A mega day's walk all the way from the city centre to Forest Bank Bridge upriver - about 5 miles all in.
Loads of good things seen:
On the river -
16 Goosanders in different groups, the highest featuring 7 individuals 40 or more Goldeneye, some in large groups. over 40 Tufted Ducks 7 Teals 4 Grey Wagtails Not a single swan
Trees along route:
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and another Woodpecker not able to be seen, but definitely drumming on a pylon! 2 cracking Song Thrushes seen singing away, and LOADS more heard. 6+ Mistle Thruses 2 Goldcrest at edge of playing fields opposite Kersal Dale, waited 20 minutes for them to show from the conifers, one did, then they both flew out. Pair of Coal Tits at the same location Handful of Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Chaffinch seen throughout No Bulfinch 2 Jays together Redwing flocks in the tress on both sides of the river near Kersal Dale Some Starling Plus lots of the usuals
Football pitches (belonging to the Uni??) downriver from Agecroft Bridge - a mixed flock of Starlings and Fieldfares, about 80, feeding with a few Redwing and Mistle Thrush thrown in and some arriving from and departing to trees across the river.
Scrub near Forest Bank:
1 Kestrel in a tree. A single Buzzard over, escorted by ten or so Crows.
Drinkwater Park ponds:
A lone Great Crested Grebe 1 Grey Heron
Cheers
-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 14th of March 2012 04:39:45 PM
-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 14th of March 2012 04:50:25 PM
1 Green Sandpiper seen in flight several times 10 Goosander 1 Gadwall (drake) c20 Mallard 6 Goldeneye 2 Tufted Duck 1 Cormorant 1 Little Grebe 1 Grey Wagtail seen but may have been a pair around c30 Redwing in Agecroft Cemetery 1 Buzzard 1 Sparrowhawk
post-afternoon from Prestwich to Clifton CP and back - weather depressing.
Sightings: Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Robin, Goldfinch + usual tits, Jay numbers into double figures, 2 Great Crested Grebe (in summer garb) on Clifton Lake + c25 Tufted Duck, also what was likely a calling Curlew on the opposite bank from the Country Park, 1 Grey Wagtail over the sewage works, also 2 Kestrels nearer 13 arches.
-- Edited by John Doherty on Monday 20th of February 2012 07:05:50 PM
I visited the location where the Green Sandpipers usually are. Today, two Green Sandpipers, two Dunlin (seen by Bill Myerscough yesterday) and 2 Common Snipe and all the other usual suspects.
Agecroft Bridge to 13 Arches today, 1.30-3.30 - not so cold, but barely a soul about!
The highlights:
Teal (2) Tufted Duck (6) Little Grebe (3) Mallard and Moorhen At least 2 Nuthatches (heard in woods)
Clifton Road area: At least 1 more Nuthatch, 1 Jay, Lots of Greenfinch, a flock of Goldfinch with a single Female Siskin mixed in (feeding in a tall tree)
I remember seeing a pheasant down to about 6 feet there, it didn't recognise me otherwise it would have erupted!! Lapwing can sometimes be around there too (just up from thirteen arches on the meadows)
In surrounding woodland/scrubland - 2 singing Song Thrush, excellent views of a singing Willow Wit near the Thirteen Arches, 8 Lesser Redpoll, 1 male Siskin, 2 Stock Dove, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Pheasant, 4 Bullfinch and c15 Redwing. Plenty of vocal Dunnocks, Wrens and Robins.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 18th of January 2012 01:55:39 PM
Willow Wit....surely worth a .Bill.
Definitely worth a Keith... it could have been even worse if I'd typed Tillow Wit..... that might have got the listers and twitchers interested
In surrounding woodland/scrubland - 2 singing Song Thrush, excellent views of a singing Willow Wit near the Thirteen Arches, 8 Lesser Redpoll, 1 male Siskin, 2 Stock Dove, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Pheasant, 4 Bullfinch and c15 Redwing. Plenty of vocal Dunnocks, Wrens and Robins.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 18th of January 2012 01:55:39 PM
From the Agecroft Bridge upstream to the Thirteen Arches Viaduct. Along this stretch the south/west bank of the river is in Salford and the north/east bank in Bury!
