Hi Tony. It was not a great tit and it sounded different to the last LE owl that I heard on the moss. I will be listening to some more bird recordings from the internet today to try and find out what it was.

I presume Willow Tit song has been ruled out? Possibly fits the given description?

http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/HZKCNRIPRH/WillowTit3April2009DwingelderveldHolland2.mp3

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Wednesday 29th of February 2012 07:27:32 AM

Dave,

Mysterious call, maybe Long Eared Owl, failing that a Great Tit, what do you reckon?

Cheers

Tony

18.45-20.15
I spent some time this evening listening for Owls around Astley moss. Two Tawny owls were heard while I was standing on Rindle road. Another bird was calling from near the rail track next to Bedford moss and one more was heard near the farm entrance at the end of the old tip road near the access to the A580.

Also heard were;
Lapwing
Robin
Redwing
Moorhen
Duck, probably a Mallard
Pheasant which erupted in front of me near the SSSI which nearly gave me a heart attack

I also heard a call that I am not so certain of its ID. It had a soft whistle sound 1-2 seconds long repeated 6-7 times with between a 10 and 40 second gap before it started again. It sounded like it was coming from the row of trees at the far side of the 2nd Potato field. I've not got a clue.

Really nice to hear birds in song again, particularly a Skylark over field 67 at Rindle, Yellowhammer on field 69 at Rindle and Lapwings in full display off Moss Lane. Magic!

Other sightings from the Rindle/Astley Moss SSSI area:

11 Teal
7 Skylark in one flock in field 67
6 Yellowhammer and 9 Tree Sparrow at the feeding station.
On the way back to the road past the feeding station a Sparrowhawk flew out!

Off Moss Lane:

60 Chaffinch
4 Yellowhammer
140 Crow
750 Jackdaws (all disturbed at one point and flew into tree around Allwood Farm where they allowed fairly accurate counting).

Other records from the rest of Astley Moss, 2Siskin,Sparrowhawk and300 Black-headed Gulls following a plough off Moss Lane

Your right nick, it's a shame though that the old beds are out of bounds, one of the last places we used to get Water Pipits but not used now and overgrown. In the old days they were good wader habitat too

Cheers Nick, I was racking my brains over that one and us newbies don't know about the 'good old places'

Martyn Jones wrote:

---

TSTW ?

---

Could be Tyldesley Sewerage Treatment Works.

TSTW ?

90 Redwing,44 Fieldfare,72 Pied and 1 Grey Wagtail around the old TSTW today.

11.30-12.30pm Barton Moss f8,9&10 and surrounding area.

Pleasantly warm and spring-like but fairly quiet not helped by a bloke with his shotgun in a hide and lures at the far end of f10 trying to blast Woodpigeons to bits!

Only things of note were:
Flock of c.31 Lapwing plus pair doing display flight over- f8
14 Fieldfare
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
3 Yellowhammer
2 singing Skylark
No Tree Sparrows
A few singing Chaffinch and Great Tits

-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Sunday 26th of February 2012 09:15:20 PM

12.45-15.15
A bit quiet this afternoon.
The usual around the feeders, the birds don't seem to mind the hedge trimming.
Willow tit, Coal tit with 11 Great and 8 Blue.
7 Yellowhammers
12 Tree sparrows

Field 69
70 Chaffinch
6 Yellowhammers
3 Mistle thrush
5 Stock dove
2 Jays

Around the moss
3 GS Woodpeckers including a male bird checking out a nest site
Treecreeper
2 Goldcrest
Willow tit
6 LT tits
2 Linnets
Song thrush
2 Snipe
2 Teal
2 Mallard
Kestrel
9 Buzzards seen including 3 soaring together with a Sparrowhawk and 2 displaying over the SSSI.

Nice to meet up with Tony Mossman and friend and the other birders out today.

I would say for the birds sake the farmer picked an ideal week to cut them,mild,natural food appearing with a few insects about,and well in time before the thrushes etc start to breed-The hedges grow pretty quick after cutting,and well done the farmer for removing and replacing the feeders.

