Mersey Valley

Blackcap

Another overnight smattering of snow barely survived lunchtime save for odd shady corners. The spadgers came in mob-handed quite late in the morning, which gave the blackcap and the great tits an opportunity for their turns on the fat feeders. A handful of dried mealworms thrown over the top of a couple of planters kept the song thrush and the pair of blackbirds happy for a while.

Song thrush

Blackcap

House sparrows

• Black-headed Gull 1 overhead
• Blackbird 2
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 2
• Carrion Crow 1
• Collared Dove 1
• Common Gull 1
• Dunnock 1
• Goldfinch 2
• Great Tit 2
• House Sparrow 23
• Jackdaw 2
• Magpie 2
• Robin 1
• Rook 1
• Song Thrush 1
• Starling 9
• Woodpigeon 2

Over on the school playing field there was a big white island of thirty-odd black-headed gulls with a handful each of herring gulls and common gulls.

Chorlton Water Park

I decided on a long walk today so I went down through Chorlton to Chorlton Water Park and walked back along the river then through Chorlton Ees and Stretford Ees then home. It was mostly a bright sunny day with a cold wind that brought in short-lived snow flurries and chilly cloud cover. The paths were fairly busy but not uncomfortably so and everyone seemed to be trying to respect other people's space, which was good because that hasn't always been the case here.

Black-headed gull, Chorlton Water Park

There was plenty of open water on Chorlton Water Park. A couple of pairs of goosander and a great crested grebe accompanied the coots and Canada geese by the landing ramp. I looked in vain for pochard over by the island, there were just more Canada geese and a cormorant today. Out on the water there were plenty of coots and tufted ducks and half a dozen mute swans. I was struck by how few mallard there were (it turns out they were all loafing on the big island over at the Barlow Tip end of the lake). There were fifty or more black-headed gulls on the water but only a handful of common gulls and just the two herring gulls. I'd almost finished walking round the lake when I found the one and only gadwall of the day.

Tufted duck and great crested grebe, Chorlton Water Park

Drake goodander, Chorlton Water Park

Drake tufted duck, Chorlton Water Park

The paths through Barlow Tip didn't look any too promising so I just spent five minutes scanning round the margins. A few woodpigeons and carrion crows were obvious enough, it took a couple of strokes of luck to find the small flock of redwings in the birch trees.

River Mersey, Chorlton

The river was running fast and high but considerably lower than during the flooding: in places the banks had been scoured three or four feet above the water line. No sign of grey wagtails — their usual hunting grounds were under a foot of water — but there were plenty of mallard hugging the riverbanks. A male bullfinch fed on hawthorn buds in the hedgerow by the path and robins sang at regular intervals. Carrion crows, magpies and jackdaws noisily to-ed and fro-ed overhead and a couple of cormorants flew purposely towards  Chorlton Water Park.

Unusually Jackson's Boat was the only place I didn't hear or see ring-necked parakeets on this afternoon's walk from the water park. 

Parts of Chorlton Ees were still underwater

I decided not to walk down the river towards the main paths into Chorlton Ees, preferring instead to take one of the middling rough paths straight into the trees to see what small birds were about. There weren't many that weren't robins, there were odd ones and twos of great tit, blue tit or long-tailed tit but nothing remotely like a family group or mixed tit flock. I was watching a pair of long-tailed tits and wondering where the rest were when I was joined by a goldcrest which checked to make sure I wasn't a problem then quietly went about its business.

Ring-necked parakeet, Ivy Green

I crossed over Chorlton Brook into Ivy Green and walked along the brook towards the river. Halfway down a pair of blue tits started chirring at me from a willow tree and as I was looking at them I noticed a few more flitting about high up in the trees. A pair of great tits skittered through and a handful of redwings quietly moved through the trees in the background. A couple of blackbirds flew in and fed on the ground ahead and a pair of robins kept popping up in the corner of my eye. I was watching one of them bobbing up and down along a tree root when a movement just above it led to my adding treecreeper to the year list. As I approached the bridge over the bottom of the brook a couple of herons made a noisy palaver of flying into the heronry over on Chorlton Ees.

Stretford Ees

The sun was low when I got to Stretford Ees. I had no luck finding the pair of stonechats that were there last week though a female kestrel scared up a trio of meadow pipits. 

Female kestrel, Stretford Ees

And then back home, adding a pied wagtail to the day's tally as I walked through the car park at Stretford Mall.

