THE 2008 MANCHESTER 'MAY-HEM' BIRD RACE BOARD

All contests take place during the month of May

Manchester Birding's first May-hem event finished with some remarkable results, fantastic birds and resounding enjoyment pretty much all round so a huge thanks to all those participants who made the event a success and more importantly set some targets for next year and proved just what can be achieved in our county, well done to you all.

Please note that as the competition is not necessarily intended to be a competition between the entrants themselves (although of course for may it was, and why not!) but more a personal achievement the results are in alphabetical order. Those who care can work out who achieved the best results in each category for themselves ☺

The Manchester Monthly Birding Marathon

 So, the crowning glory to May-hem was Greater Manchester's first ever May monthly marathon and what a month it was, easily one of the best birding months ever recorded in the county and at times one could be forgiven for thinking you were on the English south coast or even the Camargue! Some entrants really 'went for it' whilst others simply incorporated it into their normal birding and both provided some great moments and memorable birds and birding and were exactly what the event was all about. From the 'non-racers', Jimmy, Andy, Craig and Rob (the latter who barely ventured out of the Wigan Borough) to the full on racers each gave what they could, hampered by work, families, weather and anything else they encountered but their totals, one and all, are a testament to just what is possible in our county and it has to be said that Declan's total of 134 (verified) is a fantastic achievement indeed and showed not only just how good county birding was during the month but more importantly how good a county Greater Manchester is should we get out there and really look. Either way, his total sets the benchmark for not only future May attempts but for any month long marathon attempt (how would an autumn or winter month marathon fare?) and looks a tempting target indeed!

The Manchester Single Site Day Bird Race

Ian Woosey kick started our single site day lists with his Wigan Flashes effort and put up a considerable score with Cetti's Warbler, Treecreeper and Marsh Harrier his best birds but his omissions for the day were not inconsiderable themselves with Pheasant, Garden Warbler, Rook, Meadow Pipit, Grey Partridge, Yellowhammer and Pied Wagtail all 'not playing ball'. He has now vowed never to do another. Yeah right!

Next up was myself at Hope Carr Nature Reserve on the 9th, easily the smallest site in the competition, a recce two days before fared well with 5 species of wader so I was hopeful of a good score. However, day listing is all about what's about on the day and the 9th didn't produce the waders to say the least with only two species present and I couldn't find a raptor on any of the 3 visits I made through the day but there were highlights and Common Gull, Kingfisher, Grasshopper Warbler and Willow Tit were the best of them. All in all, for such a small site (think the size of half a dozen football pitches), not a bad showing and the weather was spot on too!

My effort was quickly followed by Dave Broome's at the Wigan Flashes on the 10th although he was disappointed at his total as the Grasshopper Warblers had lost their voices, waders had all but vanished and he admits to probably not putting enough hours in! His highlights were the Cetti's (well why not!) and Grey Plover.

Craig Higson mounted his Pennington Flash day effort on the 12th and had decided that he'd had enough by 9:10pm (and I should think so!), managing a very respectful total indeed. His enjoyable but tiring day took Craig to corners of the site he hadn't visited in ages but he still missed Willow Tit, Sparrowhawk and the Mandarin that stayed around until his big day! He did manage Stock Dove, Treecreeper and Herring Gull, all good May-day birds but deciding against an early start cost him dearly missing the Osprey that flew over at 8:20am.

The pie-eating team of Geoff Hargreaves, Rob Thorpe and Jimmy Meadows went on the 18th with their Wigan Flashes assault and managed a very creditable total despite missing some cringingly easy birds and the legs giving up late in the day but their enjoyment of the competition was obvious with the team already proposing the date for their next effort on 2009!

I went next on the 19th with my carefully planned Pennington Flash day effort starting very early morning and looking good as in only two hours I had amassed a total of 64 species around the reserve section only! A very thorough search of a complete circuit of the flash produced many good birds but frustratingly, Redpoll, Lesser Whitethroat, Oystercatcher and Woodcock (which I knew where they were but considering it was probably a nesting bird I left well alone) all evaded me. Highlights were Dunlin, Great Black-backed Gull, Pochard, Kingfisher, Garden Warbler, oh and lots of Willow Tits Craig ☺.

Rob Thorpe finished the single site day lists with an Abram Flashes attack on the 23rd producing perhaps a surprisingly good total but all things considered, the Abram Flashes have more habitat and cover a larger area than you might at first think but either way, it was a very good effort. Sparrowhawk, Jackdaw, Little Owl, Bullfinch and Linnet were all unexpected omissions but Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Cuckoos (2), Lesser Whitethroats (2) and a calling Long-eared Owl were the best of the best of the bunch.

The Manchester Eco-Day Bird Race

Steve Johnson kick-started the Manchester Birding Eco-day event on the 2nd with an epic 12 hour, 42 mile mountain bike 'thrash' around several southern county sites, leaving him more than a little saddle-sore! His achievement (* subject to the confirmation of 2 other species this total may well reach 81) included many good birds, such as a Pied Flycatcher at Dunham and all the usual suspects although a Hobby over Dunham sewage plant was just 100 yards across into Cheshire and despite 10 minutes hoping it would enter our airspace it headed off south-west.

Next up was Tim Wilcox on the 16th and if nothing else, Tim clearly won the race for totting up the most miles travelled, covering a frankly staggering 78 miles from 6:45am to 7:30pm on his trusty bike which left him almost too tired to climb the stairs on his return home. Again, an excellent total was his result although 'simple' species such as Sparrowhawk and Nuthatch let him down on the day and it took him 12 hours to see his first Kestrel! His best bird was undoubtedly the 12 Yards Road Tree Pipit which, due to being unfamiliar with the species, he didn't recognise immediately but field notes taken at the time and the subsequent finding of the bird by Alan Rowley cleared it all up and it rightly made it's way onto his list.

Tim's stab at the Eco-day list was closely followed by Simon Johnson's on the 17th, cunningly utilising the eco-friendly Metrolink Tram system to cover his chosen sites. His resultant total included 2 Elton Dippers which were a very good find indeed, Black-tailed Godwit, Arctic Tern and Lesser Whitethroats as the best of the bunch.

Father and son, Terry and Rob Thorpe went together on the 24th using the popular choice of push-bikes to get them around their sites although they chose not begin their day on the lowland mosses, probably a wise choice given the leg-work involved! They did however cover probably the widest array of habitats including the Horwich Moors although the near gale force winds up there meant many species went missing and standing upright was difficult at best! There were no unexpected species encountered in their 10 hour ride and the Horrock's Flash Cattle Egret avoided them throughout, not very sporting of it considering it was Rob who discovered the bird in the first place! 

Geoff Hargreaves went last in the Manchester Birding Eco-day list event leaving his attempt right up until the death on the 31st of the month, managing to cover the Wigan and Abram Flashes with leg power alone and achieving a total which I'm sure will be a target for more than a couple of entrants next year!

The Manchester 24 Hour Bird Race

The first 'full-on' count day listing attempt for many years in Greater Manchester missed some almost guaranteed birds such as Rook, Grey Wagtail and Wheatear although spending too much time looking for Merlin and Wood Warbler didn't help! There were many highlights including finding Long-eared Owl but Mark's account of their day can be found here.