I agree the hedges look a mess Im sure there is a better way, however I was away at weekend in Dorset, when I returned the hedges had been cut and someone had removed the feeders prior to cutting the hedges and all are intact and back up. I presumed it was the farmer who removed them to a save place. Eddie King

Well don't want to defend or slag anybody off . I was there around about 1130 and saw the decimation was not hapy but the feeders were back in place. Was that the farmer or some body else?l

Originally posted by Mike Haylett today:

i know that the farmer has a right to cut back the trees but the feeding station has been decimated. it dosnt look like the feeders where put to one side, i couldnt see any anywhere. me and my grandson thomas took a bag of mixed seed and laid it down the path. just a shame to see it like that

The hedges and trees are cut back every year just as the drainage ditches are cleaned out yearly. Its much needed routine maintenance normally done by the farmer or Land owner. Its better to get this done now before the breeding season and as everything seems to grow so quick on the mosses you won't noticed the damage in a couple of weeks.

-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Wednesday 22nd of February 2012 08:21:01 PM

12.30-15.30

Small numbers of the usual around the feeders including;
12 Tree sparrows
5 Yellowhammers
5 Reed buntings
Coal and Willow tit

Field 69
c340 Corvids mainly Jackdaws with some Crows
43 Stock doves
29 Pied wagtails
3 Skylarks
c220 Chaffinch flying in and out of the hedges
3 Mistle Thrushes including one collecting nesting material
8 Reed buntings
5 Pheasant

Potato fields
Lapwing
22 Crows
Sparrowhawk
Grey partridge
3 Herons over

Around the moss
Two very brief views of a Merlin flying over the SSSI
Tawny owl
2 Snipe
4 Teal
2 Treecreepers
3 Buzzards
2 Goldcrests
4 Lesser Redpoll
2 Bullfinch
1 GS Woodpecker
c130 Jackdaws in the horse paddock at the end of the SSSI
21 LT tits
13 Yellowhammers
Kestrel
Lots of Pheasant

11 pink feet west. 15 lesser redpoll.170 chaffinch. 400 lapwing on astley moss this afternoon

10.15-11.15am - dreary and damp!

Fields 9 & 10 and adj area:

c.1000 Woodpigeon feeding in f9 when I arrived
4 Grey Partridge
26 Lapwing over
c.20 Tree Sparrow
1 Skylark - singing
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
3 Yellowhammer
c.10 male Pheasants - have some been released?

There was a flock of Chaffinches near the feeding station on Rindle Road today which numbered 200+, sometimes feeding on the ground and bathing in the water. Like Ian's observation earlier in the week there appeared to be nothing other than Chaffinches in the flock. Impressive all the same

Also large numbers of Stock Dove in the area generally, seeming to outnumber Woodpigeon today!

At least two Yellowhammers near the feeders with 10+ Tree Sparrows

Originally posted by Ian Moffat today:

Field 8 alongside the railway embankment, bitterly cold late afternoon.
Pair of Golden Plovers amongst a small flock of 22 Lapwings.
24 Tree Sparrows between fields 9/10 ,down on last winters flock of 40+

Cheers Ian

Yesterday, early afternoon (5th):

14 Yellowhammer and 34 Tree Sparrow around Ri dle Hedge and the feding station.
10 Skylark in the fields behind Rindle Wood.

Today:

1100 Jackdaw in stubble fields along Nook Lane, quite a sight and noise! Plenty of Rook mixed in too (along with Crows).

26 Lapwing in field 67.

180 Chaffinch in field 69, no Bramblings though.

Hung around Rindle Hedge for half an hour searching for the Chifchaff and just when I thought it must have succumbed to the cold weather, out it popped right in front of me. Marvellous

At least 200+ Jackdaws were in and over the fields on Moss Lane at around 3pm.
A female Sparrowhawk was also flying low over a field here and there were quite a few Wood Pigeons around. A Mistle Thrush was in the field next to Cobs and Plods.
Another large group (100+) of mixed Corvids (mainly Jackdaw) was at the corner of Rindle Road and Nook lane, before they flew into the trees behind.
A Kestrel was sitting on the telephone wire outside Moss Bank Farm.
At the Rindle Road feeding station there were less birds than usual, but still some Tree Sparrows, some Chaffinches, 2 Robins, a Coal Tit and 2 Blue Tits. No Willow Tits though.
A group of 20-ish Linnets flew over Rindle Hedge and into the ploughed field.
A Jay flew over the field next to the ploughed field in which there were also 3 Pheasants.
Finally a Treecreeper was showing well in the trees around the entrance to Rindle Wood.

