260523 1335-1445

Barton Moss

1 Oystercatcher

3 Yellow Wagtail (Males)

13 Swallow

12 House Martin

7 Linnet

1 Buzzard 

16 Swift

19 Skylark...11 in Song....possibly singing a Lament to this Greenbelt Landscape that GMSF deems to be 'Warehouse Land'....it beggars belief sometimes the de-natured mindset of those in power...and those with monetary Power....(perhaps these latter people need to refer to the fate of King Midas)...

4 Lapwing in alarm (hidden young)

1 Blackcap in song 

4 Stock Dove

1 Sparrowhawk.

250523 PM....for a change!

Chat Moss

Quail Calling

1 Curlew display where it doesn't stand a chance of breeding success due to disturbance...

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

2 Redshank in alarm

3 Oystercatcher

1 Lapwing in display in spite of the sun having set

2 Buzzard

7 Willow Warbler in song

2 Swallow.

250523 0825-1300 

Barton Moss...several fields recently and being planted with Potato

34 Lapwing

1 Mediterranean Gull

2 Yellowhammer

7 Swallow

6 House Martin

1 Curlew

1 Oystercatcher

2 Yellow Wagtail

23 House Sparrow

26 Stock Dove

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR East

1 Hobby

2 Redshank

9 Willow Warbler in song

1 Curlew

0815-1245 Including a Carbon Landscape Breeding Bird Survey

Little Woolden Moss

3 Yellow Wagtail

7 Skylark 

3 Grey Wagtail...1 Adult 2 Young

2 Gadwall

5 Tree Sparrow

1 Curlew

1 Grey Partridge

10 Swallow

2 Oystercatcher

27 House Sparrow

7 Lapwing...including one sat on nest

2 Swift

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

1 Marsh Harrier

1 Hobby...perched for a while trying to remain so in spite of the wind!

11 Willow Warbler in song

1 Sedge Warbler in song

2 Shelduck...Pair

2 Yellow Wagtail

3 Redshank

5 Swift

In truth another Rachel Carson 'Silent Spring' sort of day out on large swathes of the Farmland...this heart of mine could break at times....

0800-1300...Including a Carbon Landscape Dragonfly Survey

Chat Moss

19 Willow Warbler in song

1 Curlew in display

2 Sedge Warbler in song

1 Reed Warbler in song

2 Teal...Male

3 Oystercatcher

2 Yellow Wagtail

2 Yellowhammer

12 Lapwing

2 Hobby

Astley Moss Brief Visit

4 Oystercatcher...1 on a nest

Irlam Moss

5 Swallow.

0815-1240 Including a BBS for the Carbon Landscape

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

21 Willow Warbler in song

2 Reed Bunting in song

1 Yellow Wagtail

23 Meadow Pipit

12 Linnet

1 Snipe

2 Redshank in alarm...most of the time chasing off determined Carrion Crows

1 Curlew

2 Swift

1 Swallow

Little Woolden Moss

33 Lapwing

3 Lapwing Young

7 Yellow Wagtail including one Channel Wagtail

2 Oystercatcher

9 Skylark

0820-1330---210523.

Irlam Moss

3 Yellow Wagtail

2 Oystercatcher

18 Lapwing plus 3 small young

11 Swallow

3 House Martin

Chat Moss

3 Yellow Wagtail

2 Grey Partridge

8 Swallow

2 Oystercatcher

2 Yellowhammer

13 Skylark

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

1 Hobby

2 Redshank

14 Lapwing

1 Black-Headed Gull on nest

2 Stock Dove

1 Oystercatcher

1 Yellow Wagtail

1 Curlew

4 House Martin.

0845-1300...sightings during a pre-walk for an organised walk in June

Irlam Moss

90 Starling

9 Swallow

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

3 Buzzard

1 Shoveler...Male

2 Redshank

3 Tufted Duck

1 Curlew

12 Willow Warbler in song

2 Hobby 

1 Sedge Warbler

6 House Martin

2 Swallow

The Glaze

4 Gadwall

Little Woolden Moss (FN56/57/64)

20 House Sparrow

4 Skylark

11 Lapwing...2 Sat...one of the farmers today remarking that during some work on one of his fields he had just moved one nest to save it from his work...also remarking that when spraying he had (as he does) switched off the spray when passing over nests as one year (he had previously told me) that when he left it on over an Oystercatchers nest the eggs subsequently failed to hatch....and this is why this farmed area has held onto such birds because such as he here cares...

