Thursday 3rd Oct, at Parr Brow, 10 Song Thrush among at least 33 Blackbird in hedges between the end of Wellington Drive and Turncroft Farm, 2 Snipe, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff
258 Meadow Pipit south in 1 hour at Parr Brow this morning. Included flocks of c90 and 66 that were grounded in pasture at the top of the Tyldesley Banks, possibly due to rain shortly beforehand, which then departed south from the ridge and off out towards the airspace over the mosses. Another 40 or so remained around the pasture.
Other birds moving S or SW were 4 Cormorant, 13 House Martin, 6 Swallow, 8 Chaffinch and 5 Greenfinch
An adult Great Black-Backed Gull went E and 5 Jay moved west along the ridge, including one without a tail which flew in from the NE like a giant moth !
Three skeins of Pink-Footed Geese flew SE over the Little Hulton-Walkden area c45 at 08:38, c90 at 08:45 and 55 at 09:12
Other birds present included 17 Collared Dove, 1 Skylark, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff and a vocal Song Thrush which dropped in from the NE
25 Meadow Pipit south in 30 minutes at Parr Brow this morning and min 5 locally breeding House Martin still feeding
At Stour Road public open space birds included 30 Blackbird, mostly feeding in one concentrated area, 5 Goldcrest and a Kingfisher calling from New Hall Moat
3 Raven south over Parr Brow today, other birds included 1 Peregrine south, 3 displaying Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, a 1 hour count of 13 Meadow Pipit south/south-west and c70 House Martin on the roof of a house
Second-winter Caspian Gull on the roof of Poundstretcher, Tyldesley Road 14:20-14:28 (officially just in Atherton as its over the brook, but closer to Tyldesley town centre)
--
-- Edited by dave broome on Tuesday 13th of February 2018 10:26:34 PM
2 Ring-Necked Parakeet this afternoon alongside the unsurfaced section of Garret Lane, in a London Plane on the boundary of Garret Hall Primary School and the field with a pond in it
-- Edited by dave broome on Wednesday 29th of June 2016 09:40:06 AM
Football training back on Garrett Hall school field for the summer and if tonight's hour from 6.30 is anything to go by will be an enjoyable birding hour each week!
Single buzzard over, Hobby sent Swallows into a panic as it hunted over Garrett Hall lane, Great Spotted Woodpecker in trees around field and most surprising of all 6 Ring Necked Parakeets in large tree in Northeast corner from 6.30-7ish very vocal and active then flew into the Cemetery area.
Elliott St This am House Martins over Town Hall I didn't have time to look due to work commitments but they must still have a small colony in the streets at rear of Town Hall.
Football training again last night (not me, my youngest son!) 4 Great spotted woodpeckers flew from behind Garrett hall school north towards trees around tyldesley cemetary, 2 singles then 2 together all within a few minutes of each other. Also 3 grey wagtails flying around the school.
Whilst watching my youngest at football training yesterday evening, an adult Mediterranean Gull in pretty much full winter plumage was feeding on Garrett Hall scholl playing fields at about 7.20pm before flying off with c 100 Black Headed Gulls west (presumably to roost at Pennington).
Two Bullfinch and a small roving flock of Long-tailed Tits provided some distraction from this morning's game at Tyldesley Rugby Union Club but even better was a Willow Tit
I've just come across a pond which I've never noticed before in spite of it being next to a footpath. It's behind Nuttall's Farm and Davenport Farm and the row of houses on Squires Lane that back onto Colliers Wood and Cooling Lane in Tyldesley. I think it's a flooded horse paddock and probably isn't a pond all year round, but it's been here long enough for birds to breed here this year. So what's present at the moment?
At least two pairs of Little Grebes with young
A single pair of Mute Swans with three large cygnets (there were four but apparently one has been killed)
Several pairs of Coots with noisy young
Several pairs of Moorhens with young
Mallards
Woodpigeons
House Martins over
Rabbits
Dragonflies and Damselflies (not identified to species level)
Raven seen over manchester road/sale lane area twice in last week. Also good numbers of juvenile starling in several flocks around town. Good density of blackbirds nesting around wayfarers drive and porterfield.