Bent Spur Road. 54 Lapwing in fields, 19 of them are juveniles, that's about average for 14 pairs. 2 Oystercatcher, no young with them. 12 Mistle Thrush, 7 of them are juveniles, also 2 Juvenile Song Thrush.
14 pairs of Lapwing have all bred successfully in the fields at Bent Spur Road, 28 chicks counted today, there is probably more but the grass is getting longer and they are not easy to count.
Two Common Tern over the pond at Bent Spur Farm, probably from Blackleach Reservoir, also Oystercatcher. In the fields off Bent Spur Road I counted 19 Lapwing chicks.
3 Swallow flying over fields at Bent Spur Road + 2 Grey Partridge in far left hand field. Some of the Lapwing sat on nests, the fields are still very wet so they have built fairly high nests above the water.
4 Common Buzzard circling over Kearsley Moss, 2 Oystercatcher in fields off Bent Spur Road and 34 Lapwing spread about in most fields, many of them are now in pairs with the males displaying.
Bent Spur Road. Stonechat on wire fence at the back of the left hand field, when walking from the main road, also 2 Oystercatcher in same field and 34 Lapwing in all fields.
A mooch around Kearsley Moss up to the fish pond and then alongside the motorway. Grey Wagtail x 2 Starling x 30 Black Headed Gull x 10 Lesser Black Backed Gull x 3 Magpie x 14 Carrion Crow x 5 Robin x 2 Blackbird x 7 Rook x 1 Mallard x 6 Coot x 2 Great Black Backed Gull x 1 Moorhen x 3 Song Thrush x 2 Goldfinch x 6 Collared Dove x 2
72 Starlings and 1 Goldfinch on the telephone wires behind our house waiting for my wife finishing her gardening before they swoop down on the feeders.
An Easter walk around Kearsley, Ringley and Prestolee including the river Irwell and the canal. Starling x 5 Magpie x 9 Willow Warbler x 2 Mallard x 8 Common Buzzard x 1 Blackbird x 5 Wood Pigeon x 20 Great Tit x 2 Canada Goose x 4 Wren x 2 Robin x 8 House Sparrow x 5 Tree Sparrow x 1 Goosander x 1 Moorhen x 3 Black Headed Gull x 1 Willow Tit x1 Feral Pigeon x 15 Blue tit x 2 Blackcap x 1
Walked down Bentspur Rd up to the motorway and along the parallel path to the Buddhist temple then left up the public footpath back to Bentspur. Starling x 9 Black Headed Gull x 4 Blackbird x 4 House Sparrow x 10 Wren x 2 Wood Pigeon x 12 Carrion Crow x 5 Magpie x 20 Mistle Thrush x 2 Lapwing x 8 Mallard x 2 Oystercatcher x 2 Coot x 1 Feral Pigeon x 8 Robin x 8 Moorhen x 2 Great Tit x 1 Coal Tit x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Collared Dove x 2 Song Thrush x 3
A flock of Thrushes numbering about 70 in the fields at the bottom of Bent Spur road. It consisted of mostly mistle and song thrushes with a few Redwings and Fieldfares thrown in.
Went for a walk down Bent Spur road onto Kearsley moss,then onto Linnyshaw moss. 15 birds seen: Blue Tit x 2 Starling x 15 Feral Pigeon x 5 Magpie x 5 Blackbird x 4 Herring Gull x 2 Black Headed Gull x2 Wood Pigeon x 4 House Sparrow x 6 Carrion Crow x 3 Mallard x 3 (2M 1f) Robin x 2 Great Tit x 1 Goldfinch x 3 Collared Dove x 2
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 24th of January 2021 04:43:09 PM
20 minutes around 4 o clock at the Schoenstat shrine. Raptor heaven:First 2 Common Buzzards frolicking together above the shrine. Then a male Kestrel hovering over the trees. Then the best of all a male Hen Harrier flew up from the Irwell Valley and in the direction of Linnyshaw Moss.
