23/02/2010 - It continues to be a good winter on the patch and today encapsulated that, although I get the feeling spring is knocking on the door now! A MEDITERRANEAN GULL (adult winter) kindly alerted me to its prescence by calling as it went over eastwards towards Newall Green with a small group of Black-headed Gulls in the chilly easterley breeze. It showed the slightly different jizz to Black-headed Gulls thanks to the more paddle shaped wing and ghostly appearance giving it the impression of being part gull, part miniature egret! This is a first record for the patch of this species. Rounding off the walk there were:

9 Lapwings (probably spring migrants)
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Buzzard
2 Grey Herons
3 Pied Wagtails
8 Fieldfares
2 Redwings
3 Song Thrushes
2 Mistle Thrushes
2 Treecreepers (one in the garden)
10 Lesser Redpolls

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Tuesday 23rd of February 2010 03:25:10 PM

4 Siskin were seen overhead on the Newall Green side ths morning and together with a pair of Collared Dove were local patch ticks.

Otherwise the usual species but notably again good numbers of Bullfinch which is good to see.

The female Goosander was a nice suprise!!!

If the Green Sand. is still around anywhere locally phil i'm a happy person!
A short wander late on this afternoon showed up a Reed Bunting, 6 Lesser Redpolls, 2 Stock Doves, 9 Pied Wagtails and c20 Magpies going to roost in the Newall Green fields near Piggy Wood.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Saturday 20th of February 2010 06:07:50 PM

19/02/2010 - Wandering the fields with Phil Owen this sunny afternoon we saw the Green Sandpiper again, in flight. It was lost to view but probably ditched down nearby in the sheep fields north of Shay Lane. Also around were:

1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (part of a good sized feeding flock today)
c40 Common Gulls
c80 Black-headed Gulls
1 Meadow Pipit (around the Newall Green ridge)
10 Pied Wagtails
1 Treecreeper
2 Coal Tits
c30 Greenfinches
6 Lesser Redpolls (back in my garden)



-- Edited by Henry Cook on Friday 19th of February 2010 04:45:42 PM

Where were the Redpolls Henry??

Hi Mark. Sent you a Private Message.
Henry.

14/02/2010 - Red-legged Partridge still present in the fields north of Shay Lane although elusive and a Pied Wagtail around the feet of sheep and turnip drops.

Very gripping Jason, a species i've not recorded locally before! Good find!

10/02/2010 - With the month of February progressing quickly more signs of breeding interest amongst the birds were observed today in sunny but chill-factored winds. 2 Buzzards spun around in circles in a display flight this morning in the fields towards Newall Green, making quite a racket as they drifted off. 2 Pairs of Woodpigeons were courting in my garden and inspecting a nest tree used in previous years. All of this was to a backdrop of song from Song Thrushes, Woodpigeons, Coal Tit, Great Tits, Robin, Nuthatch, Dunnocks, Chaffinches and Greenfinches. Also seen today locally were:

3 Reed Buntings (in a Marl Pit, representing probably the total local population!)
1 Moorhen
2 Mallards (back on Piggy Wood pools)
2 Mistle Thrushes
4+ Song Thrushes
2 GSW
18+ Long-tailed Tits
2 Goldcrests
16 Bullfinches (some around Newall Green ridge and my garden)

As I am covering the area North of Shay Lane, I have decided to start a new post for this area so not to confuse it with the patch that Henry Cook is covering.

A walk round the area 1.30pm-3pm:-

Blue Tit
Great Tit
LT Tit
Coal Tit
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch (nice to see plenty about)
Treecreeper (in Piggy Wood)
Great-Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Buzzard
Song Thrush
Mallard (2 on pond in Piggy Wood)
Black-Headed Gull
Common Gull
Blackbird
Robin
Dunnock
Wren
Woodpigeon

Can't wait for Spring and the Warblers to arrive as this is great habitat for them!!!!

Incredible stuff Pete. So much goes on in the microcosm of the garden.

