Offerton ETW:

Pied Wagtail 17
Grey Wagtail 1

Cheers, John

Goyt Hall Farm area:

Yellowhammer 1m (The first I've seen here this year)
Skylarks singing
Lapwing
Buzzard 3
Sparrowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
House Sparrow c20

Cheers, John

Brief hour this am before the 'snow'.
Little Owl (same place)
3 Mandarin, 2 drakes
6 Goosander
20 Fieldfare
5 Redwings
4 Stock Doves
Treecreeper
GS Woodpecker
Nuthatches
3 Grey Heron

You seem to attract the birds Chris That was a good session.

The strong winds this weekend put paid to my cyclo-birding, so I enjoyed instead the comparative shelter of the woodland around Poise Brook and the River Goyt on a gentle dog walk.

There is not much singing, but I did pick up the odd Great Spotted Woodpecker call, plus a few Nuthatch. There is quite a big mixed tit flock feeding, with Chaffinch, in beech mast below the edge of Offerton School playing fields. I have seen Brambling here in the past, but had no joy today.

The river is running pretty fast, which was not enough to deter a pair of Goosander and a group of ten Mallard, though there was no sign of Mandarin Ducks, which are usually easy to find here. By far the best bird found was Dipper. Two were on Poise Brook, close to the garages off Holiday Lane, no doubt pushed off the river by strength of current. Two Grey Wagtails were also a pleasing find.

8-10am Bongs La-Otterspool-River Goyt-Poise Brook
High Lights of a very pleasant dawdle around this morning:
Mandarin pair
Kingfisher (on Goyt)
Dipper( confluence of Goyt/Poise Brook)
8 Goosander(3 Drakes)
3 Cormorants
Grey Heron
Kestrel
Female Sparrowhawk
2 Buzzards
Single Siskin (with Goldfinches)
Goldcrest
Treecreepers and Nuthatches
Grey and Pied Wagtails
Singing Mistle Thrushes. 2 Redwings, Song Thrush.
Jay
Loads of Long Tailed Tits, with good numbers of Blue/Great/Coal.
Small numbers of Green/Gold/Chaffinches

Bredbury Hall to Middle Farm this morning,

A large tit flock of mainly Long-tailed tits, with Blue, Great and Coal tit also contained 1 Goldcrest in woodland at the back of Kingsway.

Finch flock near the fish pond at Middle farm had Goldfinch, Greenfinch, chaffinch.

1 Cormorant over the Goyt.

Cheers,

Steve.

3 goosander and a kingfisher on the river near the picnic area at otterspool this morning.

Hawthorns above the picnic area were very busy with a goldfinch flock, 1 male bullfinch and the usual tit species.

22 mistle thrush flew over rattling.

449 Fieldfares, 222 Redwings, 15 Meadow Pipits, 15 pied Wagtails and 2 Skylarks all over SW between 8.30 and 9.30 this morning.

Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaffs and Yellowhammer near Middle Farm. Also 34 Meadow Pipits over Sw.

4 Common Buzzards this morning started soaring from 10.30am, but grounded by a shower so got a great view of all of them in field with cattle in. Looks like 2 juvenilles and the 2 parents, all very good flyers, so fledged a while I presume?
Also 15+ Swallows around newly cut field behind Offerton High School
Nuthatches vey vocal, as were the Jays.
Not a lot of activity on the Goyt, a few eclipse Mallards, one Grey Heron.

Have regularly seen one or sometimes 2 Buzzard in the air & calling, when i've been on the Middlewood way for the past few months.
There is also a Buzzard that can be guaranteed to be sitting on top of a telegraph pole in the middle of the field behind Seventeen Windows sometime during the day.
Good to know that they seem to be growing in numbers around the area.

