ASTLEY, CHAT, LITTLE WOOLDEN AND ASSOCIATED MOSSES
Steven Nelson said
Sat Dec 2 6:07 PM, 2023
Irlam and Chat Mosses - am
6 Corn Bunting 1 Water Rail flew from a ditch 1 Marsh Harrier - female 250+ Skylark 60+ Yellowhammer 100+ Reed Bunting 60+ Chaffinch 2 Stonechat 13 Lesser Redpoll c110 Pink-footed Geese over west (c65 + c45) 3 Snipe 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - on telegraph pole 4 Kestrel - 1 eating a vole 1 Sparrowhawk-a large female 12 Meadow Pipit c160 Jackdaw c80 Stock Dove 6 Bullfinch 5 Goldcrest 12 Redwing 3 Song Thrush 1 Coot - heard from fishery 4 Herring Gull over east 5 Great Black-backed Gull over west 21 Lapwing over east
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Sunday 3rd of December 2023 12:23:53 AM
Little Woolden Moss NR 1 Black Grouse - male again in flight 41 Pink-footed Geese over east 40+ Fieldfare
Mike Chorley said
Sat Nov 25 9:38 AM, 2023
24/11/2023 Highlights of a circuit from Irlam Station
Cadishead Moss: Common Buzzard made an unsuccessful ground level attack on a distant group of winter thrushes. Closer in another group consisted mostly of Redwing (8) with 2 Fieldfare and 3 male Blackbirds. Also Lapwing, Common & Black-headed Gulls, Starlings, & 2 Mistle Thrush.
LWMLWTR: 2 Whooper Swan on the eastern end pools - back left pool from the viewpoint where the path turns towards the Glaze. Told about them by another birder/photographer when I arrived around noon and still there at 12.37 as I turned back. Also 3 Fieldfares in trees along the path.
Little Woolden Moss: 2 Stonechat 1 male Brambling (at least) in among the Greenfinch flock on the set-aside crop. Very flighty, possibly because of the presence of 1 of 2 Buzzards up over the moss which was perched in trees behind. A female Sparrowhawk over didn't help either.
Irlam Moss: One field had 2 Mistle Thrush, 5 male Pheasant, 7 Red-legged Partridge and 5 Grey Partridge. (More Partridges than we saw in two weekends in Norfolk!) Pink-footed Geese c200 SW- NE towards Croxton's at 3 p.m.
at the Stewardship Crop it appears that for another year such planting has worked...some years better than others and in my opinion the 'Mustard dominated
one of a couple of years ago was the 'best' as it supported the birds deep into winter whereas this years Sunflower dominated crop from previous experience over
the years may be rapidly depleted but so far so good...apart from the pleasurable 'difficulty' of not being able to get total specific counts but I tried as ever...
A single Corn Bunting on wires nr the Glaze ,2 different Marsh Harriers hunting over Little Woolden Moss,Buzzard and a couple of Kestrel in the general area. 2 Stonechat in the set aside in the field south of the access road,a few Meadow Pipit and Stock Doves in the field as well. 5 skeins of Pink-footed geese over ,2 going east and 3 going south,about 500 geese in total.
Dave Steel said
Wed Nov 15 8:36 PM, 2023
131123 brief late am visit
Chat Moss
2 Snipe
5 Grey Partridge
1 Woodcock
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Little Egret
1 Buzzard
2 Willow Tit
...and the 'joy 'of finding even more Dog walkers disturbing and driving away the wildlife from areas that were once relatively undisturbed by loose running dogs....
Afternoon stroll 2:20pm - 5:00pm with alternating sunny spells and filthy weather at quarter hour intervals. Highlights: 100+ black-headed gulls on field by Roscoe Road; three coveys of grey partridges on Irlam Moss, ten, thirteen and four birds in each; a female type marsh harrier by Four Lanes End (apologies to the birders watching this as I crunched on the gravel walking by), also a flyover great black-back here; possibly the same harrier on Little Woolden Moss, also a flyover buzzard being mobbed by meadow pipits; perhaps the same buzzard in the woods by the Glaze at twilight. There was a steady stream of small flocks of fieldfare, none more than a dozen birds, flying into the woods by the motorway. I've been having no luck whatever with yellowhammers on these mosses all year and today was no exception.
