Nothing to match those two recent sightings, but had a good breeding bird survey down and up the Romiley golf-course side of Werneth Low yesterday morning. Entering the data today it turns out that the new species for the square was sand martin (bombing through near the Compstall road), bringing the list up to 65 species over ~20 years of data (only the most recent ones from me). There were 30 species this time, which felt good, having missed some obvious regulars (like Jay, which was there 2 minutes before starting the transect which, along with great spotted woodpecker and long-tailed tit must surely have been deliberately hiding).

An OSPREY flew to the west of my garden at 11.40, reasonably low and drifting towards me. I went to the front of the house to follow its flight by which time it was at quite a height and drifting east. Was not in any hurry, so may turn up elsewhere in the east of the county.

A two hour+ stroll from home, to Cowlishaw Lane, up to Werneth Low and home. Best was a peregrine circling for a time over the golf course (viewed from Greave), before making off strongly N-NE. Chiffchaff on golf course, plus raven, buzzards and stock doves seen from there. Towards the Greave end of the Low there was a flock of c40 meadow pipits feeding on the fields.

a.m. Around 120 pink-feet passed over Werneth Low going NW.  p.m. A peregrine flew in low from towards Bredbury Ind. estate powering eastwards at 4.30. Perhaps heading into the hills to breed (hopefully unmolested).  In between these sightings, butterflies were on the agenda (see other wildlife), so it was a pretty good day. 

A hobby flew over Sunfield estate quite low at approx 11.45 a.m. going South(ish). I was just getting out of my car on returning from a mundane morning at Audenshaw. It just shows, the 'hotspots' aren't always that.

A tawny owl called near to my garden a couple of times just before midnight last night. Also heard one day last week, so activity ramping up. Two jays were in the garden this morning.

3 little egrets (part of the earlier Audenshaw contingent?) were tracked from Werneth Low flying in from the N-NW over Bredbury/Woodley before taking a small diversion left over Romiley (looked like close to my home!) and continuing towards Marple.

A Hobby flew over Romiley swimming baths last night at 8.45pm.

First young long tailed tits of year near the railway bridge on Quarry Road. Willow warbler and common whitethroat in song somewhere near to where the two rail lines diverge. Lots of fledged house sparrows visting garden in last week.

A half-hour or so 'vis-mig' from Hilltop (south east view), Romiley had a hobby fly through just downhill from me at treetop level at 4.20 p.m. No coincidence that the first swifts in the skies of Romiley this year had been seen a few minutes before!

2 ravens over Hilltop heading towards Werneth Low at 3.30 p.m 

At 4.00 p.m., a medium-sized falcon was flying north at great speed (was out of binocular range inside two minutes when over Audenshaw area). Possible hobby but needed much more light than we had today to clinch!

Saturday 24th March:

Green woodpecker heard along Pinfold lane towards the golf course end (around 1pm).

Steve.

Another 'migration' watch, this time from Romiley Common for about 45 minutes p.m.

1 curlew calling from high over W-SW at 4.00 p.m. Does it know something we don't leaving the Pennines?

2 tawny owls calling from woods just behind me 4.05 p.m.

On walk back home, a few redwings disturbed by two female sparrowhawks having a low-level dispute which eventually saw them both on the ground having a quick set-to. Drama!

I had a nice walk today starting at gilbert bank up Hillside to Greave then over Werneth low through Romiley golf course and back down Hillside, 35 species seen, the best birds seen were a nice pale Buzzard and 7 Lapwing on Werneth low, a Kestrel on Romiley golf course and 2 Fieldfare on Hillside also1 Lapwing feeding on Greave school playing field but the best bird and most unexpected was a WOODCOCK flushed from the side of the path just beyond the cottages with the allotment gardens at the end of Quarry road. A very enjoyable day.

A raven was seen and heard cruising the fields to the north of Sunfield Estate at 3.30 p.m.

Pair of goosander on the canal this morning around Aldi

A quick stroll p.m. from home to the golf course and back. The only bird that I would consider to not be commonplace (these days) that I saw was two siskins (at least) on the golf course. Nearby, the Harris' hawk was still as large as life. This is the 4th time I've seen it in the general area recently, so I think it is definitely 'at large'. Things were very subdued otherwise. March seems a long way off.

I was on the hill behind home this afternoon when I heard a slightly redwing-like call, fairly high-pitched and slurred. Whatever, it was not something that sounded familiar to me. Looking up, I saw two shapes at about 25 meters height that were not thrushes (too small and compact), and when I got the bins on one it had an obvious wide translucent panel in mid-wing. I've heard hawfinches abroad, and this was not that sound, and the only call mentioned in the 'Birds of the Western Palearctic' is that single, metallic note. I was therefore not expecting to hear anything else when I just sampled two or three recordings on the zeno-canto site. However, I was very surprised to hear what was very much what I had heard this afternoon! I'm not going to claim the record because without knowing that there is a mini-invasion of hawfinches going on, the chance that I'd have associated the call with them would have been very small. I just hope that we can find a bird which turns up regularly at a feeder this winter so we can all get a good look.

Just for info. Which calls are others hearing (if any) from birds that have been encountered this autumn?

Not the 'Yankee job' that I would wish for, but a close-to sighting of a Harris' hawk in the golf course area was still something to break the monotony. Was a beautiful, pristine adult with no jesses apparent just in case it causes any local confusion if it remains at large. 

Garden warbler back and in superb song adjacent to Romiley Golf course.

Just entered my Werneth Low to Romiley and back breeding bird survey visit data from Saturday. It felt a good morning and it looks like it was, with 37 species in under 2h, which equals, in a single visit, the maximum number of species ever previously seen across a year's two visits (records, with a few gaps, back to '96).

Highlights included two new species for square (mandarin duck and, surprisingly, raven, bringing the total ever up to 64) plus several species that only seem to stray within sight or sound of a transect visit in a small minority of years (e.g. red-legged partridge and lapwing).

-- Edited by Chris Knight on Monday 17th of April 2017 09:40:12 PM

2 common buzzards were circling over Sunfield estate just after 11.00 a.m. Views of rump were not possible.

A peregrine cruised around the sky for about 5 minutes this morning over Sunfield estate before making off north-west. Seconds later, a sparrowhawk took its place in the same piece of sky.

Three waxwings were apparently on central drive Wednesday lunchtime (14th) my other half has a tiny but undeniable snap on her phone.