A gorgeous morning down on the moss today. Spring was definitely in the air and there was loads of activity all around. Blue Tits seemed to be everywhere along with good numbers of Reed Buntings too. Several Skylarks on the move with quite a few in full song. Several Lapwings were loafing around weighing up territories whilst the farmer raked his fields chased by upto 400 Black Headed and Common Gulls.

3 Buzzards
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Mistle Thrushes
2 Redwings
12 Lapwings
9 Yellowhammers
15 Skylarks
7 Chaffinches
18 Reed Buntings
48 Fieldfares
2 Common Snipe
4 Long Tailed Tits
5 Goldfinches

A couple of hours this morning in cold but fairly still conditions.

2 Tree Sparrows
3 Mistle Thrushes
4 Redwings
1 Buzzard
11 Chaffinches - three singing males.
9 Yellowhammers - three singing males.
1 Long Tailed Tit
1 Peregrine - drifting past over the western side.
2 Jack Snipe - flushed by a passing Crow.
6 Reed Buntings
3 Goldfinches
1 Kestrel
c90 Fieldfares - with c120 Starlings
1 Greenfinch
1 Song Thrush

Barrow lane Kenyon farm highfield moss circuit

30 plus skylarks barrow lane plus good numbers of fieldfare

1 grey partridge

An awesome spectacle this afternoon of a male Merlin hunting down a Skylark right over the moss. The Merlin drove the bird higher and higher before attempting a strike. With a series of sharp turns, swoops and even a loop the loop the Merlin tried to take the bird. The Skylark definitely had luck on its side though as it managed to drop in altitude and evade capture. I finally lost them to view near to Highfield farm. About half an hour later I re-found the Merlin sat on a clump of earth in the field near to the farm.

3 Chaffinches
8 Yellowhammers
5 Long Tailed Tits
1 Common Snipe
1 Merlin - male.
1 Skylark - still alive!
8 Fieldfares
3 Goldfinches
1 Kestrel
2 Grey Partridge
1 Buzzard

Pete Astles wrote:

---

Sorry to hear about your loss nick. I know how much it hurts to lose a loved cat or dog.

One thing that can't be denied Charlie had a lovely life with lhose regular trips to the moss and I know he help you find the odd bird too.

Not many dogs have those opportunities.

Remember the good times.

---

Cheers Pete. See you down there sometime.

Sorry to hear about your loss nick. I know how much it hurts to lose a loved cat or dog.

One thing that can't be denied Charlie had a lovely life with lhose regular trips to the moss and I know he help you find the odd bird too.

Not many dogs have those opportunities.

Remember the good times.

A slightly emotional visit to the moss this morning as it was my first visit without my faithful doggy companion Charlie. We sadly lost him last week after an emergency operation. The spirits were uplifted a little though as the birds sang and there was a definite feel of spring in the air. Good numbers of Skylarks were in full song as were several Chaffinches and Yellowhammers.

2 Buzzards
13 Yellowhammers
8 Skylarks
10 Chaffinches
2 Mallards
12 Reed Buntings
c35 Fieldfares
4 Grey Partridges - two pairs.
3 Long Tailed Tits
11 Lapwings - over north west.
1 Pied Wagtail
6 Goldfinches

Large numbers of finches and buntings in the hedgerows to the south too as reported in recent posts on the Winwick thread.

Highfield farm to edge of Kenyon then back accross moss late afternoon.

Very quiet but.

2 separate buzzard
1 kestrel male
2 yellowhammer
3 grey partridge
1 cock pheasant
1 wren on the gorse on the moss

Barrow lane and big moss

Low numbers of fieldfare on barrow and much reduced number of finches / buntings on parkside road.

However at least a dozen or more skylarks displaying and singing on barrow lane.

I buzzard

I willow tit in the thicket by the airfield

Otherwise very quiet

Dull and drizzly conditions this morning down the moss. A few birds around but still a little on the quiet side.

2 Skylarks - over northwards.
c80 Fieldfares - feeding in stubble with around 30 Starlings.
1 Mistle Thrush
3 Redwings
2 Chaffinches
2 Kestrels - both males.
6 Yellowhammers
1 Reed Bunting
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Willow Tit

Very worryingly, I also discovered the carcass of a female pheasant hung up on the edge of the small woods to the rear of the Travellers Rest. I assumed this to be a poisoned bait for birds due the height it was hanging. It was in the same place where I observed a Magpie roost a few weeks previously. Obviously, I wouldn't like to speculate on an open forum who the culprits might be but I have informed Ian of the details so that he can inform the relevant bodies.

thanks nick for that info, regards mike

Large numbers of Fieldfare on barrow lane have flown overnight maybe 50 or so remain near parkside farm.

