a long walk this afternoon from 2.30pm started here...

1 treecreeper
1 sparrowhawk
1 nuthatch
8 mistle thrushes
2 stock doves
blue/great & long tailed tits
goldfinches & chaffinches
plus all usual birds around.

forgot that we also saw a Stock Dove on our walk through the park.

Another cut through the park on my way to the water parks (43 species for the whole walk not bad as an alternative to doing some work).

Small flock of Redwing (c. 12) flying from the Edge Lane side towards the middle of the park.
5 Mistle Thrushes on the bowling green
6 Common Gull on the old pitch and putt course
2 very noisy Nuthatches in the big trees near what was the main house. They were there last week too.
1 Coal Tit - I was pleased to see it as the local population seems to have plunged

Nothing else of note

A large flock of Redwings (40+) in the park today feeding with a few Mistle Thrushes and the odd Blackbird (on the playing field bit). There was a smaller flock of around 12 Redwings near the flower garden. Also saw a flock of 7 or 8 Long-tailed Tits - not unusual but always nice.

12-2pm
2 blackcaps
1 swallow (over)
1 great spotted woodpecker
8 nuthatches
2 goldcrests
4 jays
1 song thrush
plus plenty off the usuals...
blue/great/coal & long tailed tits
mistle thrushes/blackbirds/starlings/house sparrows
chaffinches/goldfinches/wood pigeons
jackdaws/crows/magpies
b h gulls/common gulls

also one very tame wood pigeon almost eating out off my hand.
a pleasant couple off hours in the lovely sunshine.

Saw a curious event on tuesday afternoon.

Not exactly in Longford park but over longford road near the park on the chorlton side.

300+ Gulls circling silently in the clear blue skies. They seemed to be doing something, maybe even feeding. Mostly BHs but a few Commons and larger 1st year species.

Anybody got any idea what this behaviour could have been? I watched them for a good 10 mins. It was quite a beautiful spectacle.

Cheers

Gervase

I've just dug out an old note-book : 200+ Brambling alongside the tennis courts on 20th November 1985 and c150 there the following day. I think they were found by the late Rick Burnett. Top listers John Gregory, Richard Walker and Graham Talbot used to share a house on Rye-Bank Rd, Chorlton in '85/86 backing onto the park but I don't know if they found anything there ?.

Although I've not managed to get the PF either I think it is worth noting that Longford Park seems to be much more promising than you might think at first. I usually just nip through on my way to the Mersey Valley but even so as well as the things you guys are listing as recent spots and my LSW I have (in the last three months) seen Tree Creeper, both Winter andboth resident Thrushes, Heron, Stock Dove, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and much more. A week ago there were three Sparrowhawks wheeling overhead, very high but making a fair bit of noise. One of the three kept taking a poke at the second while the third looked on. My guess was that I was watching two males disputing the right to approach a female but I don't really know.

Anyway, my point is that perhaps the park is worth closer attention than it has been getting.

paul

Gropper reeling in the scrubby open area adjacent to the park by Longford Rd 2.40pm

No sign of the PF (Steve searching also)

Blimy I'd just walked though there after dropping the car off for MOT in Old Trafford. I'll take my bins when I walk back !

went to find the lesser spotted woodpecker in longford park,but no joy. but did manage to find a pied flycatcher never thought i would see one off them on my local patch,absolutely amazing. it is always nice to have someone else to confirm that you are not seeing things, and i had the pleasure off meeting iain johnson(great to meet you sure we will bump into each other again). after finding it again me & iain observed it for a while,i tried to get pics but not joy when you are looking up at birds. we then went to look at where the lsw was originally seen,but no luck. other birds seen...
blue/great/long tailed/coal tits
chaffinch,greenfinch,goldfinch,
wren,robin,blackbird,mistle thrush,
crow,magpie,starling,wood pigeon,
collared dove,song thrush,nuthatch,
treecreeper,sparrowhawk and willow warbler.
also blackcaps (heard only)
after leaving iain i did go back to see if the pied flycatcher was still there and it was,so i observed it for another half hour before heading home for my tea at 6.30pm.
iain it did have a metal ring on its right leg.