emails - tony.usher@zen.co.uk or tony@10X50.com
texts also ok to 07710 508 544.
My journey to work at Christie Hospital has been so different over the last week; so peaceful and relaxing! Today I had my car window open and listened as I cruised along Back Lane in Ashley: song thrush, wren, robin, chaffinch, crow, jackdaw, blue tit were heard. I also saw a hunched up kestrel surveying the fields from his vantage point on the electricity wire. Soon the swallows will be there with him.
Parked up at work and there was a beautiful grey wagtail! A song thrush sang as I socially distanced my way in to the hospital and a final salute from a parakeet fly pass helped to prepare me for the day ahead. Take care all.
Karina
Having moved furniture round yesterday, big settee ideal for sitting on with your legs up like you do. I was there relaxing after my breakfast in my pyjamas and dressing gown, bins in hands when a male Sparrowhawk landed in apple tree about 25 feet away magical.
The day will probably go downhill now.
I was wrong I went down
There was a huge flock of corvids in one field near motorway, I thought Rooks straight away but could not make out stone coloured beaks, the old saying is " A crow in a crowd is a rook - but a rook on it's own is a crow". Back home 12 45pm a very enjoyable time if cold.
List
House Sparrows, Dunnock, Robin, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Wren ,Kestrel, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Rook, Jackdaw, Skylark
Lapwing, Chaffinch, Pheasant,
After I saw you yesterday, and said we hadn’t seen anything, we saw 2 ravens ‘kronking’ over the Little Owl Field, and then 2 lapwings on the ground on the stubble side in the usual Smith Lane field. I’m a bit worried as the farmer has added 2 heaps of fresh manure to the pile in the middle of the field since the weekend (to the right of the gateway) – looks like he’s planning to spread it on the field.
Today we saw nuthatches going into one of our tit boxes! A few weeks ago there were blue tits going in and out of it, but at the weekend mud appeared plastered between the hole and the overhanging lid above it, and there were hammering noises going on inside that were clearly not being made by blue tits! Very exciting.
In Mere Geoff and Sheila Blamire are heading quickly towards their 100 lockdown species!
Over the last couple of days a pair of House Sparrows have been investigating/going into an old artificial House Martin nest, and today saw the female taking a feather inside to put her stamp on the nest. I know for many people reading this, House Sparrows are common, but not here! Hope they steer clear of the male Sparrowhawk which regularly patrols the feeders (see Geoff’s photo, also a Wren on the patio).
This afternoon we did our walk to The Swan, onto Rostherne and back. New birds for our ‘Lockdown’ list: pair of Tufted Ducks on The Mere, Kestrel in Rostherne and 8+ Redwings in the woods alongside Cecily Mill Lane, so up to 54.
In Marton Steve and Gill Barber also had Fieldfares on the move today.
Hi Tony,
Gill & I had a bit of a leg-stretcher this afternoon. We walked lanes west of Marton this time and found song fitful and limited to a handful of resident species. Undoubted highlights were two displaying Lapwing busily chasing every corvid which flew nearby. 17 Teal were on a field flood while a pair of Canada Geese were the first we’ve seen back at a local field pond so far. As usual Buzzards were active and the two we saw seemed to be enjoying the wind. ‘Alarm-calling’ Blue Tits alerted us to a Sparrowhawk which flew straight through and away. We didn’t see our ivy-berry feeding Redwing yesterday or today but a small flock of Fieldfare flew over the house yesterday morning. Every such sighting at this time of spring could be the last until autumn.
Cheers.................Steve.
Darren Morris is back in work in Tatton Park.
Sent from my iPhoneTatton today:
Had a check on the herons from Dog Wood side to look over at Higmere and all nests were active and very noisy.
There were plenty of chiffchaff and blackcaps singing in the Wood. Also song thrushes, great tit and long tailed tit very obliging, they seem more at ease since the park has been closed.
At the end of Tatton Mere, by the outflow, two grey wagtails were active and looking very smart. Talking of smart, a kingfisher perched by the stream just along from the Mill Pool and again seemed calm and allowed splendid views to be had.
Lots of Sand Martin over the northern end of Tatton Mere too. Goldeneye and redwings still around too.
Thanks team - this method of information gathering is making me think about the format of the "Latest News" section of 10X50!