22 Rook...an uncommon bird these days on the moss in my experience...mind you for the time put in covering as much of the moss as possible to try and gain an overall
'picture' of the fortunes of our farmland birds over time I can say with some feeling that these aching joints of mine find little balm for their effort as my records
emphatically show that 'most' of our birds away from some reserves and honeypot areas are to say the least 'uncommon'....and increasingly so I'm afraid....
12 Stock Dove
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
5 Skylark
9 Chaffinch
2 Yellowhammer
62 Jackdaw
Chat Moss
11 Chaffinch
2 Grey Partridge
2 Yellowhammer
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
6 Fieldfare
1 Stonechat...Male
2 Redwing
2 Goldcrest
2 Buzzard
1 Mistle Thrush being harassed by a male Chaffinch...my 'take' on this was the Chaffinch was whizzed off with all the fuss and noise the Mistle Thrush was making in
trying to defend its larder of Holly Berries from the hungry Fieldfare/Redwing
Greylag Goose 1 Pink-footed Goose 491 over in 6 skeins Canada Goose 187 Greylag x Canada 1 Whooper Swan 2 landed on the western pools Swan sp. 3 over Teal 43 west end by the Glaze Black Grouse male seen in flight Water Rail 1 heard Lapwing 31 over Snipe 2 Great Black-backed Gull 1 in fields Marsh Harrier 1 juvenile Skylark 7 Redwing 4 Fieldfare 127 Meadow Pipit 24 Corn Bunting 4 on wires and in crops at the west end Yellowhammer 1 ditto Reed Bunting 26
A wander down Moss Lane from River Glaze nr Raven Inn to the sunflower set a side was worthwhile. Good numbers of finches etc feeding on the sunflowers with several Brambling,Tree Sparrows, good numbers of Greenfinch and Chaffinch plus a single Reed Bunting and Blue and Great Tits. At least 100 Redwing in the area but only 3 Fieldfare,and singles of Kestrel and a Peid Wagtail on roof of barn.
New Moss Wood...Planning for Everyone stated that on this site there would be a 10% biodiversity gain as 'compensation' for building on the Moss...I asked at one of the Inspector Examinations I had attended "which trees do Skylark Nest in" it was worth, the very fair I must admit, Inspectors remark to me that 'this is not a quiz Mr Steel'....allowing me to continue my point ...they don't---they nest on the ground on the Mossland PfE proposes to build on...saying further...There will be NO GAIN for the most threatened of all our bird species...Farmland birds...my point was seemingly (in my opinion) seen floating way above the heads of the two Kings Council employed to support the PfE plans....
...and on the Stewardship Crop...yet another Superb Stewardship crop carefully sown and Nurtured by Whitegate Farm (this year dominated by Sunflowers---the understory has other feed plants)
There is an intention by the LWT to bring in contractors (along with volunteers) to remove the Birch...it's part of their ongoing effort to rewet the site to such a degree that these trees will be unable to grow...peer across the reserve from the North Gate looking south and west and you will see how much they have achieved...and can continue to achieve...they are a charity after all and it takes money to tackle jobs of such enormity...
The Hobby have been a fairly regular feature of the site ONLY SINCE the LWT started their slow but sure restoration of the site since the purchased it in 2012...before that the completely bare peat caused by Peat Milling held no dragonfly and hence no Hobby...now it can abound with Dragonfly
Field 62 is now owned by Natural England and they have started to remove the Willow that sprung up since the field was left fallow...their intention is to re-wet it but as they have only purchased it in recent times such transformation will take time
Field 52 is Wheat Stubble and is quite wet (it was always a soggy field especially in it's Northern Section...it will be left fallow but I feel that the oddity of the Moss is that once fields dry out (due to the hot summers we have had of late) they never really attain their pooled like state which brought in Whooper Swan and Pink-Footed Geese...but I hold out hope that the planned re-wetting now Natural England own it will eventually improve the wildlife potential of this and the other Fields NE now own...There may be a spring sown crop next spring which I am hoping for because this suits and supports Lapwings in the breeding season...