The only worrying thing for me was (and I know I wasn't giving the area my full attention on this visit)is that there seemed to be no Yellow Wagtail...I will be checking next week...

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

5 Hobby... 2 adult & 3 1st Summer hawking Dragonflies...

4 initially seen by Ian Jenkinson, when Ian left a 5th Hobby appeared, and together with a Kestrel all up at the same time (12-30hrs)

0745-0915

Little Woolden Moss LWMNR 

3 Tufted Duck

2 Sand Martin

3 Sedge Warbler in song

1 Curlew

1 Redshank

9 Swallow

1 Oystercatcher

4 Grey Heron.

Chat Moss 12:50 - 13:40. Plenty of swallows and house martins about. Curlew and two oystercatchers on turf fields, pair of grey partridges on field by house with pond, moorhen with chicks on pond. Little Woolden Moss 13:40 - 15:30. Highlights: two pairs redshanks, one with four young; four pairs oystercatchers; hobby at far side away from paths; two yellow wagtails; a unseasonal female merlin low over the barley fields by Little Woolden Hall.

0750-1300

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

13 Reed Bunting

22 Meadow Pipit

6 Oystercatcher

2 Redshank

3 Yellow Wagtail

2 Sedge Warbler in song

23 Willow Warbler in song

1 Wood Sandpiper

2 Shelduck

2 Swift

4 Hobby...these watched with Ian Jenkinson

Later (1415) whilst on Holcroft Lane noted over western edge of reserve

1 Marsh Harrier (male/immature)

Late afternoon/early evening on Little Woolden Moss saw the following main highlights:

1 Greenshank

1 adult Hobby

3 Yellow Wagtails

2 Shoveler

80 Swifts

1 Common Tern

1 Raven distantly to the north, heading west over the Bedford Moss area

0805-1215

Barton Moss including a BBS for the Carbon Landscape...most of this Greenbelt destined for Warehouses...oh what Joy...NOT! (See GMSF JPA 29)

3 Blackcap in song

1 Sedge Warbler in song

29 Skylark in song

13 Swallow

8 Whitethroat in Song 

2 Reed Bunting

1 Yellowhammer in song

7 Yellow Wagtail

2 Oystercatcher

1 Quail...a real surprise as I actually flushed this bird ....normally my records for these are call only

4 House Martin

4 Chiffchaff in song

3 Willow Warbler in song

and to finish a pause to watch the continuing destruction of 'Foxhill Glen' SBI...an area the GMSF stated that in compensation it would enhance and protect....I told the Government Inspector about this at the hearing a month or so ago...his reply being something like (a lot was discussed on that long wearisome day) there is nothing I can do about that ...in truth that is correct I suppose....

0800-1330

Irlam Moss

6 Lapwing + 4 small young

7 Swallow

1 Oystercatcher

Astley Moss including a BBS

24 Stock Dove

1 Snipe

25 Willow Warbler in song

2 Teal...Male

11 Meadow Pipit

4 Swift

5 Reed Bunting in song

1 Pheasant sat tight on her nest

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR East to finish

9 Lapwing

2 Redshank chasing Carrion Crows and even a lone Moorhen

3 Swift

3 Yellow Wagtail

1 Curlew in Display

2 Swallow

0920-1325

Irlam Moss

4 Oystercatcher

9 Skylark

3 Whitethroat in Song

1 Sedge Warbler in song

6 Lapwing + 1 small Young

Chat Moss

1 Yellowhammer

6 Yellow Wagtail

14 Skylark

3 Swallow

Little Woolden Moss

14 Lapwing

1 Yellow Wagtail

1 Oystercatcher

6 Swallow

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR With Ian Jenkinson and John?

5 Swallow

11 Swift

3 Redshank

2 Curlew

11 Willow Warbler in song

2 House Martin

3 Yellow Wagtail

0930-1330

Chat Moss

24 Willow Warbler in song

2 Sedge Warbler in song

1 Reed Warbler in song

2 Tufted Duck...Pair

2 Teal...Male

1 Hobby

...of note I sat for an hour watching and listening at an area where the habitat has remained fairly consistent and what was (again) notable was the LACK of birds for where I would expect from my records a dozen or so Meadow Pipit and 8/10 Reed Bunting here on their breeding ground there were but 4 Meadow Pipit and 1 Reed Bunting....sometimes I wish my records were anecdotal for I could possibly pretend that things aren't that bad but records sadly do not lie...

