7 Snipe (including 4 showing well on the pool adjacent to the canal), 2 Oystercatchers, 7 Wigeon (4 drakes), 10 Teal, 2 Goosander (1 drake), 1 Little Grebe, 3 Cormorants
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7 Wigeon (4m, 3f) 3 Teal (2m,1f) 1 Little Grebe 2 Goosander (1 Redhead on the pool and 1 on the canal) 8 Snipe, including 6 feeding together 2 Redwing at back of Stakehill Industrial Estate
1 Meadow Pipit seen very briefly from canal towpath
Been walking past these pools almost daily on lockdown on weekdays. Nothing out of the ordinary been devoid of Waders but today a marked increase in the number of Gulls with 37 Lesser B BGull, 11 Herrring Gull and 7 Black headed Gull. Just a half a mile or so up the canal Whitethroat.
Have walked past and checked the pools on my lunchtime walk each day this week and last. The most productive pool always next to the railway line up Boarshaw Lane. Today a White Wagtail was the highlight. Also 15 Teal, 4 Goosander pair of Little Grebe, nesting Coot, Grey Heron. Further north up the Canal a pair of Buzzard
An hour spent around the area. Bird Numbers smaller than expected and fewer species seen too. A few unexpected sightings thou
- 2 Swallow thru - 2 Little Grebe on one of the pools. Their diving was closely monitored by a small flock of Black-headed Gulls - 3 Cormorant - 1 Jay - c180 Canada Geese in the fields
Plus the usual corvids, tits and possibly a calling Bullfinch .
Mon 19th Sep 14:30 - 15:15 (approx) Walk along the canal and as far as the railway bridge - 2 Little Grebe - hunting fem Kestrel - 1 Swallow - 1 Grey Heron
Sat 16th July 14:30 - 15:30 (approx)
Walk along the canal to slattocks, rohnd tge estate and back down Boarshaw Lane yielded:
- 2 Oystercatcher
- c80 Lapwing including young birds
- c20 House Sparrow inc young being fed
- 1 Singing Goldcrest
- 1 Singing Linnet
- 2 singing Chiffchaff
- hunting Kestrel and Buzzard
- adult & juv Moorhen
- c6 Swift
- c30 Swallow
Had a bit of a saunter along the canal in the rain, until the rain got too much. Not a mass of activity but in the hedges and on the very wet fields saw/heard the following:
2 singing Coal Tit (year tick)
2 Goldcrest
1 Bullfinch (calling)
80+ Canada Geese
60+ Black-headed Gull
40 Mallard
2 Common Gull
1 Cormorant
Plus a few assorted Tits and Blackbirds etc
This morning about 7.15 I ad the pleasure of watching a large corvid roost swooping over the fields between Cardinal Langley School and the Rochdale Canal. It was like watching a murmeration of starlings. There was at least a thousands birds (Honestly disbelief). Mainly jackdaw and crow. Spectactular is a word that springs to mind. Well my mind anyway. I don't get out much confuse.
In previous years there has been a roost locally in the Oakenbank and Glade Wood area of Hopwood. This year it appears to be in the trees behind the houses to the right of the school (As viewed from the canal).
I did not manage to do much bird watching locally last year due to work and family committments however a total of 44 different types of birds seen in the area during the year.
Blackbird Black-Headed Gull Blue Tit Bullfinch Buzzard Canada Goose Carrion Crow Collared Dove Common Gull Common Sandpiper Coot
Been a while since I've been round my local area as I have been travelling further a field.
Dull and cloudy with a cold wind.
Black-Headed Gull 2 Buzzard 1 Canada Goose 40 Carrion Crow 14 Common Sandpiper 5 Feral Pigeon 8 Goldfinch 2 Great Tit 2 Grey Heron 1 House Sparrow 6 Jackdaw 40 (Flying over East to West heading toward Lords Wood. Wonder if the big roost is back there?) Kestrel 1 Lapwing 30 (Flying over West to East) Long-Tailed Tit 11 Magpie 12 Mallard 12 Moorhen 1 Starling 5 Teal 20 Woodpigeon 1
A single Teal was on the back pond - winter is on its way! Also 2 Oystercatcher and 1 Lapwing. 2 juvenile Goldfinch were seen and plenty of young Swallows were sat on wire fences and fence posts waiting to be fed.
A little further up the canal towards Slattocks - two family parties of Whitethroat and one of Willow Warbler. The adults from one of the Whitethroat families chased away the Willow Warblers, which had made the mistake of landing on their bush which had young hidden in it.
I watched a Carrion Crow twice taking live frogs (or possibly toads?) out a small area of rush pasture adjacent to one of the ponds here this afternoon. In quite a stiff breeze, it hovered fairly proficiently at low level over the area of pasture, before dropping down onto its prey. It then removed them to an area where it could deal with them. It certainly put some of the nearby Mallards into a bit of a frenzy - who thought they might be in the firing line!
Also at a site in the general vicinity - my first fledged Dippers of the year. Two young at a site where they were probably renovating the old nest on 6th January and at which they have successfully produced young for the last four years now. Still plenty of time for a second brood.
Boarshaw / Morton street area: Two garden firsts this morning... A jay raiding my bird-table for peanuts, followed by a single Goldcrest visitiing for a few minutes!
Kaz
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