it right way round and break it with with their (probably) soft beak compared with older youngsters who take no time at all, which have been coming to the feeders daily in 1's,2's and 3's.

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David Pierce


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Lots of young birds feeding this week in Marple - mainly tits - but today's highlight was a great spotted woodpecker going to the peanuts, fat balls and sunflower hearts and then flying into a nearby tree to feed its young. Unfortunately they moved deeper into the trees before I could photograph them



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Steven Nelson


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Whilst in my garden at 11.30 this morning I was alerted to a unusual call overhead. Looked up and a Hobby was circling above. It stayed circling for a couple of minutes, occasionally calling. It drifted SE and then went into a steep dive and lost to view. 2nd record for my Irlam garden.

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phillipskelly


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While splitting logs for next winter in my Stretford backyard yesterday afternoon, Goldfinch in small groups 4,5 and 6's kept turning up on the BT wires above the feeders causing me to stop.
They also brought along 2 young, 1 of which finally got the hang of using the feeders after a short while.
The highest total turning up was 9 and the last 3 to leave was at 8:45 pm.
Other birds about :-
Pigeon - 4.
Magpie. - 2.
Sparrowhawk - 1 over, being mobbed by a single brave
House Martin.

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PHIL GREENWOOD


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A first for me with a Mistle Thrush in my Flxton garden.

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Phil Greenwood
phillipskelly


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On my Stretford backyard feeders at 7:30am.

Goldfinch - 11 adults and 1 youngster being fed above the feeders on the telephone wires.
It's the first young one seen this spring since removing the street tree feeders.
Plus
Feral pigeon - 3 hoovering up.
Magpie - 1 causing a bit of mayhem.

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Richard Thew


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Good news and not so good news!

The dunnocks and robins have fledged successfully, and during February - The Robins kept their distance from me and as expected, are now happy to take food from my hand as well as..... a great tit.
The blackbirds are a bit of a bitter sweet story.
This all started last week with a magpie that intended to raid the nest of the blackbirds - by which time they weren't far off from fledging. 2 years ago we lost a nest due to the magpie, but this time I managed to chase the magpie away. Unknowingly at this point, the nest was exposed and both fledglings jumped out! This might have saved their lives because the magpie would have only seen an empty nest now. After making sure both fledglings were safe, I'm happy to announce one week on that both are doing really well and one of the youngsters landed feet from me as the parents fed it!

I've not had any further luck in getting that male greenfinches ring number, the best I can do is (top lettters) LON (Bottom letters) TZ2??30
The only thing I know at this point is it isn't a locally ringed bird - which has been esp. why I've now been more keen to find out where it was ringed!

Ta!

-- Edited by Richard Thew on Wednesday 15th of May 2019 08:46:26 PM

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fredford


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Bury. Where are the chiffchaffs? Most of usual migrants heard, some seen. Not one chiffchaff,either in garden or surrounding areas. Two pairs swifts over, yesterday.

 



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Steven Nelson


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5 Swifts screeching over my Irlam garden this evening.

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fredford


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Mallard drake eating seeds on my Bury lawn. Along comes the nesting carrion crow to help himself. Mallard not having that and threatens with open beak and lowered head. Crow backs off but persists,despite ducks threats. Eventually he has some seed but is kept under supervision by drake.

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steven burke


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I had 8 common buzzards all together drifting over my old trafford garden this morning at 11am heading south.

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Steven Nelson


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A bit of a Buzzard migration over my Irlam garden this afternoon. 6 birds overall including a loose group of 5 birds together then followed by a single bird a few mins later all heading east.

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Steven Nelson


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Further drama from my Irlam garden this afternoon when I was alerted to lots of squawking. 2 Magpies had caught what I think was a newly fledged Blackbird in a tree and were fighting over it. After a couple of minutes the struggle was over with both Magpies flying off with their own separate bits of the bird. Nature at its rawest.

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Steven Nelson


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A pair of Sparrowhawks circling above my Irlam garden this afternoon.

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Richard Thew


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Im only posting because I have in my Radcliffe garden, one of my regular greenfinches has a small metal ring on.

This is the first time I've seen any ringed bird in my garden so I'm quite intrigued by this..I may attempt to get a better picture of his feet to see if I can get the ring number and hopefully, the date it was ringed!!

I strongly suspect this Greenfinch was ringed at the Elton feeders since I regularly get birds from there as proven in the past. It would also prove the wider area birds will roam to find food during the breeding season.

Ta!

-- Edited by Richard Thew on Thursday 18th of April 2019 02:46:43 PM



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paul shaw


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1 pair of Siskin visiting the feeders in my Bredbury garden, now seen 2 days running.

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Richard Thew


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A willow warbler was singing in my Radcliffe garden this morning, quite rare to see these in my neighbourhood. Also blackbirds, robins and dunnocks are currently nesting.ta!

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Andy Bissitt


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A real surprise today was the return of brambling, not seen since March 22nd, on the solitary feeder I have still standing.



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Carl Fletcher-Poole


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Been away to Dom Rep for 10 days so wasn't expecting much in my garden as not been able to fill the feeders.........how wrong I was. Filled them up yesterday, just had 1 hour and still have 3 lesser redpolls, 2 siskins and the male Brambling (see picture) is still here but no sign of the female so assume she's headed North. Pair of Bullfinches and a nuthatch.

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Tony Koziol


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After a week of no blackcap observations it probably safe to assume they have moved on to a suitable breeding area, there is a very good looking railway embankment full of bramble not too far away hopefully they have moved there.