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR - Sun early to mid afternoon...

• Hobbies x2 twice - once at about 2:15, and again a couple of hours later - hawking somewhere between the E & W pools
• Kestrels - 3
• Buzzards 3
• Marsh Harrier - not seen by me but according to others a female had just flown east
• Oystercatchers - several
• Lapwings - several including some young chicks
• Curlew - 1 seen, others heard
• Sedge Warbler - 2 heard of which 1 seen very nicely thank you in a bush about 30' from the car parking area at the W end
• Willow Warblers - several heard of which 1 seen clearly
• Yellow Wagtail - 1, male singing happily from the tops of bushes so that he could be well seen
• Swallows - several especially around the farm buildings between the W side & the River Glaze
• Gadwall - 1 pair W pools
• Grey Partridge - 2

0730-1300

Chat Moss

20 Willow Warbler in song

2 Willow Warbler in 'nest alarm'

2 Bullfinch

2 Yellow Wagtail

3 Greenshank

2 Reed Warbler in song

2 Sedge Warbler in song

3 Teal

1 Lesser Redpoll in flight display

2 Swallow

28 Stock Dove

Irlam Moss

8 Skylark

1 Swallow

1 Kestrel with prey

1 Yellowhammer in song

2 Grey Partridge

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR

1 Greenshank

12 Willow Warbler in song

2 Shoveler...Males

2 Hobby.

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR 0515-0815

8 Tufted Duck

6 Oystercatcher in a flight chase

5 Shelduck also in a flight chase

23 Willow Warbler in song

3 Redshank

3 Sedge Warbler in song

3 Curlew chasing off the 'male' Marsh Harrier

1 Shoveler...male

1 Ruff feeding quite well on the east pools 

The ruff was still present up to at least 3pm, also:

Greenshank 1 

Hobby 2

Yellow wagtail 5+

Highlights from late afternoon today, once the rain had stopped!

1 Greenshank

4 Redshank

2 Curlew

1 adult Hobby

2 male Shoveler (together)

3 singing Sedge Warbler

5 Yellow Wagtails, including a female with a beak rammed full of nesting material!

1 Common Tern low over east

Had a look on Little Woolden Moss in case the Black-Winged Stilt was still about (it wasn't).

Some nice birds about though - 2 x Yellow Wagtails, Greenshank, Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard, Sedge Warblers, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Grey Partridge.

Thanks to Steve Judge for telling me where to look for Yellow Wagtails

Little Woolden Moss LWTNR West Pools

Black Winged Stilt on the pools directly opposite The LWT Cabins late afternoon, a new species for me on the mosses.

Many thanks to Steven nelson

Mooch around LWMNR this afternoon...2pm - 6pm

Big thanks to Steven Nelson who informed me of a possible Black-winged Stilt as I was just about to drive away from 12 Yds Rd - a detour and a UK lifer for me

Other highlights

Greenshank
3+ Yellow Wagtails
Common Whitethroat and Willow Warbler pretty much everywhere
2 x male Shoveler
Male Gadwall
Stock Dove
Redshank

Black-winged Stilt still present on the western pools at 6:40pm at least, though the bird has flown off well west at one point but returned.

AM

Irlam Moss

2 Swallow

2 Oystercatcher

1 Yellow Wagtail

10 Lapwing some with young

2 Grey Partridge

1 Wheatear

1 Grasshopper Warbler...in song.

1 Goldcrest in song...these old ears can still hear their song!

Little Woolden Moss LWT NR with some of the time spent with David Palin and Ian Jenkinson

5 Swallow

16 Willow Warbler in song

4 Shelduck

2 Shoveler

2 Sedge Warbler in song

2 Redshank

2 Tufted Duck...Pair

3 Yellow Wagtail

1 Sparrowhawk...male chasing but missing a Meadow Pipit

3 Oystercatcher

3 Hobby hunting high over the reserve (picked up by Ian)

2 Swift

Cadishead Moss

2 Oystercatcher