Large flocks of finches and buntings still on parkside lane.

1 buzzard
1 kestrel
5 meadow pipit

Skylark singing barrow lane and kenyon stubble. Skylark sparring over kenyon stubble totally different to previous day real spring like air to it.

-- Edited by Pete Astles on Friday 8th of February 2013 04:36:49 PM

Hi Mike. There are a few footpaths off Newton Road that head towards the moss but probably the easiest to direct you to would be the one just by the Travellers Rest pub on Newton Road. Just follow the footpath sign there and it'll take you directly to the moss.

hi, where exactly is the best place to access the moss, mike

Barrow Lane and big moss. Huge numbers of fieldfare covering both fields on barrow lane impossible to count but must have been well over a thousand.

Skylark heard singing.
2 grey partridge.
I buzzard.

Again good numbers of fieldfare in the fields by the moss but nothing like Barrow Lane.

Very large numbers of chaffinches and yellowhammer by Parkside road which obligingly were near the road and I managed to get the bins onto a male brambling which was nice.

-- Edited by Pete Astles on Thursday 7th of February 2013 01:43:01 PM

More quality than quantity this afternoon.

c50 Fieldfares feeding in the stubble to the north of the line.
3 Redwings - with the Fieldfares.
1 Merlin - adult male. Spotted perching on a clod of earth in the stubble to the east of the moss. It then flew and momentarily perched at the top of a tree by the line before being chased off by a Magpie.
1 Common Snipe
1 Jack Snipe - flushed literally from under foot.
4 Reed Buntings
3 Yellowhammers
2 Mallards - m,f on the pond.
1 Jay

Has couple of hours down on the moss this morning and my first visit for just over a week. Several Yellowhammers and Chaffinches now in full song giving the whole place a very spring like feel to it.

3 Buzzards
c30 Fieldfares
2 Goldfinches
11 Chaffinches
1 Willow Tit - I'm pretty sure there's only one bird present down here at the moment but I'm amazed how often I manage to find it.
1 Jay
10 Yellowhammers
7 Reed Buntings
1 Common Snipe
9 Long Tailed Tits
c150 Mixed Corvids feeding in the stubble.

Friday morning visit lovely day great t be out.

4 skylarks in stubble barrow lane.
Large flocks of chaffinches in flight mainly around airfield. Incidentally the monkeys on the scamblers have been churning the airstrip up too.
Good views of buzzard in the sunlight.

Otherwise quiet bird wise but such a lovely day who cares?

Pete Astles wrote:

---

Morning walk very quiet not much about,

Went barrow lane, big and little moss,

3 kestrel
Meadow pipits on barrow lane
1 buzzard
Huge flocks of rooks.

On the negative front off road bikes have been on the moss and they havnt half made a mess of it some of the tracks are now totally destroyed because of the very soft ground. Even with hiking boots they are impassable and parts now resemble a motocross track pure mud. A network rail fence panel has also been taken down to allow access to the moss. I have reported to local police and lane head residents LENDF

---

This is something that's been peeing me off for a while Pete. For the last couple of months I've been seeing the tracks of these bikes down there. I've yet to see any of the culprits though. My guess is it's only very occasional. One of the local residents who I talk to down there told me it was just kids on scramblers but as I said, I've not seen anyone yet.

Thanks for reporting it to the local police Pete. I was talking to two officers down there a few months ago who were investigating off road bikes so maybe with a few more calls they might increase their presence down there.

Morning walk very quiet not much about,

Went barrow lane, big and little moss,

3 kestrel
Meadow pipits on barrow lane
1 buzzard
Huge flocks of rooks.

