Pete,

I assume that it was you and a friend that I put on to the Waxwings this lunchtime?

had I realised, I would have thanked you for the offer of help in D & G which I wasn't able to take advantage of but was much appreciated all the same.

Waxwings showing very well and are dotted all around the estate, probably c30 in all but singletons all over the place. Light good for photography too!

small numbers of waxings now present (simultaneously) along pheobe street, ordsall estate off regent road (please be careful in this area!) and mcready drive near the regent road roundabout at 12:20

Info thanks to rob smallwood and paul heaton

Simon Warford wrote:

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2 Waxwings still at Comus St/Duncan St junction at 8.30 this morning (plus 2 Fieldfare, Redwing and 30+ Mistle Thrush).

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But gone by 9:15.

Glad I caught up with some in Dumfries the other week, I seem destined to miss the Manchester birds.

2 Waxwings still at Comus St/Duncan St junction at 8.30 this morning (plus 2 Fieldfare, Redwing and 30+ Mistle Thrush).

Henry

A thought just occurred to me as they do - when we were watching the Waxwings we both noted that one bird appeared to be feeding another bird with a berry and we both thought this perhaps a little unusual given the normal feeding frenzy of these birds. Did you think any more as to what this may have been about and have any other forum members seen this happening with Waxwings or are there any suggestions/comments.

Sid A

Henry Cook wrote:

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Many thanks for telling us about this flock Pete.
It took a fair while for decent numbers of Waxwings to show on Comus Street of Regent Road in Salford but the numbers kept on rising whilst we were there.
A feeding frenzy not quite like i've ever seen before, a very enjoyable spectacle with Waxwings being in the minority to a good 60+ Mistle Thrushes, 50+ Starlings, 3 Fieldfares, 5 Redwings, 2 Blackbirds, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Dunnock, 1 House Sparrow and the trusty Feral Pigeons! Most of them feeding on just one small berry-laden tree.
With this lot about the berries wont last too long though!
Thanks. Henry.

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I have had a look on the database for recent years' records of Waxwings, for sites not already mentioned, that might be worth checking; here they are below:
Ashton-u-Lyne: Katharine St, Bentinck St, ASDA, Cavendish St, Park PArade.
ASDA, Astley Bridge Bolton.
Topp Way, Bolton (yellow berries) - none left in the town centre
Buckley Wood Rochdale
Cale Green Park
Ogden St Castleton
ZETEC, Lansdown Rd Chadderton (well worth a check, lots of trees here and a very good track record)
Drake St Rochdale
Bellfield Av Cheadle Hulme
Oakwood School, Darley Ave, Chorlton
Mercian Way, Stockport
Greenacres Cemetery Oldham
Norris Lane, Heaton Norris
Hulme - Fenwick St
Sackville St/Whitworth St corner - tiny park
Cheapside, ALDI, Eastway - all in Middleton where I have heard a whisper of 6 recently
White City retail park, Old Trafford
Supertots, Edenfield Rd
Oulder Hill secondary school
Royton - retail park at the bottom of the A627M
Sholver - Leywell Dr
St John's Estate, Offerton
Stretford metro station, and Victoria Park, also avenues off King's Rd near cricket ground with cricket-y names
Grosvenor Rd primary school, Swinton
Shaftesbury Ave Timperley
Toyota Garage Tonge Fold Bolton
Taunton Ave and Tintern Close, West Didsbury
Woodley shopping precinct
Wythenshawe hospital and Roundthorn Ind Est.

Just had a call from a friend of mine who works in the city centre - there were stlll 8 - 9 birds on and around Duncan Street/Comus Street trees in the gathering gloom at just after 3 o'clock. Still berrys left on the tree.

