Tuesday 9 June 21:00
Crossing a meadow on a footpath which emerges onto Lees Lane at the junction with Mill Lane near to Dandy Farm
Pair of Curlew exhibiting distraction behaviour. Flying close by and alarm calling. I am reasonably confident from this behaviour that they had chicks somewhere hidden in long grass.
Curlew used to nest on Woodford airfield. They may have moved here because of the housing development going on there now.
The birds may have been lucky with the weather this year. Due to the dry Spring the farmers have not started cutting the grass for sillage yet which may have allowed the Curlew to hatch their clutch of eggs here.
Yesterday a Great White Egret was reported in a field near Brook House Farm, about a mile north of Mottram St. Andrew. No sign later in the morning but during a wider search in horrendous conditions I refound it by the River Bollin as viewed from the footpath running by Newton Hall Farm. It was later seen up towards Vardon Bridge.
Today I tried for better photographs and the Great White Egret was still in the same area on the meanders of the River Bollin near Newton Hall Farm. The best of the rest:
Green Sandpiper 2 Buzzard 1 Tree Sparrow 1 Meadow Pipit 11 Stock Dove 2 Fieldfare c80 Nuthatch 1
Not a bad haul in a couple of hours. If I wasn't so blinkered by Stockport Borough birding it would make a nice local patch.
