I suspect that the location of the feeding station on Rindle Rd has been explained but I can't find it. So could some kind soul out there please give me instructions. Thanks in anticipation, as this site never fails(unlike Citys strike force!!).
Cheers Ian

8.30 -11.30am
The male Sparrowhawk was again swooping down the track this morning and came very close to catching a Robin which left it very late to fly into the hedge.As well as all the usual birds that turned up for the seed a GS Woodpecker also flew on to the track and had a quick forage with the 4 Blackbirds that were feeding there.

Astley Moss
11 Corn buntings in the trees beside the potato field
2 Snipe at the scrapes
5 MPipits
2 Willow tits
1 Stonechat on the dung heaps in the horse paddock
30+ Redwing all over

Bedford Moss
Hunting Kestrel
1 Buzzard
2 Mallard on the ponds
3 Woodcock flushed
1 Moorhen
3 Pied Wags
2 Goldcrests

I saw the same flock Pete of around 200 Pink-feet flying over Astley, 12:10 and they were indeed over (and following?) the East Lancs Road

11.50 - 1315 today
Good views of a hunting male Sparrowhawk can be seen as it flies up and down the track where the seed is being put down for the birds at the top end of Rindle road.

It made 3 attempts today as I watched from my car parked beside Rindle road looking down the track. It watches from the large tree at the beginning of Rindle wood, then swoops down and glides over the grass in the middle of the track , flying 6" from the ground trying to flush a bird from the seed, it then flies through the triangle in the metal gate and down along the drainage ditch until it reaches the farm, it then uses the cover of the trees and Rindle wood to arrive back at its starting point.

It takes about 10-15 minutes for the Yellowhammers, Tree sparrows and Chaffinches to settle down feeding again before the Sparrowhawk trys again.On its third attempt it caught a female Chaffinch which was just a little too slow in getting back into the hedge.

25/11/2007 Late am

Quick look around the Rindle Road feeding station area, counted 11 Yellowhammers on seed and 20 Tree Sparrows, plus Redwing and Willow Tit in adjacent bushes getting into the communal spirit with the other birds there.

Sunday 11th November 8:30am

2 Whooper Swan flew strongly west low over Astley Moss East at 9:05am this morning.

About 11am this morning 12 Grey geese flew low from Chat Moss over Astley Moss and tried to land near Moss Lane but were put up by shooting.They circled round and appeared to land near Botany Bay Woods on private land.They could just be Pinks,but as we don't usually get Pinks landing in the county they just might be something more interesting.I'm sure they're still around the area,so worth keeping your eyes open if your birding on the Moss.

Tuesday 6th November, 12:00 to 2:20pm

A couple of hours around the mosses:

Merlin- fem/imm over field 63, heading low (and very quickly) south
Skylark- 12, field 63 (disturbed by the Merlin)
Stonechat- a pair long the western edge of field 63
Stock Dove- 73, field 52
Buzzard- only a couple knocking about

This afternoon 12.30 - 2.30pm
Astley Moss

1000`s of young Pheasants in the fields and along Rindle road.
Buzzard in f69 hopping around probably trying to catch a vole and 1 Kestrel hunting over the same field.
A flock of at least 40 Tree sparrows in the hedges leading to Rindle wood.
5 Jays, 1 Treecreeper and 4 Goldfinch in Rindle woods.
2 Buzzards soaring over the potato field.
2 Willow, 8 LT tits and 1 GS Woodpecker in the trees beside the field.
3 juvenile Buzzards around Bedford moss and 1 Swallow over
On the walk back I saw 2 Redwing together with Blackbirds and Mistle thrushes taking berries from the hedges

Too much shooting was going on around the mosses today disturbing the birds as 100`s of woodpigeons were always overhead.

This evening 18.30 - 20.45

3 Grey Partridge in f67
24 Lapwings flocking together and flying between f69 and f67 due to being disturbed by a small biplane out from Barton.
7 Tree Sparrows in the hedges before Rindle wood
1 Barn owl hunting over the small pools on Astley SSSI.
Tawny owl sat in a Birch tree on Bedford moss while another was calling from the railway side of the moss.

Plenty of insects, moths and bats flying around the moss tonight and 5 Hares seen in the potato fields.

Also as I walked back to my car a very large owl flew over me just before I came out on Rindle road, it was too dark to see it properly.Possible SE Owl but not sure.

Hope you find something decent at Spurn Ian

This evening 6pm - 8.45 pm

Finally had two sightings of the Hobby tonight , it only took 16 visits in the last 2 months to find it .

It flew over f67 which panicked the Swallows and Martins and chased them over Rindle road and into f69. I then saw it again later flying over the small pools in Astley SSSI towards the railway.

Field 67, 2 Kestrels hunting , 3 RL Partridge ,2 Grey Partridge ,1 Whitethroat , 4 Tree sparrows ,2 Mallard over
Field 69 ,4 Stock doves and 20 Woodies and this was even with the combine harvester working in the same field.

