Over the last couple of weeks I've had a couple of sightings of what I thought may of been a hobby. This morning 100% sighting of a hobby over my flixton garden, it circled several times then stooped down over towards Irlam. A whitethroat continues to sing in the fields beyond my neighbours houses, I walked around to see it last week & it actually flew into the gardens behind my bungalow, but not seen in my garden, yet ! Kestrel seen on a few more occasions now. Sparrowhawk over this morning. Oddly I haven't seen any buzzards recently, normally see them every day.
There was 9 ravens over my flixton garden this morning, circling & cronking for at least 5 minutes before 7 gained height & headed over the ship canal into irlam. The other 2 went low & out of view. A new bird for my garden on Friday was a female chaffinch.
1 Ring-necked Parakeet over my Irlam garden this morning. After hearing one last weekend, this is the first sighting for me in Irlam even though they have been regular just over the other side of the Ship Canal for a few years.
Oystercatcher heading Northwest at c6.30 this evening was a rare sight over my Tyldesley garden. 2 Common tern heading in the same direction a few minutes later being much more regular in recent years.
I've been away for a week to Dungeness but on my return (Monday 5 pm) my Stretford backyard feeders were completely empty with not a bird anywhere around. Having filled them only 2 Goldfinch showed up then went. The next day just a few feral pigeons and a Dunnock, I hope the word gets around where the food is. My neighbour Sue has been keeping an eye out for the breeding Blue tits but they've completely disappeared ( no fledgelings ... nothing). The pair of Blackbirds (collecting worms)have had at least 2 of their brood taken by local cats (Sue's son). Things can only get better... I hope .
Bury . Male , adult great spotted woodpecker just now feeding sunflower hearts and fatball to what must be the younger chick , on the tree , by the feeders . The older bird has been feeding itself for a couple of days . Great excitement and joy !
Bury . Bullfinch , greenfinch , goldfinch and one great spotted woodpecker chicks on the feeders . Pair of house sparrows taking fat ball morsels elsewhere ; i i wish they would nest here .
Four adult Starlings 'anting' in my Astley garden this early evening, interesting to watch then frantically grabbing the ants and placing then under their wings.
A Common Tern over the garden this afternoon heading north east ,presumably back towards Blackleach country park.Also 5 Greylag Geese flew over.>I've filled up 3 fatball feeders because of this cool weather and have been rewarded by a constant stream of birds visiting them,mainly Blue and Great Tits including good numbers of young birds. Also several Coal Tits and young,male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker,Blackbird,Robin and a few visits from a Jay. Unfortunately both Magpie and Jackdaw have also discovered them and take a lot of them. Wondering if this cool weather has badly affected their food supply and that's why we're getting so many birds on them??
-- Edited by pete berry on Friday 14th of June 2024 02:30:43 PM
A male kestrel flew over on Friday, seen often though in the field between me & the ship canal. Stock dove feeding on the lawn with pigeons, woodpigeons & collared doves was nice to see. Other birds around... Lots of juvenile starlings 30+ at one point recently. Lots of house sparrows 4 collared doves 2 greenfinch 4 adult goldfinch is the most I have seen so far, but 4 juveniles were seen yesterday. 3 juvenile magpies fledged from the nest in next doors garden & are already very confident & taking over. Chiffchaff & whitethroat have recently been heard only over near the ship canal.
Still not many Goldfinch seen on and around my Stretford backyard feeders lately with the largest single count being 18 but a couple of visits from 2 Greenfinch,Dunnock 1 and now regular visits from a male Blackbird collecting worms from my raised backyard garden bed and also 2 Blue-tit collecting food and taking it to a nest under the gutter of a house two doors down ( acess through a hole between two broken bricks).
It has been a great week for new raptors. Red Kite on sunday and today Hobby flying from Cutacre across to the Hulton estate. Too quick to get my camera this time
31 swifts whizzed low over my flixton garden in 10 mins going in a westerly direction this morning, amongst them I got a new garden tick with 2 house martins.
Not many birds lately on my Stretford backyard feeders but there has been occasional visits from Great tit , Blue- tit and the usual Goldfinches - best count being 18 but usually around 6 . Today the first (for me) young Goldfinch arrived on the telephone wires above the feeders but it was gone before I could see it feeding/ being fed.
Bury . Ten days ago , songthrush making nest in the bushes . Now Mr. Songthrush singing his heart out . Hurrah ! Goldfinch often hovers above the dandelion clocks to take seeds , despite sunflower hearts readily available . One swallow seen , one swift ; their nesting places gradually disappearing . Wren feeding chicks . Four newly-fledged starlings being fed fat balls . One greenfinch returned four days ago .
Hardly any birds visiting my Stretford backyard feeders in the last few weeks except for a few Goldfinch,a pair of Blue-Tit and sometimes a Great Tit. This morning around 6am there were 5 Goldfinch and a single Blue -tit. One of the Goldfinch was sat crouched on the phone wires above the feeders and when flew onto the feeders I could see it couldn't stand and both it's feet were enlarged,pale and swollen . I wonder if this is Fringilla Papillomavirus which affects finches legs and feet. The bird was still able to feed although not very agile on the perch.
-- Edited by phillipskelly on Thursday 16th of May 2024 12:34:20 PM
-- Edited by phillipskelly on Thursday 16th of May 2024 12:38:04 PM
A Peregrine over back garden just now,drifted off west.
Also a Common Tern over the garden heading ne in direction of Blackleach Country Park where they breed,probably fishing on the canal,few Swifts over as well.
-- Edited by pete berry on Wednesday 15th of May 2024 11:26:48 AM
Hazel Grove garden tick today. My attention was drawn to a noisy cronking Raven which ended up mobbing a distant circling raptor. Rushed in for binocs and found it was mobbing a Red Kite.
Bury . Chiffchaff and blackcap singing , seen . Two , male mallard have taken residence and march around the area . Just now can see song thrush gathering nest material. Joy !
Came home today to find the sad sight of the roof of one of my nest boxes in my garden partially ripped off that had Great Tits nesting in it for the first time. 3 small eggs still inside. Presumably done by a squirrel.
Another 2 new birds over my flixton garden today, 2 swifts whizzing around but soon disappeared & a great black-backed gull. Also over throughout the day... 12 sand Martins 1 Swallow 1 sparrowhawk 1 buzzard And a distant blackcap heard singing over towards the ship canal, surprised its the first one I've heard though.
A lovely lesser redpoll spent a lot of time in my flixton garden this morning, wasn't too bothered by me doing some gardening even when I was about 3ft away from my feeders at one point. Occasionally it flew to the top of the trees in next doors garden & did some singing & back down again to feed.
Whilst sat in my flixton garden this evening after work, what sounded very much like a water rail going over at 10.48pm, very noisy as well, At 11.02pm oystercatcher over then at 11.29pm whimbrel over.