On the negative front off road bikes have been on the moss and they havnt half made a mess of it some of the tracks are now totally destroyed because of the very soft ground. Even with hiking boots they are impassable and parts now resemble a motocross track pure mud. A network rail fence panel has also been taken down to allow access to the moss. I have reported to local police and lane head residents LENDF

A nice crisp morning today down on the moss. A good covering of snow made the place look very picturesque. Bird wise there was quite a bit of activity but this was mainly centred around the woods and the trees on the southern boundary. Loose, roving flocks of finches and buntings were present in these areas with the majority of birds being Chaffinches. Also present were Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Goldfinches and at least two Bramblings. Bird counts were difficult though due to the roving nature of the birds and I suspect my counts may be slightly low.

13 Reed Buntings
5 Lapwings - all fly overs, moved by the recent snow.
5 Skylarks - four attempting to feed in the stubble and one fly over.
2 Buzzards
1 Meadow Pipit
13 Fieldfares
8 Goldfinches
2 Mistle Thrushes
c70 Chaffinches - a couple of males in full song too.
6 Grey Partridges
17 Yellowhammers
2 Bramblings - both males.
1 Kestrel - male. Looked completely fed up due to the snow.

Reasonable numbers of Blue and Great Tits around with many in fine song.
c100 Mixed Corvids in the stubble.

Last hour to dusk - not much around really.

7 Fieldfares
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
18 Chaffinches
6 Yellowhammers
5 Reed Buntings
1 Grey Partridge
1 Pheasant
c150 Mixed Corvids in stubble field.

Last hour upto dusk tonight. A few birds around but not helped by the guy who's now taken to flying his Peregrine near the southern end on an almost daily basis now.

2 Buzzards - one seen carrying a largeish prey item.
1 Mistle Thrush
c20 Chaffinches perching near the line.
1 Skylark
4 Yellowhammers
1 Willow Tit
1 Jack Snipe
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Common Snipe
17 Reed Buntings including one flock of 12.
1 Kestrel
c100 Mixed Corvids

Enjoyable morning trip out cloudy and snowing but reasonably warm out.

Barrow Lane and the Moss the birds seemed to be concentrated in areas nothing for large areas then dozens in one place. Started along Parkside road and to the west side were huge concentrations of finches I have never seen so many in this area.

4 Corn Buntings
10 Yellowhammers
100 plus chaffinches and the odd brambling

Then nothing till the airfield and again large numbers of finches but not as many as Parkside Road no corn buntings but large numbers of chaffinches and yellowhammer I counted 8 yellowhammer at least.

I Latte Kenyon Hall Farm shop

Barrow Lane

2 Grey Partridge
1 Hedge Sparrow
1 Wren
20 plus meadow pipits on the manure heaps.
1 Buzzard but lovely sight as it glided close by in the thick snow.

And a peregrine hunting the fields then moved south over Winwick Lane in the direction of Southworth.

Late afternoon mooch and unsurprisingly quite quiet.

8 Long Tailed Tits
11 Chaffinches
3 Yellowhammers
9 Reed Buntings
1 Willow Tit
1 Common Snipe
1 Siskin - over north east.
3 Fieldfares

Most of the activity down here this morning was centred around the stubble field just to the north of the line. Approximately 130 Skylarks were busy feeding in the stubble here. There could even have been as many as 150 as they were constantly on the move as the main flock kept splitting and many birds stayed grounded too. Also on this field were around 100 Starlings, a handful of mixed Corvids, 4 Lapwings and all this overlooked by a couple of Buzzards.

Not much activity on the moss itself but several Tit species were very active plus a few Robins, Blackbirds, etc.

c130 Skylarks
3 Buzzards
15 Fieldfares
5 Reed Buntings
4 Yellowhammers
2 Chaffinches
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
4 Lapwings



-- Edited by Nick Isherwood on Saturday 19th of January 2013 04:18:36 PM

One for sorrow, two for joy, etc etc. what is it for 31? An unbelievable 31 Magpies getting ready to roost in trees to the rear of the quarry this afternoon. Very noisy too!

Other than that there were unsurprisingly few birds around this afternoon partly due to a local falconer who was exercising his Peregrine that was busy devouring a Pigeon it had caught.

1 Bullfinch - female.
1 Chaffinch
2 Fieldfares
2 Buzzards
1 Mistle Thrush

Took advantage of having the morning off work today and went for a nice mooch around the moss. The frozen ground made a nice change from the recent slutch fest down there.

