Tufted - 3 Teal - 2 Goosander - 3 Goldeneye - 2 Lapwing - 1 over east Reed Bunting - male singing by reeds
In my absence last week, the Scaup had returned and was logged on the 19th, 20th and 23rd.
I didn't have time today to look for the posible Marsh Tit - though I might tomorrow. I can't remember recording this species in the area over the last 31 years. The hilly area at Kenworthy is known as the gallops.
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jason atkinson wrote: marsh tit wouild be a nice find i used to get them about 20 years ago on sale wp best to pick them up on call
cheers jason
Seems shocking how they've declined fortunately I saw one on Wednesday about 80 miles north up at Woodwell (Silverdale). Fortunately my short term memory is still ok-ish. Hopefully with longer evenings I'll be relocate it after work.
Marsh Tit is a county rarity with one a year or less. You can download a rarity form elsewhere on this site, but without one, I'm afraid it won't be admitted to the definitive list.
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
Water park full of joggers so back to Kenworthy Field and Woods 1 Marsh Tit - 80% sure but disturbed by cyclist before positive ID . In wood next to substation. 1 GS Woodpecker (female) 22 Redwing 7 Jays 6 Long tailed tits 1 Treecreeper 8 Blackbirds 2 Chiffchaff 30+ Woodpigeon 2 Collared Dove 2 Wren 7 Great Tits 5 Blue Tits 14 Mallard 2 Song thrush 1 Bullfinch 20+ Magpies 2 Goldcrest 30+ Crows 2 Pheasants 2 Goosander (M+F) on Mersey 2 Teal (M+F) on Mersey 1 Grey Wagtail (M) 30+ Black-headed Gulls
2 Teal on Mersey 2 male Goldeneye displaying to each other - not sure what was going on there ! Grey Wagtail 1 Chiffchaff singing by substation plenty of Bullfinch around
Scaup 1 drake Pochard 17 Tufted 29 Goosander 4 Goldeneye 5 Cormorant 1 Mute Swan 9 Common Gull 18 Snipe 5 flushed from Barlow Tip Kingfisher 2 Buzzard 1 over east at 13.28 Grey Wagtail 1 Meadow Pipit 1 over east & 1 on Barlow Tip Goldcrest 2 & 1 at Barlow Tip Redpoll 3 Reed Bunting 2m. 2f. at Barlow Tip
Mandarin Duck - 1 drake at Sale WP today was reported from Chorlton WP yesterday
Magpie - 57 on Stretford Ees
-- Edited by Pete Hines at 01:41, 2007-03-12
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3 Goosanders on the Mersey (2f+1m) 6 Goldeneye again on the Mersey 30+ Redpoll - Kenworthy in Co-op woodland with 4+ Siskin all being watched by male Sparrowhawk. 1 Bullfinch - Kenworthy 3 Jays - Kenworthy 5 Songthrush - by football club 40+ Redwing and at least 3 Fieldfare in wood next to substation 0 wagtails!
Teal - 3 (1 drk) Scaup - drake Goldeneye - 15 Mute Swan - 4 Grey Heron - 2: 1 on nest and 1 in attendance close by All Aythya were under willows on west island
hybrid Aytyha - 2+: the usual Pochard x Ferruginous, the female Pochard-type bird from Feb 9th again which from head shape and size I'm convinced is not pure, and another possible female Pochard-type with dark sludge brown flanks and very dark upperparts. Scaup - drake Tufted Duck - 19 Goldeneye - 8 Sparrowhawk - male sat on top of central feeding station pole, hence no other birds in the area!
Grey Heron - 1 building quite a substantial platform on the west island. Pochard - 131 Tufted Duck - 17 Scaup - 1w drk Teal - 1 2 hybrid aythyas: 1 Pochard x Ferruginous & 1 possible (Pochard x Ferruginous) x Pochard, ie a backcross, whatever that means. Maybe it's even a backcross of a backcross, and I've absolutely no idea what that means! It might even have a bit of Scaup in it.
It looks almost like a female Pochard but is darker backed, dull brownish/grey breast, slightly smaller than Pochard, very dark undertail coverts, very obvious large white spot on lores, very strong eye-ring and line running off rear of eye, and head is quite small with a gentle concave forehead slope (similar to Pochard) and quite a flat crown with the peak quite a bit behind the eye. The bill looks quite big and awkward, as if someone has just glued it to poor thing's face, but the pattern is just like a female Pochard with a thin narrow pale blue sub-terminal band.
1st wtr drake Scaup, 96 Pochard, 18 Tufted, 3 Teal, 3 Goosander, 14 Goldeneye, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Mute Swan, 1 Kingfisher, 15 Greenfinch, pair of Herons in breeding condition at a previous nest site on the west island.
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Chorlton WP 3rd Feb 07 : thick fog all day, lifting slightly between 14.30 - 14.45
Very poor viewing conditions but very low numbers of aythyas and NO sign of the Scaup, but an aythya hybrid of both ferruginous and pochard parentage noticed about 14.40 (while I was emptying the bins - somebody's got to do em! - I'll post a pic of last years bird to the gallery). Otherwise :
Finally seen the Scaup - asleep with the Pochard under the trees. 10+ Goosander and similar number of Goldeneye. 100+ BH Gulls and a couple of Common Gulls.