29th March. 06.45 - 08.00 hrs.
Stalybridge/Dukinfield. Early Bank.
Chiffchaff, above the Whinberries....... my first of the year.
6 Meadow Pipits feeding + 6 over.
1 Linnet in the Gorse.
Roger.
__________________
Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
Chiffchaff singing and flycatching along Peak Forest Canal near Plantation Farm Chaffinch singing and then making strange churring sound I don't recall hearing before
Portland Basin to Ashton via Plantation Farm and Coopers Ride
Portland Basin (Old Canal Festival Site)
Treecreeper year tick has been unusually elusive for me!
Plantation Farm
Field beside the farm contained 30 Woodpigeon feeding.
Ashton town centre: Starling and Jackdaw both species appear to frequent the more built up areas scavenging. They are less common in out lying areas untill towards dusk when they are enroute to their roost.
Half hour to kill so parked up at junction of Astley St & Church St to watch the berry trees, drizzling so stayed in car.
No Waxwing turned up but a flock of about 50 birds circled above St Marks Church possible Waxies or maybe Starlings ?
In general vicinity.
4 Goldfinch. 2 Greenfinch. 3 Blackbird 2m 1f. 2 Dunnock. Robin. 6 Magpie. Pair C Crow investigating the bins. 6 Woodpigeon. Singing Mistle Thrush. Plenty of House Sparrows chirping away. Two flocks of Starling..... 15 feeding on the grass and 30+ over.
10.30 - 11.30. Walk on river-side. Park Rd & Coopers Ride.
7 Goosanders. 1 solitary male just upstream of County Bridge, 1 ~ ~ near the conveyor. 3 males and 2 redheads, these were more towards Alma Bridge end. These 5 were disturbed by a dogwalker and flew off...... could not relocate.
Mistle Thrushes singing on both Park Rd &Coopers Ride. Plenty of Wrens singing all along the river. Tits. Great, Blue & L/tail.
Roger.
-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Sunday 13th of February 2011 12:28:15 PM
__________________
Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming. Looked like a female (do females drum?), would be nice to have a male locally. A female is a regular visitor to our garden near by. Also 1 Mistle Thrush.
Hi Simon,
My understanding from my admittedly limited observations and readings is that the repertoire of vocalisations and drumming are shared by both sexes in both Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. However, it is thought there may be individual variations around their vocalisations and drumming dependent on the sex of the bird. Equally both sexes of Green Woodpecker are known to yaffle.
I've spent quite a bit of time recently looking for Lesser Spotted in a local park and hence have been doing a bit of reading to try and give me a few pointers in helping me locate them..............that's if they are about! No luck as yet!
I'm sure that male Gt Spotted will turn up soon!
Best wishes,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 1st of February 2011 04:19:56 PM
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming. Looked like a female (do females drum?), would be nice to have a male locally. A female is a regular visitor to our garden near by. Also 1 Mistle Thrush.
Globe Lane Industrial Estate to Ashton via Peak Forest Canal and Coopers Ride.
Great Spotted Woodpecker between Sewerage works and Plantation Farm. Six Redwings Old Canal Festival Site Portland Basin.
Tulip Foods Roof
Amongst the Black-headed Gulls were noted two Lesser Blackbacked Gulls and a Grey Heron.
Dukinfield Bridge produced a male Goosander on the Tulip Food side and a female near the weir on the opposite side.
Other noted on a relative quite walk home: Canada Geese, Mallard, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon,
Globe Lane Industrial Estate to Ashton via Plantation Farm and Portland Basin.
My first daylight walk home of the year from work, produced the following.
Astley Street: House Sparrow
Plantation Farm: Flock of Woodpigeons disturbed by Buzzard, field between canal and river. Also noted in field on river bank Heron, and Collard Dove present by farm.
Bentick Street : two Mistle Thrush
Others noted: Canada Geese, Mallard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Carrion Crow, Black Headed Gull
1 Heron. Great & Blue Tits. Two parties L/Tail Tits. ( 5 + 7 ) Mallard pair. Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds & Robins healthy population.
Canal. Whitelands.
Mallard pair.
Walked back over Bank-Top....... going dark by then, but noticed (again) that someone keeps hanging fatballs, bits of fruit and a couple of feeders out. Think it's one of the dog-walkers....... so well done to him/her or them.
Roger.
