The garden over the past few days has been really busy with birds, almost as busy as me, but I've still managed to spend a few hours watching.

Highlights have been our second only Great Spotted Woodpecker since lockdown, Sparrowhawk through on a couple of occasions, Goldcrest, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Greenfinch and Chaffinch all still singing away.

Still plenty of gulls heading over, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed, but a couple of days ago there was a big spiral of the latter which seemed to have come off one of the fields around Astley/Bedford Moss. Still time for a Mediterranean it seems, especially given yesterday's very close call (at Collier's Wood)!

House Sparrows now number up to 60 at any one time and the Starling flock in the field (and making short work of some fat blocks I put out) has been up to 54 strong, with plenty of juveniles in there.

One pair of Blackbird have young though they haven't showed themselves as yet and can just be heard, hidden away in next door's garden. I expect a few other songbird young to be around very soon too. Here's hoping!

Plenty of House Martin around the field most of the day, up to 14, and a screaming party of Swift numbering 8 which seem to be hopefully breeding in the street. Further out over Morley's/Tyldesley ETW more can usually be seen, high up in the air.

Still no Tawny Owl for me though my son has heard it again recently. My fault for being such a deep sleeper!! Still, it's one I may yet achieve for the list.

On the mammal front, we confirmed Hedgehogs last night after finding suspicious looking poos on occasion, with a cheap but very effective trail camera.

The past couple of days, in between night shifts at work, have been pretty much the norm bird wise in the garden though still highly enjoyable.

A pair of Coal Tits have been in constantly, picking the sunflowers out of the seed feeders with occasional display between the two. 

Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock and Robin all continue to belt out song for much of the day.

House Sparrows now include many juveniles begin for food from their parents with their shivering wings. They still need to master actually perching on the feeders and using the ports and they still look larger than their parents too! The numbers of sparrows using the feeders and the spilt seed underneath now numbers 30 at a time, so their true numbers with the constant stream of birds must be considerably higher. 

The Blackbirds (two pairs) are still very actively gathering food for their young and I look forward to the first young on the lawn.

House Martin and Swift are still whizzing around the field behind the garden and around the street and there were much higher numbers visible over the Morley's/Tyldesley Sewage Works airspace today too.

Lovely morning sat out, birding highlights of:

A pair of Bullfinch again in the Hawthorns at the back of the garden

3 Mallard over (together)

Blackcap still singing away

A Jay went through the garden and Hawthorns

The Whitethroat was singing from out Sycamore and has been pretty much non-stop since rotating around that, the brambles and the Hawthorns

At least 20 Swift over the fields, including them screaming around which is fabulous to hear once again. Also, 15+ House Martin and 2 Swallow.

House Sparrows are non stop on the feeders and water bath, getting through half of both seed feeders every day with the Woodpigeons hoovering up anything they throw out.

The resident Robin remains active but not seen carrying any food yet though he sings pretty much throughout the day on and off.

A Wren gave a short burst of song from next door's garden, they seem very elusive at the moment (the Wrens and not the neighbours!).

Surprised to see a new Pheasant in the garden this morning. A much scruffier individual than Phil with less well marked scapulars, a less knackered tail and bald to the back of his head! This fella also likes to scratch at the grass which we never saw Phil do either!

Only got home from work at 3pm but straight out into the sunshine and garden.

Immediately evident were Swifts, plenty of them too with a final count of 17 at one point, along with 34 House Martin, all feeding in the area between the Astley Raceway and Morley's Hall. They have now been present feeding right up until posting this too.

Other birds aside from the garden regulars were the Whitethroat singing up and down the Hawthorns but getting really close to the garden, 2 Jays, 3 soaring Buzzards, a singing Chaffinch, the Blackbird pair now carrying bills full of worms, a single Swallow and a handful of adult Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls over.

Unfortunately, in many ways, I missed the Sparrowhawk that took a sparrow from off our (huge) bamboo clump and dropped onto the garden with it in front of my son who was only 6 feet away. As he slowly attempted to obtain a 'phone photo the bird flew off, sparrow still firmly in its talons!

Garden mega right now!!!

A pair of Bullfinch in the Hawthorns at the back of the garden, showing really well and quite vocal too. Only the fifth garden record ever as I recall! 

Whitethroat still singing away and has moved a bit closer but still not actually seen it yet.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Best of all, 4 Greylag Geese flew east...

