1 juvenile Marsh Harrier harassing a local Buzzard over the pools until the Buzzard's partner came and they saw it off low east
3 Yellow Wagtail over
3 Raven; 2 over together (with some display between them) east and one south
8 Buzzard
1 second calendar year Hobby, chasing (and catching) dragonflies and also sat on the bare peat for a while
360 Swallow feeding over trees by the railway area, just east of Croxdens and possibly sand quarry pool to the north for most of the late morning, which flew into a tight ball on arrival of the Hobby which seemed uninterested in them anyway! Later on towards early afternoon they drifted off SW over a period of time
611 Swift moving over the moss SW with some feeding briefly over the copses and trees on their way but most passing quickly through and mainly fairly low, from mid to late morning until 1pm when things slowed up dramatically and only dribs and drabs moved through
Few hours round Croxdens and Little Woolden Moss this morning and afternoon.
27 lapwing in field off Astley Road on the walk up, 4 singing yellowhammer along Twelve Yards Road (not that I could find any of them), and 4 reed bunting flitting around a bit further along, heading towards Cutnook Lane.
Croxdens:
2 chiffchaff heard calling 5+ willow warbler 3 whitethroat 2 bullfinch 1 reed bunting 10+ swallow 30+ swift 2 stock dove 1 green sandpiper 3 grey heron 1 buzzard
Little Woolden Moss very quiet, I managed a feeble 17 species in roughly two hours (my lowest ever for here):
Fairly quiet again around Rindle Wood and Astley Moss SSSI this afternoon but plenty of juvenile Willow Warblers about the SSSI, many trying their first feeble attempts to sing!
Irlam, Chat, Little Woolden and Barton Mosses this afternoon 16.00-18.00 Very quiet bird wise.
2 Yellow Wagtail 1 Green Sandpiper 6 Grey Partridge- accidentally flushed a family of 2 adults and 4 half-grown young but they could fly a short distance. 50+ Lapwing 3 Jay - including 2 young birds 150+ Starling on telegraph wires 2 Willow Warbler 3 Whitethroat 1 Blackcap - singing 4 Buzzard - including a family party of 3 - 2 fully grown youngsters pestering the adult presumably for food. 1 Kestrel 1 Skylark 7 Linnet 5 Mistle Thrush- family party A few flocks of Woodpigeons starting to gather.
See other wildlife thread for butterflies and other stuff.
3 Green Sandpipers 2 Little Ringed Plovers 1 Oystercatcher 1 Lapwing 20+ Black Headed Gulls and a 1st summer Hobby mobbing a Kestrel for several minutes
On the way past Olive Mount Farm several Yellow Wagtails on the sewage sludge.