Good weather today made walking to/from Stalybridge Station more enjoyable than recent times
A pair of Goosander were on the canal by Tesco this morning.
This evening two Dippers on the Tame downstream from Melbourne St bridge. Whilst upstream near Corporation St were two Grey Wagtail and some Long Tailed Tits
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 23rd of February 2018 06:45:09 PM
Kestrel perched on a telegraph pole, just before dusk 3 male Tawny Owls hooting, one at Shireclough Farm, the other two from Cowbury Dale. Lapwing calling from the fields below the Bridleway.
2 Buzzards, in the same tree. 4 Skylark, calling from the rough grass around Paddock Farm 12 Fieldfare 6 Chaffinch (4 singing) 1 Greenfinch singing 1 Lesser Redpoll over 4 Goldfinch Several Dunnock singing 100+ Black-headed Gulls in the fields 2 Raven being mobbed by Carrion Crows
Always good to see challenging vocabulary on the forum .... ...and always good to see Peewits!
Thanks Steve. Use it or lose it, as they say
Any literary expression from this morning would relate to fog, mist, drizzle, and grime, so I won't bore you with it.
Printworks Road Pond, just visible, held the following:
4 Coot, again moving around as two pairs 1 Little Grebe, moving around the pond today. Normally it skulks around in one area. 6 Mallard 10 Canada Geese Couple of Mistle Thrush singing around the area
Also, a pair of Goosander on the canal at Grove Road
A Vanelline deceit ushered in springtime in Stalybridge this morning, despite the icy rain blowing up the hill, with 26 Lapwing moving around the fields below the Bridleway.
Always good to see challenging vocabulary on the forum .... ...and always good to see Peewits!
A Vanelline deceit ushered in springtime in Stalybridge this morning, despite the icy rain blowing up the hill, with 26 Lapwing moving around the fields below the Bridleway. The target species for the morning, and four days earlier than my first record of 2017, although I don't visit this area every day. Despite the weather, a fantastic sight and sound
Again, the old beet fields held good numbers of winter thrushes, as well as other species as follows:
1 Cormorant over, downriver. 4 Coot, looking like two pairs 10 Canada, as five pairs 6 Mallard 1 Moorhen Nuthatch in the trees Coal Tit and Great Tits singing
Pair of Dipper (unringed), on the River Tame, downstream from Grove Road.
A mixed flock of winter thrushes in the old beet field, almost impossible to count accurately on the bare earth littered with beet fragments. My best estimate would be 70 Redwing and 15 Fieldfare. 5 Mistle Thrush 4 Chaffinch 4 Goldfinch 2 singing Greenfinch 2 singing Dunnock 13 Starling 13 Pheasant 1 Buzzard
Printworks Road Pond, 2.00pm
4 Goosander swimming as two pairs 1 Little Grebe 3 Coot 4 Canada Geese 6 Mallard 1 Cormorant on the pylon Nuthatches calling in the surrounding trees
Two flocks of winter thrushes. Approximately 20 Redwing and 5 Fieldfare in the beet field at Shireclough, and approximately 70 Fieldfare with around 25 Redwing in the fields towards Millbrook. 5 Mistle Thrush (one singing) 1 Buzzard feeding amongst molehills 4 Chaffinch 10 Goldfinch 1 singing Greenfinch 2 singing Dunnock 4 Long-tailed Tits 1 Coal Tit 5 House Sparrows 8 Pheasant 2 Red Grouse
This area is often a good bet for winter thrushes at this time of year.
c 40 Redwing around the old beet field 10 Fieldfare 3 Mistle Thrush; 2 harassing the Redwing, a third doing a little singing. 10 Goldfinch 1 Chaffinch 4 Starling 12 Pheasants 1 Red Grouse A flock of approximately 80 Woodpigeon over towards Brushes 12 Long-tailed Tits
Carrbrook Pond
1 redhead Goosander 1 Moorhen 25 Mallard 13 Canada Geese Plus several hybrid "farm" ducks
Pennine Bridleway, from Carrbrook to Brushes, in dry, bright conditions.
1 Buzzard 1 female Sparrowhawk, having a dig at a flock of Redwing, feeding in a recently turned field of fodder beet 60+ Redwing in the one field, with a few Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, and Blackbirds mixed in 10 Starlings in the same field, which also contained 25 Pheasants. 16 Fieldfare were feeding together at Millbrook 8 Mistle Thrush 2 Jay at Shireclough 2 Red Grouse 2 Pied Wagtails 10 Goldfinch 10 House Sparrows at Shireclough 5 Great Tits
Dipper on Tame along Coopers Ride 4 Grey Heron on roof of Tulip Foods building, 1 on Tame and a further 2 flew over towards the canal 3 Common Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls Goldcrest among a small mixed tit flock Cormorant over
1 female Stonechat 1 Buzzard, feeding in the fields 9 Fieldfare; 8 over together, and a single having a dispute with a Mistle Thrush over holly berries 1 solitary Redwing in a berry-less Hawthorn 2 Mistle Thrush 10+ Blackbirds 1 Jay 2 Rook at the Harrop Edge Road side 3 Pied Wagtails 70 Canada Geese feeding in the fields towards the A57 45 Black-headed Gulls in the same fields
Printworks Road Pond, Heyrod, 11.30am.
6 Goosander (2 males) 2 Moorhen 2 Mallard 6 Cormorant on the pylons
1 female Stonechat. I did see another bird around fifteen minutes later, about 150 yards further on, but I could see no plumage, as the sun was directly behind it, and it was at a distance, so I couldn't discount it being the same bird relocated. 4 Mistle Thrush c12 Redwing A flock of c50 Starlings were moving around the fields 8 Bullfinch together 4 Goldfinch At least one Raven 1 Sparrowhawk, being harassed by the Raven 1 Kestrel 1 Grey Heron 1 Pied Wagtail 2 Jay
Printworks Road, Heyrod, 11.45am
7 Goosander (2 males), on the pond 2 Cormorant on the pylon (yesterday, 6 were present)
Pennine Bridleway between Carrbrook and Brushes. Very windy and quiet.
1 Kestrel 1 Buzzard, feeding in the fields 1 Mistle Thrush 12 House Sparrows Great and Blue Tits, and Dunnock, around the cottages 1 Red Grouse 1 Starling
Harrop Edge, around Paddock Farm, and the woods at Lower Roe Cross.
1 pair of Stonechat around Paddock Farm 20+ Redwing feeding on holly, in the almost complete absence of any other berries locally At least one Fieldfare mixed in 6 Mistle Thrush 1 Song Thrush c 20 Blackbirds 1 Goldcrest Flock of 6 Bullfinch 6 Chaffinch 1 Buzzard 2 Kestrel 1 Raven 2 Pied Wagtails 4 House Sparrows A flock of c80 Starlings feeding in the fields around Paddock Farm c 200 Canada Geese in the fields towards Hyde Road, Mottram At least 3 Rook feeding behind Cheetham Fold Farm, with Jackdaws and Carrion Crows
Attempted to count Magpies - 74
In the woods at Lower Roe Cross
1 male Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Nuthatch Small mixed feeding flock, with several Goldcrest and Coal Tits
2 Coot were the only sign of life on the pond 5 Cormorant were perched together on a pylon 1 female Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Nuthatch Couple of Mistle Thrush, and lots of Blackbirds
Huddersfield Road
As I was leaving the house, at 8.00am, a Sparrowhawk overhead was being noisily mobbed by two Black-headed Gulls