Afternoon stroll down Barton Moss Road - turn left up Twelve Yards Road - Right To Manor Farm - back to Twelve Yards Road - next right to Croxden Peat Fields - and return.
Chiffchaff x 1 seen in woods (Black Wood) between fields 7 and 45 Goldcrest x 1 (seen in same woods as above) Bird of prey unable to positively identify - could have been Marsh Harrier - heading north over Croxden Peat Fields at 15:30 hrs. Lapwing x 50 plus (spread over a large number of different fields) Oystercatcher x 1 Reed Bunting x 3 Charm of Goldfinch x 100 Woodpigeon x 300 Buzzard x 2 Kestrel x 1 Starling x 80 Chaffinch x 150 Fieldfare x 1 House Sparrow x 1 Grey Heron x 1 Black-Headed Gull x 20 Wren x 1 Mute Swan x 2 Great Tit x 3 Blue Tit x 2 Robin x 5 Blackbird x 4 Mallard x 7 Pheasant x 3
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Thursday 22nd of March 2018 11:41:30 PM
Irlam Moss 8 Brambling with c60 Chaffinch in field 25,
22 Brambling counted with c200 Chaffinch in fields 4/5 c50 Goldfinch and 10 Reed Bunting in field 5
Barton Moss 2 Grey Partridge, 19 Fieldfare, 1 Tree Sparrow, flock of 10 Skylark
-- Edited by dave broome on Tuesday 20th of March 2018 07:26:59 PM
Still 78 Brambling in Rindle Wood late morning today (counted from Rindle Road whilst they were sat in tree tops) with c140 Chaffinch. A little later they all dropped into the field in-between the wood and Rindle Road to feed but were very skittish and must be viewed from Rindle Road (with a telescope) if they are feeding in the field as walking through Rindle Wood will only disturb them.
Popped down to Rindle to have a look for the Brambling and wasn't disapointed. Didn't do a count but there was plenty of Brambling in the massive Chaffinch flock around Rindle Woods and nearby fields,some of the males not far off full sum plum.The Chaffinch flock was massive and must number in excess of 700 birds.Also a Curlew flew over and a Skylark was singing.
A superb 167 Brambling were around Rindle, Astley Moss early afternoon today. A few small flocks were in the tops of the trees in Rindle Wood but a much larger single flock of 110 was feeding in field 67 along with Chaffinches though the Brambling seemed to keep themselves in their own flock most of the time. Most of the birds from Rindle Wood eventually seemed to fly across Rindle Road to join the main flock though.
Unfortunately, a report later in the afternoon of a birdwatcher trespassing into field 67 causing the flock to disperse was extremely disappointing to say the least and such selfish actions cannot be excused.
Large crop field at very western end of Moss lane held c. 200 Fieldfare and 4 Mistle Thrush this afternoon. Ploughed field South of Moss lane had c.20 Rook in with c.200 Jackdaw and 26 Stock Dove.
1 Ruff 1 Redshank (both Ruff and Redshank associating together - intially south of the bridge at Great Woolden Hall then both flew to the flooded area north of the bridge) 2 Oystercatcher 1 Snipe 40+ Teal 20+ Mallard 50+ Canada Geese 20+ Meadow Pipit 1 Grey Wagtail 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Buzzard 8 Stock Dove with Woodpigeon flock lots of Fieldfare, Redwing, Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes
Cadishead Moss:
Large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing in many of the fields plus many Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes and a few Blackbirds amongst them. Estimated numbers: 350+Fieldfare, 300+ Redwing 50+ Song Thrush, 30+ Mistle Thrush. 15 Linnet 150+ Black-headed Gull 3 Herring Gull 50+ Lapwing 2 Grey Partridge 4 Kestrel 1 Buzzard 200+ Woodpigeon 10+ Stock Dove 2 Greeenfinch 1 Goldfinch 40+ Magpie
37 Rook (though probably many more in a large corvid flock along the northern edge of the SSSI which were too far away for binoculars to pick through)
700 Jackdaw
Rindle Road
c180 Chaffinch feeding in the roadside field by the pigeon coup at Rindle Cottage
3 Brambling in the above flock, though probably more but due to a lack of time to work through them and their very flighty behaviour to and from the field and trees by the pigeon coup I couldn't find them
2 Grey Partridge along the old feeding station track off Rindle Road
c200 Chaffinch still around Rindle Hedge off Rindle Wood though mobile. Contained at least two Brambling, one of which was a practically full breeding plumaged male.
Large flock of finches along the northern edge of Astley Moss SSSI dropping into the stubble field there viewed from Moss Lane but too distant.
73 Rook, with a large Jackdaw flock but very odd how this usually very scarce bird in this area (14 back in late January this year being my largest ever flock) has now reached these numbers
Rindle area, Astley Moss:
23 Skylark (f69)
c280 Chaffinch feeding on the large manure pile (which is actually maize waste from Kelloggs mixed with horse manure) at the end of Rindle Hedge)
3 very handsome male Bramblings, could have been more bu the flock was very flightly and difficult to work through
Cadishead Moss: Kestrel x 2 Song Thrush x 1 Mistle Thrush x 3 Greenfinch x 2 House Sparrow x 7 Chaffinch x 30 Goldfinch x 7 Blue Tit x 5 Great Tit x 3 Blackbird x 8 Woodpigeon x 14 Robin x 4 Carrion Crow x 3 Collared Dove x 2 Pied Wagtail x 3 Lapwing x 6 Starling x 150 Pheasant x 10 Magpie x 5 Mallard x 1 Black-Headed Gull x 7
Great Woolden Moss: Buzzard x 1 Tree Sparrow x 5 Lapwing x 12 Goldfinch x 9 Long Tailed Tit x 3 Chaffinch x 10 Great Tit x 3 Blackbird x 5 Blue Tit x 2 Carrion Crow x 4 Woodpigeon x 23 Starling x 5 Pheasant x 1 Mallard x 3
Little Woolden Moss: Yellowhammer x 1 Reed Bunting x 2 Carrion Crow x 4 Canada Goose x 2 Song Thrush x 1 Robin x 4 Blue Tit x 3 Chaffinch x 10 Blackbird x 1
Chat Moss: Raven x 1 Fieldfare x 10 Redwing x 20 Lapwing x 30 Buzzard x 1 Bullfinch x 1 Song Thrush x 1 Chaffinch x 300 Woodpigeon x 30 Long Tailed Tit x 5 Robin x 5 Jackdaw x 150 Starling x 100 Carrion Crow x 60 Reed Bunting x 1 House Sparrow x 1 Peacock x 1 Cormorant x 1 Pied Wagtail x 1 Goldfinch x 50
Astley Moss/Rindle Road: Grey Heron x 1 Cormorant x 1 Chaffinch x 30 Robin x 5 Woodpigeon x 20 Mallard x 4 Reed Bunting x 1 Blue Tit x 5 Great Tit x 4 Pied Wagtail x 2 Starling x 100
Barton Moss: Buzzard x 1 Kestrel x 1 Yellowhammer x 1 Redwing x 10 Collared Dove x 2 Mistle Thrush x 2 Wren x 1 Grey Heron x 1 Goldfinch x 10 Woodpigeon x 200 Jackdaw x 100 Lapwing x 4 Magpie x 17 Chaffinch x 20 Robin x 4