Stretford

Female blackbird

An overnight light dusting of snow brought the spadgers and starlings in to pretty much monopolise the remnants on the feeders. An odd visitor was a single long-tailed tit amongst the spadgers. A long-tailed tit on its own doesn't feel natural somehow. The blackcap came in a couple of times when thing had quietened down for a while and showed quite well but wasn't for being photographed well.

Robin

Male blackcap

Song thrush

• Black-headed Gull 2 overhead
• Blackbird 2
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 2
• Carrion Crow 1
• Collared Dove 2
• Dunnock 1
• Great Tit 2
• Herring Gull 1 overhead
• House Sparrow 23
• Jackdaw 2
• Long-tailed Tit 1
• Robin 2
• Rook 1
• Song Thrush 1
• Starling 16

It was another busy day on the school playing field, too.

• Black-headed Gull 69
• Common Gull 6  (adult 6)
• Herring Gull 9  (3 adult, 1 4th-winter, 2 3rd-winter, 1 2nd-winter, 2 1st-winter)
• Jackdaw 8
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 3  (2 adult, 1 1st-winter)
• Rook 14
• Starling 12

On the way into Stretford to buy what I hope will be two weeks' worth of bird food I walked through Victoria Park. A lot of mobile leaves under one of the trees turned out to be a dozen redwings.

Home

Robin

I didn't much fancy a Sunday walk on a cold, grey, windy day with occasional dandruff flakes of snow, at least in  part because I'm sulking after the news that the cackling goose has relocated to Pennington Flash (taking the Mickey or what?) So I stayed home. I'm going to have to go out tomorrow, if only because I need to buy a pile more birdseed — I put out another pine cone and the last of the fat balls yesterday and the sunflower feeders have had a bashing today.

• Black-headed Gull 4 overhead
• Blackbird 2
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 2
• Carrion Crow 1
• Coal Tit 1
• Collared Dove 2
• Dunnock 2
• Great Tit 2
• House Sparrow 21
• Jackdaw 2
• Magpie 1
• Robin 1
• Rook 2
• Starling 13
• Woodpigeon 2

House sparrow, one of the second-rank males

The school playing field was a lot quieter today — just forty black-headed gulls — but with a couple more each of large gulls and jackdaws.

• Black-headed Gull 40
• Carrion Crow 1
• Common Gull 6  (5 adults, one 1st-winter)
• Herring Gull 7 (4 adults, one 3rd-winter, one 2nd-winter, one 1st-winter)
• Jackdaw 17
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 adults)
• Rook 11
• Woodpigeon 1

Stretford

Spadgers

A wetter and colder day today so after a slow start in the morning the spadgers set anchor in the garden for the rest of the day. Add to them a crowd of starlings and there wasn't much room for much else on the feeders a lot of the time. The song thrush made an appearance after I scattered some mealworms round the base of the blackcurrant bushes.

• Black-headed Gull 1 overhead
• Blue Tit 3
• Carrion Crow 1
• Coal Tit 2
• Collared Dove 2
• Dunnock 2
• Great Tit 2
• House Sparrow 21
• Jackdaw 3
• Long-tailed Tit 3
• Magpie 1
• Robin 1
• Song Thrush 1
• Starling 26
• Woodpigeon 4

Over on the school playing field gull numbers were back to historic norms with more than a hundred black-headed gulls at one point. The common gulls included a first-Winter bird. A good few large gulls, both herring gulls and lesser black-backs, too. 

Magpies' nest, building in progress

The jackdaws and rooks have been a bit shy on here lately but there were all back on today. The magpies are constructing what looks like a multi-story car park in the tree by the roadside.

• Black-headed Gull 103
• Carrion Crow 1
• Common Gull 8
• Herring Gull 3
• Jackdaw 15
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 4
• Magpie 1
• Rook 10
• Starling 12
• Woodpigeon 8

Mersey Valley

Stretford Meadows

It was mild and dry and the days are lengthening so while there were plenty of birds in the garden they were coming and going at their leisure. It's going to be colder again next week so I expect they'll stick around a lot more to keep topped up. The pair of great tits have come back this week, I've no idea where they've been. The male blackcap's become a fixture now, which is nice if only because I now have two species in this year's "There was a warbler here a moment ago" photo album. 

There's a lot of obvious pairing up going on out there. The great tits, coal tits, robins and collared doves have been paired up most of the Winter. I think it's a pair of goldcrests that are visiting, it's certainly a male and a female. The blue tits, blackbirds, jackdaws and woodpigeons are spending a lot of time making overtures at each other. And dunnocks will be dunnocks.