Totals along this small strecth of river:- 8 Moorhen, 78 Mallard, 9 Goldeneye, 10 Teal, 3 Tufted Duck, 5 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron and 1 Goosander.
In surrounding woodland/scrubland - 2 singing Song Thrush, excellent views of a singing Willow Wit near the Thirteen Arches, 8 Lesser Redpoll, 1 male Siskin, 2 Stock Dove, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Pheasant, 4 Bullfinch and c15 Redwing. Plenty of vocal Dunnocks, Wrens and Robins.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 18th of January 2012 01:55:39 PM
Green Sandpiper approx 300 yards downstream of the Agecroft Bridge this morning. Presumably the same individual bird that has wintered here for a few years now?
Also 3 Goldeneye together on the river here.
Cheers,
Bill.
-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Tuesday 29th of November 2011 09:09:39 PM
Redhead Smew still present on the river at lunchtime today almost directly below the green footbridge from Ringley to Clifton near where sewage outflow comes in, showing very well. Also Dipper, lots of teal, 7 Goosander, 3 Goldeneye & 4 Gadwall.
Also amazingly a single Whooper Swan on the river behind Kearsley Mill, Prestolee, 50 yards from where we saw 3 on Boxing Day!
A concerted effort to check various parts of the river between Nob End & Giants Seat garden centre, Ringley produced one or two suprises.
At Nob End confluence with the Croal, Coots, Pochard, 10 Tufted, 5 Goldeneye, 10 Goosander, 3 Little Grebe & Lapwing.
At Prestolee, 3 Whooper Swans (2 ad & 1 juv) resting on the ice behind Kearsley mill was a very unusual but welcome sight. Also here another 3 Goldeneye & 4 Goosander.
Lower down between Ringley sewage works/filtration beds & Giants Seat, Kingfisher, Lapwing, 10+ Goldeneye, 5 Goosander, male Shoveler, 10+ Gadwall, 30+ Teal, wonderful views of a woodcock on the ground by the river. Then to top of a good morning the Smew flew upstream & landed right in front of us and proceeded to catch small fish 100 yards west of the garden centre!
Several Goldcrests & Treecreepers also seen & Gadwall & Teal on the filtration beds themselves.
A single Common Sandpiper on the Irwell near the Cliff.
Also on mown sports playing fields on the hairpin bend of the Irwell in this area between Lower Kersal and Higher Broughton and seen amongst the foraging Woodpigeons, corvids and gulls was a single Curlew!
Kingfisher showing well by the UoS sportsground Song Thrush singing by the footbridge between Peel Park & sportsground, also 2 Redwings c10 Goldeneye, c5 Tufted Duck & 1 Little Grebe along river
Stephen Young found a Green Sandpiper on the Irwell just downstream from Agecroft Bridge yesterday whilst doing BirdAtlas survey work.
Steve
26th January.
Green Sandpiper still showing very well in same location this morning. Also just a few hundred yards from this bird on the Irwell were 2 Little Grebe, 4 Goosander (1m,3f) and 7 Goldeneye together (all females).
Just a shame that the sandpiper was in tetrad SD80A Lower Kersal and not in "mine" SD80B Prestwich, which I surveyed this morning.
November 27th about 9.30 am. Kingfisher from Victoria Bridge, Salford. Fishing from scrub below bridge old tax office side then moved under bridge to old bus station side.
-- Edited by Mike Noon on Friday 27th of November 2009 02:57:02 PM
3 Teal (2 drake), 2 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Wagtail, c50 Tufted Duck, 5 Mute Swans, c20 finches (prob Siskin) on River Irwell between Adelphi building and Castle Irwell
fairbrother st am all as reported before but the swans had 2 juv (still in brownish moult)who got chased around a lot, a pair of little grebe were on this side of the river for a change but made a hasty retreat as the light changed,the kingfisher was spotted and posed nicley on a shopping trolley for a while.
.Bill.
