Two grey wagtails and a dipper on the Irwell in Stubbins, then a lovely chorus of song thrushes, robins, blackbirds and wrens along the lines towards Irwell Vale.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 12th of June 2024 06:48:12 PM
An interesting record of 2 juvenile Siskin on my feeders this afternoon. It looked like they could be locally bred birds, but I am not aware of any breeding locations in the vicinity! Maybe I need to look a little harder!
Quarter of an hour on Kay Brow Lodge while waiting for a bus this teatime. A great spotted woodpecker, a goldcrest, a dunnock and a wren with twenty two mallards + one duckling and a pair of Canada geese + four goslings.
The cold spring seems to have delayed the common insectivorous birds this spring. My first local Swifts of the year yesterday with 6 over Nuttall Lane, and 4 House Martin in the Hazelhurst area. Today my first Sand Martin and Swallow were noted over the River Irwell.
Wood Warbler in Grants Wood was an annual occurrence up until 2010 when they ceased to appear. This year a singing male was present for 10 days towards the end of the Lockdown period and could be heard singing from the back yards on Coulthurst St if you listened for it.
Squirrels had taken over all the available local boxes this year so a pair of Tawny Owl returned the favour and used a Drey in a Beech tree to nest. The single chick made the 25ft leap of faith last night but managed to find it safely up a nearby tree this morning.
Garden Warbler are present in 5 locations around Ramsbottom this year but getting a photo of one is a different story.
One of the local crows did me a favour this afternoon while out gardening. It made a bee line for something, calling loudly, and directed my attention to a Buzzard, followed by a second bird soaring together over my house. Better still and higher up in the same thermal was a Peregrine! I watched it for a good while circling higher and higher before it headed off north. Also 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Grey Heron a little later.
Green Woodpecker still.present spending most of its time towards Lower Dickfield .. Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff all returned yesterday to Grants Woods..
Mediterranean Gull (White colour ringed ) amongst a large group of mixed gulls below Park Farm on Manchester Road this afternoon. All departed west at 1400
Back on the school run today! In the cemetery, 2 Treecreeper and a single Lesser Redpoll among a flock of 25 Goldfinch. Also what sounded like a small flock of Pink-footed Geese flew over unseen.
Sat on summit of Fecit Hill ( Lancs) looking over Ramsbottom this morning. 2 Hobby were around in the area until one departed south at height in the direction of Manchester City centre.
2 Peregrine, 2 Kestrel, 2 Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk also up in the wind on the hillside over a 90 minute watch
Highlights from a couple of hours in the garden yesterday afternoon, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and a garden tick in the form of a Curlew that flew over calling!
Garden Warbler singing away in a back garden at the end of Bramworth Av the last few days. Willow Warbler and Whitethroat also in the adjacent woodland.