1 Peregrine
1 Kestrel
14 Golden Plovers over south east plus another c80 in the fields to the south near Barrow Lane.
21 Skylarks - one large flock of 18 plus ones and twos moving around.
2 Buzzards
8 Fieldfares
9 Reed Buntings
12 Yellowhammers
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Goldfinch
2 Mistle Thrushes
c100 Mixed Corvids feeding in the stubble.

Nice conditions this morning but with a slightly biting breeze. Also no one else around which is always a bonus on here.

3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Fieldfare - with the Mistle Thrushes feeding in stubble.
c40 Chaffinches - three small flocks.
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Peregrine - disturbed from its roost and flew away west.
1 Skylark
7 Common Snipe
2 Reed Buntings
3 Yellowhammers
1 Pheasant
1 Willow Tit
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk - a male accidently flushed from its meal of a Starling.
c150 Mixed Corvids
A small passage of gulls also containing mostly Black headed Gulls and Lesser Black Backed plus a single Common Gull.

Last hour up to dusk and fairly quiet.

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Jay
60 Fieldfares - coming into roost.
7 Pheasants - 2 single cocks plus a group of four cocks chasing a female around. One of these four was a smaller darker bird without a ring neck.
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Willow Tit
2 Reed Buntings
2 Yellowhammers
2 Common Snipe
1 Grey Heron - hunting on a flood just to the north.

Late afternoon mooch today in reasonable conditions. Apart from the odd large flock of birds though it was fairly quiet.

3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Redwing
1 Kestrel
c50 Chaffinches
32 Fieldfares
c100 Starlings - mixed in with the Fieldfares.
1 Willow Tit
5 Yellowhammers
1 Meadow Pipit

Lovely conditions this morning and it was one of those mornings that really lifts the spirits with the feeling that spring is on its way. The birds certainly knew this too with quite a bit of activity going on with some of the more resident birds on the moss. In particular, a couple of singing Song Thrushes plus calling Great Tits and Blue Tits.

I also had the good fortune to score a new tick for the moss in the shape of two Barnacle Geese that flew over southwards with 3 Canada Geese and around 20 Greylag geese. I know these birds will most certainly be feral but they're a new tick non the less. I wouldn't mind betting too that they're the same two that have been on Wigan flashes lately.

4 Pied Wagtails
1 Buzzard
8 Grey Partridges
3 Redwings
2 Song Thrushes
3 Canada Geese
c20 Greylag Geese
2 Barnacle Geese
2 Pheasants
7 Yellowhammers
c30 Chaffinches
1 Jay
5 Reed Buntings
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Goldcrest
1 Willow Tit
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Skylarks
1 Mistle Thrush

-- Edited by Nick Isherwood on Saturday 5th of January 2013 12:31:03 PM

Last hour up to dusk tonight. Fairly quiet around the moss apart from the Chaffinches and flocks of Fieldfares.

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Buzzard
c75 Fieldfares
3 Redwings
c25 Chaffinches
1 Brambling
1 Jay
2 Yellowhammers
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Sparrowhawk

Ah well, another year!! Time to start the patch year list again.

Fairly nice conditions this morning but with a bit of an increasingly stiff breeze.

2 Buzzards
8 Yellowhammers
c120 Chaffinches - huge flock on the eastern side feeding in the stubble and making occasional forays into the trees.
6 Brambling - probably more as they were mixed in with the Chaffinches. A couple of very nice looking males amongst them too.
1 Willow Tit
1 Mistle Thrush
3 Reed Buntings
2 Snipe
64 Fieldfares - in two flocks
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
3 Pink Footed Geese - roosting in the stubble on the east side and were flushed by me by accidient as I approached.
19 Canada Geese - over north.

Other usual species seen:

Great Tits - numbers increasing now with Spring around the corner.
Blue Tits
Robins
Dunnocks
Blackbirds
Starlings
Wrens
Magpies
Carrion Crows
Rooks
Jackdaws - huge mixed flock of corvids - mostly Jackdaws - in the stubble to the north.
Wood Pigeons
Herring Gulls - passing over.
Black Headed Gulls

A good start to the year list!!

-- Edited by Nick Isherwood on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 07:20:41 PM

Full tour of the moss this morning in nice conditions with a bit of a biting wind.

