Saw this on the news last week Sean, apparently due to the lack of boats on the canal creating any water agitation thus allowing stagnancy and bacteria build up.
So I saw, interesting how the canal boats play a part in the canal ecosystem.
Saw this on the news last week Sean, apparently due to the lack of boats on the canal creating any water agitation thus allowing stagnancy and bacteria build up.
Worth knowing for anyone who birds the canal regularly, outbreak of avian botulism. RSPCA asking that people contact them if they see any birds showing symptoms.
A really quiet morning. Nothing much singing other than the usual Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Dunnock ,Tits etc and the constant calls of Goldfinch everywhere.
Best of the rest.
Swift X 1.
Mistle Thrush X 2.
Song Thrush X 1 (singing).
Collared Dove x 2 (or the same one twice).
Pied Wagtail X 7 (including 4 juvenile).
Mallard X 6.
Greylag Goose X 1.
Canada Goose X 53 adult. (6 pair still sitting, & 3 pair still with young).
1 adult and 2 immature mute swan at Fairfield Junction, usual number of canada geese one pair with 5 chicks. 2 other unidentified chicks being chased by moorhen. Further down towards the school grey wagtail pair with one young. Beyond the school single pied wsgtail more canada geese several nests, greylag goose and mallard. Moorhen towards Yew Tree swing bridge.
Pair of mute swan plus the immmature bird at Fairfield Junction this afternoon along with 23 canada geese, moorhen and two grey wagtail. The discarded? eggs from the nest the other day cannot be seen. Further down towards Yew Tree swing bridge another 17 canada geese, 1 greylag goose, 2 grey wagtail and moorhen on nest. Other birds on Copperas Field blackbird, starling, magpie, house sparrow, great and blue tit and goldfinch.
Similar numbers of canada goose today. Three eggs have been removed (presumably by the bird) from the nest near the flats at Fairfield Junction and were lying nearby. Bird still on nest. Both immature and adult mute swan present.
Immature mute swan alone today at Fairfield Junction. Other birds at this location canada goose 21, coot, moorhen, domestic duck, house sparrows, starlings, blackbird. Birds between Fairfield and Yew Tree swing bridge canada goose 23, 2 goldfinch seen but many more calling, chaffinch, house sparrows, starlings, blackbird. Song thrush in the wooded area on Copperas field.
The immature mute swan is back at Fairfield Junction with the adult this afternoon. Similar numbers of canada goose as reported this morning. Moorhen 1, nothing at the nest. Grey heron near Yew Tree swing bridge. Abundance of house sparrows and starlings. Grey wagtail at Fairfield junction. Several blackbird in the wooded area on Copperas Field. Great and blue tit also in wood.
Moorhen nest complete(ish)with one bird sitting this afternoon. No swans today. Other birds, canada goose c.45 goldfinch, house sparrow, chaffinch, wood pigeon, blackbird, blue tit, starling and a grey wagtail. All seen between Fairfield Junction and Yew Tree swing bridge.
Only the mature mute san at Fairfield Junction today. It was chasing the immature mute swan yesterday afternoon. Still over 40 canada geese between Fairfield and Copperas Field, 2 moorhen, house sparrows, goldfinches, magpie, wood pigeon and a pied wagtail on the field. Blackbird, wren, robin and starlings in the wooded area.
Canada Goose X 44. 5 pairs sitting, ,1 pair has taken over the old Mute Swan nest in the marina . Within an hour of originally finding the nest, with an egg showing, the egg from one of the pairs nesting near to the swing bridge had been taken.
Mute Swan X 1 immature (marina).
Moorhen X 1.
Collared Dove x 1.
Cormorant X 1.
Grey Wagtail X 1.
Pied Wagtail X 3.
Goldfinch X c14/15.
Mallard X 1.
Lesser Black-backed Gull X 6.
-- Edited by Peter Nolan Woolley on Monday 20th of April 2020 10:41:49 PM
2 mute swan at the entrance to Droylsden marina, 2 moorhen, approx. 30 canada geese between Fairfield junction and the open swing bridge at the end of Buxton Lane 4 on nests. Other birds sparrows, goldfinches, blackbird, magpie, wood pigeon.
Single mute swan at the entrance to Droylsden marina this afternoon along with single coot, moorhen, several mallards and canada geese. Chiffchaff in the copse at Copperas Field amongst the house sparrows. Great tits, blue tits, magpies, blackbirds and starlings also present.
The cormorant was successfully fishing on the pound at the back of Fairfield primary at 16:00. Plenty of canada geese about, 2 moorhen and one of the mute swans was sat at an old nesting site outside the marina.
With Audi being a none starter, Ashton canal is within very easy walking distance, getting on at Copperas Lane swing bridge and walking up to Droylsden marina and back home again, one mile. Not a unreasonable distance for my daily permitted exercise.
Couldn't find a thread on the canal and I intend to bird it regularly, so here goes:
I don't have access to transport so literally, today, I must have covered near 20 miles - I walked from my house in the Collyhurst area all the way to Ashton and back via Drolysden and the Medlock Valley.
I saw: A ringed teal! At least 80 Canada Geese, Maybe 50 Mallard A Barnacle Goose! Three Greylags 1 Grey Heron 5 'Farmyard' ducks (White with yellow bills) 2 Goldcrest Robin Several Housesparrow 2 Coal Tits 2 Great Tits Songthrush 20 Magpies in a Tree Plus usual cache of Magpie Plenty of Woodpigeon
-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 14th of April 2011 07:25:08 PM
Edit- Being newish to the hobby I did a double take when I saw the ringed teal down there - I never added it to the list just in case it was super-rare and therefore worthy of recording, but I have since been informed that there are several escapees roaming about the county, and I also searched the forum and found out particularly in the Droylsden area (same for the Barnacle also regularly sighted round there) Still, I am proud of myself for taking the description of the bird and then searching the internet for it, and all in relative quick time. I had a run in with a woman who asked me what I was up to, and I know I heard her say 'he's getting on my nerves' but she twisted that around when I asked her if that is what she had said - something about 'making me nervous' - so I had to go through all of that just to jot down notes, but worth it in the end.
-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 14th of April 2011 08:00:06 PM
-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 14th of April 2011 08:05:58 PM
-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 14th of April 2011 08:25:08 PM
Easter Sunday. Nothing special seen, but here goes: 