Following your postings, I have taken to watching Corrie with gusto (not) and also witnessed this wonderful display of the birds in the cemetry. Its really whetted my lips for the next time they visit the red rec. I too thought I heard Willow Warbler, but dismissed the idea seeing as we are in October - the producers would never have used a false background tape when there is clearly such a diversity of birdlife in the area.
The clue is in the area's name, Craig. "Wetherfield" is an area which experiences SDS - Seasonal Delay Syndrome. It's an uncommon climatic phenomenon, rather like temperarure inversion, but of longer duration though more limited in extent.
As a result of this process, seasonal effects are delayed by up to three months, causing asynchronous climatic events, such as antipodean style Christmases and over-extended breeding seasons. Though limited to a very small area of Manchester SDS is not unique to this area, also ocurring in, I believe, areas of Chester, rural Yorkshire and the East End of London
Spent some time in the churchyard this evening with good results: Nuthatch 1st for the wetherfield recording area Great Spotted Woodpecker probably Dave's from last week Willow Warbler Chiffchaff Goldcrest Song Thrush Blackbird Chaffinch Wren Carrion Crow
Dave i,m in the same boat as you,although i,ve never been there i,m quite content to know that it,s being well watched and if any 'biggies' turn up i,m sure ken will text ian mck pronto.
Following your postings, I have taken to watching Corrie with gusto (not) and also witnessed this wonderful display of the birds in the cemetry. Its really whetted my lips for the next time they visit the red rec. I too thought I heard Willow Warbler, but dismissed the idea seeing as we are in October - the producers would never have used a false background tape when there is clearly such a diversity of birdlife in the area.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
The darker evenings are upon us, but there was unexpected salvation tonight (I just happened to be in the room), when in the cemetery there was a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER calling, possibly Weatherfield's first record?? Could this be the same bird which Ian McKerchar saw in the city centre a few weeks ago Also heard was an unseasonal singing Song Thrush and Chaffinch. I was fairly sure a Willow Warbler sang. However, due to the date, unless that can be confirmed I won't be sending the record to the county recorder
For anybody wishing to twitch any of the above, Coronation Street returns in half an hour....
-- Edited by dave broome on Friday 16th of October 2009 08:31:12 PM
Just a quick post in support of all your wonderful Weatherfield musings! I always look forward to reading your Corrie briefings (far, far better than the actual programme itself!) - they always give me a really good laugh - keep up the good work .... come to think of it, the only thing that's letting you down is that you haven't stretched to Monday, Wednesday and Friday postings on this topic yet!!!
First time I've read this thread and for at least one nano second I was tempted to start watching Corrie, but then I came to my senses and decided I'd rather walk round pennington with a nail in mi shoe.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Being confined to the house this evening due to the awful conditions outside proved worthwhile, when Jack Duckworth made his first visit to his new woman's pad and unearthed a gem of a site for Weatherfield. In the garden there was singing Chaffinch, Blackbird and Woodpigeon. The Weatherfield site guide will have to be re-written, nice one Jack.....
There were loads of Herring Gulls calling on tonight's Corry - potentially an awesome Weatherfield record and certainly a record flock for 'the Street'. However, I only caught a couple of minutes of the programme and it appeared to be Formby Point. I don't know whether this was acknowledged in the storyline, or whether they were making out that the Red Rec not only has an extensive dune system, but also the sound of waves and a huge Herring Gull colony (dubbed sounds or otherwise).
I'm confused whether these Herring Gulls can be counted as a Weatherfield tick or not. Should this be in the 'Out-of-County' section of the Forum?? Formby Point, Weatherfield.....reality and fiction are getting confused......the walls are closing in......nurse!!
-- Edited by dave broome on Friday 3rd of July 2009 10:27:10 PM
-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 4th of July 2009 11:40:33 AM
Wren in song down by the canal at Worsley, sorry Weatherfield tonight, plus the Mute Swans still present. A pair of Mallards may be descendents of the ones that used to be on the Ogden's living room wall.
Curlews were still calling on Friday down by the canal (along with Great Tit and Carrion Crow). Good that they've stayed around in to April for the breeding atlas.....don't know whether Ken Barlow will have submitted these to the BTO web-site as Roving Records, as he was too busy inside Stephanie Beacham's barge (oo-err missus).
Tonight Norris was making plans to attempt the round the world year-listing record.
Sorry, but the evenings aren't quite light enough yet...
-- Edited by dave broome on Monday 6th of April 2009 08:12:41 PM
the canal must be at the bottom of rosamund st,bridgewater or rochdale take your pick,not that i watch corrie at all,if paul gets his van on telly 'again' will he be saving a peregrine or a blackredstart ?
Come on chaps. Do you really thing we have fell for this threads excuse to watch Coronation Street
Just get 'her in doors' told "
......I'm just waiting for the lighter evenings. Also, I, er, just happen to be, like, in the room when it is on. That's my excuse to which I will be sticking.
2 Mute Swans (real ones) and calling Curlew (dubious dubbed sounds) down at the canal where Ken Barlow is seeing his bit on the side. Don't know where this canal is, so do they count as Weatherfield ticks??
Good numbers of House Sparrows were audible from the Webster's back garden tonight (I was actually in our living room, not the Webster's back garden, you understand). Is anyone covering that tetrad for the wintering atlas??
All the other birds get eaten by the 2 fat cats sat on the wall in the title sequence
Unless it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that your claimed Feral Pigeon wasn't just one of Jack's homing pigeons then I doubt it would be classed as an acceptable record on your Weatherfield list.
Didn't Hilda Ogden used to have some ornamental ducks arranged in a line flying across here living room wall? - on her "muriel" (mural) as she called it!
Were they Mallards? Are we allowed to add them to the Weatherfield list? Did anyone else think one of them looked a little smaller than the others - possibly a Gadwall maybe. Has anyone investigated further? - no I thought not! Very sloppy birding if you ask me!
Many moons ago I was actually in an espisode of Cornation Street, as the credits went up at the beginning of the programme The white van bearing the RSPCA logo was driven by yours truely, then as the programme ended and if you were sad, and did the credits on frame by frame you could see the ugly mush of the driver in the said white van.
A BLUE JAY was reported in tonight's Coronation Street, by Ken Barlow's grandson, along with "some thrushes and starlings". The location was vague, but I would guess the Red Rec. I know as a category 'D' it wouldn't count on Mr Heaton's year-list, but it could be worth a look.........