Had a look for the first time at the Rindle Road area this afternoon....was very pleased to see the 2 Yellow Wagtails and Wheatear in "field 67" (they have numbers? who knew?) A big thank you to the gent with the Swarovski bins who put us on to these birds and for all the other info too Will certainly be revisiting this area.........

Early afternoon Rindle road area
2xrl partridges
3x pheasants
1xlapwing
2xpied wagtails
1xgs woodpecker
1xkestrel
2xbuzzard
2xtree sparrow
2xmistle thrush
2xmallards
4xyellowhammer
goldfinch on feeder
2xwhitethroat
2xchaffinch
1xrobin
usual corvids
cheers Jay

5.45 to 7.30 this Evening:

Sightings taken on the ploughed section of f69 :

Yellow Wagtail, 2 males..... these birds circled round near the edge of the field, more or less continuously feeding.
Also a third bird, female, located by other birders.
Pied Wagtail...8
Yellowhammers....6
Mistle Thrush....5
Reed Bunting....2
Meadow Pipits...20
Tree Sparrow....12
Wheatear(f)....1

Chaffinch/Greenfinch/Collared Dove on the feeding track
Cuckoo Heard calling in the distance.

Nice to meet Ian Moffat.


-- Edited by keith mills on Friday 11th of May 2012 08:55:35 PM

-- Edited by keith mills on Saturday 12th of May 2012 02:19:16 PM

2 male Yellow Wagtails and a female Wheatear in field 69 early afternoon today.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 12th of May 2012 09:49:28 AM

late post for thursday 10th moss lane in morning still had 7 wheatear but these moved to fields north of area in better weather also drake gadwall flew east over moss lane. and 2 very wet buzzards sat in trees along lane.
in evening 4 wheatear present in crop field to south of moss lane probably new birds!
single male whinchat, 2 wheatear and male yellow wagtail in ploughed field south of rindle feeding station

along moss lane this evening in heavy rain at least 12 wheatear 5 in ploughed field near west end just after sharp bend and 7 in first ploughed fields on south of lane. otherwise wet and quiet!

Only arrived back in Durham this PM, hence this belated update.

I visited the Rindle Road section at 13.00 on Monday (May 7th) as part of my jaunt around the main Wigan Borough sites ahead of our big day effort yesterday.

Best were a pair of Yellow Wagtails on the distant ploughed field behind Rindle Cottages, alongside 3 Wheaters. A couple of Rooks, (my first here) dropped in to join the Carrion Crows picking in the furrows.

Quick hour last night, female red brested merganser flew over rindle woods towards the scrapes. new bird for this area for me.

Male yellow wagtail and 8 wheatear on astley moss this afternoon

A great first trip to the area yesterday resulted in 39 species recorded.

Higher Green Lane / Lower Green Lane
Kestrel
1 Tree Sparrow
Linnet
2 Pied Wagtail
2 Buzzard

Took a wrong turning on way to Rindle Road, walking through farmland: -

2 Red-legged Partridge
Yellowhammer
2 Common Whitethroat
Blackcap (m)
Lapwing
Mistle Thrush

Rindle Road feeding station
5 Yellowhammer
At least half-a-dozen Tree Sparrow

Around the moss area
Willow Warbler / Chiffchaff / Reed Buntings
Grey Heron over
Cracking pale Buzzard on fencepost

Did two laps of the Moss and was considering leaving, when I met a lovely couple from Leigh, Dave and Lesley.

We had a bit of fun trying to work out whether a distant bird on a fencepost just along from the Buzzard was a Merlin or a Mistle Thrush (it's still bothering me now. On the post, it looked like a small raptor to me, then it bobbed down onto the ground and had an upright posture which made it look more like a thrush - eventually, it flew aggressively at the Buzzard before shooting off)

Dave noticed a Great Spotted Woodpecker as we walked down the side of SSSI. We stopped for various common warblers and buntings until finally hearing a Cuckoo, which had landed behind us on a dead tree.

