From Barton Moss - walk along Twelve Yards Road to Little Woolden Moss - then return via a circuit of Croxdens Peat Fields.
Willow Tit x 1 Fieldfare x 2 Redwing x 10 Tree Sparrow x 6 Linnet x 1 Mistle Thrush x 4 Bullfinch x 2 Long Tailed Tit x 5 Wren x 1 Kestrel x 5 sightings Buzzard x 4 sightings Pied Wagtail x 3 Goldfinch x 5 Chaffinch x 70 Woodpigeon x 1000 approximately Magpie x 10 Robin x 7 Blackbird x 10 Carrion Crow x 8 Blue Tit x 3 Great Tit x 2 Pheasant x 1
From Barton Moss - walk along Twelve Yards Road as far as Astley Road - then a circuit of Croxdens
Siskin x 2 Tree Sparrow x 3 Yellowhammer x 3 Bullfinch x 2 Mistle Thrush x 1 Chaffinch x 60 Buzzard x 3 sightings Kestrel x 5 sightings Wren x 1 Blue Tit x 1 Great Tit x 3 Blackbird x 5 Mallard x 10 Carrion Crow x 5 Magpie x 4 Pheasant x 2
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Thursday 16th of November 2017 06:14:07 PM
Day spent around here today; up Astley Road from Irlam, over the motorway, across to Cutnook Lane, onto Twelveyards Road, then onto Little Woolden Moss.
Irlam Moss:
4 goldcrest 45+ goldfinch 17+ linnet 1 greenfinch c25 chaffinch 4 brambling 1 bullfinch 9+ reed bunting 7 meadow pipit 10 pied wagtail 5+ skylark 1 song thrush (first I've noted for a couple of months) 8 mistle thrush 33 stock dove 1 -3 sparrowhawk 2 kestrel 4 buzzard
Little Woolden Moss:
6 lesser redpoll 2 bullfinch 2 reed bunting 19 pink-footed geese circling over 13 whooper swan (peat works end; thanks to Dave Stewart for putting me onto these) 35+ lapwing 1 snipe over 1 merlin 1 kestrel
Had a very brief visit yesterday afternoon, got close views of a female sparrowhawk. A male sparrowhawk later was chased by 4 crows eastwards away from the site.
Also saw a kestrel hunting, several skylark, a couple of reed bunting, 3 buzzard. Need time for a longer visit!
A pleasant walk along Moss Lane to edge of Lower Woolden Moss
Pink footed Geese - 250 in 2 skeins came off fields & flew west Skylark - ca100 restless flock around fields Fieldfare - 10 Redwing - several flocks of between 20 - 50 Mistle Thrush - 2 Pied Wagtails - 6 Stonechat - pair Linnets - 50 Reed Bunting 6 Tree Sparrow - several heard & seen among House Sparrows by farm
Little Woolden Moss - last hour of daylight 16.15-17.15
1 Stonechat (male) along main path 1 Buzzard 1 Kestrel c50 Pink-footed Geese in 2 skiens at 17.10. (22 heading E, c.38 heading W) covey of 14 Grey Partridge just off reserve
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Sunday 29th of October 2017 08:04:42 PM
Little Woolston Moss 7-11.30 with Dave Steel
Corn Bunting 1
Pink Footed Geese 360
Tree Sparrow 20+
Siskin 4
Lesser Redpoll 2
Skylark 120+
Buzzard 7
Redwing 45
Yellowhammer 5
Of note- the peat extraction has finished on LWM and remedial work is being done to retain water on that area where extraction had been continuing till last week.
A Rock/Water Pipit flew fairly low over the old feeding station track (having come from the direction of the east side of Rindle Road) calling several times and headed west just over tree height over Rindle Wood but no further sign including in the fields beyond. A very odd sighting indeed!?
170 Starling in one flock feeding in fields
440 Woodpigeon in one flock in fields behind Rindle Wood
A total of 109 Grey Partridge (releases for shooting) in two coveys, with 31 in fields behind Rindle Wood and 78 in field 67; and a very wary pair in field 69 were much more likely to be local wild birds
7 Buzzards up in the immediate area
In the big hedge by Rindle Wood were:
29 Yellowhammer
26 Redwing
19 Greenfinch
16 Tree Sparrow
70 Goldfinch (mobile flock around the fields mainly)
4 Lesser Redpoll
Plenty of Chaffinch
9 Jay were in a single flock feeding on acorns along Moss Lane