Local patch

Birch twigs, Barton Clough

It's Christmas time so the first blackcap of the Winter turned up in the garden this morning, a rather stunning male, all silver grey bar a jet black cap.

• Blackbird 3
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 3
• Dunnock 2
• Goldfinch 3
• Great Tit 1
• House Sparrow 29
• Magpie 1
• Mistle Thrush 1
• Robin 1
• Rook 1
• Starling 5

I was reading that it's been a bad year for many breeding passerine birds. It looked that way here, there weren't many young titmice, dunnocks or robins in the garden this Summer. On the other hand, it's been a bumper year hereabouts for sparrows: the family based just over the railway track ("team silver") is now over two dozen strong, the one by the station ("team tawny") is nearly as big, the family that lives down the road and sometimes visits the far end of the station platform is at least a dozen birds, and the family that lives on Barton Road between the clinic and the shops is also at least a dozen birds. Let's hope next year's productive for all of them.

It now being school holidays I wasn't expecting many gulls on the school playing field. There were more lesser black-backs than usual, though.

• Black-headed Gull 17
• Carrion Crow 1
• Collared Dove 1
• Common Gull 1
• Herring Gull 2
• House Sparrow 6
• Jackdaw 13
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 5
• Magpie 6
• Rook 2
• Starling 1
• Woodpigeon 6

I debated what to do on the last day of playtime. Would I go and have a look for the redhead smew in Cheshire? Or perhaps join the Belted kingfisher twitch in Lancashire? I decided on a stress-free day and went for a long wander round the local patch instead of the usual passing glance I've been doing lately.

Lostock Park

Winter has definitely arrived: a big flock of starlings on the football pitch included half a dozen redwings and we've had an influx of blackbirds in the park. 

Barton Clough

There were more blackbirds on the old cornfield and all those goldfinches that have been nowhere to be seen this past few months are here now. It also looks like a new gang of magpies has joined the regulars.

• Black-headed Gull 3 overhead
• Blackbird 23
• Blue Tit 11
• Carrion Crow 2
• Chaffinch 1
• Dunnock 3
• Feral Pigeon 5 overhead
• Goldfinch 52
• Great Tit 11
• Greenfinch 6
• Herring Gull 4 overhead
• House Sparrow 3
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 overhead
• Magpie 32
• Mistle Thrush 3
• Redwing 10
• Robin 9
• Song Thrush 2
• Starling 47
• Woodpigeon 10
• Wren 1

No idea where the usual mass of pigeons and woodpigeons were hiding.

It was nice to see a Christmas rabbit down by the flyover.

Magpies and carrion crow, Barton Clough