-- Edited by Martyn Jones on Friday 3rd of February 2012 08:26:17 PM

Brief look at the feeding station this afternoon produced:
Merlin 1 male flew onto fence posts across Field 69.
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 male on feeders.
Sparrowhawk 1 female flew towards railway low across field 69.
Yellowhammer near feeders with good numbers of Blue and Great Tits on the feeders.

Louise Aspden wrote:

---

I had a wander around here this afternoon, I took food and topped up the feeders, plenty of tits and quite a number of Tree Sparrows seen there.
I walked around a fair bit of the area shown on the map on the main site. Apart from a good view of a Kestrel stting in a tree I didnt see anything else, I heard plenty but either could see what it was or I was having to look towards the sun, so could make out what it was. Oh well, another site to try again.

---

The SSSI area can be like that unfortunately. A bit devoid of bird life in the winter months.

The best time to visit it is from about April onwards. You can get Cuckoo and Hobby down there as well as Whimbrel in the surrounding fields. Loads of other good birds too. Just look back at the sightings from last year for a taster.

I had a wander around here this afternoon, I took food and topped up the feeders, plenty of tits and quite a number of Tree Sparrows seen there.
I walked around a fair bit of the area shown on the map on the main site. Apart from a good view of a Kestrel stting in a tree I didnt see anything else, I heard plenty but either could see what it was or I was having to look towards the sun, so could make out what it was. Oh well, another site to try again.

11.30am-1.15pm. Barton Moss and Croxten

F10 - nice mixed flock difficult to count accurately in amongst the stubble but roughly containing:
c.50 Fieldfare
2 Redwing + 9 over
c.50 Linnet
c.20 Tree Sparrow
c.40 Chaffinch
and a few Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Starling

Also 3 Grey Partridge - very vocal
1 Kestrel
2 Buzzard
Quite a few Great Tits - very active in hedgerows
Lots of Woodpigeon around but very skittish because of shooting nearby
Plus usuals

Croxten - only 2 Snipe but mostly frozen

Also 1 Hare

Yesterday afternoon next to Moss Bank Farm:

Kestrel
Single Raven over
1 Grey Partridge
c.200 redwing and a few starling feeding in the field opposite

Hi Paul, I had an excellent day and it was a good choice finishing at the Moss! I followed your instructions and got off a few stops early, but from there I had a mental map of where to go and luckily found it easily. The Yellowhammer, though distant, looked smashing in the late burst of sunshine and the Kestrel was a beauty too when the sun hit him. It's definitely a place I shall be birding regularly and properly next time!

Fantastic, John - you had a pretty good day all round! The Moss is certainly an interesting area.

Didn't look for the Chiffchaff as I didn't see this news - certainly didn't hear it singing at 3pm today -

My first visit to Astley Moss.

I was chuffed with 20-30 Treesparrow in the hedges just south of the feeders - the feeding area itself yielded at least 1 Reed Bunting and the usual Blue and Great Tit - I didn't pause long as I wanted to get a good go around the moss before the light failed.

50 Lapwing went over flying as if off towards Irlam way.

I had a Kestrel on the Private access road off the roundabout on Higher Green (or is it Lower??! Near Viridor anyway)
I had a second Kestrel in a field off Nook Lane, and c25 Yellowhammers, some which sat on the same Pylon when the Kestrel was perched... they eventually scattered but it was around when I left (the Kestrel)
A few Buzzards were knocking about (but only heard)
7 or so Collared Dove were further on down near Astley Green as I headed home.

