Mon 5th June. Early afternoon visit, nipped out on my lunchbreak.
Id noticed Lesser Black-backed Gull numbers were starting to creep up in the last week or so so I gave them a quick count. I counted adults and various younger ages that I knew were LBb and they were all on the BCA roof.
On Friday teatime I nipped to ASDA Longsight and on the field belonging to the newly built Belle Vue Academy literally a minute away from Redgate I noticed around c150-200 Woodpigeon feeding, they mustve put grass seed down or something.
Few visits this week but Gull numbers have literally dropped off a Cliff!
Mon 20th March - 4 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Fri 24th March - 2 ad Lesser Black-backed - 3 ad Herring Gulls
Sat 25th March Not a single Gull, only thing of note was a Chiffchaff singing near PDSA grounds which is a bit of deja vu really as I had one started singing virtually a year to the day in the same place!
Thought it was worth mentioning an interesting development on Twitter this week.
Caspian Gull X15U that was here 29th Feb and seen in Northumberland in November, was seen about a week ago in Ravensthorpe West Yorks, then yesterday it was seen over in Widnes. Its certainly done some mileage in a relatively short time.
Few visits over the last week or so but nothing really of note.
Fri 10th March - 7 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls - minimum 10 Common Gulls inc 2 x 1w and a belting summer plumaged bird - 1 Common Buzzard circling distantly towards Openshaw - 1 Grey Wagtail - 3 Pied Wagtails
So far this morning (Sat) - 8 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls - summer plumaged Common Gull - 20+ Carrion Crows
Fri 24th Feb Afternoon visit. - 1 Raven over - 1 Sparrowhawk roaming around - 7 Argentatus Gulls - 1 Common Gull chasing Black-headed Gulls - c300 Starlings
Sat 25th Feb am & pm visits - 6 Argentatus Gulls - limp winged Great Black-backed Gull - c300 Starlings - 2 Pied Wagtails - 10 Goldfinch over - 2 Greenfinch over
3 visits this week and an obvious reduction in Gull numbers noticeable each time. Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon and this afternoon.
Of note - Common Gulls becoming more frequent recently throwing their weight around chasing Black-headed Gulls - Lesser Black-backed Gull N:W34 (Tues & Fri) - 4 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Tues) - 1st w Great Black-backed Gull (Tues)
Nice to meet Craig Bell last Saturday, an Argenteus with yellow legs was on site briefly and wed both seen it.
Quite an aggressive bird towards other Gulls, but a very showy bird at times flying low over my head at one point into the yard, and then landing on the Redgate machinery cages, nice!
A cracking individual showing well at times but flew off towards towards Manchester at one point. Returned after about 10 minutes, possibly a second 1st winter bird in flight around the yard whilst the first one was still on the 384 roof, but hard to pin down and be 100% sure.
Reply from Iain Livingstone from Clyde R.G. regarding Herring Gull 69E:C
This Gull was sick and was rehabilitated by the SSPCA, it was ringed as an adult 11.05.22 and then released at Fishcross in Fife. Mine is the only sighting.
Reply from Tim Frayling regarding Herring Gull N:23D.
Ringed at Walney Island, Cumbria, on 4th July last year as a chick, I then reported the sighting on Boxing Day, but sadly the bird was found dead at Audenshaw Reservoirs on 18th January.
Afternoon visit. - Sparrowhawk through, doing the rounds. - Not many Gulls, the best being c20 Argentatus Herring Gulls & 4 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Sat 4th Feb.
Morning visit approx 9am. Not a single Gull.
Lunchtime / early afternoon visit. - 18 Argenteus Herring Gulls - 10 Argentatus Herring Gulls - 3 ad Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 3 ad Great Black-backed Gulls including the limp winged bird - c60 Black-headed Gulls - 2 Common Gulls - usual token Grey Wagtail - 1 imm Pied Wagtail
Also I had a Caspian-like Gull, a 2nd winter bird pretty similar (but different) to a bird seen here a few weeks ago. Some features though I wasnt quite happy with, shortish legs and a bit too pink, shortish bill too and showed a fairly definitive gonydeal angle producing a contoured effect towards the tip. That said though, I think theres likely to be Caspian genes in there, giving it an overall look of possibly being one but probably not enough to say it definitely is one. It will be submitted anyway, even if its not accepted it could be useful.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 29th of January 2023 09:38:36 AM
Totally forgot, the ungainly winged Great Black-backed Gull has been present last few days too. No problem flying and you cant tell theres anything amiss until it lands.