2 Mistle Thrushes - feeding in stubble to the north.
114 Pink Footed Geese - 44 east, 60 east and 10 west.
2 Buzzards
4 Bramblings - very good views. Two males, two females in with large flock of Chaffinches.
c80 Chaffinches - two flocks. 60 on the eastern side and 20 on the west side feeding with Fieldfares.
1 Goldcrest
89 Fieldfares - c60 on the east side and 29 on the west side feeding in the fields.
1 Willow Tit
7 Reed Buntings
7 Yellowhammers
1 Sparrowhawk - female.
1 Kestrel - male.
6 Redwings - with the Fieldfares.
6 Skylarks - feeding in the stubble to the north.
c100 Mixed Corvids in the stubble.
A slow but steady passage of gulls westwards - mainly Herring Gulls.

Also sad to see one of the scourges of birding has been present - motorbikes!! Tracks seen and the footpaths a bit chewed up on the edge of the moss. Thankfully they've kept to the footpaths - for now at least!

Lovely conditions this morning on the moss. Unfortunately a lot of others thought so too as there were quite a few dog walkers around plus a guy with a Harris Hawk. I still managed a few good birds though in the first hour before the hoards turned up.

3 Pied Wagtails
1 Grey Wagtail - associating with the Pied Wags and my first record of a grounded bird here. All previous records being fly overs.
2 Buzzards
c80 Chaffinches - mostly over towards the east feeding in the stubble.
5 Skylarks
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - female.
5 Yellowhammers
c40 Fieldfares
1 Redwing
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Jack Snipe
2 Snipe
5 Reed Buntings
1 Mistle Thrush
c200 mixed Corvids feeding in the stubble - 80% Jackdaws.
Plus the usual Blackbirds,Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks,Wrens, etc

Also a fox crossing the stubble field to the east.

Last hour upto dark.

7 Long Tailed Tits
1 Goldcrest
1 Buzzard
c100 Fieldfares - all feeding near to Highfield farm. Came into roost on the moss a little later.
1 Jay
4 Yellowhammers
4 Reed Buntings
1 Song Thrush
2 Meadow Pipits

Nice to bump into Pete Astles down there too.

Managed a couple of hours this morning down on the moss and was even lucky enough to miss the worst of the rain. A little on the quiet side but one or two quality birds around including a Peregrine that gave excellent views down to 60 yards as it glided across from Highfield farm and over the line.

12 Fieldfares
2 Buzzards
29 Chaffinches - one flock of 20 plus other singles.
1 Willow Tit - associating with a pair of Great Tits that were going through some sort of dispute.
8 Yellowhammers
3 Meadow Pipits
7 Skylarks - one flock on stubble field.
1 Jay
6 Reed Buntings
1 Kestrel
3 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Grey Wagtail - flew over the line on my way back.
1 Peregrine
2 Goldfinches

Last hour upto dusk.

1 Pied Wagtail
4 Chaffinches
2 Mistle Thrushes
2 Buzzards
2 Kestrels
3 Yellowhammers
199 Pink Footed Geese - one skein of c190 that flew over west. Whilst watching them the skein suddenly swerved to the right as a Peregrine made a half-hearted attempt at one of the outermost birds.
1 Peregrine
3 Long Tailed Tits
2 Goldcrests
3 Reed Buntings
2 Snipe
39 Fieldfares
2 Meadow Pipits
3 Pheasants
7 Grey Partridges

A couple of hours mid morning in bright and crisp conditions. Fairly quiet apart from a large roving mixed flock at the southern side consisting of mostly Chaffinches but Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Linnets and a Brambling too.

1 Buzzard - two more on the hedge next to the set aside off to the south.
17 Skylark - one flock happily feeding in the stubble near the line.
c50 Chaffinches - large roving flock on southern boundary.
8 Yellowhammers
17 Reed Buntings
3 Long Tailed Tits
4 Grey Partridges
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
3 Linnets
1 Brambling
1 Greenfinches
2 Jays
2 Meadow Pipits
1 Mistle Thrush
12 Fieldfares
1 Kestrel
4 Redwings

Last hour before dark this afternoon.

1 Buzzard
3 Chaffinches
c40 Fieldfares
3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Kestrel
1 Jay
21 Pink Footed Geese - came into roost just south of the border in the potato crop.
3 Reed Buntings
1 Yellowhammer
3 Snipe
1 Jack Snipe
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Redwing

Very cold this morning on't moss. Fairly quiet too with much of the activity occurring in the field with the set aside just south of the moss that's in Cheshire.

