8.3 Ashley to Birtles Fm B&B and along the public footpath towards Mobberley. Felt fairly quiet birdwise.

Stock Dove 3, Fieldfare 80, Redwing singing - behind Ashley CC
Tree Sparrow 2 Lamb Lane
Goosander m+f twice
Green Woodpecker, Teal 7, Blackbird singing
Siskin, Meadow Pipit over

A Tree Sparrow was chirping at the entrance to Ashley CC. A pair of Reed  Bunting were  by the path through the field with the dead tree.

A nice surprise was 30+ Swallow and 1 House Martin feeding over Ashley Cricket Club and adjacent fields,  ranging quite widely. At least 1 was an adult  and 1 was being fed on the wing.

4 Green Sandpipers were feeding on a small field pool north of the Birkin Brook,  perhaps displaced by the high water level. 

Deciding to combine a local basic needs shoping trip with our daily exercise walk we had a stroll down Ashley Mill Lane in the sunshine this afternoon.  We were lucky enough to hear and see our first Skylark of the year, a flock of (migratory?) Fieldfare and a Common Buzzard unperturbed by the attention of 6 Carrion Crows. Although the lane is on our doorstep I have not been able to go down there for almost 3 years so this afternoon's visit made a nice change.

The area between Birtles Farm, Ashley and Fourlane-ends (Mobberley) 12pm - 5pm:

Golden Plover: 1 flock of at least 150 - 200 just west of Birtles Farm towards the back of the deer park, and 110+ in fields adjacent to the footpath towards Kell House Fm & Parkside Fm. Some cracking breeding plumage birds.
Woodcock 3
Snipe 7
Redpoll 1 over
Teal 1 (4 on previous visit)
Mandarin either 1 mobile pair, or 2 pr.
Fieldfare - loads everywhere.
Reeves Pheasant 1 displaying male.
Flock of c.15 Chaffinch & 2 Skylark in stubble field along footpath btwn Stock Farm and the Mobberley Rd railway bridge.

Female Brambling under feeders on Lamb Lane Ashley, and 160 Fieldfare btwn Ashley Hall and Ashley Mill La.

A big group of House and Sand Martins feeding over the crop field and wood to the north of Ashley Mill Lane just before the heavy rain this evening. Plenty of Wood Pigeons being hurled about in the wind but nothing else around as far as I could see.

Had a walk down Ashley Mill Lane late this afternoon and managed to see my first Swifts of the year, 7 or 8 in the group. A bit late I know but not been able to get out much lately.

Also nice to see several female Wheatears and lots of Swallows feeding over the crop fields.

On Wed 28th, about 40+ Golden Plover were wheeling around low over fields of winter wheat to the south of Birtles Farm, before landing. Green Woodpeckers could be heard calling from within the Deer Park.

A female Mandarin Duck rose out of the Birkin Brook near Birtles Farm and flew off south east. A Hare was here between the public footpath and the Tatton fence, an animal i've never seen many of in the Ashley area.  A Green Woodpecker called from just inside the deer park. A Sand Martin was in a flock of c. 20 hirundines over the footpath.
I've just found out that this area is technically an odd stretchy bit of Mobberley, between the Birkin Brook and Mobberley Brook, but feels a lot nearer to Ashley, map here: http://www.mobberley.info/Boundary/index.html

Between Briddon Weir Farm and the Birkin Brook, a Peregrine was flying along before perching on a pylon and showing well. A Comma butterfly and a Stock Dove were seen here too. Across the footbridge over the M56, there were c. 97 Carrion Crows in a field with Jackdaws near Ryecroft Farm.

Late on this afternoon watched dozens of Swallows feeding low over the barley fields off Ashley Mill Lane, a rare sight for me this year.  Some of the adults appeared to be feeding young on the wing. There was also a Skylark in full song - it almost felt like summer