Unfortunately, the Cuckoo was swiftly mobbed off by two small birds (Dave said Yellowhammers). He flew past us and disappeared into trees behind the scrapes, continuing to call. We eventually picked him up again, flying away from the SSSI, across the scrapes.

A very pleasant morning on the mosses - just as I arrived I bumped into Mr Thacker who gave me the guided tour, although the birding was a bit slow, spot on Dave, ta

Of note several Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Willow Warbler, 2 Buzzards, a male Whinchat, and a calling male Cuckoo in the tall tree next to the SSSI notice board, at last - didn't think I was going to find one this year !!!

Male Cuckoo in dead tree by sssi notice board 11.30

cheers Colin

Well I made it to astley moss/ rindle road decided to cycle which wasn't too bad. Quiet start around rindle road until I went down a path that led to a sign saying astley moss sssi. Well this was where all the birds had been hiding. Walking along the track a male cuckoo flew from one of the dead trees and continued to flit from one to another pursued by yellowhammers. I managed a couple of silhouette record shots of it before it flew to opposite side of the moss and began calling from the tree above the white sign. It remained for about twenty minutes until a jay decided to move it along to the next tree obscured view though due to foliage. Whilst panning with bins to relocate a hobby wizzed through my view couldn't lock on it for any snaps but seemed in pursuit of something as it danced around and sped off.
Lots of yellowhammers, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and one buzzard on a fence post on my way back to the bike. Cracking morning plenty of the usual species around too in that area. But best views of a cuckoo I've had, shame no hobby photo but can't have everything!!

kevin kelly wrote:

---

Hello a quick question looking at going to the mosses tommorow morning, I travel by public transport from Salford area, any advice? Thanks

---

pm sent

Hello a quick question looking at going to the mosses tommorow morning, I travel by public transport from Salford area, any advice? Thanks

This afternoon with John Tymon, female Cuckoo and 2 Ravens ( GM tick for me !)

Rindle Road, SSSI and surrounding hedgerows 12-1pm

4 Treecreeper
Willow Tit
5 Yellowhammer
Kestrel
2 Buzzard
6 Willow Warbler
Many Swallow and Swift

No Cuckoo or Hobby

Mike Unsworth

8.30 - 9.30 with Holly Page

Not much around, handful of Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrows.

F69
1 Mistle Thrush, 8 Swallows, 1 Wheatear, 1 Meadow Pipit

Rindle Wood
3 Mistle Thrush

SSI

Plenty of Willow Warblers and 1 Treecreeper

12-00 till 14-30

6xWhitethroats
12xYellowhammers
3xTree Sparrows
2xWillow Warblers
Kestrel
Swallows

No Hobby or Cuckoo for us (maybe next time)

Nice to meet Jason & thanks for showing us the correct route

Astley moss
Very quiet around the moss this afternoon and evening and pretty cold as well

Birds seen;
Willow tit
7 Yellowhammers
4 Blackcaps all together having a major row
2 Whitethroat
Sparrowhawk
2 Kestrels
4 Buzzards
Plenty of Swallows, only 1 House martin and 7 Swifts seen.

I saw a Wheatear flying over the SSSI heading West and I think that I saw the same bird again in the horse paddock between Bedford moss and Moss lane later.

