Monday 8th October 2018.

5 Redwing west over Penny Meadow, Ashton, at 8.20am

Sunday 30th September 2018, 9.00 - 11.00am.

Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook.

13 Mistle Thrush, including a flock of 11 flying north
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrel
2 Raven
1 Lesser Redpoll
1 Chaffinch
2 Pheasant
10 Meadow Pipits
25 Starlings
74 Black-headed Gulls, in one field
38 Woodpigeons
27 Jackdaw
2 Jays
2 Dunnock

Hobby flying West over Salisbury Drive Dukinfield at 4pm

Thursday 2nd August 2018, 10.30am - 12.00pm

Around Harrop Edge, a promising looking area, that rarely fails to disappoint

90+ Goldfinch, in two groups, both feeding on thistle seeds. Both mainly juvenile birds. 60 around Paddock Farm, the rest towards Matley Lane.
2 Whitethroat, a juvenile seen, with another calling from the undergrowth
1 Willow Warbler
1 Song Thrush
c 10 Swallows

Tuesday 19th June. 21.00 hrs. Dukinfield.

House Martin seen visiting traditional nest site on Cheetham Hill Road .... first time I've seen one local this year.

Roger.

Saturday 16th June 2018, 7.00 - 9.30am

Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook to Millbrook.

20 Lapwing; 17 adults and well grown juveniles, plus one group of three smaller juveniles at the field edge. A mixed group of 50+ Black-headed, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls keeping the Lapwing very busy.

1 female Cuckoo moving around the fence posts on the moor edge towards Shireclough
14+ Linnet, including a family group of seven, and a couple of singing males
3 Lesser Redpoll
3 Greenfinch
4 Goldfinch
One pair of Bullfinch taking food into a nest
6 Chaffinch
5 Willow Warblers
1 Blackcap singing
10+ Dunnock, including one carrying food, and a couple of youngsters. Plenty singing.
Family groups of Blue and Great Tits moving around the bushes.
2 Swallows only
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Song Thrush
15+ Blackbirds
6 Meadow Pipits, some carrying food
1 Buzzard over Harridge

Sunday 20th May 2018, 8.00 - 10.00am.

Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook to Millbrook.

10 Lapwing seen, including one well grown juvenile
Cuckoo singing at Cowbury Dale
6+ Linnets, at least 3 singing males
5 Goldfinch
3 Chaffinch
1 Greenfinch singing
1 Bullfinch
6+ Meadow Pipits
2 Mistle Thrush, carrying food
2 Swallows, in a barn that would normally hold 4 pairs
3 Willow Warblers singing

Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing by Tameside hospital car park this morning. 6 Sand Martin by Tame on Bayley Street. 

2 swallows at the top of Mossley Road.

Friday 20th April 2018, 7.00 - 8.00pm

Pennine Bridleway, Shireclough, Carrbrook.

18 Lapwing visible, my best count since the initial influx.
3 singing Willow Warblers
3 singing Chaffinch
1 Peregrine over, towards Brushes
Pair of Pied Wagtails

Monday 16th April 2018, 8.20am

Ashton Town Centre.

A recently fledged Blackbird being fed worms by its parent on the edge of the car park at Glebe Street was a nice way to start the working week.

Also in the area.

Greenfinch singing above Crickets Lane health centre
Several Dunnock singing
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
House Sparrows
4 Goldfinch
Jackdaws nest building

Sunday 15th April 2018, 9.30am - 12.00pm.

Pennine Bridleway, between Carrbrook and Brushes.

1 Ring Ouzel, a handsome male. Fortunately, it called once, otherwise I would never have found it. It was feeding on the edge of the heather, mainly behind a collapsed stone wall, for about fifteen minutes, then flew higher up the moor, and disappeared into an area cleared of heather. It seems to be a good year for passage. That makes five different sightings for me, at five separate local sites, in the past week and a half.
1 male Wheatear, in the same area, at the same time, as the Ouzel.
1 Curlew calling from high up on Harridge was good to hear.
10 Lapwing visible in the fields, with 7 appearing to be sitting.
1 singing Willow Warbler
House Sparrows around the cottages
Pair of Pied Wagtails
3 Chaffinch
2 singing Greenfinch
5 singing Dunnock

An enjoyable morning.

Good to hear a Blackcap singing in Dukinfield this morning.

5 + Sand Martin today at 10.30 on the river Tame seen from the bridge on Bailey Street, Stalybridge

Saturday 31st March 2018, 10.00am

Printworks Road Pond, Heyrod.

4 Coot, with one pair nestbuilding
1 Moorhen
2 pairs of Canada Geese
My first singing Chiffchaff of the year
2 Nuthatch
2 Greenfinch singing

First Chiffchaff of the year, at the lower part of the mettled footpath from the bottom of Mottram Old Road up to Wildbank - about 50m up - always a reliable spot for this spices being first migrant of the summer.

Thursday 22nd March 2018, 9.00pm

Tawny Owl hooting from the woods between Grove Road and Crowswood Drive, Millbrook.

Thursday 15th March 2018

Harrop Edge, 9.30 - 11.15am. Blustery and very quiet.

2 Skylark
1 Lesser Redpoll
2 Meadow Pipits
1 Kestrel
1 Curlew flew over east, carrying on up Longdendale Valley, until it was a speck.

Printworks Road, Heyrod, 11.30am.

Similar sightings to Roger's, minus the Geese.
Also, a pair of Greenfinch in the surrounding Bush
1 Grey Wagtail in the horse paddock
Several Nuthatch calling

Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook, 4.30 - 5.30pm.

11 Lapwing seen, all on the ground.
c 20 Redwing. There seems to have been a clear out of Fieldfare since the weekend. Not one seen this evening.
15 Starlings
26 Pheasant
2 Pied Wagtail

Saturday 10th March 2018, 8.00 - 10.15am

Pennine Bridleway, Carrbrook to Millbrook.

Similar fare to Thursday, with an accurate Lapwing count again proving difficult. On the way up, 12 birds were in the air together, doing a wide circuit of the moor, but it was at a point before I could view the fields where the birds are on the ground, so I have no idea whether this is the total population or not. One bird seems to be sitting tight in the middle of the beet field. At least six birds were displaying.

Fieldfare and Redwing numbers were slightly down, and around 10 Chaffinch were mixed in with the Goldfinch and Starlings. Again, most of the action was in and around the beet field.

3 Meadow Pipits back on territory were new for the site this year.

Thursday 7th March

Two lesser redpoll on our garden feeders which backs on to Gorse Hall, Dukinfield area. They were present for most of the afternoon.

An unusual sighting for the area early this afternoon, 2 Lapwing flew low across Dukinfield Park and then over our house.

A few Redwing have been frequenting the park over the last few days also just across Pickford Lane on our garden feeders in the last week or so, couple of Siskin and Redpoll, male Blackcap, male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Goldcrest, daily mid teens of Goldfinch and Greenfinch, 4 Chaffinch, c10 House Sparrow. Also around the garden 4 Blackbird, 3 Robin, 3 Dunnock, all 4 of the commoner Tits, a few Starlings and probably the best for me a Song Thrush that has been around since late autumn although it has been seen less frequently lately.

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

Wednesday 21st February 2018, 5.30 - 6.30pm

Shireclough, Carrbrook.

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.

Monday 19th February 2018.

Bayley Street, Stalybridge, 2.30pm.

Pair of Dipper on the River Tame between Bayley Street and Tame Street bridges.

Gas Street, Ashton (back of Boots), 4.00pm.

A flock of c 20 House Sparrows around the hedging of the car park
1 Dunnock singing
1 Pied Wagtail