9 Grey Partridge - all males in a group singing and fighting in what was presumably a lek of some sort. Never seen Partridges do that before.
Hi, I saw something similar a week or so ago around Martin Mere, a first for me too. It made sense for a game bird though I guess?
Steven Heywood said
Sat Feb 4 6:13 PM, 2023
Little Woolden Moss 1515 - 1645. Pair of goosanders in the Glaze with teal and mallards. Two female/immature marsh harriers gone to roost on a distant tree visible from the entrance to the reserve by the hall.
Chat Moss 1645 - 1740
1 willow tit in hedgerow on Twelve Yards Road
Steven Nelson said
Sat Feb 4 1:30 PM, 2023
Irlam and Chat Mosses - am
9 Corn Bunting - some singing. Phone pic attached. 9 Grey Partridge - all males in a group singing and fighting in what was presumably a lek of some sort. Never seen Partridges do that before. 2 Greylag Geese over c40 Teal 6 Shoveler - 3m, 3f 1 Cormorant over the fishery. 2 Stonechat 2 Sparrowhawk - 1m, 1f 3 Kestrel 1 Buzzard 1 Grey Heron c70 Linnet 7 Yellowhammer c.30 Fieldfare c.40 Redwing c70 Stock Dove c150 Jackdaw 14 Lapwing
The Short Eared Owl was showing well at 3.30pm today hunting over the west end of the moss. Otherwise the moss was virtually dead with only 4 Carrion Crows and a single Magpie!!!
Dave Steel said
Mon Jan 23 6:48 PM, 2023
210123
New Moss Wood
15 Blackbird
27 Goldfinch
4 Bullfinch
1 Nuthatch
53 Redwing
6 Siskin
12 Lesser Redpoll
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
1 Sparrowhawk...Female.
Dave Steel said
Mon Jan 23 6:45 PM, 2023
200123...Icy Conditions
Irlam Moss
8 Pheasant
5 Reed Bunting
3 Yellowhammer
56 Jackdaw
6 Linnet
2 Song Thrush
Peter Yendle said
Mon Jan 23 4:56 PM, 2023
Afternoon walk around the Little Woolden Moss reserve and the fields to the W and N.
Extremely quiet, but as I was about to leave a couple of groups of Pink-footed Goose flew over, and then a Short-Eared Owl appeared, hunting over the E end of the reserve. (See heavily cropped record shot attached.)
-- Edited by Peter Yendle on Monday 23rd of January 2023 05:18:08 PM
...and once more an impending sense of doom for the survival of our birdlife/wildlife away from reserves for believe you me it's getting harder by the day to find ANY birds out on the moss these days....AND PfE still demands that more and more land is to be swallowed up including Greenbelt...never mind the 'Brownfield' sites that held such numbers of birds...I will not despair....YET!
Dave Steel said
Thu Jan 12 3:46 PM, 2023
080123
Irlam Moss
45 Pink-Footed Geese Flying North @ 0935
370 Fieldfare
37 Redwing
80 Starling
Chat Moss
2 Grey Partridge
1 Merlin...Male
2 Woodcock
12 Reed Bunting
2 Snipe
1 Stonechat
14 Great Black-Backed Gull
4 Gadwall.
Dave Steel said
Wed Jan 11 3:19 PM, 2023
070123...brief midday visit
Irlam Moss
280 Fieldfare
190 Starling
8 Carrion Crow
Chat Moss
28 Stock Dove
Dave Steel said
Tue Jan 10 8:18 PM, 2023
060123
Chat Moss
29 Meadow Pipit
11 Skylark
60 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1017
2 Lesser Redpoll
6 Reed Bunting
5 Grey Partridge
50 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1150
Irlam Moss
80 Chaffinch
140 Fieldfare
2 Grey Partridge.
Dave Steel said
Mon Jan 9 7:30 PM, 2023
050123
Chat Moss
25 Chaffinch
1Snipe
4 Grey Partridge
5 Lesser Redpoll
Astley Moss
1 Willow Tit
4 Snipe
28 Teal
16 Fieldfare
200 Chaffinch
2 Lesser Redpoll
2 Siskin
58 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1135
17 Wren.
Dave Steel said
Sun Jan 8 11:57 PM, 2023
040123
Irlam Moss
22 Meadow Pipit
3 Kestrel
3 Snipe
12 Stock Dove
1 Grey Wagtail
50 Chaffinch
90 Fieldfare
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Woodcock
1 Snipe.
Lez Fairclough said
Sat Jan 7 11:39 PM, 2023
Friday 6th Jan 2pm - 3.45pm Moss Lane to north end of Little Woolden Moss N.R. & back.