Great to meet Sid Ashton again and the other ten Birders around the moss

On my way home from the Wirral this afternoon, well sort of on my way I spent a very wet hour looking for Cuckoos and saw precisely nowt until that is I met one Dave Thacker - nice to see you again Dave after so long

Irlam Moss & Croxten 9.30-10.30am:

1 Oystercatcher
3 Whitethroat (my first of year)
2 Buzzard
1 Moorhen
3 Mallard
plenty of Willow Warblers singing

Olive Mount area:
1 Curlew
40+ Swift

Astley Moss and SSSI 10.45am-11.45am:

Rather quiet:
1 Raven low over railway heading east being mobbed by 2 crows and 1 Jackdaw was the highlight
Feeding station had:
1 Willow Tit
8 Tree Sparrow,
4 Yellowhammer,
3 Greenfinch

1 Moorhen- SSSI

No Cuckoo heard or seen
No Hobby











-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Friday 4th of May 2012 09:07:02 PM

12.30 ish-14.30
4xyellowhammer
2xchaffinch
6xtreecreepers
2xreedbunting
2xwillow warbler
2xrobin
usual corvids
female pheasant flushed (heart attack job)
kestrel on Nook lane on way home.
Nice to meet Bill Glover and his Mrs. Good luck with the cuckoo
Cheers jay

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 4th of May 2012 03:55:20 PM

You wait all spring for a cuckoo then 2 turn up with a pair of peregrines and a hobby at the same time. Where to look ? My first visit to Astley Moss ! Good to meet you Keith, John & John.

Male Whinchat on Astley Moss early afternoon, feeding vigorously on St. Mark's flies.

quick look along moss lane this evening
4 wheatear in first ploughed field on south of road and also single yellow wagtail here too. at least 6 buzzard up in air in different directions.

Great day! Bumped into John yesterday at Elton, Keith I had met before today. They arrived when I arrived, we were later joined by John Spurgeon who brought the luck as the Cuckoo appeared then.

I had came from the East Lancs Road and had picked up Common Whitethroat, a Jay, 4 Swifts and a singing Coal Tit en route.

I had two Treesparrows to add to the list, plus we saw a lone Oystercatcher in F69 at close of play - no Whimbrel which would have been a lifer.

Cuckoo, Hobby and Peregrine(s) certainly were lifers for me. We had no food all day, we just ran on adrenaline!



-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 3rd of May 2012 07:46:34 PM

This afternoon,a long shift...12.45 to 5.30
With John Parkinson and joined by John Doherty and a new county tick John Spurgeon. The group got on well!

The afternoon started slowly:
Swifts overhead eventually totaling c40
Swallows...7
Yellowhammers....7
Buzzard....Numerous siting and a pair displaying. Probably 4 plus birds
Kestrel ...4
Usual Willow Warblers and Blackcaps singing
At 3.05pm a Hobby appeared for a short time over the SSSI.
It also returned later, confusingly for a time, with a pair of displaying
Peregrines.
At around 3.40pm a male Cuckoo flew down the SSSI, beside the path
and perched in the end dead Silver Birch, called a few times before entering and calling from Rindle Wood.
Later a second Male Cuckoo was seen in a 'live' Silver Birch Directly across the SSSI from our position on the path,We watched, as for some time it was attacked, as it sat, by several Meadow Pipits.
The first Cuckoo eventually flew back in front of us and , as we finally departed, the one across the SSSI was back in the same tree.
Plenty Reed Buntings seen but no sign of the Wimbrel.

-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 3rd of May 2012 07:08:26 PM

2nd May 10.30am-2pm

Rindle Road, Rindle Wood and SSSI only

Whimbrel 1 - field 69
Hobby 1 - over SSSI
Marsh Harrier 1 - female over SSSI at 11.30am
Wheatear 2 - field 69
Treecreeper 1 - Rindle Wood
Raven 2
Tree Sparrow 5
Yellowhammer 10+

Plus usual suspects

1600-1800 hrs
Rindle road, feeding station.
Cracking male Redstart feeding on the track with ~13 Yellowhammers.
Plenty of Swallows, Sand Martins, & at last Swifts over the SSSI.
Cuckoo heard not seen.

