Thanks Ian for puting the initial posts on. This is the first chance I've had to get onto the computer since yesterday evening. Having spent nearly 6 hours stuck in a car yesterday travelling back from London, it was a relief to finally get back to Rochdale. Dropped my better half and mother-in-law off at Morrisons and headed for Kingsway, not expecting that I was about to have one of the best evening's yet there.
At 17:15 hrs I heard Whimbrel calling and struggled at first to locate them above the noise of the traffic. Finally picked up nine birds flying in a straight line just above the treetops along Stanney Brook. Got onto them with the scope and followed them as they gained height, heading north-east until lost to view against the hills. These birds may well have been down on the pools near the canal which are not visible from the middle roundabout.
At about 17:45 hrs I picked up the Little Stint feeding close to a Ringed Plover. The size difference was striking, the Stint being only about half the size of the RP. It was slowly moving about with a shuffling gait, jerking its head as it fed. I was then faced with a dilemma. Do I leave my better half and mother-in-law stranded at Morrisons and wait while the local birders arrive or set off and hope the bird hangs around? I chose the latter course of action
When I got back to Kingsway at 18:30 hrs thankfully the bird was still there as were Alan Nuttall, Bill Myerscough, and Dave Ousey, who confirmed the ID. Shortly afterwards Mark Rigby, Steve Collins and Dave Bebbington arrived. Everyone agreed that the bird was a Little Stint. We left at just after 7 p.m. as a large black cloud appeared, to be followed by thunder and torrential rain.
The Sanderling seen later by Simon may have been brought down by the rain. The bird we were watching was very sluggish and was certainly not running around at high speed.
I'll email a rarity form to you Ian over the weekend. Would the other people who were watching the Stint please also submit a rarity form to Ian.

Thanks

Steve

Theres a 5:30 in the morning?

Dave

Yes thanks Steve a great find.
It really would have hurt to miss 2 county ticks in consecutive days! All dried off now- couldn't drive off John leaving you looking for a dot on the mud flats in the rain!
Steve

And my thanks to Steve for getting out of his car for a second soaking to help me locate the bird which, as Sue says, was running all over the place and also making short flights - hard to keep up with.

Cheers, John

Nice find mr.atkins. Glad to see it stayed long enough for mr.collins to connect with it. A cracking little bird

May 15th.

A pair of Greylag Geese on the mudflats were a surprise - probably as genuinely "wild birds" as you are likely to get with this species?

2 Grey Partridge were also unexpected - rather worryingly the first time I have seen this species anywhere this year! I have yet to see any at Piethorne in 2009

50+ Swallows and a handful of Sand Martins foraging low over the water bodies in the wet weather conditions.

Also 1 Dunlin.

Cheers,

Bill.

All you two-headed hill dwellers, please read the new 'Breeding birds on this forum' post at the top of this forum.

Cheers

1 Dunlin, 1 Redshank and 0 Sociable Plover on Fenn's Pond this afternoon - Bill informs me that this is the official name for the half empty puddle at Stanney Brook

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

After playing rugby against Littleborough today we drove past this site. I never realized where it was but the Kingsway signs on the fences gave it away! Despite it's apparent lack of water I was very impressed, obviously a car full of rugby lads were never going to stop for me ( they think I'm daft enough already being a birder!) but I can clearly see what the fuss is about. What a great little site, due a biggy so long as it doesn't dry out

---

Ian,

Biggy? - don't you mean biggies??! You mean you drove straight past and you somehow managed to miss that flock of 43 Sociable Lapwings that had been basking on the mud flats for much of the day! They had been waiting patiently for someone other than myself to spot them and to claim their rightful place in Manchester birding history. In an act of utmost generosity I had decided not to report them - praying that someone else, hopefully an eligible 2009 tournamenteer would come across them and claim the glory and the 10 gazillion points on offer.