The Grey Wagtail has returned to our back garden for the winter hopefully .It arrived about this time last year.I saw it last on 27th March this year. It has probably spent the summer on the Irwell which is about 3/4 of a mile away in a straight line.
A pair of Redstarts (m+f) chasing one another around the large conifer at the rear of our back garden . A first for the garden .This brings my garden total to 58 over several decades.
A Common Buzzard and a Raven having a battle over our back garden yesterday.When they separated the Buzzard flew west whilst the Raven flew towards Clifton C.P where I have seen them before.
Walked down Bent Spur Road once again.Just as far as the private pond near the farm.The pond is in the middle of a massive sun farm which is responsible for the lack of farmland birds .Birds seen : Robin x 6 Feral Pigeon 6 Goldfinch x 8 Carrion Crow x 2 House Sparrow x 12 Blackbird x 8 Black Headed Gull x 2 Great Tit x 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull x 1 Lapwing x8 +2 chicks wandering about Magpie x 21 Mallard x 2 Stonechat x 1. 61st lockdown walk bird Tree Sparrow x 1 Swift x 2 Swallow x 2 Starling x 30. A large flock harvesting leatherjackets
Had a walk around the garden of the Schoenstatt Shrine yesterday. THe chapel opened in 2000. This is only my second visit in that time. the garden is large and full of really unusual trees.The view across the Irwell Valley towards the Pennines is quite impressive. Birds seen: Blue Tit x 3 Black Headed Gull x 4 over Robin x 4 Blackbird x 4 feral Pigeon x 8 over Goldfinch x 3 Wood Pigeon x 6 over Song thrush x 2 Swift x 2 Common Buzzard x 1 over Magpie x 4 Carrion Crow x 2 Great Black Backed Gull x 1 over Collared Dove x 1 over Herring Gull x2 over House sparrow x 6 Lapwing x 1 over Starling x 8 Grey Wagtail x 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull x 2 over Wood Pigeon x 6 Chaffinch x 1 Common Gull x 2 over
Same walk as before . 19 birds seen : Wood Pigeon x 26 Blackbird x 7 Starling x 28 Black Headed Gull x 2 (overhead) Magpie x 10 Blue Tit x 2 Robin x 3 Feral Pigeon x 11 Lapwing x 5 Grey Heron x 1 (overhead) Carrion Crow x 2 House Sparrow x 14 Wren x 1 Collared Dove x 1 Great Tit x 1 On the pond: Coot x 2 Mallard x 4 Oystercatcher x 2 Moorhen x 2
A walk down Bent Spur Road again .This now seems to becoming my local patch after living here for over 50 years.Hardly ever birded here before .15 species seen: Goldfinch x 7 Starling x 25 Carrion Crow x 6 Lesser Black Backed Gull over x 1 Feral Pigeon x 22 Robin x 4 Blackbird x 8 House Sparrow x 18 Magpie x 8 Wren x 1 Wood Pigeon x 28 Lapwing x 6 On the pond: Mallard x 2 Coot x 1 Oystercatcher x 2 Yesterday Common Snipe x 2 over the pond
A walk down Bent Spur Road up to the farm. 13 birds seen as follows : Black Headed Gull x 4 Carrion Crow x 6 Blackbird x 7 Feral Pigeon x 10 Wood Pigeon x 30 Herring Gull x 1 Common Buzzard x 1 Magipie x 12 Lapwing x 8 Pheasant x 2 Robin x 4 Tree Sparrow x 1 House Sparrow x 31
Bernard, I was more worried about the amount of birders clambering to your back garden to get a sight of it lol. You would need a bigger kettle. No worries, still a great bird to see in a garden. Many thanks
Bernard. Are you saying you have an over wintering YW in your garden? I have never heard of them doing this as they winter in Africa. I suppose there could always be a first? can you get a picture? Many thanks.
Our resident Yellow Wagtail has taken to attacking his reflection in the shed window albeit half heartedly.He has been resident for about 6 weeks. He also inhabits our friends garden in the next terrace where they have a pond .