Most of the sightings centred around the two farms at the far end of Moss Lane.
Whitegate Farm - A flock of about 30 birds in trees to the north of the farm contained Chaffinch, Brambling & Linnet.
Moss Side Farm - A very mobile flock of about 200 birds in trees to the south of the farm contained mostly Fieldfare with Starlings & a few Redwing mixed in - Probably the same flock was seen later on in trees near Marshall's Farm.
Also seen - 3 Kestrel; 2 Stock Dove; Goldfinch; Long-Tailed Tit; 2 Grey Heron on the River Glaze & 4 Pink-Footed Geese over as the light was fading.
1 Peregrine...female perched and seemingly not enjoying the rain
1 Snipe
Little Woolden Moss and the Glaze
45 Mallard
120 Canada Geese
140 Starling
50 Redwing
36 Fieldfare
100 Chaffinch
150 Linnet
6 Tree Sparrow.
Steven Nelson said
Mon Jan 2 6:19 PM, 2023
Little Woolden Moss NR and surrounding fields- late am-early pm
1 Merlin - distant over fields to north of reserve 97 Pink-footed Geese over in 4 skeins - 19 west, 27 Southeast , 34 east, 17 north 32 Meadow Pipit 21 Skylark - 1 singing 1 Mistle Thrush in song 1 Buzzard 1 Kestrel
Dave Steel said
Sun Jan 1 11:16 PM, 2023
271222
Chat Moss
1 Chiffchaff
1 Sparrowhawk...female
50 Linnet
3 Woodcock
Dave Steel said
Sat Dec 31 6:14 PM, 2022
261222
Irlam Moss
5 Grey Partridge
38 Fieldfare
4 Reed Bunting
9 Yellowhammer
100 Pink-Footed Geese...Flying East @ 1046
Chat Moss
21 Skylark
1 Stonechat
42 Stock Dove
1 Little Egret---flew South @ 1235.
Steven Nelson said
Fri Dec 30 9:29 PM, 2022
Irlam Moss - am
2 Stonechat - m & f 1 Nuthatch 1 Sparrowhawk 2 Kestrel 2 Buzzard c190 Pink-footed Geese over - 3 skeins (50, 60, 80) 2 Yellowhammer
290123
Cadishead Moss
150 Fieldfare
New Moss Wood
1 Sparrowhawk...male
1 Song Thrush...in song
Glaze @ Great Woolden Hall
1 Little Egret
4 Teal
1 Nuthatch
1 Little Grebe
Little Woolden Moss
500 Starling
200 Fieldfare
Hi, I saw something similar a week or so ago around Martin Mere, a first for me too. It made sense for a game bird though I guess?
9 Corn Bunting - some singing. Phone pic attached.
9 Grey Partridge - all males in a group singing and fighting in what was presumably a lek of some sort. Never seen Partridges do that before.
