Thursday 20 March 2014

16/03/2014

Sefton Park

16 Ring Necked Parakeet
4 Nuthatch
Treecreeper
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
100+ Redwing
Pipistrelle sp. - day flying in Ibbotsons Lane
active Fox den
Peacock Butterfly
Frogspawn

Greenbank park

2 Cormorant
2 Mute Swan
Grey Heron
2 Nuthatch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
35+ Redwing
12 Mistle Thrush
6 Ring Necked Parakeet

17/03/2014

Hurst Reservoir, Dark Peak SSSI

Merlin (female)
2 Buzzards
50+ Red Grouse
Whooper Swan
4 Curlew
5 Crossbill
10 Siskin
28 Lapwing
Red Grouse - Hurst Reservoir

Red Grouse - Hurst Reservoir

Whooper Swan - Hurst Reservoir

3 comments:

Neil M said...

Hi Danny, good to see you back. Looks like you've been all over the place last few months too! I've started to get out to Pickering Pasture too recently, surprising amount of species within a short walk and a great spot to sit with a telescope for an hour.
I'm particularly interested in the situation with the parakeets in sefton and greenbank at the moment. You mentioned a count of 16 in sefton park, that seems like a really big increase from the 6 or 7 that i'd estimate that there were this time last year. It does seem to suggest that the small population last year had a succesful breeding season or else there's been escapees adding to the numbers, and it definitely raises the possibility that there will be new sustainable populations of these birds appearing outside of London. If it's happening here then I'm sure it's happening elsewhere too. I wonder if anyone is keeping tabs on them as a local species? Not that they seem to be doing any harm, I just think it's interesting that if their numbers are going steadily up year on year then we could be seeing the start of a 'new' species to the north west. I've not seen them outside of greenbank and sefton parks either until last week when I heard a pair screeching in the trees out the back of st michaels school which obviously means their territory has expanded towards the river, maybe they venture further? It would be interesting to know if anyone has spotted or heard them anywhere else, perhaps calderstones park or the garden festival site seem like places they migh frequent as their range expands? Anyway, judging by the pairing up behaviour they've been showing off recently it certainly looks like there will be a few more around next year!

Anonymous said...

Hi, new to this forum
Friday 28 March at about half three I saw a sparrowhawk sitting on the river wall at Otterspool prom
It wasn't doing much other than looking around at the sky and gulls. I managed to get right by it. Only the railings between us
fantastic spot by my black Labrador Molly

Danny Foy said...

Hi Neil

I know three pairs bred around Sefton/Greenbank last year.

Birds have also been seen in Childwall and Calderstones too.

Apart from this population there are birds breeding in South Manchester and Lytham St Annes; so it does look set to colonise areas of the NW.