There is MUCH positivity for the Moss and its struggling wildlife than in previous decades of my regular visits...especially with the long term commitment by the Charity Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Now Natural England...it's just that we have to be patient...as for me at my age I wish it could all take place tomorrow...but at least there is hope for future generations in my opinion
Dave
Michael Hood said
Sun Oct 29 6:13 PM, 2023
Sun 29/10/23, 13:00-15:30
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR only
Sparrowhawk - female - being mobbed by 2 crows as I drove to the east end of the reserve
Marsh Harrier - 2+1 - all female or immature - definitely 2 because I saw them together, the one I saw over an hour later may have been one of those 2
Buzzards - several
Kestrels - 2
Grey Heron - 3 - together
Yellowhammer - 2
FieldFare - about 15 flew over in a spread out flock
Snipe - 1
Absolutely NO ducks, not even a Mallard, no Teal at the western end, no waders either - I suspect the water level's a bit too high although I could of course have just missed them, and definitely no Black Grouse
I've been coming here (the reserve) about once a month for nearly 2 and half years - the vegetation has definitely increased in that time, there seem to be loads of small trees (silver birch?) springing up and the vegetation is much thicker around the perimeter. Now it may well be that this improves the site ecologically and encourages more species of all sorts of things; plants, flowers, insects, even birds maybe, but in my opinion, it's become a worse site for birdwatching, much more difficult to see anything - I'm starting to wonder whether I'll bother outside of Hobby season.
And what is all this quick growing stuff in field 62 and field 52 off the Twelve Yards Road? Two winters ago there were 500 Pink-footed Geese in 62, can't see that happening this winter.
-- Edited by Michael Hood on Sunday 29th of October 2023 06:14:25 PM
Dave Steel said
Sat Oct 28 5:08 PM, 2023
251023 am...Mist/Fog to mid-morn
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
32 Skylark
7 Chaffinch
15 Wren
6 Snipe
1 Marsh Harrier...Fem/Immature
5 Yellowhammer
7 Reed Bunting
5 Grey Partridge
2 Lesser Redpoll
Stuart Marsden said
Sat Oct 28 4:34 PM, 2023
The reserve quiet this lunchtime but a big finch flock feeding on sunflowers at Red House Farm contained 8 Brambling, 2 Tree Sparrow, a Yellowhammer, 4 Reed Bunting along with 10 Linnets and many Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Hedges/trees around Glaze Brook alive with >600 Fieldfares and 200 Redwing. A Raven and a Golden Plover over.
6 Corn Bunting
1 Water Rail flew from a ditch
1 Marsh Harrier - female
250+ Skylark
60+ Yellowhammer
100+ Reed Bunting
60+ Chaffinch
2 Stonechat
13 Lesser Redpoll
c110 Pink-footed Geese over west (c65 + c45)
3 Snipe
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - on telegraph pole
4 Kestrel - 1 eating a vole
1 Sparrowhawk-a large female
12 Meadow Pipit
c160 Jackdaw
c80 Stock Dove
6 Bullfinch
5 Goldcrest
12 Redwing
3 Song Thrush
1 Coot - heard from fishery
4 Herring Gull over east
5 Great Black-backed Gull over west
21 Lapwing over east
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Sunday 3rd of December 2023 12:23:53 AM
