grey wagtails...urban bird? (1 Viewer)

[seggs]

hi
having had to work in built up areas..as i have to job wise at times..
i have noticed the amount of grey wagtails using the city centres of sunderland(especially) and newcastle...(just this week)..have really been noticeable..good numbers,more than average on a walk country wise.
these birds we all know tend to stick to river banks and coastal areas..
but evidence is proving the trend for urban areas...or is it just the north-east?
the birds ive observed have used the flat roofed areas(water retained)..as ponds...and drop in zones, as in natural places to drink and feed...
and have a pattern in movement...from early morning..to latter evening..
they out number the pied around these areas now...which tend to stick to the parks..

 

[On-Firecrest]

i have seen a grey wagtail on the roof of a disused car showroom on my walk into school this past week, but never before that i wonder if its just random winter dispersal? and there are up to 100 pieds roosting in the centre of town.

 

[Sancho]

Funny you should mention it, I´ve been wondering the same over the last year, here in Bray (suburban town south of Dublin), and in other areas of the city, I´ve noticed Grey Wagtails where I hadn´t before...not in huge numbers, and there are plenty of streams through the suburbs, but still noticeable by their presence.

 

[Xenospiza]

In the Netherlands, Grey Wagtail has long been a common winterer on (flat) roofs in city centres, so they can be hard to find! The numbers will drop after a cold winter (when all the puddles on the roofs freeze), but there hasn't been a cold winter for 10 years.
North of London, Grey Wags are a common urban sight.

 

[KLH]

I have seen grey wagtails on the odd occasion in the town, nearby a pond (I'm in Bournemouth) Not for a while, but they have been seen.

 

[skatebirder]

I often see Grey Wagtails in Southampton. There's often one or two on my office roof, usually competing with Pied Wagtails and recently with a Black Redstart - there's a lot to be said for urban birding!
David

 

[boroboy]

i live in central middlesbrough and have seen grey wags every winter as long as i can remember but never seen one in the summer months

 

[Jacana]

wherever there is water there are grey wagtails it seems, juest seen one today in the middle of shrewsbury

 

[Peewit]

I have never seen Grey Wagtails in towns or cities. Just seen them living in farm districts

In the park local to where I stay now, there are a few Pied Wagtails around.

They are talkative on the wing it is hard to ignore them

Regards
Kathy

 

[Cyclops]

We get a few pieds,more in winter,but I've only ever seen greys in rural settings near water.

 

[liverpool_bob]

I see (hear first, then see flying over buildings) one or two most days in central Liverpool. More so than Pied Wag.


Cheers,
Bob.

 

[seggs]

the sunderland grey wagtails are not just wintering birds...they bred here this year..
up to 3 broods were recorded..from one nest.

 

[Himalaya]

i saw a rey wagtail near my house - its a terraced area with very little greenery - countryside half a mile away too. it was on a low roof.

 

[Ben Dickinson]

When moving into my new house last Febuary, I sat down for a rest, looked out at our tiny 10 foot by 10 feet garden and a Grey Wagtail was on the lawn pecking about. Not a bad "First Garden Bird"! It's worth noting I live in a highly built up area of Liverpool and around 2 miles from the River Mersey.

 

[Clive Watson]

I've certainly had them flying over urban areas plenty of times (thanks to that highly distinctive flight call) but they don't really feed in towns in the way that Pieds do. In Surrey we have plenty though, I don't have to go far to find them. When I was younger I always thought of them as specialities of western, upland areas like Dippers or Pied Wagtails. Does anyone know if their status has changed significantly in the South-east?

 

[Brian Stone]

Greys use the rooftops here in Peterborough too. They breed along the river but disperse more widely around the city in winter. I don't know that this is a particularly recent trend. Most cities have at least a small waterway running through and Greys take very readily to man made structures (bridges/culverts) for nesting.

 

[MarkHows]

We have a pair that breed at our site (massive industrial site in central Harlow), they tend to feed in a local stream. Great to see in this setting.

Seen loads of great stuff around amazing how wildlife uses our cities.

Mark

 

[James Hunter]

A pair of Grey Wagtails have nested for the last 5 years under the concrete bridge connecting the 2 sites I work on in an Industrial estate in Dartford, Kent. There is a further pair towards the town centre. Coupled with a regular Kingfisher work can be fun walking between sites!!

Regards,

RS

 

[Peewit]

I have got to admit I do miss the Grey Wagtails, I saw while living in our Farm house at Stirling. They became friendly, and they feed on the floor under our birdtable along with the Pied Wagtails and the Yellow Hammers (what a combination to see)

I loved the way the Pied Wagtails, and the Grey Wagtails showed off their youngsters to us outside our very large kitchen windows/Patio windows. It was although they wanted us to admire them for being the birds they are. I will never forget this sight and I wish I had pictures to show here.

Just to say we did have a robust stream close to the house, so maybe that explained the Grey Wagtails liking for our area.

I have never seen a sight like this since, and I hope I do in the future. Love to explain to people, this is possible too if you are in the right setting, and the birds get used to your presence around them. It is such a beautiful sight to see, and I hope others will get that opportunity too in the breeding season. Just to see Waggies is lovely in itself.

Regards
Kathy

 

[ColinD]

Grey Wagtails have been fairly common in winter in St Helens, Merseyside, even in the town centre, for as long as I can remember. There are at least three pairs breeding, including one pair just outside my house. In summer I often see the the adults feeding young on the roof.