on the lake 20 gadwall 20 tufted duck 2 pochard 5 great crested grebe. the resident mute swans are still tolerating the visiting pair as long as they stay down the end beyond the island, not for much longer I expect.
usual things at the bird tables, nuthatch, chaffinch, dunnock, stock doves. long tailed tits on the feeders
i noticed yesterday on the ice wot i think is an indian runner duck i know these have been domesticated but whats it doing in clifton. Could anyone comfirm
Marina frozen solid other than 20 sq feet full of coot & Mallards. Gave them a good feed
1 possibly 2 Green Sandpipers on the river behind the marina showing well. 2 Dippers, 40+ Teal, 16 Goosander, 1 Goldeneye. 1 Raven. River even partly frozen here.
46 Species at Clifton 8am-9.30am including my first Raven at the site, 2 Dippers on the river 1 of which was in full song, Goldcrest, Siskin, Stock Dove, Nuthatch, Little Grebe, Goldeneye, several Goosander and our only Gadwalls of the day.
-- Edited by Simon Warford on Friday 1st of January 2010 08:06:32 PM
275 Fieldfare, 70 Redwing, 300 Woodpigeons and 30 Redpoll all west over Clifton in 45 mins this morning, best i could manage before work. Also 8 Gadwall on the water.
On a more serious note, a lot of our Common Terns have metal BTO rings on them. A few years ago many of these were proven to originate from birds ringed at Seaforth NR. If Bill struggled to make out any lettering etc on it, it may well be an older bird where the ring is now rather worn having made so many journeys to Africa and back!
A single Common Tern fishing over the lake early this morning. I was fortunate enough that it came and perched on a waterside sign and I was able to see that it had, what looked like a silvery coloured, tight-fitting ring on its right leg. In fact, it looked more like a band than a ring and I could see no lettering on it, even though I was very close to the bird and had excellent views through binoculars.
Hi Bill
have a look at John Tymon's cracking shots of Common Terns at Doffcocker Lodge on the photo pages of the website. The first one clearly shows a bird with a BTO metal ring as you describe.
A single Common Tern fishing over the lake early this morning. I was fortunate enough that it came and perched on a waterside sign and I was able to see that it had, what looked like a silvery coloured, tight-fitting ring on its right leg. In fact, it looked more like a band than a ring and I could see no lettering on it, even though I was very close to the bird and had excellent views through binoculars.
Also when I first arrrived a Stock Dove was sat on the roof of the visitors centre - looking like it was contemplating joining the young Chaffinches on the bird table!! A pair of Mute Swans with 6 approx. two-thirds grown cygnets. 2 fledged Coal Tits and a pair of Goldcrest in suitable habitat. 4 recently fledged Swallows near the Visitors Centre - presumably having been raised on the nearby farm? A female Blackcap carrying food. 2 separate proven breeding records for Chiffchaff. A bird seen three times taking food into a low level nest site, whilst the male sang from the top of a nearby tree and about a quarter of a mile further away an adult with three recently fledged, yellow-gaped juveniles. On the R Irwell - a female Goosander with 11 well-grown, if not fully grown juveniles. Judith Smith had a female with 15 ducklings several miles upstream on May 24th - the same (slightly reduced) brood or possibly even a different brood?
Proven breeding for commoner species included:- Robin, Magpie, Coot, Wren, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird and Mallard.
41 species recorded in total.
The only disappointing aspect of the morning? - a Mink seen very clearly below the metal footbridge crossing the Irwell at the north-western end of the country park. Magpies and Black-headed gulls made feeble, half-hearted attempts to chase it back into the waterside vegetation but they made sure they never got to close!
Keep atlasing!
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 03:06:11 PM
7 Mute Swan, 3 Teal, 3 Goosander, Common Buzzard, 2 Stock Dove, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, also heard a Green Woodpecker calling from Giant Seat at Ringley + Nuthatch heard in woods.
Still 2 Green Sandpipers on river, 1 behind marina and 1 by motorway bridge. Goosander 3 Goldeneye 3 Little Grebe 4 Gadwall 15 Teal 25 Pochard 2 (was 15 last week) Nuthatch and G S Woodpecker.
Melanie wont have it that this Man Flu is the worst kind of flu, so on her instructions I went to Clifton for an hour. Marina almost completely frozen so walked up and down the river.
3pm - 2 Green Sandpipers easy enough to see on very low river levels, plus Dipper, 11 Little Grebes, 6 Goosanders, 12 Goldeneye and 60+ Teal.
A decent stroll round this pm, no sign of the Scaup but 80 Tufteds, nice to see the Swans with 7 well grown young, 10+ Bullfinch, 60+ Goldfinch, several Goldcrests and 4 Siskins was about the best me and warfy senior could manage.
Highlight was a female Greater Scaup, also 3 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 76 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Sparrow hawk, 2 Common Buzzard over Hurst woods, Kingfisher, 15 Swallow, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Bullfinch, also heard a Nuthatch.
Pair of Swans with 8 young, Greylag Goose, 54 Canada Geese.2 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Goosander, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Common Buzzard over, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sedge Warbler singing near river, 3 young Goldfinches.
15 Tufted Duck, 6 Goosander on river, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Stock Dove, Cuckoo calling from Ringley, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Common Whitethroat, also Yellowhammer , uncommon for Clifton.c.p.
Green Woodpecker, halfway between marina and m/way, also 12 Tufted Duck, pair Goosander on river, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Mistle Thrush, 2 Common Whitethroat,2 Nuthatch.
Green Sand on river this afternoon and 7 Sand Martins dropped in during a hail shower, not much duck wise Gadwall seemed to have gone. You Audenshaw birders dont know how lucky you are.