Today. Afternoon walk down Reddish Vale but we didnt stay long as it was packed.
Of note... - 1 Stock Dove still, not as brave as Woodpigeons or Ferals, flew off to another fishing lodge but the others stayed when people walked by - c30+ Sand Martins - c5-10 Swallow - 1 Common Whitethroat near visitor centre - 4 Blackcap (1 seen) - 3 Chiffchaff heard - 1 drake Mandarin only? - the Swangoose - 1 Herring Gull on the island
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of May 2020 08:28:54 PM
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of May 2020 08:30:16 PM
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of May 2020 08:30:48 PM
Teatime visit with Michelle and Lucas on our way back from Asda in south Reddish.
Of note... - 1 Stock Dove on main path near 1st fishing lodge - 1 Ring-necked Parakeet bear car park - 2 Blackcaps seen - Garden Warbler probable heard in trees just beyond arches - c20+ Sand Martins - 2 Swallows - 2 single drake Mandarins
Lucas loved the Sand Martins, just kept seeing his little head turning round to keep up with them. Then he shouts - a Bat - bless him he must associate the random swirly flight with the Bats that I take him to see some evenings on our dog walk.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 17th of May 2020 08:28:26 AM
Saturday 9th May We needed some baby stuff so we nipped to Morrisons in Houldsworth Square, we stopped off here for a little bit of exercise with Lucas.
Of note... - Sand Martin c20+ - House Martin 4 - Swallow 2 - Blackcap 3 heard, 1 seen - Chiffchaff 4 heard, 2 seen - Grey Wagtail heard - Ring-necked Parakeet heard near car park - 1 2nd summer Lesser Black-backed Gull
Talking to a nice couple whilst there (social distancing of course) just getting into birding so I told them about the forum - hope you found it. Worth mentioning that theyd had a Kingfisher and a family of Goosander on the river.
Late afternoon walk round the Duck ponds with Michelle and Lucas. Seeds and nuts had been put down on various locations on the paths around the ponds and as a result quite a few birds were coming down to feed including...
- 1 Bullfinch m seen earlier by my brother - 2 Reed Bunting 1m 1f - 2 Nuthatch - 1 Chaffinch m - 2 Robins
Mandarins 8m 1f, it looked like one particular male had won the mating rights. He was displaying well and making the right noises which was almost a little bark? This occurred on the mill pond that is a dead end.
The first good walk of the year around Reddish Vale from the Tesco end near Portwood roundabout took us through to the visitor centre.
Thirty one species were observed with the highlights being one Grey Wagtail on the River Tame. A Treecreeper along the footpath above the river. Two Mandarin Ducks on the ponds. Mixed tit flock with plenty of the Long Tailed Tits.
Four Pied Wagtail around the Nelstrop Flour Mill above the reserve car park.
This year species total now stands at thirty four.
Despite the severe handicap of 2 small grandchildren (and being without binocs) I managed to see both Little Gulls at 14.10. There was no sign of them 30 minutes later. Also on/over the lodge pool:
Sand Martins c25 Swallows 2 Great Crested Grebe 1
Cheers John
Edit: I should have added my thanks to Alan for passing on the information.
-- Edited by John Rayner on Monday 8th of April 2019 05:13:19 PM
Hi Chris, they obviously mean the bird on the right, but in my opinion it looks like a Mandarin. The white eye ring with the trailing thin line (Mandarin) rather than the eye set in a large white tear drop (Wood Duck) looks to be what this bird has. You know me... if Im wrong then Ill bow down graciously and admit defeat.
Thanks for this excellent detail Rob, and to Ian for his analysis. Consensus is that it is a Pink Footed Goose. If you look on the original website, there are definite hints of orange on the legs, but this is more common than people think in Pink Footed apparently.
You live and learn.
Nice bird for Reddish Vale, though.
Yeah more features seem to favour Pink-footed Goose. Im glad I picked up on the legs as they I certainly didnt think it was a definitive pink. Cheers Chris.
Thanks for this excellent detail Rob, and to Ian for his analysis. Consensus is that it is a Pink Footed Goose. If you look on the original website, there are definite hints of orange on the legs, but this is more common than people think in Pink Footed apparently.
Go on then, you lured me in Chris, Ill probably be wrong but Ill have a go.
