Quail still singing north west corner of field 25 about 100 metres south of pylon at 0730 to 0740

-- Edited by Jeff Clarke on Friday 28th of June 2019 07:42:22 AM

Quail singing briefly NW Corner of field 25 at 18:30

I likewise failed on the quest to see/hear the Quail yesterday, but did manage a very creditable 11 Yellowhammer in a circuit around Dark Lane and Sinderland Road.

Quail singing SE corner of field 10 near bridge. 

 

Forgot 3 singing Yellowhammers.

Highlights of my BTO Breeding Bird Survey on Carrington Moss this morning were a pair of Grey Partridge and a handful of Tree Sparrow in the Sinderland Road area. Blackcap, Skylark and Whitethroat numbers seemed good. Only one pair of Willow Warbler found (and they were off survey).

Off survey, F4 held two Wheatear and a Linnet feeding amongst the new crop shoots.

17.00-17.30

Field 4 and adjacent paths-
Just 1 Ringed Plover
2 Wheatear - both male
2 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
1 Buzzard
2 Yellowhammer
2 Skylark
4 Lapwing
3 Stock Dove
Also thought I heard a Yellow Wagtail overhead briefly but couldnt locate it.

Lots of Sand Martins, Swallows and 2 House Martins viewable over ETW

Pair of Teal on Sinderland Brook

A walk down Townsend Farm Lane produced my first Swallow of the year on the wires by the farm and the beginning of the road. Also 2 Chiffchaffs seen & heard singing.
A Yellowhammer was on some seed along the side of the road.
2 Little Egrets were on the Brook to the left when stood on the bridge.
A flock of around 20 Redwing still around and plenty of Skylarks singing in the fields.
One of those good feeling walks on a sunny day!

Four Little Egrets today, Brookheys Lane, in the fields between the farm/cattery and Sinderland Brook.

They got up from one side of the lane and flew over to the other side and settled again.

Couple of Bramblings among finch flocks yesterday.

There was one (maybe two) with a small flock of 30/40 Chaffinches in trees around field 9

Also one (maybe two) with larger flock of about 200 Linnets and Chaffinches in trees and hedges around field 63

Plus female Bullfinch and the usual.

 

Sinderland green woods 2 little egrets, there was also one here on new years eve.

Yesterday at Sale Sharks training ground at Carrington, singles of both Goldcrest and Willow Tit were singing, plus several Fieldfare moving about the small copses around the pitches.

PM walk from Isherwood Road to ETW, then return to walk behind the Shell Pool.

Linnet 10+
Yellowhammer 10+
Stonechat 1m 1f along path between F4 and F12.
Grey Wagtail 2
Chaffinch 10+
Skylark 5
Goldcrest 1
Greenfinch 3
Rooks/Jackdaws/Crows/Woodpigeons.
etc.

This afternoon :-
Rear of Birch Moss covert F22 horse paddock - 29 Pied Wagtail.
-1 Buzzard heard calling.
After the opening ( thinning) up of BM covert a few years ago the area is now inaccessible due to growth of fern and bramble around the perimeter and a distant view of the interior shows aggressive colonisation by Birch , Willow and Alder trees.
Rear Brookheyes farm :-
Goldfinch flock - c20.
Collard Dove - 23.
Buzzard - 1.
Kestrel - 1.
On my way back passing F2 (@ 3:30 pm ) ploughed field :-
Starling - 2
Meadow Pipit - 3.
Linnet - 4.
Chaffinch - 2.
Yellowhammer - 1 plus 1 other near MUTD training ground.
Pied Wagtail - 36 .
Skylark - 63.

Today around 1400hrs;
F2 - circa 30 Skylark, 50 Pied Wagtail, 20 Meadow Pipit, 15 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Goldfinch
F4 - 2 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel

WOW, thats a cool find in a garden , I was just talking to a welsh inspector about shearwaters yesterday, lets hope it managed to get back up into the air 

I have only just seen this posted on the Friends of Carrington Moss Facebook page. A Manx Shearwater was in a Partington garden last night (12-09-18) but not today. There are 3 photographs. These are the links to best two for Facebook users.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=693819350985932&set=pcb.235940133933074&type=3&theater&ifg=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=693819424319258&set=pcb.235940133933074&type=3&theater&ifg Reading into the thread it seems the bird had a damaged wing and was placed on a pond somewhere. Still awaiting permission to share photo's for the benefit of those not on social media.