Other usuals still visiting with a pair of long tailed tits being very active, up to thirty house sparrows  also very active in our Stockport garden



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Keith Williams


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Pennington: Pair of Siskin in the garden early evening yesterday

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Barry Corless


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Shenanigans in my Norden garden last night just after dusk

The Magpies in the nest at the bottom of the garden were alarm calling and sounding quite perturbed. Then I twice hear the call of a Tawny Owl in the same area before seeing the Owl fly out and perch on a nearby TV aerial before moving off. A proper garden lifer

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Keith Mills


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Coal Tit singing for some time on our Larch tree this am.



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pete berry


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5 Buzzards together thermalling over back garden this afty

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Peter Nolan Woolley


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Common Buzzard circling over our Openshaw garden at 1:35.



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steven burke


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1 Common buzzard & 1 sparrowhawk circling close to each other over my old trafford garden around 5.30 pm.


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Tony Koziol


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Pair of Blackcap still showing in our Stockport garden early in the week feeding on mealworms. 

This morning at 06.50 I thought I had seen a second male on the ground whilst another male was on the feeder but it all happened so fast I could not be sure. Work then beckoned!

On my return after topping up all the feeders and then sitting with bins at the ready I was able to confirm two males at around 14.00. The original bird was neater and fed for fifteen to thirty seconds on the feeder whilst the new bird a little untidy, would fly in take one mealworm and fly off.

Interestingly the female has not been observed at all today.



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Carl Fletcher-Poole


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Looked out of the window this morning and spat out my cornflakes. First time I have seen them visit my Boothstown garden. 1 male and 1 female Brambling.........oh what a day. Pictures attached.

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pete berry


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3 Oystercatchers over back garden this afternoon

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steven burke


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Female blackcap feeding on the fatballs in my old trafford garden this morning.

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steven burke


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A peregrine falcon over my old trafford garden at 9.30 am fairly low & possibly a male, circling & gaining height & drifted off east.
2 jackdaws on my fat ball feeders.

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fredford


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Bury garden. Two pairs bullfinch, at least one nuthatch,gender unknown, lesser redpolls,coal tits, great tits are usual visitors. First time today, a single male brambling on sunflower hearts. Two days ago the resident sparrowhawk took a collared dove.
It would be interesting if,when submitting a report, you state the location of your garden.


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Tony Koziol


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Finally after nearly three months alone the male Blackcap has a female friend, she was observed at around 14.00 today. By the way she was familiar with the mealworm feeder we suspect she may have been around for a couple of days.

Other noteworthy visitors that continue to show are a single Nuthatch and a couple of Goldfinch along with our "usuals" 



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Stephen Fuentes


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A Peregrine flew low over my back garden in Bredbury yesterday evening.

A nice garden tick !!

Steve.



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Andy Bissitt


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No brambling for first time in 9 days, but first siskin for a while. Probably more than 4 redpoll, but hard to view at the same time. One is a cracker, with most of chest/breast red. Also 2 greenfinches.



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peteholmes


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Ringnecked parakeet in my garden in Rosehill, Marple on my feeders. First time for garden

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Tony Coatsworth


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Blackcap singing in my garden this morning (Withington). First of the year



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Andy Bissitt


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The 'loner' male brambling had his turn today, at the same time as four redpolls visited. Maybe he prefers them to chaffinches!



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Andy Bissitt


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Female brambling still visiting with her chaffinch chums. The male was also seen yesterday. Otherwise, first redpoll for a while today and nuthatch made one of its rare visits this Winter.



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paul shaw


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A Chiffchaff was calling this morning just behind my Bredbury garden and a Great spotted woodpecker could be heard drumming at the same time.

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Keith Mills


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Long-tailed Tits are regulars at present on the suet

pellets. Nice to see Coal Tit back this am.



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Mike Chorley


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Around 4 p.m. in the area around the flats a male Blackbird put on an interesting display to something in one of the low bushes. Initially calling from on top of the bush it then flew down and did a series of short runs with the body held very horizontal (but without the usual drooped wings) coming to a very upright stop like a Wheatear. Then drooped wings its' wings and repeated the runs, before turning towards a ground level opening in the bush, going back to the upright posture with tail fully fanned and advancing slowly into the vegetation. All the while uttering a series of chirps, wheezes and croaks like the noises between a Nightingale's bursts of song. I don't remember seeing a display like this before. Courtship, I'm assuming.

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Andy Bissitt


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Both male and female brambling seen on separate occasions today. Seeing a fully-grown juvenile woodpigeon spoke of the easy Winter we have just had.



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Keith Mills


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Despite he weather, we have a Song Thrush

singing from the top of our Larch.

This a repeat of last Sunday too.



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Andy Bissitt


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As no brambling reported yet today, I'll report mine which has been seen for the past 3 days, even using one of the feeders for the first time. Three greenfinches today were only other non-regulars.



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Tony Koziol


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The male blackcap continues to visit the garden mealworm feeder on a regular basis.  Now going into it's ninth week. Other regulars still being house sparrows although numbers have dropped to around 20/25 - usually more male birds.  Blackbirds numbering on average 6 birds.

Long tailed tit, blue tit, great tit and coal tit are daily visitors with the longies now just turning up in pairs rather than a little flock of a dozen or so several weeks ago.  

A pair of chaffinch visited briefly for about a week - a little bit of a rarity for the garden.  Goldfinch turned up on the sunflower feeders - maximum of 3 birds which was nice to witness as they generally visit neighbour,s gardens rather than ours.  Another welcome visitor was a lone nuthatch that was around for a couple of days during the end of February.  



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steven burke


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Female blackcap in my old trafford garden this morning.
40+ goldfinch
2 great tits
2 blue tits
1 coal tit
1 starling

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Andy Bissitt


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One, possibly two bramblings around lunch time, and a couple of redpoll were back.



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Andy Bissitt


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Return of a brambling (not the one seen on the 1st of the month) today, but no redpoll for the first time in a while. Strange on a day like today was.



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