Sid A

-- Edited by sid ashton at 17:04, 2008-12-08

Many thanks for telling us about this flock Pete.
It took a fair while for decent numbers of Waxwings to show on Comus Street of Regent Road in Salford but the numbers kept on rising whilst we were there.
A feeding frenzy not quite like i've ever seen before, a very enjoyable spectacle with Waxwings being in the minority to a good 60+ Mistle Thrushes, 50+ Starlings, 3 Fieldfares, 5 Redwings, 2 Blackbirds, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Dunnock, 1 House Sparrow and the trusty Feral Pigeons! Most of them feeding on just one small berry-laden tree.
With this lot about the berries wont last too long though!
Thanks. Henry.

I was at Comus st this morning in the gloom between 8.15 and 8.30 and saw approx 30 waxwings -they were hard to count because they kept coming and going, and were constantly being harassed by the masses of Mistle Thrushes
(50+, never seen so many together). The waxwings were mainly in the taller tree on Duncan St, near the berry bush. I also heard but didnt see several waxwings in flight as I filled up at the nearby Sainsburys petrol station.

Quick trip out of office, visited Comus street at 11.25, as with Rob Smallwood no sign of Waxwings. Mistle Thrush flock had increased to 60+ birds and there appeared to be more on the adjoining buildings. No sign of Waxwings in surounding area.

Betwwen 50 and 100 Waxwings this pm in Comus Strret off Regent Road, Salford feeding on berries.

Apparently, accordinging to a friend who is also a birder, there were some Waxwings about a month ago on Woodhouse Lane in Wythenshawe.

I have heard that there is a good berry crop on Blantyre Street which is between Cornbrook and Castfield....I will have a look tomorrow if poss.

Holyhedge Road Park looks as good a place as any, well stocked with lots of Thrushes.

cheers
jason

Yep that was me. Could be worth checking any Rowans around Northendon / Wythenshawe / Timperly or maybe they carried on further. Maybe the Oldham birds heading south, could've been 19, although they do have a habit of splitting up, rejoining, multiplying and disappearing. They just went straight over the wardens compound heading south. I heard the call, looked up, there they are, one, two three etc, there they go.

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 18:16, 2008-12-02

18 reported Chorlton WP 11.39 this morning then flew to Kenworthy Wood - Bridnet Was that you Pete?

Ive just come back from the Oldham site. 19 of them at approx 3.45pm. They were at the top of the large tree near that security guards cabin just past the car parks. At 4pm they all flew off.

I'm gutted now...
I too, armed with my camera, made the pilgrimage to Oldham and braved the fog on the M60 yesterday morning and couldn't find them.
I thought they must have moved on, especially after hearing that the ringers had been at work the day before.

Perhaps I was there a little early for them? (7.30-8.30am)

Anthony

1st December.

15 birds still showing well and "trilling" near the Grange Arts Centre, Oldham at 11.00 am today. Also in the area 3 Redwing and 1 Goldcrest.

Had a quick check on the way home at Lansdowne Rd, Chadderton - a site where I think Waxwings have turned up in the past - not too many berries - 3 Mistle Thrushes were guarding trees with yellow berries - no sign of any Waxwings though.

Bill.

Big thanks to the person who reported these birds.

Better than yesterday afternoon. No fog at 11.50 this morning - in fact brilliantly clear! Great views of about 11+ birds in a tall, bare tree near the Grange Arts Centre by junction of Alderson Street and the main road. Just listen for the calls.

13 still around at 10.30
Moving around a lot and not being aloud to settle in the middle of the college by Mistle Thrush and Redwing already on the berrys
Managed some fantastic views
Nice to meet up with Gordon Yates and Andrew

13 still present this morning hanging around the trees next to grange arts centre at oldham college. Fantastic views . What a cracking life tick for me.

also had 30 or so pinkfooted geese over
1 gold crest 10 long tail tits
bluet tits and gret tits as well as various thrushes.


nice to meet you graham and thanks for letting me look through your scope for even better views


Andrew

Stunning views this morning and that trill is the most wonderful sound, especially when you have been chasing the little blighters for weeks, and many thanks to the ringers there this morning for letting me help.

Keep birding