Walk 10-11.30 Bongs La-Otterspool-Poise Brook
High Lights:
Large roving flock just down rd from Windy Ridge Fm:- Treecreeper, juv Blackcaps and Chiff Chaffs, Nuthatch. 50+ Goldfinch on thistles. 10 Swallows, 15 House Martins and 2 Swifts
2 Grey Wags at sewerage fm
Stock Dove by Riverside Fm
5 Mandarin, 1 Cormorant, 2 Grey Herons on Goyt
From Jim Fernley bridge I watched a female Sparrowhawk bathe in the river for over 5 mins, sometimes going fully under the water. Fascinating stuff
Also a few dragonflies from the bridge(small and orange)

Tues 16/8/11 pm

Hobby showed well again by Middle Farm at 5.15pm.

Also a single Swift.

Mon 15/8/11 am

Hobby again, showed well chasing Hirundines by Middle farm at 8.20am and again at 9.10am.

Also 2 Kestrels and 2 Sparrowhawks in the area.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker showed very well feeding in the Horsefield between the 2 farms.

A little out of the reserve, but above Woodlands park is Fairway school, behind which are a few ponds (access off Hall Pool Drive, St John's Wood estate).
Thought I was lucky a week last wed(19 July) to find a female Redstart here, flitting around the hedge, but today ANOTHER one (or the same)
Bonus in that it is also part of my back garden!
Might be worth checking out the area to see if it is still about.
Also male Blackcap and Chiff Chaff's there.

Tawny Owl calling by Jim Fernley bridge at 9pm.
Plenty of Swallows by Goyt Hall Fm.
Lovely dusk chorus from woodlands.

Late post for yesterday ,27/04/11 ,0700-0900 ...
Highlights were ..
2 Blackcaps near Jim Fearnley bridge ,GSW heard drumming nearby .
8 chiffchaffs ,3 seen
2 willow warblers
8 swallows near Chadkirk kennels also a single wheatear and 2 dunnocks around muck heaps in same area .
Buzzard over, also male kestrel perched on phone wires towards Chadkirk.
It looks like SMBC are serious about the compulsory purchase of the land near the weir , between Mill Lane and Otterspool Rd., for a Hydro-Electric power scheme .The Christmas tree in Stockport Precinct should be well lit this year then!!!

Cheers Chris

Poise Brook to Woodbank Park 08.00 - 09.45 6 Chiffchaffs 3 Blackcaps 1 Swallow 10 Jays (inc single flock of 6) 3 GS Woodpeckers 5 Nuthatches Stock Doves singing Sparrowhawk over Blue, Great, LT Tits, Song & Mistle Thrushes, Blackbirds, Wrens, Robins all in song Goldcrest nest with a pair busy nest building. Cheers, John

Post for yesterday ,29/03/11 pm ...
Three chiffchaffs seen , all singing , in the wooded area , adjacent to the main weir.
Only two lapwing behind Goyt Hall Farm .
All other usual suspects present ..


Cheers Chris

I passed through from the Bredbury end towards Chadkirk late afternoon in the hope of Yellowhammers. No luck on that score, though Chaffinch and Greenfinch were singing in the sunshine.

There were a few Pied Wagtails around and many Woodpigeons. A Woodcock, which flew from the edge of the woods, near to the path down to Jim Fearnley bridge, was a pleasant surprise.

A Buzzard was using the wind to hover over Chadkirk Garden Centre.

7th March

Dipper flew by calling
Goosander 2f, 1m
Peregrine
Redwing 18
Nuthatch 6
Stock Dove 6 (including one sat beside suitable nest hole).

A thank-you to whoever in putting handfuls of bird seed down on the path. Lots of Robins, Blue Tits and Great Tits taking advantage.


Cheers, John

Thurs - 24/2/11..early am

pair of Mandarin on the pool by Middle Farm this am, viewable from the public footpath..

Otterspool Bridge - Goyt Hall Farm. Very breezy!

On river:
Cormorant 2
Grey Heron 4
Mallard 22
Goosander 7

Elsewhere:
Stock Dove 7
Magpie 16 together
Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard (1 of each)

Absentees:
No Mandarins at all, probably looking for quieter waters (Etherow?)
No sign of the Little Owls at Goyt Hall Farm this year - may have succumbed in the cold weather.

Cheers, John