291123
Chat Moss
90 Chaffinch
45 Reed Bunting
4 Bullfinch
15 Long-Tailed Tit
2 Goldcrest
2 Woodcock
2 Teal
26 Meadow Pipit
27 Skylark
36 Mallard
2 Stonechat
1 Peregrine...Male
-- Edited by Dave Steel on Friday 1st of December 2023 05:32:38 PM
281123
Little Woolden Moss
165 Linnet
25 Reed Bunting
2 Whooper Swan Flying South @ 1017
14 Meadow Pipit
1 Siskin
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
1 Brambling
55 Greenfinch
70 Chaffinch
1 Yellowhammer
18 Great Black-Backed Gull Flying North
270 Skylark
2 Buzzard...1 seemingly sunbathing...
Chat Moss
2 Stonechat
271123
Irlam Moss
185 Black-Headed Gull
5 Grey Partridge
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
1 Marsh Harrier
6 Great Black-Backed Gull...Flying North
5 Snipe
1 Black Grouse
6 Reed Bunting
3 Herring Gull
110 Black-Headed Gull
Little Woolden Moss
80 Stock Dove
250 Jackdaw
170 Skylark
Chat Moss
7 Grey Partridge
1 Marsh Harrier attacked by a flock of Jackdaw
251123
Barton Moss
Chat Moss
5 Fieldfare
16 Starling
150 Linnet
10 Stock Dove
3 Snipe
11 Skylark
2 Woodcock
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
1 Treecreeper
2 Goldcrest
2 Stonechat...Pair
1 Yellowhammer
2 Raven
241123
Little Woolden Moss
12o Greenfinch
2 Grey wagtail
3 Teal
2 Brambling
60 Linnet
7 Reed Bunting
180 Starling
1 Peregrine...Male
3 Stonechat
2 Buzzard
11 Grey Partridge
4 Lapwing
450 Jackdaw
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
1 Black Grouse
70 Black-Headed Gull
231123
Chat Moss
9 Meadow Pipit
23 Reed Bunting
12 Yellowhammer
90 Stock Dove
1 Woodcock
3 Snipe
Chat and Irlam Mosses:
12+ Brambling
20+ Chaffinch
1 Willow Tit
2 Woodcock
9 Grey Partridge
5 Bullfinch
2 Lesser Redpoll
4 Goldcrest
2 Redwing
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk - female
Little Woolden Moss NR
1 Black Grouse - male again in flight
41 Pink-footed Geese over east
40+ Fieldfare
Cadishead Moss:
Common Buzzard made an unsuccessful ground level attack on a distant group of winter thrushes. Closer in another group consisted mostly of Redwing (8) with 2 Fieldfare and 3 male Blackbirds. Also Lapwing, Common & Black-headed Gulls, Starlings, & 2 Mistle Thrush.
LWMLWTR:
2 Whooper Swan on the eastern end pools - back left pool from the viewpoint where the path turns towards the Glaze. Told about them by another birder/photographer when I arrived around noon and still there at 12.37 as I turned back. Also 3 Fieldfares in trees along the path.
Little Woolden Moss:
2 Stonechat
1 male Brambling (at least) in among the Greenfinch flock on the set-aside crop. Very flighty, possibly because of the presence of 1 of 2 Buzzards up over the moss which was perched in trees behind. A female Sparrowhawk over didn't help either.
Irlam Moss:
One field had 2 Mistle Thrush, 5 male Pheasant, 7 Red-legged Partridge and 5 Grey Partridge. (More Partridges than we saw in two weekends in Norfolk!) Pink-footed Geese c200 SW- NE towards Croxton's at 3 p.m.
221123
Irlam Moss
4 Grey Partridge
5 Stock Dove
190 Lapwing
300 Starling
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
6 Great Black-Backed Gull Flying North
1 Goldcrest
2 Lesser Redpoll
2 Woodcock
70 Teal
7 Snipe
1 Green Sandpiper
32 Fieldfare
Cadishead Moss
34 Fieldfare
130 Starling
Little Woolden Moss
14 Lapwing
Chat Moss
1 Merlin
211123
Chat Moss
2 Whooper Swan Flying West @ 0840
Irlam Moss
140 Lapwing
60 Starling
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
2 Lesser Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
16 Meadow Pipit
5 Snipe
8 Great Black-Backed Gull Flying North
300 Black-Headed Gull
Little Woolden Moss
3 Stonechat
75 Linnet
1 Male Sparrowhawk
160 Skylark
190 Starling
500 Jackdaw
201123
Irlam Moss
5 Grey Partridge
1 Song Thrush in song
1 Buzzard
14 Pheasant
19 Starling
12 Lapwing
200 Starling
Chat Moss
5 Redwing
2 Bullfinch
5 Snipe
1 Golden Plover...Flying South @ 0939
16 Chaffinch
191123...Rain (heavy at times) throughout!
