Saturday, November 12, 2011

Pied Wagtail Roost

Driving home, I was cosidering posting a heads-up for winter wagtail roosts, when I drove straight into one.......Tescos car park at King Cross. I don't know how many birds are coming in to roost as many were already in bed when I came across them. I would estimate around 150 but this could be wide of the mark.
I counted 200 going into a larger tree by the Woolshops on October 14th 2007 and in Manchester in the late 90's I seem to remember around 500 going into a single tree outside the BBC.
These birds are congregating on Tescos roof, probably around 4.00 - 4.15 and going into the tree between the car wash and the zebra crossing. There was plenty of traffic, people using the crossing and two guys making plenty of noise washing cars right next to the tree, but the birds did not seem the least bothered.
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4 comments:

Brian Sumner . said...

Several Pied Wags on the Library building mid p.m. today, probably part of the Woolshops roost.

7:56 pm
Steve Cummings said...

I never saw any at the Woolshops in subsequent years, Brian, but I think Steve Blacksmith found a roost in one of the City Center car parks a year or two later.
Worth checking these out around 4.00 in the afternoon...they may be back on.
BBC site was only used for 1 year, but other sites in GM are used year after year, with numbers in 4 figures.

8:24 pm
David Sutcliffe said...

A great count there Steve. I would guess they could be vulnerable to predators like Tawny Owls (even Kestrels)during the night in a deciduous tree - wonder if they stay there all night or head for an evergreen shrubbery - or a big holly??

10:42 pm
Steve Cummings said...

The BBC roost in Manchester was in a Plane tree underneath a street lamp that was seriously close to passing buses!
I found another winter roost in Manchester City Center that was also in a deciduous tree near a street lamp, and the Woolshops roost was also deciduous, so I suspect they stay there Dave. Many of these roosts seem to be illuminated by street lamps which will provide them with extra warmth and help them conserve energy.
In Manchester there is a huge roost of c.2000 that regularly make use of the warm surroundings of a petrochemical plant, and there is another at Manchester Airport.

9:55 am

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