Unusual for me a child free Bank Holiday weekend so getting the binos out. After very early morn to beat the tide at Moore this afternoon I thought the Manchester Mosses were well overdue a good explore.
Full route - New Moss Wood CP over to the Glaze at Wolden Hall. Last week I was there looking for Chanel Wagtail so I though another look and when I was stood next to Holdcroft Lane a Corn Bunting landed on the wires and started singing away. Quite a few Yellow and Pied Wagtails around the Glaze Brook. Hunkering on back to go round the South side of Little Wolden Moss juvenile Linnets, Goldfinch and Swallows were present. LWM NR was fairly quiet; a few Willow Warbler, Black-headed Gulls and a couple Shoveler.
Decided to try a new bit of the mosses and head for Astley Moss to go and look over the sand pits. Well the public footpath was almost impassable due to weeds and nettles from Rindle Road to the railway crossing nettles and weeds up to my knees and I've the stings to prove it. But manged to find a view point over the pits and Oystercatcher (1), Great Black-backed (2), Lesser Black-backed (7) Herring (1) and Black-headed Gulls (20+) were my reward, plus two Shelduck. Back over the railway to Chat Moss gorgeous female Marsh Harrier. Couple Buzzards drifting about and high up Swifts (5).
Back past the farms zig-zagging through past Haphzibah Farm and onto Cadishead Moss more Yellow and Pied Wagtails, more Swallos than I seem to remember in recent years, three or four per field and a couple House Martins also. Sweetest sight, a juvenile Lapwing which must have been taking its first flights, comically getting airborne flying a few yards, doing a barrel roll then falling to the ground, but getting further and higerh each flight. I do believe it was using the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy method of flying, viz; "There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day, it suggests, and try it."
A quick visit to LWM this morning before the heavy rain came in produced highlights of; Blackcap Cuckoo Curlew Garden Warbler Hobby Kestrel Lapwing Reed Bunting Sedge Warbler Shoveler Stonechat Whitethroat Willow Warbler Yellow Wagtail
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 9th of May 2026 05:10:17 PM
Barton Moss...the fallow area on FN49 destroyed taking with it nesting opportunities for Several Species...Reed Bunting/Yellow Wagtail/Skylark were all here last week...distinct possibility of nests being destroyed
This evening, birds on Astley Moss along Rindle Road included: Greylag Goose 6 Red-legged Partridge 6 Lapwing 20, which included a brood of 5 downy young in a tilled field Oystercatcher 2 Yellow Wagtail 1 Yellowhammer 1 singing Great Spotted Woodlpecker 1 Whitethroat 1
South of the railway a pair of Grey Partridge were along Astley Road, where two Mistle Thrush mobbed a Sparrowhawk
Highlights from Little Woolden Moss LWT lNR this morning. A wader fest:
4 Wood Sandpiper - which flew off east together with a Redshank 4 Sanderling over east 4 Golden Plover over east 2 Ringed Plover 1 Common Sandpiper 3 Redshank 2 Curlew 3 Oystercatcher 1 Channel Wagtail - male 3 Yellow Wagtail 1 White Wagtail 1 Hobby 1 Little Egret 1 Garden Warbler 2 Reed Warbler 2 Stonechat 2 Shoveler
Around the rest of the mosses - 1 Mediterranean Gull 3 Wheatear 3 Yellow Wagtail - 2m, 1f 2 Red-legged Partridge 4 Grey Partridge
West of Little Woolden Moss NR - section of River Glaze - Moss Lane - Whitegate Farm - Red House Farm - Polytunnels - clockwise circuit of Little Woolden Moss NR
14 Lapwing...these having returned to breed here for first time in years as this year it was Spring Sown....BUT SADLY the 'crop' looks like silage
meaning this field is following the adjacent fields into driving out farmland breeding birds from this area of the moss too as silage is a nest destroyer par-excellence...
the Yellow Wagtails which have survived here as the crops were cereals will too disappear.....the Yellowhammer 'might survive as the field ditch on the land owned on the Irlam farmland doesn't shave his ditches to a No1 cut but leaves it in a wildlife friendly overgrown...still drains---and YH can breed there...it doesn't take much to save nature just a tad of thought!
Whilst on Chat Moss had a phone call @ approx 1000 from Ian Jenkinson that 2 Common Crane were flying towards Croxden (FN65) but I couldn't see them as was within tree cover...checked in Astley area but didn't catch up with them...but did note a Common Tern with a fish flying in the Pennington Flash direction..
2 Yellowhammers were seen near the West side car park, 1 was later heard singing there too. A Blackcap was also singing from bushes near there, and a pair of Goldfinches were were seen nearby. 1m+1f Kestrels were seen over the moss, at one point I had a Hobby and a Kestrel in view through my bins at the same time. It appeared that the male Kestrel challenged the Hobby and tried to chase it off, but the former was outmatched straight away and gave up. The Hobby seemed to be rehearsing catching dragonflies or hirundines in flight, or simply giving such a breath taking display as to announce that the maestro flyer is back. A Buzzard was seen flying onto a fence post by the former turf fields, now containing sheep, but the raptor was soon flushed by a crow, just as I was about to take a photo. Even in the early afternoon the path along the Southern boundary was filled with Willow Warbler song, spring is well and truly back. A Chiffchaff gave a burst of song along the Western edge of the moss, but you really know what you've missed all winter when it's slightly larger cousin opens up. At least 2 Ravens were seen over moss, but no sign of any harriers. The area around the large shallow pool by the path on the South side of the moss held a pair of Oystercatchers, a dozen Black-headed Gulls and a couple of pairs of Lapwings. A pair of Lesser Blacked-backed Gulls, in absolute pristine plumage appeared to be viewing potential nest-sites on the moss.
This morning 2 x Grasshopper Warblers, 2 x Wheatear, 2 x Curlew, 1 x Yellowhammer, 1 x Tree Sparrow.
However bird of my day or even bird of the year for me was a Wood Sandpiper on the Eastern pools. Initially half hidden by a post then flushed by 2 x Oystercatcher and finally seen feeding in clear view. Observed for approx 30 mins before disappearing. Heat haze made photos tricky.
Early morning walk around LWTNR Little Woolden Moss.
3 Sedge Warblers all along the west side boundary.
4 Grasshopper Warblers along the west and southern edges.
2 Garden Warblers 1 in each corner of the southern side.
2 Shelduck, 2 Curlew, 3 Oystercatchers. 1 Marsh Harrier
2 x pairs of Stonechat.
1 Whimbrel in field 56 still present at 1205hrs.
2 Wheatears in field beside the polytunnels.