Irlam Moss
7 Grey Partridge
2 Mute Swan...Flying West
36 Meadow Pipit
120 Black-Headed Gull
4 Snipe
35 Pied Wagtail
7 Skylark
2 Stonechat...Pair
350 Starling
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
68 Black-Headed Gull
6 Snipe
181123
Chat Moss
150 Jackdaw
8 Skylark
21 Reed Bunting
19 Yellowhammer
5 Stock Dove
2 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
1 Merlin - female sat on a fence post
1 Brambling - female
1 Little Egret
2 Siskin
8 Lesser Redpoll
1 Cormorant
8 Grey Partridge
25 Chaffinch
2 Kestrel
Little Woolden Moss - late pm
1 Merlin (f) chasing a Skylark. The Skylark just managed to escape.
2 Snipe
171123
Chat Moss
100 Chaffinch
2 Little Egret
6 Snipe
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Brambling
1 Water Rail
1 Lesser Redpoll
27 Reed Bunting
2 Willow Tit
3 Teal
45 Linnet
2 Woodcock
3 Yellowhammer
44 Mallard
161123
Chat Moss
3 Great Black-Backed Gull heading North
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
4 Bullfinch
12 Lesser Redpoll
6 Reed Bunting
4 Snipe
Little Woolden Moss
8 Grey Partridge
5 Great Black-Backed Gull Flying North
37 Skylark
2 Stonechat...Pair
at the Stewardship Crop it appears that for another year such planting has worked...some years better than others and in my opinion the 'Mustard dominated
one of a couple of years ago was the 'best' as it supported the birds deep into winter whereas this years Sunflower dominated crop from previous experience over
the years may be rapidly depleted but so far so good...apart from the pleasurable 'difficulty' of not being able to get total specific counts but I tried as ever...
70 Greenfinch
90 Linnet
85 Chaffinch
3 Brambling
7 Tree Sparrow
2 Fieldfare
2 Siskin
2 Yellowhammer
151123
Irlam Moss
4 Great Black-Backed Gull
250 Black-Headed Gull
2 Kestrel
2 Siskin
15 Meadow Pipit
1 Raven
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
5 Whooper Swan came from East...landed briefly on Eastern pool then took of heading Southeast
7 Snipe
2 Woodcock
1 Grey wagtail
1 Golden Plover flying South @ 1216
9 linnet
141123...brief am visit
Irlam Moss
6 Skylark
6 Reed Bunting
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Goldcrest
4 Linnet
1 Snipe.
A single Corn Bunting on wires nr the Glaze ,2 different Marsh Harriers hunting over Little Woolden Moss,Buzzard and a couple of Kestrel in the general area. 2 Stonechat in the set aside in the field south of the access road,a few Meadow Pipit and Stock Doves in the field as well.
5 skeins of Pink-footed geese over ,2 going east and 3 going south,about 500 geese in total.
131123 brief late am visit
Chat Moss
2 Snipe
5 Grey Partridge
1 Woodcock
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Little Egret
1 Buzzard
2 Willow Tit
...and the 'joy 'of finding even more Dog walkers disturbing and driving away the wildlife from areas that were once relatively undisturbed by loose running dogs....
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Afternoon stroll 2:20pm - 5:00pm with alternating sunny spells and filthy weather at quarter hour intervals. Highlights: 100+ black-headed gulls on field by Roscoe Road; three coveys of grey partridges on Irlam Moss, ten, thirteen and four birds in each; a female type marsh harrier by Four Lanes End (apologies to the birders watching this as I crunched on the gravel walking by), also a flyover great black-back here; possibly the same harrier on Little Woolden Moss, also a flyover buzzard being mobbed by meadow pipits; perhaps the same buzzard in the woods by the Glaze at twilight. There was a steady stream of small flocks of fieldfare, none more than a dozen birds, flying into the woods by the motorway. I've been having no luck whatever with yellowhammers on these mosses all year and today was no exception.
121123
Brief Visit after Remembrance Morn...
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
5 Teal
3 Snipe
4 Reed Bunting
2 Bullfinch
1 Marsh Harrier
Irlam Moss
360 Starling
58 Lapwing
111123 am
Irlam Moss
22 Rook...an uncommon bird these days on the moss in my experience...mind you for the time put in covering as much of the moss as possible to try and gain an overall
'picture' of the fortunes of our farmland birds over time I can say with some feeling that these aching joints of mine find little balm for their effort as my records
emphatically show that 'most' of our birds away from some reserves and honeypot areas are to say the least 'uncommon'....and increasingly so I'm afraid....
