After an excruciating week, I managed to bag a swallow flying over the stables below Hilltop, it becoming No. 40 for my 'lockdown' patch. 

Whilst returning from local shop this a.m., found 4 linnets feeding on weeds round the usually bustling Romiley Medical practices. This was nearly as exciting as finding tins of corned beef on the shelves today!!

With just over 5 minutes to spare, I managed to maintain my unbeaten home record with a late grey heron flyover. On a more sombre note, it is scarcely believable that I have to report that there does not appear to be any chaffinches singing around this area. It is (and always was) ideal habitat, and once you would hardly give them a second glance. Now, nothing. This is indeed a tragic situation of our making.

Whilst insect spotting around the golf course area saw 6 redwings, 2/3 stock doves including courting behaviour, 2-3 chiffchaffs, buzzards, kestrel, great spotted woodpecker heard.

Steve Costa wrote:

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Andy Bissitt wrote:

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Romiley golf course area; p.m. Woodcock flushed from same spot as one two Winters ago. Also pair of bullfinches + 1 singing male, and a female kestrel. On way off site, ran into a guy carrying a very high-spec air rifle who said he had permission from the golf course to bag squirrels and magpies there. Never seen him before, and was a bit alarmed that he might be on the other side of the wooded area to me blasting away without either of us knowing about the other! Anyway, as the woodcock had flown towards the way he arrived from, I flushed it again to make sure it was O.K.

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Andy - the legality of this man's so-called 'authorisation' seems questionable - especially if it's an area where the public are allowed to walk. Even if someone at the golf course has given their 'permission', it may still be illegal, and certainly highly irresponsible/dangerous with regard to people and wildlife. I'm not, for a moment, suggesting that you challenge his assertion face-to-face! Air rifles are serious weapons. I have been accidentally shot in the shoulder- very painful and requiring a hospital visit. Others have fared worse e.g. lost eyes.

-- Edited by Steve Costa on Sunday 19th of January 2020 11:00:21 PM

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Appreciate your concern Steve. I visit the site very regularly, and have never seen him before. He seemed like a 'genuine' hunter, complete with springer spaniel, but he should therefore know the rules about using air weapons within 'x' number of metres of a public footpath (which are all around the area). I certainly heard one shot which must have been within spitting distance of a track where lots of families take walks around the golf course perimeter. If I see him again, I will raise it with the golf course.

Cheers,

Romiley golf course area; p.m. Woodcock flushed from same spot as one two Winters ago. Also pair of bullfinches + 1 singing male, and a female kestrel. On way off site, ran into a guy carrying a very high-spec air rifle who said he had permission from the golf course to bag squirrels and magpies there. Never seen him before, and was a bit alarmed that he might be on the other side of the wooded area to me blasting away without either of us knowing about the other! Anyway, as the woodcock had flown towards the way he arrived from, I flushed it again to make sure it was O.K.

A raven flew low over Underhill (just below Sunfield) mid morning, going west. First I've seen in the immediate vacinity for some time, and a candidate for best bird seen from a bedroom window today?

As I could see the rain that would hit in the afternoon on the Met Office weather app, I tried a walk around Hilltop a.m. (all well within half a mile of home), ostensibly to see if I could find the Autumn's first redwings. It did have a feeling of migration, and I did have some success. I saw probably 20+ meadow pipits, some of them down, some at height, as well as 4 house martins (1+3) going South, and there had been an obvious arrival of song thrushes, with at least 8 in loose association. I had not seen any hereabouts for at least three weeks. 2 chiffchaffs hung on. A final bonus was a peregrine floating about low above me which went into a stoop towards my home! Other best sightings were kestrel, rooks and nuthatches.

Absolutely pristine male 'COMMON' REDSTART in fields just north of Sunfield estate until 4.50 p.m. at least. What a great bird to see five minutes from your front door. Managed to raise another local birder who also got decent views.

A real spirit lifter was the sound of the first blackcap singing on Romiley Common this afternoon. As I had not come across one locally this Winter, perhaps it could be a 'true' migrant (probably not).

First signs of Spring movement locally (not including geese going home!) when a curlew flew quite low over Hilltop, Romiley this afternoon, going NE.

5.05 p.m. A flock of c200 thrushes viewed at distance from Greave school area. They came down off Werneth Low going roughly west before deciding that they liked the look of what was beneath them and decended somewhere north of Woodley (Holland Park?). Most were fieldfare sized, but I could not rule out the odd redwing being in the group. Also seen around Hilltop - 1 raven.

A hobby went low (South-east) over Sunfield estate (causing panic to the pigeons, proving they are stupid birds) at 3.00 p.m. It then spiralled upwards over Romiley 'village' before continuing towards Compstall.

2 ravens buzzed Sunfield Estate mid p.m., spiralling off towards Werneth Low.

Garden warbler north of golf course this afternoon, back where it was (exact spot) last year. A couple of blackcaps singing in the same area (occasionally the same bushes as the garden) had me worried about my hearing for a while! 

The hobby obviously didn't go far as I saw it twice this afternoon about 2 and a half hours apart. The later sighting at 4.45 had it arrive from the north of Hilltop, drift about in front of me for a while before moving to the SW and go into a fast, straight dive below the horizon of the hill, somewhere over the Romiley/Bredbury border. Looks as if it likes the area?

A little quiet today, but there's always something. Watching a superbly marked male sparrowhawk just a few meters away attempting to break twiggy branches off a tree, and then dropping to the ground to see what it could find was something not often witnessed I suspect. Otherwise just a few fieldfare were north of the golf course, and the Harris' hawk was back sparring with the buzzards.

The quite incongruous sight of a red-legged partridge in a field below Hilltop, Romiley late this afternoon. It was very wary, making off (a fast jog!) when I tried to get a closer look. I have never seen this species in the vacinity before - even pheasant is virtually unknown on my home patch.

Chiffchaff at Romiley Golf course, unusually seen before heard, then seemed to move on. Tawny owl heard, and that was it really. Pretty hard work at present with no insect back-up.

WOODCOCK flushed from site north of Romiley golf course (south east slope of Werneth Low). First time I've seen one close up in mid p.m. Best of the rest 1/2 siskin, 2 buzzards, 1 stock dove seen and also heard 'singing', 2 bullfinches, great spotted woodpecker.y

RED KITE seen from the field north of Sunfield estate at 1.40 p.m. It was off to the north west of the hill, generally just floating into the headwind (N/NE). It dipped below the horizon (of the hill) after about 20 seconds and could not be relocated.

c120 lapwings flew over Grieve at 3.15 looking like they were heading for Bredbury Industrial Estate to roost.

Some signs of Spring this week (not that I'm wishing my time away). A song thrush just about getting a few notes out near Romiley Marina on Tuesday, and today a great spotted woodpecker was hammering out its calling card on a hedgerow tree just off Sunfield Estate. More in tune with winter, a post-roost flock of ten greenfinches (Romiley Common) was good to see after hearing of their decline in the news this week. Only two redwings seen is in keeping with their presence this year which has been the worst in number since I've lived here (30+ years).