Thirty five in lower rookery at Birtle . Highest number since it started about six years ago . Have not yet done a precise count of the higher rookery but seems to be seven .
Noticed last few years how, over the border in Calderdale, sadly, how many rookeries have disappeared and those that remain have generally reduced in size. Mind you around Whitefield and Haywood the same is true and no doubt about other areas on the edge of the city.
Plenty of activity over the last few days, between 20 and 26 nests look to be occupied or being rebuilt, lots of sticks being stolen and fought over, 44 individual birds counted but lots of coming and going so difficult to count.
Four nests so far at St Johns Church, Mosley Common, at various stages of construction (just the one nest over the weekend of 24th/25th Feb, one which had largely survived the winter storms). Six pairs were actually present this morning. One of the pairs without a nest were sat in the canopy while one intermittently preened the nape of the other. One of the highlights of the year is this burst of activity before the foliage appears. Elsewhere in Tyldesley nests are also under construction at the Elliott Street/Castle Street estate - initially appeared to be an outlier from the Tyldesley Cemetery rookery - a site which now seems to be abandoned.
-- Edited by dave broome on Thursday 7th of March 2024 06:41:25 AM
Yesterday much excitement and joy . Three nascent nests appeared in Birtle lower rookery and two a little further up the road , in a tree not used previously . Rejoice !
Birtle . Lower rookery 25 nests . Middle rookery 5 nests . Top rookery 25 nests . These started six years ago with the lower , then the top , then the middle . Distance between lower and top is about six hundred yards with the middle slightly nearer to the lower . Is this to be counted as one rookery ?
Back in March 2021 fredford noted that there were Jackdaws associating with Rooks at a local rookery. I have read that in Autumn Rooks perform a display called Stooping when they climb to great heights on thermals and then plunge vertically, obviously pulling out of the dive before they would hit the ground. They are accompanied on their ascent by Jackdaws that do not stoop but presumably go up just for kicks.
Birtle . Twenty-three nests in original place , started in 2013 , eighteen in the one four hundred yards to the east which was establihed one year later and this year there is an additional site between the two , with ten nests . Is this one rookery or three ?
Birtle . 23 nests , they have been busy . The annexe , quarter of a mile to the north east , has about seven nests. Most interesting and amusing to watch the rooks swinging on twigs to break them off . The former magpie nest has been requisitioned . There are always a good number of jackdaws with the rooks . Why is this ? Do they nest amongst the rooks ?
Not sure how many nests make a rookery but there are at least three nests at Asda, Ashton under Lyne, the birds are using the very tall lights that illuminate the main car park. Also a further nest in the trees on the edge of the car park near the by pass. These birds were nesting there last year.
I live over the border in West Yorkshire and the rooks are behind Manchester in returning and rebuilding their nests. Rastrick rookery down from 47 to one (last year) in ten years. The last pair visited yesterday (female has deformed foot so easy to recognise). Rookeries in Ripponden, Greetland and others locally have reduced significantly over past 10-15 years. Mind you, when I lived in Prestwich, I can remember large rookeries in Whitefield, Heywood, Middleton and Heaton Park but they're either long gone or much reduced also. Very unlikely that the trend will change. Birch is the only one which has appeared in the meantime in that area. Jackdaws have increased substantially though around Manchester in the meantime.