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This morning at 10:45 a Hobby was soaring rather randomly over Morley's Hall area and occasionally catching insects mid-air. Shortly after I lost it to view a Sparrowhawk occupied the same airspace, though this time also mobbed by two House Martins.

Two Skylarks having some form of aerial dispute over the area of the Astley Raceway were also (long overdue) new to the lockdown list

Other birds included 4 Lapwing low west, both Heron and Cormorant low east and and still plenty of Goldfinch and House Martins with a lone Sand Martin fairly high west too.

Starlings have fledged young but unfortunately two of their very young chicks were found dead on the drive. 

Not much to report of late, apart from a bout of painting again today with the fence's second coat and one for the shed to boot!

A Goldcrest heard singing from a few houses away was a new bird for the lockdown yesterday though, and thoroughly enjoyable it was too.

Apart from the more usual birds, both Grey Heron and Cormorant flew west this morning and the Blackcap has been delighting with his song for most of the day really close to the garden.

Few posts of late just down to being too busy with work and spending most of my time in the garden asleep recovering, other than a three hour marathon painting the fences yesterday.

The Greenfinch, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Chiffchaff and Blackcap continue to proclaim their territories, the latter coming almost into the garden a few times. No further sound of the Willow Warbler though. Nothing new though, but a single Mute Swan, Oystercatcher a few times, 2 Canada Geeseand the usual two pair of Buzzard have all have been over the garden. Goldfinch continue to twitter around the house and fields with up to eight around. The Jay has been in and around a few times and I heard Phil the Pheasant again this morning; with the feeders now topped and spilt all over the floor by the sparrows he may yet find his way back beneath them. Yesterday saw House Martin (now up to double figures), Swallow and Sand Martin around the house

Looking forward to the first returning Whitethroat with a bit of luck, to breed in the brambles at the back of the house like usual.

So far this morning:

The Blackcap has at last made it into our Sycamore to sing, plus I could hear another 'tacking' away from the Hawthorn, so there may well be a pair.

A Long-tailed Tit passed through the garden again.

2 Canada geese flew low west

Lots of Goldfinch about, including a small flock of 6 birds

3 displaying Woodpigeon, with lots of territorial behaviour between them

2 Swallow around the garden and field

Coal Tit heard calling further along he gardens

Jay has been in and along the oak trees

Chiffchaff heard only briefly (still no Willow Warbler though)

Unfortunately, most of the afternoon was spent jet washing the drive which took much longer than I'd anticipated, so I barely looked up. Either side of that through, 3 Oystercatchers flew very low and noisily east together, the 2 House Martins were still around the house, Buzzards were also vocal and obvious and the usual songsters were belting it out around the area but heard from the garden, with at least 3 Blackbird, 2 Greenfinch, a Chiffchaff, 2 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 'metal-mickey' the Starling, a Mistle Thrush, 2 Woodpigeon, the Blackcap still moving up and down the hawthorns and at one point very close to the garden and best of all, Phil the Pheasant called once from the field so he's still about but as I've run out of seed he's obviously boycotting the garden.

Pretty much all of the day spent out in the garden, though the usual snoozing after finishing nights meant I probably missed loads of Ospreys!

A few new additions today, though nothing too unexpected, though some like Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Skylark, Peregrine and Sparrowhawk in particular, all of which have been pretty regular up to lock down, have thus failed to put an appearance!?

The following highlights were noted though:

Like buses, 3 Linnets over low north with singles at 10:20, 11:05 and 17:34

Single Raven circling over Astley Moss area

Pied Wagtail low north over the house at 10:40 and then two together late afternoon; possibly the same single/pair as they may very well be breeding somewhere nearby

A single House Martin calling and feeding over the house and field for much of the day from late morning was joined by another late afternoon; amazing how they come almost straight back in and onto territory!

A single Rook flew fairly low NE over the garden, not common over here despite gathering in decent flocks only a mile or so away on Astley Moss at times, perhaps I just miss them

Single Cormorant east at 11:10

Single Meadow Pipit north at 11:35

Greenfinch still singing from our sycamore and the Hawthornes and a pair also in the area, possibly involving the same male

3 Mallard flying around a few times

Due to work I’ve only been able to spend just over an hour in the garden over the past two days but the Blackcap was still singing last night and again much closer this afternoon and the usual pairs of Buzzard were up and displaying but 2 Swallow probably back on territory around Morleys/Astley Raceway were my first of the year.