• Black-headed Gull 1 overhead
• Blackbird 1
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 2
• Coal Tit 2
• Collared Dove 3
• Dunnock 1
• Goldcrest 2
• Goldfinch 2
• Great Tit 2
• House Sparrow 12
• Jackdaw 3
• Long-tailed Tit 4
• Magpie 1
• Robin 2
• Rook 1
• Starling 7
• Woodpigeon 1

Stretford Meadows

I had a late afternoon walk, starting at Stretford Meadows then nipping over the motorway to walk along Ousel Brook thence along the Mersey to Urmston and back home.

I kept to the bridleway alongside Stretford Meadows again today. A fair-sized mixed tit flock accompanied me part of the way in the hedgerows and there were plenty of magpies and robins on the open ground. The usual kestrels and the buzzard were notable by their absence, it was peak time for dog walking so it wasn't altogether surprising.

By Ousel Brook

Over the bridge and onto the path by Ousel Brook and the sound of rooks and jackdaws on the field behind the trees and a song thrush singing from deep in a copse by the motorway. A kerfuffle of woodpigeons heralded the arrival of the buzzard as it settled on one of the electricity pylons. A bit further on I was chacked at by a pair of great spotted woodpeckers.

The walk along the river was busy with people and (mostly) quiet with birds. The rooks were making a noisy return to the rookery by the path to Chester Road, a cormorant flew by and a pair of mallards fed by the side of the river. Further along there was more activity in the hedgerows with song thrushes, great tits and robins getting a bit of singing practice in before sundown. As I approached the stables on my way into Urmston I bumped into a female bullfinch feeding on bramble buds and a jay taking exception to a couple of magpies.

As the sun sunk slowly in the West I walked home through Urmston, every other tree down Railway Road holding a pair of woodpigeons, carrion crows or magpies settling down for the night.

Trafford Park

Scarlet macaw, Trafford Park
I suspect this might not be a Category A vagrant.
[I'm told his name is Pancho and he escaped from an aviary in Sale last Saturday]

The big local birdwatching news was a Richardson's cackling goose over on Lightshaw Flashes, about quarter of an hour's walk from Pennington Flash. I've never seen any type of cackling goose so it would have been a dead easy — and delightful — lifer. Except for the lockdown. Ah well.

A mild, dry but thoroughly gloomily overcast morning brought plenty of birds into the garden but not much in the way of crowd scenes. The blackcap was back, though it seems it isn't welcomed by the blue tits or the robins. The giant pine cones are a great hit with the goldcrests, they and the coal tits can dig out the suet left deep inside after the other birds have abandoned the search. 

• Black-headed Gull 4 overhead
• Blackcap 1
• Blue Tit 1
• Carrion Crow 2
• Collared Dove 1
• Dunnock 1
• Feral Pigeon 1
• Goldcrest 1
• Goldfinch 2
• Great Tit 2
• Greenfinch 1 overhead
• House Sparrow 14
• Jackdaw 2
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 overhead
• Magpie 1
• Robin 2
• Rook 1
• Starling 1
• Woodpigeon 1

There were thirty-odd black-headed gulls on the school playing field together with a trio of lesser black-backs and a second-Winter herring gull. The usual jackdaws and rooks were kicking about, joined by a couple of woodpigeons, and one of the magpies was collecting twigs for the nest. A pied wagtail flew over from one of the flat roofed school buildings, the first I've seen here for a while.

Barton Clough

I had a walk around the local patch which was a bit busier than it has been of late.

• Black-headed Gull 4 overhead
• Blackbird 3
• Blue Tit 2
• Carrion Crow 4
• Chaffinch 1
• Common Gull 1 overhead
• Dunnock 3
• Feral Pigeon 81 overhead
• Goldfinch 24
• Great Tit 4
• Greenfinch 1
• House Sparrow 4
• Long-tailed Tit 2
• Magpie 16
• Redwing 5
• Robin 7
• Song Thrush 2
• Starling 5
• Woodpigeon 9
• Wren 1

Lesser black-backed gull, Trafford Park

I didn't want to go home just yet even though it had started drizzling. I decided to take a walk down the Bridgewater Canal through Trafford Park and as far as the Pomona Dock, it's been a while since I last did that walk. 