2 Greylag Geese over
c40 Teal
6 Shoveler - 3m, 3f
1 Cormorant over the fishery.
2 Stonechat
2 Sparrowhawk - 1m, 1f
3 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
1 Grey Heron
c70 Linnet
7 Yellowhammer
c.30 Fieldfare
c.40 Redwing
c70 Stock Dove
c150 Jackdaw
14 Lapwing
280123 Brief Midday Visit
Irlam Moss
57 Meadow Pipit
3 Skylark
4 Snipe
3 Grey Partridge
40 Fieldfare
5 Redwing
1 Song Thrush in song
Cadishead Moss
110 Fieldfare
270123
Chat Moss
2 Grey Partridge
Little Woolden Moss
6 Great Black-Backed Gull...Flying North @ 0912
14 Herring Gull
12 Lapwing
10 Tree Sparrow
30 House Sparrow
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
1 Marsh Harrier
260123
Chat Moss
1 Peregrine with Prey
1 Mistle Thrush in song
7 Stock Dove
4 Redwing
Irlam Moss
48 Fieldfare
1 Merlin
1 Kestrel
21 Pink-footed Geese over east
1 Common Gull
1 Stonechat
250123
Irlam Moss
9 Grey Partridge
Chat Moss
1 Golden Plover Flying South @ 0917
5 Grey Partridge
1 Golden Plover Flying South @ 0946
7 Skylark
27 Stock Dove
32 Reed Bunting
1 Sparrowhawk....Male
5 Redwing
3 Snipe
60 Chaffinch
35 Pink-Footed Geese flying South @ 1150
240123
Irlam Moss
8 Grey Partridge
13 Reed Bunting
1 Golden Plover...Flying South @ 0858
13 Yellowhammer
1 Stonechat
6 Skylark
120 Lapwing flying South @ 0945
Little Woolden Moss
1 Merlin...female
2 Pink-Footed Geese Flying North @ 1050
230123...including a Carbon Landscape Winter Bird Count
Little Woolden Moss
80 Pink-Footed Geese flying West @ 1119
3 Grey Partridge
34 Lapwing
1 Merlin...Female
1 Sparrowhawk...Female
11 Skylark.
7 Corn Bunting
3 Stonechat
2 Shoveler- pair
5 Teal - 2m,3f
2 Mallard
3 Skylark
7 Reed Bunting
4 Mistle Thrush - 2 singing
3 Kestrel
220123
Irlam Moss
600 Jackdaw
38 Stock Dove
5 Skylark
Chat Moss
3 Raven
18 Chaffinch
300 Feral Pigeon
15 Linnet
5 Bullfinch
3 Redwing
1 Merlin...Male
Barton Moss
1 Peregrine...Female
45 Skylark
1 Merlin....Female
Otherwise the moss was virtually dead with only 4 Carrion Crows and a single Magpie!!!
210123
New Moss Wood
15 Blackbird
27 Goldfinch
4 Bullfinch
1 Nuthatch
53 Redwing
6 Siskin
12 Lesser Redpoll
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
1 Sparrowhawk...Female.
200123...Icy Conditions
Irlam Moss
8 Pheasant
5 Reed Bunting
3 Yellowhammer
56 Jackdaw
6 Linnet
2 Song Thrush
Afternoon walk around the Little Woolden Moss reserve and the fields to the W and N.
Extremely quiet, but as I was about to leave a couple of groups of Pink-footed Goose flew over, and then a Short-Eared Owl appeared, hunting over the E end of the reserve. (See heavily cropped record shot attached.)
-- Edited by Peter Yendle on Monday 23rd of January 2023 05:18:08 PM
180123
Irlam Moss
38 Yellowhammer
4 Skylark
110 Jackdaw
1 Brambling
22 Fieldfare
1 Greylag Goose
1 Stonechat
16 Reed Bunting
3 Corn Bunting.
170123
Astley Moss
200 Chaffinch
3 Fieldfare
90 Jackdaw
Chat Moss
70 Chaffinch
16 Stock Dove
34 Collared Dove
2 Fieldfare
12 Redwing
45 Reed Bunting
3 Stonechat
12 Skylark
20 House Sparrow
16 Long-Tailed Tit.
Carbon Landscape Winter Bird Survey 1 Km Square SJ6994 Great Woolden (Cadishead Moss) 16-1-2023
This is intensive farming of turf & improved grass gone beyond the pale, which is having a devastating
effect on a wide range of birds especially farmland types. Nevertheless I did get...
2 Jackdaw
1 Kestrel
1 Blue Tit
7 Magpie
180 Fieldfare
15 Redwing
10 Starling
1 Robin
1 Dunnock
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Snipe
10 Woodpigeon
25 Black Headed Gull over west
Albeit a decent number of Winter Thrushes...
Though come The Spring these migrants will have gone and we'll be left with an eerie silence, and a foreboding
presence of things about to get worse.
Carbon Landscape Winter Bird Survey Great Woolden Moss SJ6894 17-1-2023
This is intensive farming of mainly winter wheat & barley, but slightly better than the last square SJ6994...
Same result.. a dearth of traditional farmland birds
9 Carrion Crow
2 Buzzard
266 Fieldfare
44 Redwing
53 Black Headed Gull
1 Song Thrush
112 Canada Geese
25 Goldfinch
3 Blue Tit
2 Great Tit
32 Starling
11 Lapwing...1st time here for me
2 Mistle Thrush
15 Mallard R. Glaze
7 Teal
c70 Woodpigeon
11 Blackbird
3 Great Spotted Woodpecker all drumming simultaneously (Crow Wood)
1 Wren
6 Magpie
2 Pheasant
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Tufted Duck R. Glaze.