In the fields between Rindle woods and Astley SSSI there was 4 Kestrels and 2 Buzzards hunting together, the kestrels hovered or perched in the trees before dropping into the fields .As I walked around the edge of the field I must have seen 30+ small black voles in the grass which has been cut very short. Some of the voles were actually fighting or chasing each other around my boots as I stood there.At one point there was 6 Kestrels over the field at the same time.

Astley SSSI , 5 Jays , 1 GS Woodpecker over , 3 Yellowhammers.

Bedford moss , 3 more Buzzards sat in the trees and 21 Canada geese over flying west.

Astley and Bedford moss 6pm-9pm this evening.

Hundreds of Swallows in the fields and on the wires along side Moss lane, it looks like they are getting ready for the trip down South.Not one Swift seen all evening.

2 Kestrels hunting along Nook lane.
1 Little owl at the edge of Rindle woods
2 Buzzards stood in the field of grass beside the woods along with 2 Hares
Astley SSSI was very quiet and too overgrown to walk about much , just 1 Canada goose flying over.
The two Buzzards from the field spent 20 minutes hunting over Bedford moss then joined up in the same tree and started preening.
3 Jays
10+ Tree sparrows in the hedges on the way back to Rindle road.
1 Budgie sat on the telephone wires near the canal bridge , I suppose thats a girlie tick!!!!

Irlam Moss 0730-0830 in very poor weather.

10 yellow wagtails with large no's of pied wagtails (25+) field 22
100+ starling on wires with 18 mistle thrush 20-22
pair blackcap in hedgerow. s end 20
common buzzard 52
2 stock dove over 52

first time birding in the sw of the county apart from the Wheatear, nice to see yellow wags-they are a 'mega' in the east of the county!

15/8/07 early afternoon

8 Yellow Wagtails - 7 in F22, one over F59.
4 Buzzard (at least one juv.) - over F44/51
m Stonechat nr. Messuages Farm
Little Owl by the side of Olive Mt Fm.
c150 House Martins along Rindle Rd/farm
2 Kestrels

I & J McKerchar & I Woosey

I have volunteered to co-ordinate the 10km square SJ78 for the forthcoming BTO Bird Atlas project, so if anyone fancies doing a 'timed tetrad' walk or just submitting 'roving records' - see http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/index.htm - please let me know.

Of course I expect someone else will be co-ordinating other squares such as SJ79 - Steve Suttill will have the details for the Manchester squares

Birdguides reported for morning of 1st August at Irlam Moss

Hobby, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Spotted Fly and a Little Owl

Warfy/Ian thanks for the info and the welcomes - much appreciated.

It seems to be quite a detailed and large map but I am sure that I shall find some way to print and take with me to find all those good sightings.

Regards

Sid A[

Sid, on the home page, click on "County Birding sites and map" and chat/astley moss are at the bottom

And welcome to the forum

Simon

Tuesday 31st July, 1pm-3pm.

Spotted Flycatcher- 1 along 12 yards road, roughly around field 52

Yellow Wagtail- 1 female on 12 yards road (actually on the road!), 5 juveniles (with atleast 3 other unaged birds calling in the field to the south) in the horse paddocks in field 23 showing very well and actually allowing me to photograph them this time, check out the galleries when I've uploaded them)

Whinchat- 1 immature in the horse paddocks in field 23 (also got some nice shots of that too )

I have been to the moss 8 times since my last post and I have still not seen the Hobby.

This morning on Astley moss was a Sparrowhawk over f67 and a Buzzard over Rindle woods.

Chat moss f59 again 2 Oystercatchers and 2 Grey partridge in the waterlogged corner near the signal box.
5 Grey wagtails in f19 , 2 adults and 3 juv.
4 Grey partridge and 2 RL Partridge walking on the edge of 12 Yards road in front of my car before flying into f52.

Astley moss this evening 19.30 to 21.45

2 Whimbrels flying low over the moss calling to each other.
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrels
2 Grey Partridge in f67

Chat moss
1 Barn Owl hunting on the edge of f14 ,it then flew over f12 and made two kills ,the owl ate the first kill and then caught another vole and carried it towards f44.

Thursday 31/05/07

garden warbler @ sj 700932

take new moss road off the road inbetween lower irlam and cadishead, park at the small car park on the left after 500 yards & walk ahead for 300 yards along the woodland trust trail, on os map it's called new moss wood, also 1 grey partridge, c15 common whitethroat, 3 blackcap, song thrush, yellowhammer, jay, 2 willow warbler, 2 chiffchaff

olive mount farm area - 4 corn & 1 reed bunting & 10 yellowhammer

astley peat pools - 4 lrp, 2 rp, 2+ oystercatcher, 3 redshank

-- Edited by EcoBirdRacer at 10:11, 2007-06-01

dave,just the one whimbrel and a couple of spotted flycatchers,both lifers for me if i get to see em ,i,ll call in again tuesday night and keep my eyes peeled

cheers geoff