3:30 to 5:30 today - Highlights;

Meadow Pond area;
Swallow (4) - high - direct flight heading east.
Kingfisher (1)
Willow Tit (1)
Bullfinch - plenty around the area

Cow Field
Buzzard (1) - Juv still
Parakeets - 4 then 2 then 3

Lots of foraging tit flocks around

Chris

Willow Tit 2 or 3
Swift 3
Blackcap 2
Chiffchaff
Reed Bunting

Evening wander, very quiet generally:

2 reed warbler
2 jay heard
1 grey heron
1 tawny owl heard

Water Rail heard at the meadow pond this afternoon - probably two. Also a possible Water Rail heard at the dry weir.

A single Common Tern flew up river towards Didsbury this evening just before 9pm. Viewed from the meadow pond, it was flying quite high along the river adjacent to Sale WP.
A first for me on the Ees.

Other than that nothing special to report this evening.

Afternoon mooch around.

At 5.35pm I picked up a bird just flown into trees at the cow field, thinking it was a female sparrowhawk that was hanging around it in fact turned out to be a juvenile cuckoo nice rufous brown colouring, long pointed wings & & long tail as it flew off as I was just about to get a photo of it. It flew off towards the Orchard & I spent over an hour looking around but could not relocate.

1 kestrel
1 buzzard
2 grey heron
Pair of pheasant, could hear what may of been juveniles with them in the long grass.
2 jays
5 ring-necked parakeet
2 collared doves
2 stock doves
4 bullfinch
1 reed bunting
Swift, swallow & house Martins.

A pm wander around today, from and back to Jacksons Boat, highlights included 6 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Common Buzzard, 14 Swallow and 2 Reed Bunting

Probably the hobby noted below this evening; too brief for 100% confirmation, but impression was of strong facial markings and rufous to the rear. Gutted though, if I'd been in any way competent in getting my bins to my face it would have been a quick, but cracking view. Balls.

Also about:

5 chiffchaff
3 balckcap
3 whitethroat
3+ reed warbler, one collecting insects
3 reed bunting
5+ house martin
10+ song thrush
1 jay
10+ swift
1 grey heron heard

Yesterday 26th June

Reed Warbler 6 at the meadow pond
Buzzard 1

Morning through to mid afternoon today:

1 goldcrest
10 chiffchaff
15 blackcap (including pair taking food to nest)
11 whitethroat
5 reed warbler (very showy today)
3+ willow tit (including a juvenile)
1 coal tit
1 or 2 treecreeper
4+ goldfinch
2 greenfinch
4 chaffinch
5+ bullfinch
9+ reed bunting
4 song thrush
2 jay
2 swift
1 or 2 great spotted woodpecker
6 black-headed gull
1 cormorant over

Several fledgling blue tit, and loads of long-tailed tits, with plenty of juveniles.

Hardy Farm, Barlow Tip and surrounding habitats, from early to late morning:

1 goldcrest heard singing
9 chiffchaff
4 willow warbler
9 blackcap
6 whitethroat
2 willow tit
1 treecreeper
1 nuthatch heard
Goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch
3 bullfinch
2 reed bunting heard singing
1 sand martin
c5 house martin
5+ swallow
1 pied wagtail
4 grey wagtail (including 2 fledglings)
4 song thrush
1 mistle thrush heard singing
1 jay
15+ swift
1 collared dove
1 stock dove
Two mallard broods; one of 10 very young chicks, one of 4 older ones.
1 black-headed gull
2 buzzard

Ees itself afterwards, in the rain for about an hour and a half:

6 chiffchaff
2 blackcap
5 whitethroat
1 or 2 reed warbler heard singing
2 goldfinch
3 chaffinch
7 reed bunting
2 song thrush
2 stock dove over
3 or 4 grey heron, including at least one large chick on nest
1 herring gull over


-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Saturday 20th of May 2017 04:17:19 PM

Enjoyable early walk from 05:45 from hardy farm through chorlton ees to broad ees dole, past sale ees and back, for dawn chorus day. Highlights were probably a total of 7 warbler species, plus others as follows. Blackcap, Willow warbler - hardy farm, Chiffchaff, Sedge warbler x4 - chorlton ees, Reed warbler x 1 - chorlton ees, Whitethroat x several, Lesser whitethroat x1 - near small pond with orange water on way to sale water park next to Mersey. Reed bunting x several, Swift x3 chorlton ees, Swallow x4 river Mersey, Willow tit - chorlton ees, Stock dove x 2, Bullfinch x several, Kestrel x2, Grey wagtail x1 River mersey, Plus all the usuals.