12 Stock Dove
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
5 Skylark
9 Chaffinch
2 Yellowhammer
62 Jackdaw
Chat Moss
11 Chaffinch
2 Grey Partridge
2 Yellowhammer
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
6 Fieldfare
1 Stonechat...Male
2 Redwing
2 Goldcrest
2 Buzzard
1 Mistle Thrush being harassed by a male Chaffinch...my 'take' on this was the Chaffinch was whizzed off with all the fuss and noise the Mistle Thrush was making in
trying to defend its larder of Holly Berries from the hungry Fieldfare/Redwing
10 Linnet
Little Woolden Moss this afternoon :
Marsh Harrier,
Woodcock
Kestrel,
Long-Tailed Tits
101123 am
Chat Moss
26 Skylark
21 Reed Bunting
8 Yellowhammer
1 Lesser Redpoll
1 Kestrel chased by 13 Jackdaw
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
6 Snipe
2 Peregrine having an Arial tussle...both chased off south.
091123 am
Little Woolden Moss
170 Skylark
22 Fieldfare
2 Sparrowhawk...1 male 1 female
4 Stonechat...2 pair
8 Grey Partridge
8 Stock Dove
80 Chaffinch
45 Lesser Redpoll
6 Tree Sparrow
20 Linnet
Late pm walk Raven to L Woolden Moss & back
1 Buzzard
1 Marsh Harrier (cream-crown, prob near-ad fem) with no tags or jewellery
Pair Kestrel in conifers just before polytubes
2+ Brambling by entrance to White Gate Farm (nice setaside & planted sunflowers)
150+ Linnet
15 Grey Partridge, 4 still in their cage in the fields
250+ Pink-footed Geese (flocks 180, 45, 35) some flew E then all ended up flying W
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 11th of November 2023 06:31:15 PM
081123 am
Chat Moss
2 Woodcock
2 Bullfinch
61 Mallard
9 Teal
1 Little Egret
28 Redwing
9 Fieldfare
1 Buzzard
3 Snipe
4 Lesser Redpoll
4 Goldcrest
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Siskin
21 Long-Tailed Tit
2 Water Rail
071123 am
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
8 Snipe
1 Green Sandpiper
120 Fieldfare
4 Redwing
7 Meadow Pipit
1 Lesser Redpoll
11 Wren
5 Reed Bunting
061123 am
Chat Moss
16 Skylark
2 Yellowhammer
2 Lesser Redpoll
10 Teal
1 Little Egret
6 Grey Partridge
Irlam Moss
7 Grey Partridge
051123 am
Irlam Moss
20 Fieldfare
48 Lapwing
240 Starling
Chat Moss
1 Marsh Harrier hunting FN62
2 Tree Sparrow
2 Siskin
1 Woodcock
18 Lesser Redpoll
67 Jackdaw
15 Skylark
19 Meadow Pipit
19 Fieldfare
4 Snipe
1 Yellowhammer
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
1 Buzzard attacked by 4 Carrion Crow
041123 am
Irlam Moss
230 Linnet
180 Chaffinch
12 Stock Dove
75 Pink-Footed Geese
6 Yellowhammer
75 Lapwing
200 Starling
Barton Moss
2 Snipe
2 Goldcrest
12 Linnet
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel with prey
Chat Moss
90 Chaffinch
80 Fieldfare
75 Linnet
6 Yellowhammer
4 Redwing
2 Grey Partridge
40 Goldfinch
031123 am
Irlam Moss
7 Grey Partridge
3 Snipe
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
7 Lesser Redpoll
7 Reed Bunting
1 Great Black-Backed Gull on East Pool
5 Snipe
1 Raven @ 1214
12 Skylark
021123 0830-1320
Little Woolden Moss
240 Fieldfare
320 Skylark
12 Stock Dove
47 Great Black-Backed Gull Heading North...throughout the Morn...
1 Grey Wagtail
29 Linnet
8 Grey Partridge
40 Meadow Pipit
19 Reed Bunting
34 Chaffinch
16 Greenfinch
2 Lesser Redpoll
6 Tree Sparrow
1 Buzzard
Chat Moss
40 Stock Dove
2 Lesser Redpoll
28 Collared Dove
011123 am
Irlam Moss
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel.
