7th Feb A Curlew flew in to Little Woolden Moss reserve. Other birds in the vicinity included 2 Marsh Harrier and a lone Goldcrest at the reserve entrance. Pink-Footed Geese were briefly audible in the direction of Irlam
Hopefully to close the Thread/Not Thread posted by Steve Nelson on Saturday wrt Pink-Footed Geese Decoys on FN56 (Little Woolden Moss)
...well you live and learn....
Had a chat to the Farmer who had planted the Winter Barley on this section of FN56 and to my surprise he HAD asked someone to investigate with a view to
scaring off Pink-Footed Geese on his land on Saturday...
It transpires that later last week he had noted up to 500 PFG feeding on the Barley and later discovered that they had eaten about 3 acres worth...I pointed out that in
the past when this has occurred on Chat Moss (winter wheat) that farmer was more sanguine about such occasional occurrences as his crop eventually recovered---now although he agreed this to be true he stated that the crop is set back too much to suit his harvesting operations on his fields as he purposely sows both winter and spring barley...the former REALLY helpful to Lapwing Breeding the latter great for Yellow Wagtail Breeding (and also in winter giving much needed stubble before he ploughs it)....I still maintain that he has no intention of allowing PFG hunting on his land rather that if he feels it necessary he will bring in occasional measures to scare them off....
Not sure if this is one of those Thread Topics that Ian would prefer to run WRT the Pink-Footed Geese Question raised by Steve Nelson but...
The Farmers on Little Woolden Moss do not encourage Shooting on their land unless something has changed since last week when I was talking to one of them??????
There are exceptions to this though but these are restricted to...
1 Woodpigeon Shooting when the crops are ripe...the shooting carried out as and when the Farmers deemed it necessary to 'protect their labours'
2 There is a small Shoot who have a few pheasant feeders dotted about---but these few 'only' shoot' on I believe Boxing Day....the Farmer does NOT allow them to shoot
Grey Partridge or Snipe
3 on the Cheshire Side if the Pink-Footed Geese take to the Farmers Fields there the farmers have used 'Bird Scaring Devices' but I haven't heard these in fairly recent times as to whether they on the Cheshire side may shoot them....well I haven't witnessed this myself.
To sum up I believe that the LWM Farmers have no need/desire to have Pink-Footed Geese Shot on their land BUT I will check tomorrow.
9 Shoveler - 7m, 2f 5 Teal 24 Mallard c600+ Pink-footed Geese - c450+ in fields plus c150+ over 1 Little Egret 5 Snipe 27 Lapwing 1 Black Grouse - male in flight 2 Grey Partridge 2 Marsh Harrier - females 5 Buzzard - including 1 pair in display flight and 2 birds mewing to each other 2 Sparrowhawk - both female 3 Kestrel 3 Stonechat 20 Lesser Redpoll - feeding flock showed well on the ground c130+ Linnet 8 Skylark - 3 in song flight 2 Bullfinch 1 Great Black-backed Gull 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull 9 Herring Gull 80+ Black-headed Gull 12 Stock Dove 7 Reed Bunting - 2 males singing
Of concern however in the last field at the end Moss Lane immediately north of LWM NR, 4 very realistic looking plastic or wooden Pink-feet or Greylag Geese shaped lures planted in the field and 2 blokes hiding in the hedge along the edge of the reserve. I couldnt see any guns but worrying as a public footpath is nearby as well as concerning that they are potentially shooting geese. Fortunately no geese were attracted and no shooting was heard. Is this legal? Pics attached of lures.
Little Woolden Moss LWTNR - once again extremely quiet but there were 3 Mallard on the eastern pools
Teal 19 - on the Glaze visible from the bridge
Little Grebe 1 - on the Glaze next to the Teal
Great Black-backed Gull 16 (2 immature) - Chat Moss on the bit of field 65 near to field 14 - also 1 immature Herring Gull & several Black-headed Gull
Pink-footed Geese - approx 300-400 - on field 5 (reminded myself why I don't drive along that bit of 12 Yards Road) and then in the air heading generally west except for 13
I presume I spooked then by getting out of the car and part way through the trees without even getting to the edge of the field and with me still 150-200m away - which was interesting considering I was within 6ft of one a couple of weeks ago that was quite happy with me being that near (but it was amongst Canada Geese)
-- Edited by Michael Hood on Friday 2nd of February 2024 04:19:54 PM
1 Peregrine...chasing Teal which escaped by 'splashing down' into the Glaze---Peregrine then circled over me--found me to be a tad large for a prey Item and flew off east!
On the eastern end of LWTNR nothing, not even a Mallard - unless you count Crows & Wood Pigeons.
Kestrel M, in the trees between fields 19 &20
Stock Doves (<10) in Field 52
Buzzard in tree next to Twelve Yards Road until it flew away (field 14) - nice close view
Fieldfares in field 2 (>50 when I drove in but only approx 20 when I drove out)
Redwing, a few in with the Fieldfares
Pink-footed geese - probably - flock (100-200) flying around somewhere near the easternmost bit of Twelve Yards Road seen from next to field 2 but not a good enough view to positively identify
And one lost spotting scope - see temporary thread in For sale/wanted.
-- Edited by Michael Hood on Sunday 28th of January 2024 08:36:41 PM
1 Black Grouse - male in flight 1 Merlin - male hunting 1 Sparrowhawk - female with prey 3 Kestrel 3 Buzzard - including 2 mewing to each other c140 Pink-footed Geese - flocks of c40 + c100 landed on farmland on LWM 1 Greylag over 2 Canada Geese over c70 Fieldfare 10 Siskin c40 Skylark - including 5 in display song flight c60 Reed Bunting 8 Grey Partridge 3 Snipe 7 Great Black-backed Gull - bathing in pools 1 Teal 2 Yellowhammer c90 Linnet
all above flushed by a Dog Walker who freely wandered this field whilst he was on his phone the whole time completely unaware/uncaring about the disturbance caused to these birds...no permission to roam this field by the way...to say I despair would be an understatement....
20 Great Black-Backed Gull...resting before flying off North @ 1212
3 Herring Gull
11 Lesser Redpoll
3 Woodcock
2 Peregrine
12 Lapwing
...and the joyous sighting of yet more Dog walkers with multiple dogs moving even deeper in the very last refuges of our beleaguered birds on the moss....the end is nigh for our wildlife...ahh well...we could all sit at home watching Attenborough and the plenitudinous wildlife still remaining in the rest of the world...Oh wait a minute isn't
Yesterday: 1 Gadwall 20 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Herring Gull and a large group of Black headed Gulls loafing and bathing in flooded pools. Plus 1 very brief sighting of a pale brownish gull overhead heading east with pale primaries that hinted of juv Iceland Gull but due to trees obscuring my view I couldnt get enough on it to be sure.
Today: 1 Black Grouse - male in flight 1 Merlin - male sat on fence post 1 Marsh Harrier - female 1 Sparrowhawk- female 3 Kestrel 1 Buzzard 1 Little Egret 3 Stonechat 3 Snipe - 2 flushed by Marsh Harrier 2 Grey Partridge 1 Greylag Goose c750 Pink-footed Geese. c700+ in f52 plus c50 overhead (c30 + 18 + 2) c40 Linnet 60+ Reed Bunting 5 Skylark 5 Bullfinch 2 Lapwing 4 Cormorant over