Rose-ringed Parakeet 32 left the pre-roost by the training ground with the Amazon at 3.50pm Magpies 193 counted into the roost up to 4.25pm then there was a fight and a break-out of over 50
Canada Goose 62 (including at least 5 metal ringed individuals, one of which I managed to read and have submitted to EURING) Egyptian Goose 1 (Again close ringed, read and submitted to EURING)
Probably find that both were ringed in Platt Fields Park
The Egyptian Goose was certainly ringed there John, by Steve Christmas if I remember correctly
I tried my luck searching for a large Ring-necket Parakeet flock but no luck.
Of interest:
A Sparrowhawk made a couple of passes at the Feral Pigeon flock, which numbered about 110. Cormorant 11 Grey Heron 2 Tufted Duck 5 Great-crested Grebe 1 Mute Swan 5 (2 ads, 3 juvs. 1 adult - Blue Darvic HJ4)
Canada Goose 62 (including at least 5 metal ringed individuals, one of which I managed to read and have submitted to EURING) Egyptian Goose 1 (Again close ringed, read and submitted to EURING)
Probably find that both were ringed in Platt Fields Park
The Moorhen chicks are now back up to 3, they're difficult to see under the overhanging branches. 2 Greylag Geese were an addition to the usuals yesterday. The mute Swan pair raised 3 cygnets last year, not 5 as previously stated (must check notes in future). There are now 2 Terrapins on the Grebes' old nest
The Great Crested Grebes now have 2 chicks, swimming around when not hitching a ride on the adult's back. Moorhen chicks down to 1 unfortunately. Mute Swan cygnets down to 4, although they're pretty large and healthy looking now. That mysterious group, 'the ringers', have been busy here. A few of the young Coots are now sporting very handsome looking Darvic-type rings; white with black lettering. The now vacated Grebe's nest was occupied this afternoon by a large Terrapin.
Platt Fields is my local park and I've given the lake a few visits over the Bank Holliday weekend. There seems to have been a bit of a breeding frenzy since I was last here a few weeks ago.
The juvenile Herons have moved out of the nest and can be found mooching around the edge of the island like surly teenagers. Mute Swans, HI4 & HJ4 have 5 out of 5 cygnets still going strong (this same pair successfully raised 5 last year also). The Moorhen pair have 3 small chicks and the tallest nest I've ever seen, it's about 2ft high and constructed from twigs and crisp packets...fantastic. The Great Crested Grebes are still on the nest. However the prize for breeding, above and beyond the call of duty, must go to the Coots! These often overlooked birds have managed to produce 22 chicks so far this year. Alright, there's more than 1 pair, but hey, that's still good going on what is a relatively small boating lake.
I notice that in keeping that with several other local water bodies that floating island/rafts have been put on the lake presumably to act as refuges for fish from foraging Cormorants.
Bill, I think you'll find the floating islands were put there to accommodate the huge numbers of Common Terns we have nesting here every Summer; a hitherto well kept secret.
2 Ring-necked Parakeet - what looked to be a female seen. One bird appeared to indulge in what might possibly have been a circular, undulating display flight? - not sure if they are recorded as doing this?
Also a Mistle Thrush living up to its name of stormcock by singing loudly in the teeth of a strong wind.
On the playing fields, before the dog-walkers seriously got going, there was a mixed flock of foraging gulls - c200 Black-headed and c30 Common.
5 Cormorant. I notice that in keeping that with several other local water bodies that floating island/rafts have been put on the lake presumably to act as refuges for fish from foraging Cormorants. Well it hasn't taken the birds long to work that one out, as 3 were foraging around and under a small raft! Maybe the rafts/islands need to be much bigger?
Also 2 Grey Heron, 1 Egyptian Goose and c50 Feral Pigeon.
Haha, yeah it's a giant spot light with a bat on it!
A bat detector (by that I mean heterodyne detector) allows you to hear the social calls and the echo location 'clicks' of bats as they fly over. you can then (just about) identify the bat on the combination of the calls and the GISS.
Of interest: 8 Ring-necked Parakeets 1 Amazon 15 Tufted Ducks 1 Egyptian Goose 8 Cormorants - I wonder if thats a record for here? 2 Herons + all the other usuals
1 Grey Heron 1 Egyptian Goose 1 Muscovy Duck 20+ Canada Geese 12 Tufted Duck 6 Coot 4 Moorhen male Sparrowhawk small groups of Redwing 10 birds in total
One last count of the Magpie roost for 2010 yesterday evening only netted 118 on the island before a mass gang fight broke out and about 40 birds flew off in various directions. Heavy fog thickening over the ice
Popped in to the park myself on passing through to south Manchester, but couldn't find the Egyptian Goose, must have been hiding on the island somewhere (any hints on where it normally rests??). Lots of Tufties though and very approachable (16 in all), plus 4 Herons, a Muscovoy Duck and the usual CG, MA, MH, and COs.
Lots of titmice knocking about too, but nothing unusual with them.
Route back to north Manchester via as many berry trees and bushes as I could, but not a Waxwing in sight .