Cheers Ian

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012 08:09:04 PM

Early afternoon
Whimbrel field 69
Cuckoo(top end of the scrapes) first for me.
lapwing
raven
2xyellowhammer
4xtree sparrow
4xwillow warbler
2xpheasant
2xlt tits
2xchaffinch
2xmallard
1xcanada geese on scrapes
6xswallows
2xmistle thrush
Lots of friendly Birders about.
Cheers Jay

Glad to see you caught up with the Cuckoo Jason. It's been a bit of a bogey bird
for me over the years, heard but never seen. So first sighting for me also.

Tony

-- Edited by Tony Darby on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 07:15:25 PM

Late evening, Monday, up to 8.0pm:
Very pleasant weather and evening sky,but no sign of Cranes,Cuckoo or Hobby.

Buzzard...1
Grey Heron...1
Sparrowhawk....1
Song Thrush ...singing continuously.
Swallow...5
Swift...2
Meadow Pipits...6
Great Tit....4
Pheasant....2 pairs with a pair of Brown Hares.
Teal....1 Drake.
Willow Warbler....2
Whimbrel...showing well in f69.

One other birder and a moth man.





-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 07:20:31 AM

Arrived a little later than planned at Rindle Road this morning and the Manx birder and I bumped into Pat and Seamus Griffin who told us about seeing the Cranes and the Cuckoo - but despite a good look around we could find neither species. However we had good views of the Whimbrel, a pair of Wheatears and several Yellowhammers from Rindle Road and from the SSSI notice board area several Willow Warblers and a Hobby just before we left at 15.00.

No sign at the private site on Chat Moss at 7:30-ish.

Info thanks to Judith Smith

Neil
I'm daft enough to do your route a couple of times each month driving from Rindle road, over the rail crossing, turning right at the T junction then left on to Astley road all the way to Irlam.

Don't let anyone tell you that there is not a right of way or it is a private road as it is not but some of the locals like to tell you different. The road is potholed from the T junction to halfway down Astley road. Apart from two burst tyres and a broken Shock in 12 years I've had no problems at all

Most of the tracks leading off Astley road are private, but you can do a lot of birding from the main road or along 12 Yards road between Chat and Irlam moss.

Have a look on Google maps and give it a go

Not a sighting but a question - can you (if you're mad enough) drive your car over the level crossing at Astley coming from Rindle Road, negotiate the potholes and continue via Astley Road to Irlam? Is the connection a public road and could anyone refuse to let you down the connecting tracks?

Since Pat's sighting, the private site on Chat Moss has been checked and they are indeed back, so may well wander around once again

Mon 30th April - 10am-1pm

Rindle Road, Rindle Wood and SSSI only

The Cranes are back - or perhaps they never left in the first place!

At 10.30am, while walking through Rindle Wood towards the SSSI, we heard Cranes in the distance. We got to a vantage point to look over the SSSI and within a minute 2 Common Cranes flew from the left over the SSSI, circled around and flew back in the direction they came from. They were losing height all the time and probably came down somewhere towards the railway line.

Also seen:

Whimbrel 1
Hobby 1 - over SSSI
Cuckoo 1 male - heard calling, then seen in bare tree in SSSI but distant
Wheatear 2
Whinchat 1 - on barbed wire fence on Rindle Road near fishing pond
Common Whitethroat 1 - down track opposite fishing pond
Tree Sparrow 6
Yellowhammer 10+
plus the usual suspects

Fine and breesy, 2pm till 4pm. Chat and Barton mosses.

Met Ian Moffett for the first time today and he pointed out to me 2 wheatear (northern) and 2 yellow wagtails he had found earlier at the back of f8. Thank you Ian. In the same area we saw skylark, lapwing and kestrel.It was a very good half hour with Ian comparing notes.

Prior to meeting Ian I saw buzzard, Kestrel, Yellowhammer(2), L T Tits, Blue and Great tits, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Wren, Robin, Blackbird and Lapwing. Generally Crows, Magpies and Feral pigeons seemed well down in nos. There is a lot of rape being grown this year and this could effect various species.