You do realise that just so you could get a couple of pints down your neck and the chance to sing a few bawdy rugby songs you missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. No "sensible" birder would drive straight past! - I can only assume you had taken leave of your senses from the mild concussion that you had got from far too much rucking and mauling. Looks like I'll have to try and complete the rarity report form myself now!

Cheers,

Bill

thanks for the txt steve.

i had called around midday and had been watching a flock of mipits in the exact same pool so am certain they weren't there before the rain.

there was a single wheatear on the flats lunchtime.

on the second visit a female sparrowhawk almost took a starling just next the roundabout - it put almost every bird in the area in the air including a flock of 40+ mipits.

a very soggy but thoroughly enjoyable afternoon's birding, cheers, bill!

-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Friday 10th of April 2009 04:34:34 PM

quick look in on the way home.
3 r plover
3 lrp

2 skylark singing

15.00-15.30 5/4/09
6 Little Ringed
3 Ringed plover today spread about.
1 redshank on the pool nearest the motorway junction
20+ meadow pipits
4 Pied wags
12 Lapwing

Pete

28th March - am.


1 Curlew, 1 Redshank, c60 Fieldfare, c35 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Grey Heron over and several displaying Lapwing. 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls - the only gulls present!

Had a walk along the Rochdale Canal which borders the north-western edge of the business park. The Canada Goose (which Brandon Mulhern reported on the forum on 21/3) with the crossbow arrow through its upper back was on the canal here - rang the RSPCA to report its plight and its location. Also in this area 8 Feral Pigeons were observed sat on nests, with the begging sound of a nestling heard. A proven breeding record for Feral Pigeon for SD91B (Newbold) for the BTO 2007 -2011 Atlas project! - don't laugh! - they all count!!

Keep atlasing!

Cheers,

Bill.


-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Saturday 28th of March 2009 01:10:11 PM

sunday 3.00 til 3.30pm

4 ringed plover

1 redshank

2 teal

20+ pied wagtails

lots of wood pigeon

30 or so lapwing

1 skylark singing

1 linnet 1 heron over

plus usual magpies and crows

Sunday am
Skylark 7+ good close up views
Reed bunting 1

Thursday 12 March. A raven repeatedly attacked and spooked the gulls in the late morning.

Witty reply prevented by malfunction of emoticons!

Steve

PS: I'll try to be on duty at the passport control next time you try to cross the border into Saddleworth!

Very good Bill - though why is there something that looks like a toilet next to the word Yorkshire?

Steve

7th March.

A Grey Wagtail was the only slightly unusual sighting today.

Bill.

went on sat night to see the owl but nothing again except 1 stonechat and a pheasant

Peter Stevens, Steve Collins, Simon Hitchen and Myself managed to catch up with the waders - also Pete and myself did see 3 pheasants flying.

Still remains Rochdale's best site?

Dave

22nd February.

Mid morning.

1 Mute Swan on the pond, a "flock" of 5 Pheasant!, 4 Mistle Thrush and 5 Skylark. A good selection of loafing gulls present on the mud flats - before some half-wit on a scrambling bike decided to disturb them all! - included c90 Common Gull, c20 LBB Gull, 1 GBB Gull and c5 Herring Gull.

2.45 pm - 1 Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin. Nice to meet Stuart Herring and to be able to share the sighting of these two small waders.

Cheers,

Bill.

19th February.

Mid-morning - amongst the large flock of c240 ground-roosting Lapwing - 2 Golden Plover and 3 Snipe.

A spring passage "wish list" for this site?
- Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank - oh and not forgetting a Ruff!!

Cheers,

Bill.

The Short-eared Owl was standing on a fence post in the usual field at 16:55 hrs today. It took flight, dropped to the ground and began feeding on something. The light was too poor to see what the prey was. It was still on the ground when I left just after 5pm. I was pleasantly surprised to see it's still about, as yesterday afternoon there were 3 off-road motorbikes and 2 quad bikes driving around the field. Also the construction work has encroached onto the edge of the field. It looks as if they are building yet another road!