0915 whilst looking over the estate up rose the Goldens and Lapwings again..

30 plus Lapwings
50 plus Goldens ( down somewhat on yesterday, but as the morning went on yesterday more appeared)

Now looking at where they are up and down from looks to be in the region of European Glass, Southmoor Road, which is the one heading for Wythenshawe Hospital off Altrincham Road. Although I am getting views across most of the Estate as on 1st floor on Caldey Road, Roundthorn Ind Est.

Any more appear will advise

Also

50 plus on Mile Road in the vegtation in the right hand field as you go Flixton - Carrington.

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for that info. Really, it is amazing sometimes how difficult it can be to find some of these roof top plover roosts - considering that they are relatively large and vocal species involved, that are also frequently seen in large flocks. Just to use today as an example - I was dropping a friend off at Middleton town centre this morning and mentioned that I'd brought my binoculars to have a look on the roof of McBrides - as we walked past and raised my binoculars I was "advised" by said friend "are you mad? - there are no birds on that roof"!! Other than having a familiarity with their calls and knowing this was a favoured roost site, you would not have known they were there at all! Likewise the flock that roosts on the roofs near Tescos at Chadderton quite often appears to be missing - until you walk to the edge of the supermarket car park and look down onto the flat corrugated roof of the petrol filling station attached to the superstore - when you can sometimes see them all "hunched down" in the grooves of the roof structure! Finally, a large flock (c180 birds) are currently ground roosting at Kingsway Business Park, Rochdale, on freshly turned over dark soil - again making them almost invisible at times. I guess it makes it harder for us to find them but for them I guess invisibilty/camouflage might make the difference between life or death. The other side is that having said that sometimes can be seen to roost on the most visible of roofs!! I have often wondered why they select certain roofs and not others and have speculated that where they are highly visible they have selected roofs that allow a good all round vantage point to allow any predators to be spotted. I'm sure it is not that simple and it might seem strange to adopt two roosting strategies that appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum - one almost invisible and one highly visible and even possibly for roosting flocks to "chop and change" between these two strategies?

Best wishes,

Bill.

20th November.

260+ Lapwings on the roof of McBrides at Middleton at 9.30 am - all well camouflaged against the roof - almost invisible with the naked eye! - could only really be seen and counted through binoculars.

Also whilst driving past J25 (the Bredbury turn off) of the M60 at 9.45 am, a sizeable (but uncounted) flock of Lapwings were in the air there - presumably roosting on one of the roofs of the industrial estate which is adjacent to the motorway here and sited just to the north-east of this junction? Don't know this area at all well and whether they might be a regular feature here?

Cheers,

Bill.

Broadheath lapwing flock around 60, above the tallest roof in atlantic st at dinner today

cheers geoff

Approx 60 sat in the vegetation on Mile Road Flixton again this morning 0800ish.
Not been around for a couple of days....

26 on the shop roofs at newtown y/day

A group flew over atherton road hindley yesterday afternoon 3-30, flying southwest probably 30+ birds.

That's a regular site, with suspected breeding on the roofs, too.

42 sat on sopranos pizza shop near asda in wigan.maybe theyre italian lapwings.anyway it was driving sleety rain.so whod be a rooftop peewit!

07/11/08 12.30 atlantic st 10 golden plover circled and landed out of sight next door to aldi.

cheers geoff

17 Lapwing on Do it all(focus) Mcr rd Bolton 7.30am

c40 birds(Lapwing) flew from the roof of Bestway (Newton Heath) at 16.20 over A62 and landed on top off the factory adjacent.(thought I best put post on in Mr Chorley's absence)

-- Edited by Mark Rigby at 21:03, 2008-11-06

Didn't have time to count em, i was driving. Around 20 on the roof of "do it all" on Mcr rd in Bolton this morning at 7am.

03/11/08 atlantic st. altrincham, 32 golden plover flew around (over not in) aldi and then settled on the roof next door at 12.30 still present and looked like roosting at 16.30.

proper treat, cheers geoff

Think they could have added to the few that frequent Mile Road in Flixton as numbers there have increased over the last month or so, especially after the Mersey flooded all the Field at weekend.....

c.80 circling Sainsbury's in Bolton at 4.00 today. Broke into three smaller flocks and moved off in different directions after about 2 or 3 minutes.

Often see 20-25 on the industrial buildings nearby (Partco, Samson's).

Today at 9.30am

c 250 Lapwing with c150 Golden Plover at Ashton Moss Business Park on the far end of the roof of the Screwfix Unit.

Info thanks to Anthony Marriott

18th October.

At 7.45 am - c30 coming in to land on the roof of the Indian Ocean Restaurant which is
opposite Tescos in Chadderton. By 8.45 - c145 were resting on the roof.


Bill.

40 birds disturbed from the roof of Bestway (Newton Heath) at 16.10 this p.m. flew off N.N.E. 16.20 20 (more?) birds took off and flew in the same direction, but appeared to settle almost immediately just beyond the railway line

Looks like you might be right about the overnight heating at Carpet Right, Riggers

the broadheath retail flock c150 visible on the ind est mostly all sleeping at 16.00

cheers geoff

Didn't notice, too busy counting birds. 1st time in 22 months of visits to the monthly farmers market I've seen anything at all! Typical

Ashton-u-Lyne 10.10 a.m. C50 birds on the roof of Gala Bingo, Wellington Road. Apex roof, only 3 sides visible from the bus!

C12 birds dropping towards the roofs of the industrial estate just behind Rose Tissues at Hollinwood this evening

broadheath retail flock,been hard to pin down most of the week they,ve started to use one of the tallest buildings on the ind est ,but was treated to a huge display of 250est lapwing and 200 starlings all milling around this afternoon.

cheers geoff