A great start to the site for me :)

-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 25th of January 2012 05:51:08 PM

Chiffchaff still present in Rindle Hedge today (runs off from the western end of the feeding station track), around the area of the horse manure and showing well.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 25th of January 2012 04:33:11 PM

2-5.15pm.
spent the few hours along rindle rd,feeding track & wood.
the start off rindle rd/nook lane...
1 peregrine falcon over at 2.20pm soon dissapeared,then seconds later could see distant lapwings in the air in the astley direction, now i wonder what spooked them
2 buzzards (1 in field 69)
2 kestrels
1 sparrowhawk
put some seed in the empty feeders and a couple off fat balls in the bushes,the birds were watching /waiting as soon as i stepped back robins, blue tits, great tits straight onto them. walked back and observed...
30+ tree sparrows
6 yellowhammers
2 willow tits
chaffinches, dunnocks & 1 pheasant
1 great spotted woodpecker in rindle wood
100+ chaffinches, 50+ starlings & plenty off pied wagtails in field 69
2 jays along hedges + usual birds
on my way back at nook lane i had 3 grey partridges.
good afternoon/eve

60 Tree Sparrow yesterday at 1330 in the hedge by the feeding station.

Single Chiffchaff feeding mainly in the Rindle hedge end of the ditch between the first and second fields behind Rindle Wood today.

Can I please remind everyone NOT to park their cars at the top of the feeding station track and leave them unattended.

Whilst parking here and viewing the feeding station from you car is fine, access is required for farm machinery, some of which required a good swing to get down the track. Cars left unattended here can cause problems with local farmers who are in the main very helpful to birds and their habitats in the area and relationships built up between them and local birds strained because of it.

This pm . 12.45 to 14.45.... with John Parkinson,whom I bumped into here.
Feeding Track
Willow Tit ...1
Yellowhammers...6
Tree Sparrows....20
Chaffinch...30
Collared Dove...6
Reed Bunting...1
In the adjacent fields:
Pied Wagtail...15
Mistle thrush...10
Song Thrush...2
Pheasant...2
A Buzzard flew along Rindle Wood and 5 Kestrels were seen.
In the Horse field on Rindle Road c 40 Redwing were ground feeding.
On the other side of the road a single Grey Partridge with a few more Redwing and Lapwing.
Plenty Corvids around.
Nice to meet Alan Flavell also.


-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 17th of January 2012 04:51:54 PM

-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 17th of January 2012 05:24:56 PM

1.00-2.15pm
Good numbers of birds around the feeders this afternoon including;
3 female Bullfinch
2 Willow tits
40+ Tree sparrows
15 Yellowhammers and another flock of 26 flying over f69 towards the rail track.
2 Greenfinch
Lots of the usual

While topping up the feeders a Snipe flew out of the ditch behind.

Field 69
3 Snipe flushed from the field near the start of Rindle woods
150+ mixed flock of Stock doves and Woodpigeon
13 Fieldfare
70+ Chaffinch
Buzzard and 2 Kestrels over

Over 40 LT tits in Rindle hedges and 2 Jays in the woods
2 Grey partridge at the edge of the potato fields

Not much around the SSSI and the scrapes.

1.15-4.40pm

Croxdens peat works
4 Snipe
30+ Jackdaws
130+ Crows
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard

Field 68
100+ Jackdaws
5 Lesser Redpoll
5 Mistle thrush
11 Fieldfare
21 Redwing over
Kestrel

Feeding track [ seen over 3 visits this afternoon]
30+ Tree sparrows
3 Willow tits
2 Coal tits
4 Greenfinch
15 Goldfinch
8 Yellowhammers
Plenty of the usual tits and Chaffinch

Rindle woods
2 Treecreepers
GS Woodpecker
5 Tree sparrows
Song thrush

Rindle hedges
At least 25 LT tits in a mixed flock of Blue ,Great and 1 Willow tit and also a Treecreeper. 120+ Chaffinch, 20 Goldfinch and 3 Yellowhammers either in the hedge or feeding in f69.
Buzzard sat on a fence post in f69.

Around the SSSI [ seen from the path]
26 Teal
5 Mallard
Snipe
2 Lesser Redpoll
Mistle thrush
Wren
Kestrel
2 Pied wagtails

Plenty of stunning Pheasants strutting their stuff in the potato fields.

Midday to early afternoon today;

45 Redwing along Moss Lane and then a further 240 in Rindle Hedge, dropping into field 69 and Rindle Woods before later in the afternoon moving over to field 68. A very noisy flock with a constant chatter amongst them, sounding not unlike a flock of Starlings from a short distance away!

