Local patch

Mistle thrush

It was a grey, cool yet surprisingly fresh morning so I thought I'd head out for a day's walking. I forgot that the bus times are ±10 minutes and got to the bus stop just in time for the 25 to close its doors and trundle off. Rather than mess about I went for a look around the local patch and then a bob over to the Trafford Centre for a bus beyond.

The soundscape was very full-on. The small birds in the shrubberies that weren't singing had beaks full of scoff and were intent on disappearing without trace into the undergrowth. Out on the field a few magpies bounced about, the usual pair of mistle thrushes fossicked about in the penalty area and the midfield was full of starlings.

Over on the old cornfield there were lots of woodpigeons and magpies in the trees and plenty of blackbirds, wrens and robins in and out of the brambles. We seem to have two chiffchaff territories and four blackcap territories this year, it seems to have been a bit early for whitethroats though I think we'll be lucky to get two territories this year. I almost missed the buzzard, it was sitting in the poplars and made a very quiet exit through the trees.

Herring gull threat display

A few lesser black-backs flew overhead. They're our usual Summer gulls and they nest over in Trafford Park amongst the flat-roofed warehouses and factories. Over the past couple of years there have been increasing numbers of herring gulls staying over and, perhaps, breeding. Three were on the factory roof by the old railway line, a pair being very put out by a singleton. I can't think they'll be trying to nest on this sloping roof, I'll have to keep an eye out for them.

• Blackbird 15, 5 singing
• Blackcap 4 singing
• Blue tits 1 singing 
• Buzzard 1
• Carrion crow 2
• Chaffinch 1 singing 
• Chiffchaff 2 singing 
• Dunnock 3, 1 singing 
• Feral pigeon 2
• Goldfinch 8, 2 singing 
• Great tit 6, 5 singing 
• Greenfinch 3, 1 singing 
• Herring gull 3
• House sparrow 2
• Lesser black-back 4 overhead
• Magpie 10
• Mallard 2
• Mistle thrush 2
• Robin 8, 4 singing 
• Song thrush 2 singing 
• Starling 31
• Woodpigeon 26, 3 singing 
• Wren 7 singing