Rooms with a View 24.03.20

Posted on March 25, 2020 by clive45

Weather : Bright and sunny with a slight breeze

Through kitchen, bedroom, living room, and even possibly aeroplane windows, Team Tuesday were soon on the lookout for early visitors to the gardens of South Manchester. A wood pigeon was first on the list looking cross as they always do.

Familiar birds followed swiftly, magpie, blue tit, robin, blackbird and crow, the list was growing and it wasn’t even 9 o’clock. Fun diversions took us up to elevenses, a quick quiz and a look at one of our team’s tropical garden and then we’d soon seen other birding familiars, house sparrow, magpie, great tit, and goldcrest among them.

By lunchtime we’d heard a buzzard had welcomed back the safe arrival of one of our team from far flung shores. Various quizzes were still giving us something to think about and we’d added rook, herring gull, and jackdaw to the day’s tally. As the day moved towards our cut off time of 5 pm and while tea was brewing, sightings were still being posted, house sparrows, wren, blackcap, nuthatch, bullfinch, long tailed tits, and dunnock among them.

Just allowed were starling and parakeet and our longest collective birding day had finished with a list of 24 (CG miscounted last night! ed.) and so much more, photos of local trees in blossom, colourful flowers beautifully planted out, bumble bees, peacock and comma butterflies and finally one lesson learnt for future weeks, clean your windows first thing, in order to improve your photos! (HW)

Bird List (CG)

Starling
Blackbird
Common Buzzard
Woodpigeon
Feral pigeon
Blue tit
Great tit
Long-tailed tit
House sparrow
Wren
Goldcrest
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
Dunnock
Robin
Blackcap
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Rook
Nuthatch
Magpie
Herring Gull
Rose-necked Parakeet

Moore Nature Reserve 10.03.20

Posted on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by clive45

Warm and NO RAIN.

A select number of us gathered in the car park, donning everything waterproof we possessed, remembering how wet we had been last week. It was mild and windless so some hats went straight back into pockets never to be worn again.
Several of the usual birds were spotted here, including blue tit, crow and goldfinch before we made our way down the main track. A nuthatch was shouting loudly and gave good views flitting about in the branches, while a treecreeper, not to be outdone, crept up an adjacent tree. Savouring these delights, we made our way to Lapwing Lane Hide. Cormorants were roosting in a tree, while a golden eye was spotted among a large group of tufted ducks. Gadwall were lurking in the distant reeds and a little grebe was ducking and diving as little grebes do. Sharp eyes then detected ripples and movement in the shallow water near the hide which, on closer inspection, proved to be a crowd of frogs in mating mood. Also, seen by some near the hide were toads with the same idea, and a lone goldcrest.
Moving on, we looked carefully and quietly for the lesser spotted woodpecker, but it remained as elusive as ever on the loop leading to and from the feeding station. We watched a pristine great tit sizing up a possible nesting box on the way. This was a well-timed place for coffee and snacks while watching the birds on stocked-up feeders. Blue, long-tailed, and a shy coal tit, as well as a female reed bunting came and went while a greedy squirrel monopolised one feeder.
Moving on replenished, we picked up wren and robin, these were constantly vocal but difficult to see as the light wasn’t good and everything looked grey, except the crows and blackbirds. A disturbed great spotted woodpecker flew off, but was seen well by others in a tree. Reaching the Grebe Hide, living up to its name, we had close views of both little and great crested grebe. More distant was a group of black headed gulls and sharp eyes picked out a common gull among them.
Then on to Birch Strip Hide where we found many more gadwall among other ducks and, once we had established exactly which, of many silver birch it was near, we all saw a lone but colourful teal, lurking on the opposite side of the water.
The Pump House Hide was our last stop. Here cormorants sat rigidly on posts staring at us like statues guarding an ancient ruin. Behind them on the spit were a few oystercatchers, and in the water, swans and more gulls including common and herring. We looked hopefully at a distant pale orange blob on a bush, willing it to be a kingfisher, but alas, no. A buzzard soaring close by cheered us and a flock of redwings flew into a tree, but moved off before we could all properly see them. By now it was time to make our way back to the car park, no new delights to be seen but constant songs from mostly hidden robins and wrens, and not a drop of rain had fallen! (TG)

Bird List (M.Ho)

Mute swan
Canada goose
Wigeon
Mallard
Gadwall
Teal
Tufted duck
Goldeneye
Little grebe
Great crested grebe
Cormorant
Common buzzard
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Black-headed gull
Common gull
Herring gull
Woodpigeon
Feral pigeon
Great spotted woodpecker
Wren
Robin
Blackbird
Song thrush
Redwing
Goldcrest
Long-tailed tit
Coal tit
Blue tit
Great tit
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Jay
Magpie
Carrion crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Reed bunting

plus of course : frogs and toads!

Photos (JH)

Marbury Country Park 03.03.20

Posted on March 4, 2020February 8, 2023 by clive45

Damp!!!!

Despite heavy cloud and plenty of ‘humidity’ in the air, a large number of the Team gathered on what didn’t appear to be the most promising of mornings. However, never faint-hearted, we all set off towards the main hide overlooking Budworth Mere and for twenty minutes or so – while what had been a light drizzle made a determined effort to become something more serious – enjoyed good views of a variety of woodland birds that were attracted by what little food was left on the feeders: long-tailed tit, blue tits, great tits flitted back and forth, joined by dunnock, chaffinch and an occasional reed bunting. A grey heron flew majestically in front of us and a great spotted woodpecker put in a brief appearance high in the trees to our right. Out on the mere the tufted duck, mallard and coot seemed happy enough until heavier rain prompted even them to seek the shelter of the overhanging trees along the bank.

Taking advantage of what appeared (falsely!) to be a lessening of the rain, we set off along the lakeside track, from where we got better views of the cormorant, Canada goose, black-headed and herring gulls that were to be found on the far side of the mere and to admire the dozen or so great crested grebe that swam out towards the middle of the water. The distinctive call of curlew attracted our attention and a small flock was spotted, looking as though it was coming in to land in the distant fields, but the poor visibility prevented anyone from actually locating where these birds had in fact landed. Halts to admire first a pair of goldfinch, and then one, or possibly two treecreepers, one of which was really very close and did not even need the help of what were by now in most cases rather smeary binoculars to see, slowed our progress towards the pool hide.

There, sheltering again from the rain, and with many taking a late coffee break, we saw very little, although there was plenty of bird noise to testify to their presence. With the rain getting heavier, only a jay to add to our list as we walked along the woodland track and a finger post seductively pointing the way back to the car park, a decision was made to cut short our visit on this occasion, and so we slowly made our way to the cars, some catching sight along the way of a nuthatch.

A smaller list than usual perhaps, but, as ever, it is hard to beat a ramble in the fresh – even if ‘damp’ air – in the company of good friends and as all dedicated birders know – there’ll be plenty to see next week! (And as I finish this, the sun is out and there is almost a clear blue sky!)

Bird List (M.Ho)