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Thursday 13th of September 2018 09:38:41 PM

very late post for Sunday 12.08.18

As I arrived via Isherwood rd.at 1pm ,I could hear shotguns being used nearby . I found the shooters hide, the spinning Woodpigeon decoys and their vehicle in field 12/14 with the pylon in it.
Nothing was about, everywhere quiet as the grave .
I headed towards Swiss cottage farm and the trans pennine trail . This was futile only 2 Common Buzzard, 30 Starling and 4 juvenile Chiffchaff about.
On my return home I mentioned the shooters on Facebook - Friends of Carrington moss.
The reply was quite a surprise !!!
They contacted HIMOR who will be speaking to the farm concerned and will have a talk with the company doing the shooting. The Police are also involved as public footpaths were close to the shoot.
Any further occurrences should be reported to police on 101.
I hope this episode hasn't done to much damage to this part of the moss as there is shooting elsewhere on it.

Isherwood Rd. to ETW, then old railway, right to training ground, left at crossroads to F1, then return at rear of Basell site and Shell Pool.

Whitethroat 9 singing plus 1f.
Chiffchaff 5 singing.
Chaffinch 7 singing.
Mistle Thrush 2
Song Thrush 6 singing.
Buzzard 3
Skylark 5 singing.
Lapwing 6
Blackcap 7 singing plus 1f.
Yellowhammer 4 singing.
Linnet 1 singing plus 5.
Willow Warbler 1 singing.
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Pied Wagtail 2adults 1 juv.
Reed Bunting 1 singing.
Greenfinch 2 singing.
Bullfinch 4
Swallow 6+
and finally in F11, 1 Yellow Wagtail heard.
etc.

As is usual at this time of year, returned with about 6 bites/lumps and 1 Cleg or whatever actually got some blood, so my next visit will be September!

Beautiful day out on the Moss today - virtually had the place to myself too. 

Highlights:

5 wheatear in F4

yellowhammer at seemingly ever corner with 22 counted at least

possible corn bunting but didn't get close enough to definitively rule out y/hammer (are corn bunting still possible at this site out of interest?)

20+ linnet

pair whitethroat and two others heard

singing chiffchaff in almost all suitable areas

1 willow warbler singing near narrow track path between F1 and F10 (I think.. still getting to grips with the numbered fields!)

pair blackcap

2 pheasant

16 stock dove 

3 buzzard

1 sparrowhawk

1 kestrel

No whinchat for me...

BUT the three yellow wagtail 1f and 2m more than made up for it! The two males put on a spectacular aerial fight display lasting around 15 minutes. Brilliant birding moment! Coming from the bridge over Sinderland brook heading north and taking the narrow track first on the right. They were about 10 minutes along in the narrow dry field on the left hand side. The much larger field to the right is already cultivated. Not sure of the numbered location but certainly quite close to Brookheys Farm and just before the field with horses/sheep. 

With the Stockport area seemingly within a migrant force-wall, this was like a blast of fresh air. Best were 2 whinchat males in all their finery, with 2 wheatears, and a pair of whitethroats as well as 2/3 other songsters. Other than these I had forgotten how good yellowhammers look as I haven't been to an area that holds them for ages. I saw 10+, and also linnets were well represented with at least 15 seen. 18 stock doves were counted. All these were within the area bounded by the MUFC approach road to the east and the old rail line to the west (adjacent to the nature reserve compound), but didn't do the whole area. As the butterflies were also on show, I will return when the sun really shines (not like today). One other thing. Is it just me, or are chiffchaffs much reduced this year? Nowhere near as many everywhere I've been so far in 2018.

 

-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 3rd of May 2018 09:37:04 PM

F5 ......
Buzzard - 1.
Wheatear - 8 (at least).
Grey Partridge - 2.
Stock Dove - 2.
Pied Wagtail - 4.
Pheasant - 4.

Elsewhere ......
Yellowhammer - 15.
Linnet - 21.
Skylark - 2.
Stock Dove - 5.
Chiffchaff - 1.
Whitethroat - 1.
Chaffinch - 2.
Robin - 1.

There are no Rook nests in Hogswood Covert this year, I don't recall the last year this occurred (has there been disturbance I wonder??).

There are circa 6 in Brookheys Covert but the majority, circa 40, are in the small wood adjacent to Brookheys Farm

Green Sandpiper on field 32 today

Info thanks to Tony O'Mahony