Recently this square had a few pairs of breeding Corn Bunting, but sadly it seems due to modern farming
methods (e.g last year early cutting of the barley) we'll lose these as well.
160123
Irlam Moss
2 Lesser Redpoll
2 Yellowhammer
60 Skylark
45 Linnet
1 Willow Tit
Barton Moss
90 Stock Dove
1 Merlin....Male
Chat Moss
1 Raven
3 Grey Partridge
4 Snipe
150123
Irlam Moss
80 Starling
11 House Sparrow
Chat Moss
23 Skylark
60 Reed Bunting
40 Stock Dove
18 Pheasant
3 Yellowhammer
150 Jackdaw
2 Redwing
42 Chaffinch
27 Collared Dove
1Woodcock
1 Sparrowhawk...male.
140123 Brief Midday Visit
Irlam Moss
230 Starling
15 Redwing
350 Fieldfare
1 Mistle Thrush in song.
130123
Little Woolden Moss
110 Fieldfare
25 Redwing
4 Tree Sparrow
2 Grey Partridge
7 Lapwing
5 Skylark.
120123
River Glaze
42 Mallard
10 Teal
3 Gadwall
Little Woolden Moss
14 Stock Dove
3 Pink-Footed Geese Flying West @ 1056
1 Sparrowhawk...Male
3 Tree Sparrow
35 House Sparrow
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
5 Snipe
9 Pink-Footed Geese Flying South @ 1150
6 Grey Partridge.
110123
Barton Moss
4 Snipe
18 Yellowhammer
25 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
29 Skylark
4 Stonechat
1 Nuthatch.
1 Woodcock
6 Bullfinch
12 Fieldfare
2 Redwing
c300 Jackdaw
1 Grey Heron
090123
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
6 Snipe
1 Woodcock
17 Pink-Footed Geese...flying west @ noon
2 Great Black=Backed Gull flying North
2 Lesser Redpoll
150 Starling
2 Goldcrest
...and once more an impending sense of doom for the survival of our birdlife/wildlife away from reserves for believe you me it's getting harder by the day to find ANY birds out on the moss these days....AND PfE still demands that more and more land is to be swallowed up including Greenbelt...never mind the 'Brownfield' sites that held such numbers of birds...I will not despair....YET!
080123
Irlam Moss
45 Pink-Footed Geese Flying North @ 0935
370 Fieldfare
37 Redwing
80 Starling
Chat Moss
2 Grey Partridge
1 Merlin...Male
2 Woodcock
12 Reed Bunting
2 Snipe
1 Stonechat
14 Great Black-Backed Gull
4 Gadwall.
070123...brief midday visit
Irlam Moss
280 Fieldfare
190 Starling
8 Carrion Crow
Chat Moss
28 Stock Dove
060123
Chat Moss
29 Meadow Pipit
11 Skylark
60 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1017
2 Lesser Redpoll
6 Reed Bunting
5 Grey Partridge
50 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1150
Irlam Moss
80 Chaffinch
140 Fieldfare
2 Grey Partridge.
050123
Chat Moss
25 Chaffinch
1Snipe
4 Grey Partridge
5 Lesser Redpoll
Astley Moss
1 Willow Tit
4 Snipe
28 Teal
16 Fieldfare
200 Chaffinch
2 Lesser Redpoll
2 Siskin
58 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1135
17 Wren.
040123
Irlam Moss
22 Meadow Pipit
3 Kestrel
3 Snipe
12 Stock Dove
1 Grey Wagtail
50 Chaffinch
90 Fieldfare
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
2 Lesser Redpoll
1 Woodcock
1 Snipe.
Friday 6th Jan 2pm - 3.45pm Moss Lane to north end of Little Woolden Moss N.R. & back.
Most of the sightings centred around the two farms at the far end of Moss Lane.
Whitegate Farm - A flock of about 30 birds in trees to the north of the farm contained Chaffinch, Brambling & Linnet.
Moss Side Farm - A very mobile flock of about 200 birds in trees to the south of the farm contained mostly Fieldfare with Starlings & a few Redwing mixed in - Probably the same flock was seen later on in trees near Marshall's Farm.
Also seen - 3 Kestrel; 2 Stock Dove; Goldfinch; Long-Tailed Tit; 2 Grey Heron on the River Glaze & 4 Pink-Footed Geese over as the light was fading.