After leaving Ian I had a bit of luck, near Moss Farm fishery a Willow Warbler dropped down from the hedgerow into a small tree by the drainage ditch giving good views for a short time. Other birds of note:-mistle thrush(2)Mallard(2) and a Chiffchaff-heard only.

Mike

Aha, more likely Whixall than Aberdeen!

pm Sat-good mooch wi paul browne
very quiet
no cuckoos
no hobby
no Cranes (didn't expect them anyway)
Common Buzzard-4
Whimbrel-1
a few willow warblers
a few linnets
yellowhammer-6
tree sparrow-10
plenty lesser backed gulls and a few herring gulls going east
not a lot else

2 Common Cranes turned up at Whixall Moss Shropshire (about 40 miles south just inside Shrops near Whitchurch) yesterday
I covered the Moss on foot and by bike c.12.30-3.30 Sat 28 v little
f69 Whimbrel and possible Hobby along railway line
Grey Partridge 2 n of Moss Lane

-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Sunday 29th of April 2012 12:46:21 PM

-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Sunday 29th of April 2012 12:48:22 PM

Dennis atherton wrote:

---

Sorry Nick, but I have to confess that I witnessed that incident, and had the same thought!

---

I got the picture, Ian is putting it in the manchester birders gallery later, just kidding, i was too slow and missed it, would of made a good pic though, ps All part of the fun Nick, i survived Astley today though i got covered in mud as i usually do at elton this week,

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Saturday 28th of April 2012 09:21:57 PM

---

Your sympathy overwhelmes me chaps. All I can say is I hope you'd cut me in on the £250 you'd get for putting it on You've Been Framed.

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

Early morning mooch through Rindle Wood and SSSI.

2 Cuckoo - both males.
1 Whimbrel - f69
2 Oystercatcher
5 Greylag - Bedford Moss
2 Tufted Duck (m,f)
2 Teal (m,f)
1 Swallow - through north.
1 Sparrowhawk - female.
Plus a possible Hobby. I watched it hurtle across the line of the trees by the railway line but the light wasn't great. Certainly had the jizz of a Hobby though.

As I made my way back to Rindle road it became apparent it was going to be a busy morning down there. No less than 12 cars parked up and several birders already mooching around. Bumped into a few of them too. Nice to meet Richard Norris, Jon Bowen and moors moocher Andy Makin who was enjoying a lowland mooch for a change.

Sadly, no sign of any Cranes while I was down there.

Also managed to fall over in a puddle whilst trying to duck under the gate to Rindle Track. Got covered in mud - what a plonker!!

---

Sorry Nick, but I have to confess that I witnessed that incident, and had the same thought!

this morning

No sign of Cranes for me neither, i also put some seed on the track this morning but i did not have much with me unfortunatley, around rindle wood area was

lots of willow warblers, a few chiffchaff, reed buntings, yellowhammers, tree sparrows in rindle hedge, 1 greenfinch, i dont see many of these nowadays, 1 Hobby 10.30 over sssi, First for the year for me, 1 distant cuckoo over the far sssi towards the bedford moss area, no calling cuckoos though all morning, lots of sightings of buzzards, 2 kestrels, 3 oystercatchers flying round calling

2 Crane new in near Aberdeen this morning....

No sign of the Cranes on Chat Moss today so far, including on the private land they have previously been roosting on.

Sorry Nick, but I have to confess that I witnessed that incident, and had the same thought!

---

I got the picture, Ian is putting it in the manchester birders gallery later, just kidding, i was too slow and missed it, would of made a good pic though, ps All part of the fun Nick, i survived Astley today though i got covered in mud as i usually do at elton this week,

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Saturday 28th of April 2012 09:21:57 PM

7.00-9.30 this a.m. decided to walk around Little Woolden Moss looking for the Cranes, 8 Buzzards in the air together , with a Whimbrel on the Moss and 2 Grey Partridge at the back of the Moss, no sign of any Cranes.
Cheers Ian