For me it doesnt shout Bean Goose, but at the same time although there is a look of Pink-footed Goose, something is a little odd, in that it shows indeterminate features. - The legs appear to be more of a pink than orange, certainly not definitive pink though. - Then theres the bill, although the amount of colour can be variable on the bill of both species, it does look to have a pink band and the structure does more closely resemble Pink-footed to me. - The mantle plumage has that bluey grey tone to it, but it appears to be the same colour on the lower parts too whereas I wouldve expected a slightly warmer brown below for Pink-footed Goose. - That leads on to the flank thumbprint which in this case doesnt look to be darker of any significant proportion to the back, this being a feature of Bean Goose. - it looks to have a fairly broad white tail tip which would favour Pink-footed Goose - no contrasting pale buffy chest of a Pink-footed Goose
Photo screenshot from a post on Stockport Nature Watch site from Sunday. Any takers? Do those legs look a bit Bean Goosey? Bill a bit Pink Footed? Might be worth checking out?
A short hour visit today from around noon along the ponds near the visitor centre. There was no sign of the Little Egret however lots of other observations;
Canada Goose c200
Coot
Moorhen
Tufted Duck
Pochard x 1 male
Mallard
Mandarin x 9
Great Crested Grebe
Black Headed Gull x 21
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Dunnock
Robin
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Wren
Starling
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Reed Bunting x 2
Ring Necked Parakeet x 2
I was informed that there was a flock of Redwing c130 in a field along the track,
Just had a phone call from my brother, theres a Little Egret roosting in one of the trees near the main fishing pools to the left of the visitor centre this afternoon. (4pm)
03 Oct: Ring-necked parakeets 2 Great Crested Grebe 1 juv Mute Swans 2 (Blue 4BVC and Green CFC1)
17 Oct: Cormorant 10 ( including a metal ringed individual. Just not enough pixel power to get a clear reading but it looks like it ends XH or XN. Not enough info on it's own to identify unless anyone else can get further photos) Ring-necked Parakeets heard Teal 10 (on flooded field towards Brinnington) Mixed tit flock was trailed by single Goldcrest and Treecreeper.
New bird for me today in the park, two sedge warblers singing between the ponds and the motorway bridge.
Also of note on today's walk:- Mandarin and three young on the river. Goosander and three young by the weir, and also by motorway bridge Sparrow hawk over by bridge. Two common whitethroats feeding young between viaduct and bridge. The whole park is inundated with blackcap and goldcrest - I've never seen a year like it, but bizarrely, no resident willow warblers. A couple passed through in April but didn't stay. 2 kingfisher 3 reed bunting Male Mandarins now in eclipse
Bullfinch 1M, Buzzard 1, Chiffchaff (heard and seen), Goldcrest 1, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 (also heard drumming), Grey Heron 2, Grey Wagtail 3, House Martin 2 (with Sand Martins), Lesser Black-Backed Gull 2, Mandarin Duck M3, 1F and pair in a field, Meadow Pipit 3, Mute Swan 2, Pied Wagtail 1, Reed Bunting 1 in hedgerow and 3 in reedbeds, Ring Necked Parakeet 3 plus 2 later (could be from same group earlier), Sand Martin approx. 8-10 feeding over the pond, Swallow 1 + 1 (with Sand Martins), Willow Warbler 1.
Hi Tony. I've just made a phone call and got the rough area where my bro was. Passed the Fletchers pub on way to Bredbury is a large lay-by on the left. Denton Woods is on the left and Reddish Vale is on the right. 5 minute walk through Denton Woods with the river on your right, you eventually come to a bench next to a pond, the birds were flitting around in the shrubbery there. Cheers
I received a text off my brother a few days ago that said "hi mate I'm watching Firecrests." He's not a birder but he knows his basic species, so I asked him where he was? He was walking the dog with his family down the Vale near the Denton Woods end. I asked him was he sure they were 'Firecrests' ... he said yes according to the birdwatcher they were stood with who'd apparently just come back a Birding trip in The Galapagos.
I thought I'd mention it incase anyone knows who the birder is, and indeed if it is a good sighting that may have gone under the radar! Cheers
Pleasant wander, hoping for a willow warbler failed on that one but large numbers of chiffchaffs, two singing blackcaps, a dozen sand martins, two goosander on the river and a buzzard being given a very hard time by one of the two kestrels.