030123
Irlam Moss
31 Stock Dove
10 Collared Dove
2 Bullfinch
6 Grey Partridge
3 Yellowhammer
1 Corn Bunting
80 Fieldfare
Chat Moss
12 Yellowhammer
17 Skylark
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
1 Snipe
020123
Irlam Moss
110 Starling
200 Fieldfare
10 Redwing
66 Pink-Footed Geese Flying West @ 0943
65 Skylark
8 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1250
5 Grey Partridge
6 Reed Bunting
220 Jackdaw
34 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1252
Chat Moss
2 Woodcock
3 Snipe
2 Great Black-Backed Gull flying South
36 Pink-Footed Geese Flying East @ 1140
60 Fieldfare
010123
Chat Moss
36 Skylark
38 Reed Bunting
6 Grey Partridge
12 Pheasant
21 Stock Dove
1 Stonechat
1 Merlin...Male.
311222
Chat Moss
6 Reed Bunting
1 Merlin...Male
11 Meadow Pipit
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR
2 Snipe
1 Golden Plover Flying South @ 1100
1 Woodcock.
281222
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR...in heavy rain
3 Pink-Footed Geese
1 Peregrine...female perched and seemingly not enjoying the rain
1 Snipe
Little Woolden Moss and the Glaze
45 Mallard
120 Canada Geese
140 Starling
50 Redwing
36 Fieldfare
100 Chaffinch
150 Linnet
6 Tree Sparrow.
1 Merlin - distant over fields to north of reserve
97 Pink-footed Geese over in 4 skeins - 19 west, 27 Southeast , 34 east, 17 north
32 Meadow Pipit
21 Skylark - 1 singing
1 Mistle Thrush in song
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
271222
Chat Moss
1 Chiffchaff
1 Sparrowhawk...female
50 Linnet
3 Woodcock
261222
Irlam Moss
5 Grey Partridge
38 Fieldfare
4 Reed Bunting
9 Yellowhammer
100 Pink-Footed Geese...Flying East @ 1046
Chat Moss
21 Skylark
1 Stonechat
42 Stock Dove
1 Little Egret---flew South @ 1235.
2 Stonechat - m & f
1 Nuthatch
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Kestrel
2 Buzzard
c190 Pink-footed Geese over - 3 skeins (50, 60, 80)
2 Yellowhammer
251222
Irlam moss
8 Grey Partridge
6 Blackbird
1 Redwing
38 Collared Dove
Chat Moss
28 Reed Bunting
5 Grey Partridge
1 Stonechat
27 Skylark
36 Stock Dove
3 Shoveler - 2m, 1f
3 Gadwall
2 Teal
12 Mallard
c90 Linnet
c30 Chaffinch
3 Bullfinch
c500 Jackdaw
5 Skylark
2 Meadow Pipit
2 Goldcrest
2 Kestrel
2 Buzzard
c30 Stock Dove
22 Collard Dove
241222
Irlam Moss
60 Pink-Footed Geese...Flying West @ 0900
36 Pink-Footed Geese...Flying South @ 0910
4 Snipe
55 Meadow Pipit
100 Pink-Footed Geese...Flying South @ 0928
9 Fieldfare
23 Redwing
1 Stonechat
Chat Moss
72 Lapwing
50 Fieldfare
1 Grey Wagtail
3 Woodcock
1 Peregrine.
221222
Brief Midday Visit
Chat Moss
27 Skylark
5 Grey Partridge
1 Snipe
1 Merlin - male
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Stonechat
1 Lesser Redpoll
19 Lapwing
211222
Irlam Moss
12 Pheasant
1 Snipe
2 Song Thrush
500 Jackdaw
19 Skylark
15 Collared Dove
27 Yellowhammer
32 Fieldfare
19 Redwing
130 Chaffinch
12 Linnet
Chat Moss
1 Woodcock
10 Chaffinch
170 Jackdaw
1 Peregrine.
201222
Barton Moss
38 Skylark
90 Meadow Pipit
130 Lapwing
3 Snipe
20 Chaffinch
4 Buzzard
4 Stonechat
14 Yellowhammer
800 Woodpigeon Flying South
8 Redwing
25 House Sparrow
Irlam Moss
25 Redwing
40 Fieldfare
100 Chaffinch.