Hobby through at 7.25pm near Middle Farm. 3 Common Buzzard, 1 juvenile 6 Mandarin 2 Chiffchaff 10 Swallow 7 House Martin Stock Dove 3+ Grey Heron Many Black Headed Gull over heading to roost Lesser Black Backed Gull
Lunchtime: 6 Goosander over 2 Grey Wagtail 5 Pied Wagtail Jay 1000 + Wood pigeon until the intelligencia started blasting them Great Spotted Woodpecker
Still no Yellowhammers at the traditional site near Goyt Hall Farm but I have just heard a reliable report of Yellowhammers there in Jan/Feb this year.
2 Garden Warblers were having a territorial 'sing-off' dispute. 10 House Martins over Middle Farm
No Yellowhammers have returned this year (another Stockport Borough breeding bird gone?) 1 Lesser Whitethroat at the fishing ponds and a Buzzard close overhead.
8-10am: 8 Mandarin( mainly in trees along poise brook) 7 Redwing Treecreeper 3+ Nuthatch 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker Meadow Pipit over Peregrine Falcon 3 Common Buzzard Sparrowhawk 2 Stock Dove Grey Wagtail Bullfinch Grey Heron
20 Pied Wagtail in the field behind Goyt hall farm feeding around the feet of the horses also 7 Grey Heron in the same field nearer to the river, 6 sat in the field and 1 sat in a tree on the river bank. 4 Rook feeding in the field opposite the kennels with approximately 100 Jackdaw, 50 Black headed Gulls and 10 Carrion Crow. A pair of Jay caching acorns around middle farm and a nice mixed tit flock of approximately 30 birds containing 20 Long Tailed Tits and a few Blue and Great tits.
I've heard reports of Woodcock in the field and wood just up from Goyt Hall Farm, but never seen one. Dog walker also told me his dog flushed one from there once.
Late post from yesterday 1.00 pm
Yesterday at lunch time I received a picture text from a friend asking me to help them identify a bird that was in their Offerton garden on woodlands drive near the cricket club , it was clearly a Woodcock in the middle of the day.
I thought I would share this sighting but wondered if anybody else had ever seen one in this area before?
Cheers, Paul.
Not a great deal in almost constant rain, but some good sightings nevertheless:
6 Mandarin, inc. 3 feeding with the huge Woodpigeon flock behind Goyt Hall Farm Sparrowhawk 5 Grey Wagtail 5 Pied Wagtail Chiffchaff 40+ Swallow 20+House Martin 2 Swift 20 Goldfinch 2 Jay Nuthatch Lesser Black Backed Gull 19 Black Headed Gull
Many more common of the woodland species, with many juvenille birds too.
Goyt Hall farm: 2 Buzzards pair of Stock Doves (male displaying) Still no Yellowhammers - It's looking bleak for them this year. I noticed today that a large patch of Bramble right in the middle of their territory has been cut and removed.
A little swirl of hirundines over the river at Otterspool this morning at 7.35. Not easy without bins (and at the wheel), but 4/5 sand martins and 1/2 swallows in the flock.
I may have painted a picture of birds clustered in trees. In fact 7 of these birds were loafing on the river bank and 2 were in a tree but I'll keep my eye on them.
Chadkirk - goythall farm- middle farm
1 goosander on river near road bridge.
Surprised to find 60 lapwing in the field opposite the kenels with 30 fieldfare 3 mistle thrush and approximately 300 starling.
Field between goyt hall farm and middle farm 20 meadow pipits.
Chadkirk - goythall farm- middle farm
1 goosander on river near road bridge.
Surprised to find 60 lapwing in the field opposite the kenels with 30 fieldfare 3 mistle thrush and approximately 300 starling.
Field between goyt hall farm and middle farm 20 meadow pipits.