Chat Moss
2 Marsh Harrier
1 Buzzard
40 Jackdaw
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
4 Lesser Redpoll
8 Reed bunting
1 Marsh Harrier which drifted north @ 0830
36 Meadow Pipit
4 Siskin
2 Marsh Harrier Hunting @ 0856
16 Skylark
7 Snipe
12 Fieldfare
Little Woolden Moss
12 Stock Dove
55 Skylark
150 Fieldfare
3 Buzzard
24 Starling.
Greylag Goose 1
Pink-footed Goose 491 over in 6 skeins
Canada Goose 187
Greylag x Canada 1
Whooper Swan 2 landed on the western pools
Swan sp. 3 over
Teal 43 west end by the Glaze
Black Grouse male seen in flight
Water Rail 1 heard
Lapwing 31 over
Snipe 2
Great Black-backed Gull 1 in fields
Marsh Harrier 1 juvenile
Skylark 7
Redwing 4
Fieldfare 127
Meadow Pipit 24
Corn Bunting 4 on wires and in crops at the west end
Yellowhammer 1 ditto
Reed Bunting 26
At least 100 Redwing in the area but only 3 Fieldfare,and singles of Kestrel and a Peid Wagtail on roof of barn.
311023 am
Irlam Moss
6 Grey Partridge
12 Meadow Pipit
2 Stonechat...Pair
4 Lesser Redpoll
2 Yellowhammer
60 Linnet
1 Snipe
1 Grey Wagtail
Chat Moss
17 Skylark
125 Stock Dove
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Marsh Harrier
4 Great Black-Backed Gull...Heading North @ 0853
301023 am...Rain persisted
Irlam Moss
4 Grey Partridge
2 Kestrel
Chat Moss
36 Stock Dove
5 Bullfinch
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Little Egret
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
7 Snipe
2 Great Black-Backed Gull...flying North @ 1020
5 Herring Gull
5 Siskin
1 Chiffchaff
291023 am
Chat Moss
1 Chiffchaff
31 Skylark
25 Reed Bunting
13 Lesser Redpoll
9 Yellowhammer
2 Marsh Harrier
1 Woodcock
5 Snipe
1 Siskin
34 Meadow Pipit
2 Goldcrest
3 Buzzard
281023 am
New Moss Wood...Planning for Everyone stated that on this site there would be a 10% biodiversity gain as 'compensation' for building on the Moss...I asked at one of the Inspector Examinations I had attended "which trees do Skylark Nest in" it was worth, the very fair I must admit, Inspectors remark to me that 'this is not a quiz Mr Steel'....allowing me to continue my point ...they don't---they nest on the ground on the Mossland PfE proposes to build on...saying further...There will be NO GAIN for the most threatened of all our bird species...Farmland birds...my point was seemingly (in my opinion) seen floating way above the heads of the two Kings Council employed to support the PfE plans....
15 Robin
20 Wren
10 Chaffinch
2 Nuthatch
6 Bullfinch
52 Jackdaw---flying over
9 Great Tit
7 Dunnock
11 Redwing
7 Siskin
Little Woolden Moss
31 Meadow Pipit
3 Corn Bunting
14 Teal
34 Lapwing
1 Greylag Goose
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
4 Snipe
11 Meadow Pipit
1 Green Sandpiper
42 Fieldfare
1 Lesser Redpoll
2 Buzzard
17 Starling
5 Reed Bunting
271023 am
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
5 Snipe
32 Starling
3 Yellowhammer
5 Grey Partridge
19 Reed Bunting
11 Skylark
1 Marsh Harrier
Little Woolden Moss
160 Skylark
1 Merlin...Male
19 Lapwing
22 Meadow Pipit
4 Stonechat...2 Pair
6 Tree Sparrow
10 Blackbird
14 Redwing
44 Lesser Repoll
2 Sparrowhawk...male
15 Fieldfare
3 Buzzard
52 Starling
...and on the Stewardship Crop...yet another Superb Stewardship crop carefully sown and Nurtured by Whitegate Farm (this year dominated by Sunflowers---the understory has other feed plants)
80 Chaffinch
120 Linnet
6 Brambling
9 Tree Sparrow
12 Greenfinch
6 Grey Partridge
261023 am
Barton Moss in Heavy Rain
1 Buzzard
1 Chiffchaff
59 Chaffinch
2 Goldcrest
22 Meadow Pipit
7 Snipe
6 Yellowhammer
1 Stonechat
1 Common Gull
2 Great Black-Backed Gull
6 Reed Bunting
140 Linnet
125 Fieldfare
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
Irlam Moss
18 Pink Footed Geese feeding and resting
6 Rook
2 Goldcrest
6 Rook
35 Jackdaw
Reply to Michael's last Post
There is an intention by the LWT to bring in contractors (along with volunteers) to remove the Birch...it's part of their ongoing effort to rewet the site to such a degree that these trees will be unable to grow...peer across the reserve from the North Gate looking south and west and you will see how much they have achieved...and can continue to achieve...they are a charity after all and it takes money to tackle jobs of such enormity...
