My Patch, Woodford, Greater Manchester

The area I like to call my "patch" is right on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire. In fact it is the most Southerly point of Greater Manchester. The majority of the area I cover on my patch is farmland, with the exception of Woodford arerodrome which consists of a runway (quite obviously), some hangars, and lots of nice grassy fields surrounding it. There are some good wooded areas and also the River Bollin runs through it. There is also a private golf course.
So it goes without saying that most of the birds that I see are farmland birds. But Woodford has a wonderful habit of throwing up something different every now and again. My best finds so far have been a juvenile Stonechat, Female Redstart, Goldcrests, Merlin and just last week 38 Golden Plover sat on the runway with well over two hundred Lapwings. You just never know what will be there next time, and it makes me keep going back. My species list for the Woodoford area currently stands at 69 which I think is quite impressive. I know I have missed some good birds, as Cuckoos and a Red Kite have been seen in recent times.

Below are some of my Woodford shots to give you a flavour of what's around. I will certainly be posting more here in the near future.

The Juvenile Stonechat I found in 2010. This shot was taken by digiscoping at some distance.

Lapwings are present all year round at Woodford.

Curlews can often be heard in the Summer. This one was a bit of a menace on the golf course.

Northern Wheaters arrive towards the end of April. A fantastic little bird that I never tire of seeing.

Treecreepers are there if you can spot them, scurrying around the trees.