Shoveler - 2 (m+f; m very brightly coloured) Tufted duck - 12 Cormorant - 5 (How does a small lake support 5 sometimes 7 of them?) Mallard - 14 Coot - 16 Moorhen - 4 Canada goose - 45 (32 flew in with 1 Canada/Embden hybrid) Embden goose - 7 Hybrid goose - 5 BH gull - 30 Ring-necked parakeet - 1 (on the island )
Really glad that you saw a Parakeet. They were being very vocal when they came to feed later on in the afternoon an they seem to be hanging out in bigger groups too, so where there is one, there may well be another ten of its pals. I'm glad you like them too.
At last!.....on my umpteenth visit to a south Manchester park, my first ever sighting of a Ring-necked Parakeet! Only a single bird but very vocal (and loud!) and visible and with such a distinctive in-flight profile! Terrific.
Also c70 Black-headed Gull, 4 Common Gull, c16 Tufted Duck, 4 Cormorant (plenty of jostling amongst them for the best drying out perches!), 3 Grey Heron, 1 immature Mute Swan, 7 Mistle Thrush, 2 Pied Wagtail and 1 Nuthatch. 7 Embden Geese and 1 Muscovy Duck.
Had pretty much the same as you today, Steve the hydra, with the addition of a couple of Chiffchaffs singing away. No sign of parakeets or gyppo goose in the half an hour I was there. Henry.
First time i've been to Platt Fields in a few weeks today (Fri 30th April), did a quick circuit of the lake - saw most of the usuals - Mallards, "manky" Mallards (the same 2 "outsize" pairs that are usually there), Canadas, Tufties, 1 Mute Swan, grey/white domestic geese, the Muscovy Duck (on the water this time, which was unusual - he's usually on land)... and one very small (around Teal size if not smaller), obviously exotic duck that i had no hope of identifying... mistook it for a Little Grebe at first, then thought it might be an early (and lost) Mallard duckling, but as it came closer to the bank it was obvious it wasn't anything native - it was mostly light brown, with distinctive white markings on its head and some dark green in the wing, a long bill for its size and a *very* distinctive loud call (something like a bike horn crossed with a baby crying!) - anyone know of any exotic small ducks currently roaming Manchester?
I got some reasonable photos, will upload them when my photo upload site isn't being glitchy like it is tonight...
Also at least 2 GC Grebes on the lake, at least 4 Swallows swooping around, and a Grey (or Yellow?) Wagtail on the island. No sign of the lone Egyptian Goose that was hanging around with a group of Canadas in February and March - perhaps this new exotic has replaced it? (No Goosanders or Pochards either, but i don't know if they're seasonal there...)
1 Sand Martin 1 Swallow 1 Little Grebe (been here over a week -- always see LGs on their ownsome here and elsewhere) Canadas (still fighting and courting) 10 Tufties Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Embdens 2 Mute Swans 1 Muscovy Duck
No Ring Neck Parakeets. Saw one here last week. The week before one male visited my garden (in Rusholme) every day to eat apples. Most seen this year by my wife on the allotments is only 3, whereas up to 7 were seen before the big freeze.
On the lake - 26 Tufted Duck and 10 Pochard (7 males). The rafts of Tufties were giving out that "nervous giggle" type of display call that they do - I have only ever heard it at around this time of year - rafts of this species were also doing it at Queens Park in Heywood and also at Springfield Park in Marland, Rochdale on 5th March.
2 Mute Swan, 1 Grey Heron, 7 Embden Geese and 1 Egyptian Goose were also present on/around the lake. Coots nest building.
In the park :- 2 pairs of Mistle Thrush, 2 singing Song Thrush, 2 singing Nuthatch and 2 birds also seen fighting, 1 Goldcrest calling, 2 Long-tailed tits carried nest material and 2 Greenfinch investigated a possible nest site.
c25 Redwing were singing away in the tops of some mature trees. I love to just stand underneath the trees and listen to and enjoy their song. Beautiful.
c140 Black-headed Gulls and 9 Common Gulls.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 7th of March 2010 01:37:22 PM
"Only" 83 Tufted Duck this morning but the Pochard count was up to 8 (5 males).
110+ Redwing foraging on the short grassland in the park. Later in the visit some were resting in the tall trees and giving a subdued version of the incessant communal chatter/song that I heard from Redwing flocks at this site and also at Alexandra Park in March '09. The song today was not as loud as that from March last year - I presume the volume of song might grow in strength as the birds approach their departure date? 2 Fieldfare amongst the Redwings. 2 Cormorants, a pair of Nuthatch and a single Goldcrest were also seen. 1 drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 singing Song Thrush and 1 singing Mistle Thrush.
1 Chaffinch - giving the first half of its song but not yet feeling able to end off with the final flourish!
There was a drowned fox floating towards the surface of the lake.
After seeing large numbers of Tufted Duck at Chorlton WP earlier in the morning I was very surprised to see large numbers here as well - c175 on the water and the flock also contained 5 Pochard (1m,4f). Also 3 Cormorants and 1 Grey Heron on the island. 7 Embden Geese and 1 Muscovy Duck.
On the short grassland around the lake was a mixed flock of thrushes, collecting plenty of earthworms - c80 Redwing, c35 Starling, 4 Fieldfare and 1 Mistle Thrush. In different parts of the park there were another 4 Mistle Thrush - 2 pairs. Also 3 Nuthatch - a pair, with a single bird in another part of the park. 7 Greenfinch and 8 Common Gulls also noted.