The Hobby have been a fairly regular feature of the site ONLY SINCE the LWT started their slow but sure restoration of the site since the purchased it in 2012...before that the completely bare peat caused by Peat Milling held no dragonfly and hence no Hobby...now it can abound with Dragonfly
Field 62 is now owned by Natural England and they have started to remove the Willow that sprung up since the field was left fallow...their intention is to re-wet it but as they have only purchased it in recent times such transformation will take time
Field 52 is Wheat Stubble and is quite wet (it was always a soggy field especially in it's Northern Section...it will be left fallow but I feel that the oddity of the Moss is that once fields dry out (due to the hot summers we have had of late) they never really attain their pooled like state which brought in Whooper Swan and Pink-Footed Geese...but I hold out hope that the planned re-wetting now Natural England own it will eventually improve the wildlife potential of this and the other Fields NE now own...There may be a spring sown crop next spring which I am hoping for because this suits and supports Lapwings in the breeding season...
There is MUCH positivity for the Moss and its struggling wildlife than in previous decades of my regular visits...especially with the long term commitment by the Charity Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Now Natural England...it's just that we have to be patient...as for me at my age I wish it could all take place tomorrow...but at least there is hope for future generations in my opinion
Dave
Sun 29/10/23, 13:00-15:30
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR only
Absolutely NO ducks, not even a Mallard, no Teal at the western end, no waders either - I suspect the water level's a bit too high although I could of course have just missed them, and definitely no Black Grouse
I've been coming here (the reserve) about once a month for nearly 2 and half years - the vegetation has definitely increased in that time, there seem to be loads of small trees (silver birch?) springing up and the vegetation is much thicker around the perimeter. Now it may well be that this improves the site ecologically and encourages more species of all sorts of things; plants, flowers, insects, even birds maybe, but in my opinion, it's become a worse site for birdwatching, much more difficult to see anything - I'm starting to wonder whether I'll bother outside of Hobby season.
And what is all this quick growing stuff in field 62 and field 52 off the Twelve Yards Road? Two winters ago there were 500 Pink-footed Geese in 62, can't see that happening this winter.
-- Edited by Michael Hood on Sunday 29th of October 2023 06:14:25 PM
251023 am...Mist/Fog to mid-morn
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
32 Skylark
7 Chaffinch
15 Wren
6 Snipe
1 Marsh Harrier...Fem/Immature
5 Yellowhammer
7 Reed Bunting
5 Grey Partridge
2 Lesser Redpoll
The reserve quiet this lunchtime but a big finch flock feeding on sunflowers at Red House Farm contained 8 Brambling, 2 Tree Sparrow, a Yellowhammer, 4 Reed Bunting along with 10 Linnets and many Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Hedges/trees around Glaze Brook alive with >600 Fieldfares and 200 Redwing. A Raven and a Golden Plover over.
241023 am
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
16 Chaffinch
15 Lesser Redpoll
2 Great Black-Backed Gull...heading north
1 Little Egret flying east @ 0835
5 Snipe
4 Goldcrest
2 Redwing
Chat Moss
8 Reed Bunting
6 Stock Dove
2 Rook
1 Marsh Harrier @ 1120
26 Siskin
4 Snipe
2 Sparrowhawk...Male
9 Linnet
2 Willow Tit
700 Woodpigeon
2 Yellowhammer
2 Lesser Redpoll
2 Cormorant.