So far this morning:

3 Mallard over a few times, noisily chasing around mid-air

7+ Meadow Pipit in the field

4 Great Tit

Mistle Thrush singing away

A pair of Song Thrush

4 Canada geese over

Starling carrying nesting material and also still a flock of 20 or so in the field

A pair of Chaffinch in the Sycamore

Oystercatcher over east

A spiral of 80 large gulls, a mixture of Lesser Black-backed and immature Herrings over fields around Bedford Moss.

Sutton Tower in Macclesfield clearly visible from the office window

A good morning so far with three additions since lockdown.

Four Meadow Pipits were feeding in the field right behind the garden, often flying up into the Hawthorns and twice flew off north together but came back later. A Blackcap was singing from the tree-lined edge of the field and whilst watching a pair of displaying Buzzards, a pair of Raven circled fairly high whilst slowly drifting off west.

A Pied Wagtail flew low north earlier and as I type, 9 Buzzards are visible circling across the vista from my office (old back bedroom) window.

Despite the fact that I should've finished work at 8:30am, a busy morning meant I didn't get home until nearly midday and so a quick 30 minutes in the garden was all I could manage while my dinner was cooking and bed was calling thereafter.

3 Lapwing flew over low west as did a single Cormorant, the House Sparrows were busy demolishing the last of the seed, 2 Buzzards soared over the East Lancs and best of all a Great Spotted Woodpecker, new for the week, was in trees before heading over towards the Morleys Hall area. A Robin feeding on seed on the ground was joined by a second who fed the other on two occasions, so I'm now hopeful of breeding somewhere nearby.

A Peacock (of Peafowl sorts, not the butterfly) heard singing (it is a song of sorts isn't it?) from Morleys Hall couldn't be counted unfortunately, though it at least made things ever so slightly more exotic.

A fairly brief sitting mid-morning today as in between night shifts but a few Goldfinch were over as were 3 Mallard, Collared Dove still singing as was the male Greenfinch and 3 Buzzards showed very well over the house with a further 2 more distant to the south.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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i dont like Phil anymore...

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First Chiffchaff of the spring heard from the garden this afternoon, singing from trees around the park which is only 40 metres or so away.

The extra hour of daylight was a blessing this evening as it meant I could at least get a good 30 minutes of watching (with hot tea and thick hoodie on!) after coming home from work.

Another couple of Lapwing past, one of the Mistle Thrushes feeding in the field,  a few Goldfinch over and another Pied Wagtail plus a few gulls too. Finally, our resident but elusive cock Pheasant boldly strutted across the field in full view and having not seen him for a week or so now it was like seeing an old friend again. He had previously been named Phil!

In the end, with daylight to spare, the House Sparrow roost in the bamboo, numbering maybe 50-60 birds was getting a little restless at my presence on the decking so I left them to it and called it a day.

In off a night at work and straight out onto the lounger. Bit quiet but singles of Pied and Grey Wagtail over north (latter a new one for this week) and a flock of nearly 20 Sand Martin east. The scope has now entered the fray and is set up for 70x magnification viewing but of course, in this heat haze it’s pretty much pointless, not that I’m complaining about the heat though! 

Up to 9 Buzzards were up at once mid-morning, though some very distant. A pair of Kestrel have been ‘interacting’ in the air but Sparrowhawk, usually a regular here, continues to elude me. Had a possible Chaffinch over but I couldn’t put my coffee down quick enough to get a better view and so will have to wait for a better one.

Now for a quick nap and recovery ahead of a late afternoon session.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Red Kite low west being chased by a Crow roughly following the line of the East Lancs Road NOW!! Also witnessed by my son who sees them daily as he's usually in Uni in Leeds 😁

The Jays which have been around the garden everyday right up until lockdown finally made themselves known again this morning, with one in the hedgerow behind the house and 2 a little more distantly in trees just over the East Lancs at Morleys Hall. Two Oystercatcher were flying around south of the Lancs early am, not so unusual here (thought I heard one yesterday) and there might still be the odd pool left around the old Morleys Sand Quarry where they used to use regularly. Great Tit was new since lockdown too as was a Feral Pigeon (they all count!) and other birds included another adult Herring Gull over west, the male Greenfinch and Robin still singing way from the sycamore in the garden, an early Buzzard up low over the field calling away and a (the?) singing Mistle Thrush.