10 Fieldfares
13 Golden Plovers - two flocks of 8 and 5 plus 24 birds just outside county boundary too.
36 Skylarks - all in one flock that landed to feed in the stubble near to Highfield Farm.
8 Reed Buntings
1 Jay
3 Long Tailed Tits
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
6 Yellowhammers
18 Chaffinches - only part of a much larger number that were feeding outside the county boundary.
4 Linnets
1 Greenfinch
1 Brambling - all these finches were part of a much bigger mixed flock that occasionally rested up in the trees on the southern boundary.
1 Goldcrest
1 Kestrel - male.
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Buzzard

A crisp cold and bright morning on the moss today with good numbers of birds around. Best of the morning was picking out two Brambling in a loose flock of over a hundred Chaffinches.

24 Lapwings - flocks of 18 and 6.
58 Fieldfares - one flock of 47 plus singles.
4 Redwings
2 Pied Wagtails
1 Buzzard
c120 Chaffinches
2 Bramblings
2 Snipe
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
11 Reed Buntings
8 Yellowhammers
5 Greenfinches
3 Tree Sparrows
3 Meadow Pipits
1 Goldfinch
3 Long Tailed Tits
1 Goldcrest
1 Pheasant
1 Skylark
10 Grey Partridges

Up to dusk this afternoon.

64 Pink Footed Geese - 53 east, 11 west.
1 Buzzard
24 Fieldfares
1 Kestrel
3 Yellowhammers
13 Reed Buntings
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Redwings
4 Chaffinches
6 Grey Partridges
1 Jay

Plus numerous mixed Corvids and a small number of Black Headed Gulls.

Stuck in traffic at 8am this morning on winwick lane 2 buzzard circling over area kept putting up several hundred woodpigeon and c60 lapwing also 2 skeins of pink footed goose got up from fields just into Cheshire 1 of 17 flew of south and 1 of c.50 circled area and dropped down again.

Late afternoon mooch up to dusk today.

1 Goldcrest
4 Chaffinches
1 Jay
1 Buzzard
51 Fieldfares
17 Redwings
1 Yellowhammer
2 Pied Wagtails
1 Snipe
2 Reed Buntings
2 Meadow Pipits

Late post from yesterday morning 8.00 till 10.00.

Phenomenal number of Woodpigeons moving around. I estimated around 1500 birds but I suspect there were nearer 2000. Many of them were feeding on an adjacent field to the moss and they turned the sky black when they all rose at once. Quite a sight!

Also of note was a large flock of mixed finches. Predominantly Chaffinches with several Goldfinches and Greenfinches mixed in too. Sadly I couldn't pick out a Brambling amongst them despite have very good views.

1 Buzzard
1 Mistle Thrush
22 Reed Buntings
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
4 Goldfinches
43 Chaffinches - one flock with 37 birds.
10 Yellowhammers
5 Grey Partridges
27 Redwings
45 Fieldfares
3 Greenfinches
16 Long Tailed Tits - two flocks of 3 and 13.
1 Willow Tit - with a small flock of Blue Tits.
4 Skylark - over north.
1 Pied Wagtail

Walked from home late this afternoon, down Waterworks Lane and on to Highfield Moss and back. In Highfield Lane 45 Tree Sparrows, 3 Grey Partridges and 60 Starlings were the main sightings. On the Moss, which was fairly quiet, 5 Common Snipe were flushed. Interestingly, given the plans under the Greater Manchester NIA bid to improve the state of the moss, a guy was busy at work clearing out the drainage ditch on the east side. He said he was employed by the local farmer to "get the water levels down" in case the adjacent grass airstrip flooded

Anyway, on the adjacent fields were: 60 Linnets, 4 Grey Partridges, 6 Pied Wagtails, 120 Starlings, 80 Black-headed Gulls, 9 Meadow Pipits, 1 Mistle Thrush, 5 Fieldfares and 3 Redwings.

Cheers David

Dennis atherton wrote:

---

Have you had any fly over Waxwings yet pal for the list?

Keep them ears open

---

No Dennis but I'm living in hope.

Theres plenty hawthorn berries on the edge of the quarry but the local Fieldfares and Redwings have made these their own.

With so many Waxwings around I'm hoping to get lucky.

Have you had any fly over Waxwings yet pal for the list?

Keep them ears open