Whilst garden watching in the rain this afternoon I was privileged to witness some cool behviour from the regular, resident species of the area.
I spotted a Coal Tit sat absolutely motionless in a large elder bush, it's gaze seemingly transfixed on something in the large ash tree nearby. I wondered if there was something wrong with this diminuitive bird so gave the window a tap to see if it responded. It didn't move a feather and its badger striped head stayed fixed in position. The feeders were clear of birds and most birds had cleared off out of the garden. This left me fearing one of the local predators had just passed through. After several minutes I spotted what was taking so much of the Coal Tits concentration; a small male Sparrowhawk perched up in the tree partially obscured from view behind a branch. The Sprawk efficiently took off from the tree to the response of several alarm calls from the smaller birds hidden away in the undergrowth. It rounded the back of the garden hedge and alighted on the garden fence mere meters from the window I was looking out of, brilliant views of this usually so secretive bird. Not far from it the Coal Tit had swung around and was again staring at it with concentration I could only dream to possess! I missed the Sprawk leave. A Goldcrest flitting through the bushes several minutes later signalled the rest of the garden passerines to feel safe enough to move around. The Bullfinches did the sensible thing and fled the garden en masse for the safety of hedgerows elsewhere.
So often views of the local Sprawk are fleeting and so to see it hunt around the space of the garden and it's potential preys response was captivating. Birds, they're great!
Thanks. Henry.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 09:17:17 PM

31/01/2010 - Daily walks over the last couple of weeks have been a bit quiet, bar the decent numbers of finches around. Snowfall this morning however seems to have forced another clearout though! Stuff seen today on the Big Garden Birdwatch and a shufty around the patch included:

1 Linnet (just about turns up once a year locally)
1 Siskin
4 Lesser Redpolls
1 Goldcrest
1 Kestrel
2 Stock Doves
9 bullfinches
6 Black-headed Gulls

18/01/2010 - Out all morning on the patch and reaped the rewards with a single female YELLOWHAMMER, a first for the area. It was calling and flighty but eventually showed well in the grassy fields from Davenport Green going towards Newall Green. The exact location is at the red circle on the link - Map Link

14/01/2010 - The thaw continued a pace today and on the walk around the local area patches of open ground were a joy to see. The 7 Fieldfares, 10+ Redwings and c60 finches feeding on these snow-free zones seemed to Agree.
2 Snipes were spotted feeding along a hedgerow probing their bills into the soil for food. Desperate times hopefully coming to an end for many species soon. 3 Ravens passed through checking for carrion although they didn't find any today. 11 Redpolls still in the garden and the fact that the flock size changes daily gives hope that new birds are passing through all the time. Time for a Mealy soon!

10/01/2010 - A large flock of mainly Greenfinches brightened up the hedgerows north of Shay Lane this afternoon. No Bramblings in amongst the 90+ throng, but 2 Bullfinches, 12 Goldfinches and 10+ Chaffinches were also present. They were feeding on ash seeds and what seemed to be oak buds. The only other noticable sight was plenty of roving gulls, looking for any open area free of snow it seemed. 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 10+ Herring Gulls and 50+ Black-headed Gulls moved slowly towards Rostherne in the hour before dark.
Still 5 Lesser Redpolls, 6 Bullfinches, 4 Fieldfares, 1 Goldcrest and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the garden, but i'm still waiting for this cold weather to turn up something unusual on the feeders.
Henry.

06/01/2010 - 180+ Pink-footed Geese flew over going east this morning, probably the same ones Vaughan saw in Hale.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 01:24:26 PM

04/01/2010 - Freezing cold this morning, -10 degrees overnight. Most decent sightings consisted of birds flying over and fleeing the cold wastes. Stuff seen included:

6 Fieldfares
9 Stock Doves (equal to the local record)
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Kestrel
8 Bullfinches (4m, 4f)
1 Lesser Redpoll
24 Magpies

8 Redpolls still on the feeders today with 5 Bullfinches and 5 Goldfinches, but still no Siskins yet and lowish numbers of most other species. Once more find the food source I think i'll be filling the feeders up twice a day.

17/12/2009 - 15 Lesser Redpolls appeared in the garden this morning signalling a definite cold weather movement. It is unusual for these to turn up before the Siskins around here.

Obviously not around you though Henry, like I say they are fairly localised.

Meadow Pipits are fairly common throughout the county over winter Henry though occasionally localised and obviously in smaller numbers than say, on passage. My usual sites of Pennington and Astley/Chat Moss still have birds present, with flocks of 20 or so on the mosses atleast. There is also a decent flock around High Rid Reservoir when I've been around there recently. Occasionally I get them around my house and have had ones and twos over or in the fields at the back in the past few days.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 10th of December 2009 04:16:56 PM

07/12/2009 - blustery southerly winds and drizzle in the face, not the nicest of walks ever but quite a few birds around in feeding flocks on the water-logged fields north of Shay Lane, including:

4 Common Gulls (1.1w, 3ad w's)
1 Herring Gull (1w)
66 Black-headed Gulls
2 Fieldfares
c30 Redwings
100+ Starlings
27 Woodpigeons

Thanks Henry
I live in Heald Green so a jolly jaunt on the cards!
Regards