7-8.15 Misty start, but by 8am there was some clear movements going on. 25 Meadow Pipit over South West 50 Woodpigeon 40 Goldfinch Mixed flock of 10 Mistle Thrush and 7 Redwing(1st of Autumn)
Woodland: 2 Goldcrest If it wasn't a Blackcap, then something doing a good impression of one in a mixed flock, couldn't see it. Nuthatch 2 Treecreeper Large mixed tit flocks 4 Jay
Holiday La-Goyt Hall Fm-Middle Fm 7.45-9.15 I knew there was a reason I liked September! Probably one of the most rewarding patch walks of the 12 years in this area so far. Poise Brook LNR was quiet, but many common tits and a few Chaffinches. Also Nuthatch. On the Goyt 2 female Mandarin just up from confluence with Poise Brook. 6 Mallard. Near Jim Fernley Bridge 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, one of which seemed to be actively following a Treecreeper up the trunk. Kestrel over towards Bredbury. Common Buzzard chased across the fields by Jackdaws/Crows, with another calling from behind it. 6 Jay at least . 30 House Sparrow at Goyt Hall Fm. THEN the action started, in a thrilling 15 minutes of birding. On the way to Middle Fm, almost 100 House Martins/Swallow were busy feeding/twittering and preening. 3 Swift also. In the nearby tree was a mixed flock of 60+ Green and Goldfinch. A Grey Heron on the river. This would be satisfying enough, when from nowhere a Hobby came in and took one of the House Martins almost in front of me. It was chased off by probably 20 or so other birds, and flew with its' prey over towards Offerton Sand and Gravel. First time I have seen a Hobby catch prey, and within 20 meters of me. As I was floating back towards Goyt Hall FM, I noticed another bird of prey approaching from Pear Mill direction. Initially it looked like the Hobby again, but as it came close it was clearly a juvenille Peregrine Falcon. It made 3 active attempts to hit a fully grown Common Crow, which it eventually downed, but didn't attempt to finish it when it was on the ground. Was it practicing? Seemingly satisfied, it flew back in the same direction. The walk back was very quiet, with a flock of 6 Black Headed Gulls. September Blues? Not a chance.
Many Swallow and House Martin Mandarin 2 Buzzard, one with food calling to other, then 'swapped places' in wood. Kingfisher Chiffchaff 30+ Goldfinch 3 Nuthatch At least 6 Gatekeeper butterfly on the wing
Still pretty quiet, but a lot more activity than the last few weeks. Holiday Lane- Goyt Hall Fm 8.15-9.45:
3+ Goosander(female in tree) Mandarin Pair Grey Wagtail pair Common Buzzard Goldcrest Nuthatch Treecreeper Swifts, Swallows and House Martin Stock Dove 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 4 Blackcap 2 Chiffchaff 2 Jay 2 Bullfinch
Many young about too
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 20th of May 2012 12:26:57 PM
Bredbury hall / middle farm. 5.30 - 630. Mistle thrush,song thrush,goldfinch,greenfinch,chaffinch,chiffchaff,willow warbler and yellowhammer plus the usuals.
After an unsuccessful hunt for Pied Flycatcher at Etherow I decided I might see if I could locate the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker so dropped by for a couple of hours.
No Woodpecker though after 5 minutes of waiting at the area behind the school I realised a Blackbird had been alarm calling since the I got there, I was to far away for it to be worried about me so off I went to investigate, a few minutes later had me viewing a beautiful Tawny Owl....there's something to be said for listening to nature.
Other birds of note,
Great Spotted Woodpecker heard but not seen Chiffchaff Nuthatch Around 4 Song Thrush 2 Pied Wagtail 1 Comorant Usual Tit's 2 Goldfinch 1 Buzzard circling high up
All in all a nice stroll which ended in the tea shop in Marple Garden centre with a Latte and a slice of Victoria Sponge.
Pleasant stroll,this pm, 13:00-15:00, highlights.... Lesser spotted woodpecker,heard calling in woodland,immediately behind Goyt Bank School,eventually located by my missus.Male,briefly seen,before it flew off deeper into the woods,unable to relocate though Grey wagtail on river near Jim Fearnley Bridge. Harris Hawk,over towards Goyt Hall Farm. 2 chiffchaff seen,plenty more heard. Grey heron. No sign of any lapwings or little owl,however,plenty of the more usual species seen.