-- Edited by James Richardson on Saturday 6th of May 2017 09:36:30 AM

Hardy Farm, Barlow tip and river from between Jackson's Boat & Barlow Tip this morning from about 9 to 12.30:

9 chiffchaff
4 willow warbler
15 blackcap
7 whitethroat
5 greenfinch
4 chaffinch
3 bullfinch
3 reed bunting
3 swallow
2 grey wagtail
5 song thrush
1 mistle thrush
2 jay
1 ring-necked parakeet
1 grey heron
1 buzzard

Morning and early afternoon here in the drizzle; highlights:

16 chiffchaff (two gathering nesting material)
13 blackcap
2 willow tit
1 treecreeper
4 goldfinch
3+ greenfinch
3 chaffinch heard singing
7 bullfinch
3 reed bunting
1 swallow
2 grey wagtail (gathering nesting material)
14 song thrush (one with a beak full of worms)
2 mistle thrush heard singing
7 jay
1 great spotted woodpecker
2 ring-necked parakeet
2 water rail heard
4+ grey heron (at least two on nest)
1 buzzard

Wren, great tit and blackbird all also seen gathering nesting material.

evening stroll

9 chiffchaff
4 blackcap
2 willow tit, 1 with metal ring on left leg
7 sand martin over meadow pond/river then over to sale water park
2 grey wagtail
2 great spotted woodpecker
2 buzzard
1 kestrel
2 reed bunting
3 grey heron
2 stock dove
3 ring-necked parakeets
song thrush singing all around
water rail heard at meadow pond.

300+ jackdaw and a buzzard on the Ees this evening.

Day spent around here today:

1 goldcrest heard
12 chiffchaff (most singing)
1 blackcap
1 willow tit
1 treecreeper
4 goldfinch
2 greenfinch
2 chaffinch heard singing
2 bullfinch
3 reed bunting
2 grey wagtail
2 song thrush
7+ jay
1 raven over
3 great spotted woodpecker (one drumming, one calling, one flying)
2 stock dove over
2 water rail (one heard only, one popping out onto the path(!) for my first ever sighting here)
4 grey heron
1 sparrowhawk
Buzzard(s) heard several times.

Hardy Farm, Barlow Tip and river, late afternoon:

2 goldcrest (one singing)
11+ chiffchaff (most singing)
3 dunnock bouncing around each other, wing-flicking like mad.
6+ goldfinch
4+ greenfinch (one in display flight)
1 chaffinch
2 bullfinch
4 reed bunting
10 sand martin (seen from Barlow Tip, over Chorlton Water Park)
25+ redwing
1 song thrush
2 mistle thrush
2 jay
3 goosander (one over)
1 buzzard

Kingfisher (1) - flew across the football training field on Hardy Farm from the sewage pump station area.
Nuthatch (1) - exploring a hole which the ring-necked parakeets are also interested in. The parakeet just sat and watched from a nearby tree. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic works out !

Of note in the area in the last few days;
Buzzard (4) - circling high
Plenty of Ring-necked parakeet in the area but first time I have had them land in my garden

Chris

Warm spring evening around Chorlton ees and along the Mersey yesterday evening.
Highlights amongst usuals were 3 Willow Tits, several Reed Bunting and this male Sparrowhawk sat about 10m above my head by the bowling green car park. Location given away by Blue Tit warning calls.

Afternoon walk around ees, of note: 1 sparrowhawk Lots of Bullfinches Chaffinches Lots of territorial behaviour from blue and great tits Water rail heard, possibly 2 Pair of willow tit Buzzard heard 2 raven over 6 gadwall over

Morning walk around Hardy Farm was very quiet. Only exception was a bird we don't see very often on the Ees;

Grey Partridge (1) - flushed from the NE corner of the new fenced training pitch area and flew to scrub outside the SW corner

PS;
great spotted woodpeckers have been drumming this week on the sunnier days.
1 woodcock at dusk last week on Hardy farm.
1 Greylag over at dusk last week flew over cow field.

C

An afternoon stroll round the Ees yielded:

Blackbird (c. 30)
Blue Tit (12)
Chaffinch (small flock of 10 and 4 individuals)
Jackdaw (4)
Wood Pigeon (30+)
Sparrowhawk (1 female resting in a tree top)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)
Buzzard (1 perched low in a tree)
Magpie (c. 20)
Bullfinch (group of 5)
Grey Heron (3)
Great Tit (12)
Carrion Crow (3)
Robin (5 but many more singing)
Wren (1)
Black-headed Gull (6 over)
Ring-necked Parakeet (3 seen but, judging by the noise, they were part of a sizeable flock).

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 29th of January 2017 06:19:09 PM

First visit here this year; from morning until early afternoon:

4 goldcrest
1 (maybe 2) willow tit
2 treecreeper
c25 siskin
4 goldfinch
7 bullfinch
1 song thrush (singing)
1 jay heard
4 great spotted woodpecker
6 ring-necked parakeet
1 grey heron
2 cormorant over
2 kestrel
1 buzzard

Also two probable stock dove over, but not 100% confirmed, unfortunately.

Morning to early afternoon:

1 willow tit
1 treecreeper
1 nuthatch heard
c5 lesser redpoll
15+ goldfinch
3 chaffinch
2 greenfinch
6 bullfinch
1 grey wagtail over
3 jay heard
2 kingfisher (brook)
1 great spotted woodpecker heard
1 ring-necked parakeet
1 water rail heard
2 grey heron
1 cormorant over
8 common gull
1 or 2 kestrel
1 buzzard

Grey wagtail on the river; the way the one from above was heading.