am visit. - 2 Whooper Swans over flying North - 4 Dunnocks together around 384 - 1 Grey Wagtail - 1 Pied Wagtail - 1 Sparrowhawk patrolling round - not many Gulls around but of interest Lesser Black-backed N:W34 was present
pm visit. Better Gull numbers but nothing of note except c15 Argentatus.
Literally just had a reply from Jeroen at the NE Scottish ringing group regarding Herring Gull T:926 on Christmas Eve.
16/06/2013 New Bird Morrisons Garage, King Street, Aberdeen. 09/07/2020 Sighting Gravel bank opposite Duthie Park, Aberdeen, Dev Kapur 24/12/2022 Sighting Redgate Recycling, Gorton, Manchester, Rob Creek
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 17th of January 2023 07:34:26 PM
Sudden large reduction in Gulls last few days, probably due to weather.
Yesterday afternoon. - 84 (quick count) Redwings over Hyde Rd towards Ardwick / Ashton Old Rd - c15-20 Goldfinch - male Greenfinch in grassy area by BCA gates
My apologies - what I thought was a sub adult Caspian Gull yesterday afternoon has been re-identified as a 3rd winter and looks to be the same individual seen here on 17th Dec.
- 2nd winter Caspian Gull Nothing on 384 roof mid morning when I arrived but within minutes birds started coming in and the roof was full. The 2nd winter Caspian showed well for a while before becoming mobile. It was still there at lunchtime when I left.
Also a 1st winter Caspian Gull briefly in flight but it looked to land on one of the obscured roofs and I couldnt relocate it.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 27th of December 2022 01:53:25 PM
3 visits today, morning, lunchtime, and afternoon, in between a bit of shopping and nipping errands. No sign of any Caspian Gulls at all for me.
Of note - Lesser Black-backed N:W34 - Herring Gull (?) N:23D - 40+ ad Great Black-backed Gulls - 3 Common Gulls - 4 Redwing over - few 100 Woodpigeon over this morning in 3 or 4 flocks
Tues 20th Dec. Quick call in on way back from a very busy Liverpool route.
- 2 x 1st winter Caspian Gulls on 384 roof. As I got out of the van with my camera a wagon drove passed and clattered over a road divet flushing a few of the Gulls including 1 of the Caspians. The other one stayed and I could see it was Dutch red ringed. It did a quick fly round and landed back on the roof. The ring number was 5.3
Of note - 40+ adult Great Black-backed Gulls on 384 & BCA, many more Gulls in the air so possibly more
No sign of any Caspian Gulls for me but there was an intriguing 1st winter Herring Gull with a fairly white head and longish slim bill, on the 384 roof and then in the yard, but as it took flight its underwings were dark and it didnt look right for a Caspian, so for me it was a Herring Gull.
Morning visit. - 3rd winter Caspian Gull showing well at times on 384 roof then disappearing behind the rubbish mounds in the yard. It was still knocking around at 11am when I left.
Other birds of note - c15-20 Argentatus Gulls - 5 Redwings over - 1 Wren
Nice to see Pete Kinsella & Co today. They were present when I arrived for my 2nd visit and theyd had the Caspian Gull mid morning so I reckoned it was only a matter of time before it returned.
Other birds of note - 14 Argentatus Gulls (probably more, difficult to count as there was lots of activity with Gulls coming and going) - 1 green ringed Herring Gull (missed the number) - 1 white ringed Black-headed Gull - 7 Redwings over - 1 Grey Wagtail - 2 Pied Wagtail
I went back after Lucas football class and after a bit of a wait I picked up a bird in flight over Redgate Lane. It continued over the yard then towards Hyde Rd before swinging round the 384 building and landing in full view on the roof. What a beauty of a Gull this is! It continued to show well on the roof before dropping into the main yard where it showed on and off, it kept disappearing behind the rubbish mounds.