11 Skylark field 69

600 Wood Pigeon field 69

180 Chaffinch along Rindle Hedge and into field 69 (no Bramblings amongst them)

11 Tree Sparrow on the near empty feeders at the feeding station

2 Willow Tits along the feeding station track and wandering about the immediate vicinity

11.45am-1.00pm
Fields 9 & 10 and Croxten

8 Grey Partridge
c.20 Tree Sparrows
1 Willow Tit
8 Fieldfare
2 Redwing
1 Skylark
1 Snipe
1 Buzzard
8 Reed Bunting
1 Wren
Flock of c.25 Chaffinch
Plus good no.s of Blue and Great Tits, Blackbirds and the usuals.

Rindle Road area
11.00 till 14.00
Mass flock of Crows 200+(nook lane)
Kestrelsx2
Buzzard
Mixed flock of Redwing, Fieldfare (ploughed field)
yellowhammerx3 (Around feeders and nest boxes)
Long tail titsx10
Blue titsx5
Great titsx3
Coal tit
Great spotted woodpeckerx2
Wren
Chaffinchx2
Tree Sparrowsx8
Pied wagtailsx4 (next to ploughed fields)
Loads of Pheasants
Sparrowhawk over SSSI
Cheers Jay

Moss lane this afternoon produced single merlin hunting fields to the south between 13.20 and 14:00 spent several periods sat on two obvious mounds of turf in stubble south west of layby half way along lane. also 8 bullfinch 3m 5f in set aside area and trees at west end. good numbers of corvids(incl c.200 jackdaw), woodpigeon, and starling feeding in fields north of lane also held a few stock dove and small numbers of redwing and fieldfare.

4 willow tit in hedges around tyldesley sewage works with a small number of fieldfare in this area and 7+ tree sparrow.

Early afternoon today:

c2000 Woodpigeons in three flocks around Astley Moss area.
160 Chaffinch in field 69
260 Jackdaw in field 67

A bit quiet around Rindle road this morning,

Around the fields and feeders
Kestrel sat on its usual post
20+ Tree sparrows
2 Willow tits
17 LT tits
Coal tit
2 Greenfinch
Usual Collared Doves, Blue/Great tits and Chaffinch
No Yellowhammers seen at all this morning.

Approx 45 Chaffinch and 2 Reed buntings in Rindle hedges and 6 Mistle thrushes in the ploughed field behind the woods. A pair of Goldcrests and a Sparrowhawk in Rindle woods.

Field 68, Buzzard, 32 Crows and 2 Kestrels over. 3 Fieldfare and 2 Pied wagtails in the field. 8 Redwings sat with 30+ Starlings on the wires.

Nice to meet Tim Wilcox and Tony Darby this morning.

8.30-11.50am
No wonder the seed goes so quick as there were over 90 birds in and around the feeders this morning including;
3 Willow tits
2 Coal tits
5 Reed buntings
5 Yellowhammers
20+ Goldfinch
20+ Tree sparrows
2 Greenfinch
25+ Chaffinch
Moorhen
2 Collared doves
2 Pheasant
and plenty of Blue and Great tits.

2 Fieldfare and 2 Pied wagtails in the fields behind Rindle woods.
Around 50 Chaffinch[ no Bramblings today] in the hedges with a small LT tit flock of 12 Birds.

Croxdens peat works was very bleak, only 4 Snipe, 2 Mallard, 2 Wrens and a Meadow pipit.
Due to the shooting taking place around the mosses there were large numbers of Corvids and Woodpigeons in the air.

Also seen;
Sparrowhawk
3 Kestrels
Buzzard
Goldcrest in trees on the path to the peat works

Just to update all who visit Rindle feeding station, I put out half a bucket of seed every other day. Due to the number of birds feeding there the seed is consumed within a day. Thanks to all who take seed with them and fill the feeders. eddie King.

3.00-4.20pm Rindle road.

A quick visit to see if the Barn Owl would turn up but unfortunately it didn't
I did see 130 Lapwings flying over the tip
2 Buzzards
1000's of Woodpigeons heading to roost
5 Yellowhammers in the fields next to Nook lane

No seed in the feeders and as I started to fill them 2 Willow tits danced about in the bush only inches from my hands. As soon as I walked away they started to feed. Within minutes 5 Tree sparrows and 2 Chaffinch arrived.
A Kestrel was sat on a fence post eating a vole and a Sparrowhawk was scaring the finches in Rindle hedges.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas