Mosses

Whooper swans, Little Woolden Moss

It was a nice November weekday so I decided to have a wander over the mosses and have the nosey round Little Woolden Moss I didn't do the other day.

The mistle thrushes at Irlam Station were still fighting a losing battle with a flock of blackbirds over their Himalayan rowan.

Kestrel, Irlam Moss

The flock of chaffinches and goldfinches at the bottom of Astley Road included a few yellowhammers. The tit flocks were smaller, just a few blue and great tits. The flock of pigeons that I've been seeing up near the motorway was down this end for a change, rising up whenever the local kestrel flew by.

Over the motorway and the male stonechat was still in the horse paddock, confusing me a bit as it shared a rail with half a dozen yellowhammers that were drying themselves in the sun after bathing in a puddle.

Halfway to Four Lanes End, at the stables, a flock of a few dozen finches moving North coincided with a large mixed tit flock moving South. Try as I might I couldn't find a brambling or a redpoll amongst the finches or a willow tit in the tit flock though I might have missed something in the melee. Still, a lad can wish.

Starlings, Chat Moss

There was a big (by modern standards) flock of a couple of hundred starlings behind Four Lane Ends. They were accompanied by a pair of mistle thrushes and a few fieldfares.

Little Woolden Moss

There was a small tit flock by the entrance to Little Woolden Moss. Overhead a pair of carrion crows escorted a sparrowhawk off the premises. Three whooper swans were floating about on the nearest pool — Winter's here!

Whooper swans, Little Woolden Moss

A couple of peppermints and a Capri-Sun for lunch and moving on.

Along Moss Road

I turned off onto the path that leads on to Moss Road for a change (and also because my trousers were new on this morning, it had been raining all night and I didn't fancy spending half an hour wading knee-deep in peat). A couple of kestrels were hunting over the fields of turf. As I approached the motorway a flock of a couple of dozen meadow pipits flew into  one of the horse paddocks.

Buzzards, Cadishead Moss

I had a shock when I looked into the first field after the motorway bridge: eleven buzzards feeding on worms over the far end.

I had half an hour's wander round New Moss Wood. It has clouded over and the sun was low in the sky so I was expecting everything to be settling down out of sight ready for roost. A jay, a nuthatch and a great spotted woodpecker were a nice bonus for the afternoon.

Rejoining Moss Road the field across the road was busy with half a dozen pheasants, a couple of mistle thrushes, a few fieldfares and another buzzard. I was obviously making up for not seeing any the other day.

Then through Cadishead to Irlam and off home. Quite a nice afternoon.