__________________
Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
70 Siskin opposite Rock Terrace, careful checking revealed all to be Siskin, probably same flock seen in area last weekend Dipper singing by County Bridge (Dukinfield Bridge)
Great Spotted Woodpecker on Crescent Road 4 Rook by swimming baths 9 Common Gull on Blocksages Plenty of House Sparrows about
Plantation Farm
Mixed flock of finches contained Chaffinch, Goldfinch and at least 5 Siskin Separate flock of Greenfinch c12 birds 1 Bullfinch 1 Treecreeper 2 Goosander flew over canal towards river 1 imm Cormorant fishing on river, flew down river Great Spotted Woodpecker 6-8 Redwing
-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Monday 3rd of January 2011 12:43:54 PM
Stalybridge along Huddersfield Canal parallel with Printworks Road - Generally few birds around
Cormorant flew from river and perched on pylon Goosander - drake attempted to land on frozen canal 3 Jays 30-40 Siskin feeding silently, watched for over 10 minutes Great Spotted Woodpecker Grey Wagtail on ice on canal Drake Mandarin present near Tesco on return, definitely wasn't there on way out
Alma Bridge/Coopers Ride
Dipper - don't know how many times I have looked over Alma Bridge and not seen Dipper (always a first time!). Looked from every bridge in Stalybridge town centre and didn't see one.
A large flock of Siskin present on Coopers Ride, seen flying round corner, c20 high in trees, but many more calling lower down, hard to estimate numbers, but I would say at least 50, maybe more in total.
-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Monday 3rd of January 2011 12:31:56 PM
This morning at 9.50 crossing the river Tame on Melbourne street Staly bridge, a kingfisher flew north in the Mossley direction. First time we have seen one in Stalybridge.
12.20 - 1 river tame behind police station 1 dipper 16 mallard 2 goosander 1 of each sex the male being a tick for me 1 grey heron 1 moorhen 2 grey wagtail 6 black headed gulls and loads of feral pigeons
15 Siskin sat in trees at far end of Printworks Road near Heyrod 1 single Lesser Redpoll not associating with any other birds 1 Kingfisher by small ice free patch on canal, flew across to river 1 Goldcrest with large mixed tit flock 1 Treecreeper with large mixed tit flock 1 drake Mandarin on canal very aggressive
A good general selection of common species present, canal still mostly iced over and some dodgy icy footpaths complete with dog mess
walked out from tesco to springbank road along the canal at lunchtime
40 mallard 1 mandarin 35 canada geese 3 kingfishers 1 dipper 40 odd long tailed tits 1 male bullfinch 2 male goosander a dozen or so blue and great tits 2 songthrush 10 blackbirds 2 great spotted woodpeckers 1 green woodpecker 5 robins 1 jay
a couple of tit flocks including double figures of longtailed tits, a flock of gold finch a single green finch and a flock of thrushes c20 birds 1 definite redwing among them eating the holly berries
a Harris Hawk over the canal (think it was actually trying to chase the feral pigeons). It managed to shake them off and landed on Holy Trinity Church for 10 minutes giving good view before taking off in the directon of Herod/Mossley.
-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Thursday 2nd of December 2010 04:34:26 PM
i'm glad you wrote that as it flew past my flat window about half an hour later, a couple of hundred yards from where you saw it and i nearly vowed to lay off beer for life
Called in to replenish snowed in emergency beer supply.
Resident car-park Jackdaws & Blackheads mobbing a Harris Hawk over the canal (think it was actually trying to chase the feral pigeons). It managed to shake them off and landed on Holy Trinity Church for 10 minutes giving good view before taking off in the directon of Herod/Mossley. Didn't seem to be wearing any jesses or anything.
Little wander on canal, only Canadas, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch & L/T Tits. Mandarin seems to have vanished........ it was there on Monday.
Roger.
-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Thursday 2nd of December 2010 04:34:26 PM
__________________
Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
After my search for the Waxwings, I decided to walk along the canal. Most noticeable was the numbers of Blackbirds around. There are literally scores of them in the area, there seems to have been a fall of them in the Dukinfield area only. Having visited other areas in Tameside during the course of the day, numbers seem to be average.
When I was leaving near Plantation Farm, I found 3 Treecreepers, the first time I have ever seen this species in Dukinfield. It seemed they were among a mixed flock of about 150 birds consisting of Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Long Tailed Tit. Quite an amazing morning!
-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Sunday 14th of November 2010 04:00:22 PM
-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Sunday 14th of November 2010 04:02:00 PM
A great local record over the end of the close as I walked home Woodcock, my second record in Dukinfield of this species! It was flying towards Astley Street maybe out towards Shepley Industrial Estate.
Also this afternoon in Ashton c400 Starlings in two large flocks and several Pied Wagtails roosting in a tree outside the O2 shop.