Bridgewater Canal, Trafford Park
Approaching the canal junction by Watersmeet

As usual, plenty of gulls about: mostly black-headed gulls with lesser black-backs, except on the Eurofreighter compound where the large gulls were all herring gulls. As I got to the Freightliner terminal the drizzle turned into heavy rain and a couple of hundred black-headed gulls wheeled overhead. As they moved on towards the quays I noticed an odd-looking bird heading our way. At first I though it was a cormorant until I realised all the length was at the back end, not the front. A carrion crow, perhaps, with a particularly ambitious bit of nesting material. As it neared it looked more outlandish; it turned out to be a scarlet macaw. Not a tickable vagrant but it took my mind off the cackling goose.

Cormorant and magpie, Trafford Park

As I passed the United ground I added grey wagtail to the year list. I was harbouring a remote hope of adding firecrest, too, as one had been seen yesterday in bushes on the approach to Throstle Nest Bridge but I had no luck: there was nothing smaller than a dunnock to be found today.

A bit of shopping on the way home, adding a pair of mute swans on the canal by Stretford Marina to the day list, and a desperately-needed pot of tea.

Mersey Valley

Heron, Stretford Ees

A sunny and relatively mild day with a light wind meant it was another fairly quiet day in the garden — there was plenty about but not much in the way of crowd scenes. A male blackcap come in for the crumbs left by the starlings' assault on the fat balls was a nice addition to the year list.

Blackcap playing peep-oh

I decided to take advantage of the nice weather while it was on offer, taking a walk through Stretford Meadows to Sale Water Park and back home via Chorlton.

I kept to the bridleway rather than traipsing ankle deep in mud again over Stretford Meadows. The trees by the paddock at the end of Newcroft Road was full of great tits, blue tits and goldfinches. I toyed with the idea of adding helmeted guineafowl to the year list but seeing as it in the company of a couple of chickens and a pony I decided it might not be a Category A wild bird. The buzzard was sat in the first tree by the start of the bridleway and took noisy umbrage at my appearance. The pair of kestrels were in their usual favoured places in the hawthorns by the rise.

The walk down to Kickety Brook was pretty quiet again except for a singing song thrush near the electricity pylon. As I approached the junction with the path to the canal a shape hurtled out of the trees on the other side of the brook. A woodcock, flushed by something or other, shot up and over towards the cemetery. The first time I've ever seen a woodcock in flight without having it shoot up from beneath my feet amidst great confusion and I made a right bog of it: besides the impression of a dumpy, almost owl-like shape and lots of barred tail feathers I didn't clock much.

On Stretford Ees a heron was foraging in the damp long grass where the stonechats had been yesterday — I should imagine they'd want to give it a wide berth. There were a few dog walkers on the drier open ground, I think the stonechats may have retreated to the islands by the flooded willows. Any rate, I didn't see them.

Ring-necked parakeets,
Stretford Ees

A dozen ring-necked parakeets made a hell of a racket and eventually settled into one of the trees by the tram line where they squawked for five minutes before launching into a screeching tour of the treetops.

As I crossed the bridge over the river a female great spotted woodpecker called from one of the treetops by the entrance to Sale Water Park. By now it was getting busy with people so I didn't take it personally.

Dabchick, Sale Water Park

Out on the water there was a small raft of herring gulls with a handful of lesser black-backs and there were plenty of black-headed gulls peppered about. There were twenty-odd each of coot and tufted ducks and a dozen gadwall at this end of the lake and a dozen mute swans begged for food from passers-by. Further out there were half a dozen great crested grebes and a couple of dozen Canada geese on the far bank. Walking along towards Broad Ees Dole there were five dabchicks feeding by the reeds and a kingfisher shot through the still-flooded willows by the path.

Teal, mute swans and gadwall, Broad Ees Dole

The water on Broad Ees Dole was still quite deep, with none of the islands poking above the surface, and half the open water was iced over. A couple of dozen teal whistled and preened and one group of drakes was busy displaying and head-bobbing to impress the ladies. A couple of herons lurked in the reed margins and a lone redhead goosander dozed in the centre of the main pool.

Teal, Broad Ees Dole

Back on the water park there were more of the same: a couple of dozen each of black-headed gulls, coots, tufties and gadwall, plus a handful of mallard.

Willow tit, Sale Water Park

I spent half an hour watching the feeding station by the café before the first and only willow tit of the afternoon turned up.

Sale Ees

Sale Ees was still half flooded so I took the high path out, accompanied by another calling great spotted woodpecker and a singing song thrush. Thence to Chorlton and back home with the thought that I've got out of condition this past couple of weeks and need to make more of an effort about it.