Mosses

Blackcap, New Moss Wood

I had thought the garden warbler had moved on at the beginning of the month but it was back this morning. It has more robin-like tones than the blackcap and sings faster than both, trying to get the song over and done with as quickly as possible. 

Grey squirrel, my garden

It's good to see the piebald woodpigeon's still around, too, though I notice the squirrel's not thrilled about it. The pigeon has beak-to-nose staring competitions with the squirrel.

Brimstone on dandelions, New Moss Wood

The weather was set fair, if muggy, so I decided I'd finally get round to starting a walk across the Salford mosses by starting with a wander round New Moss Wood.

Now the leaves are properly out it was hard work finding most of the birds I was hearing. At one point I was boggling at a stand of trees trying to make sense of the competing songs of a wren, a song thrush, a blackcap, a garden warbler and a whitethroat, all in there somewhere. I eventually managed to find the blackcap singing in an alder and the whitethroat in a hawthorn by the ditch but the rest were just noises in the leaves. To add to the unreality, while I was trying to sort this lot out a pair of jays silently flew in front of me.

There were quite a few blackcaps and whitethroats about. I heard a handful of chiffchaffs in the oak trees in the centre of the wood but just the one willow warbler, singing from some young willows at the edge of the wood. It was only when I returned to Moss Road that I realised I hadn't heard or seen any great tits.

The usual peacocks, brimstones and small whites feeding on the flowers along the paths were joined by my first small copper of the year. In this case a very small copper as something had nibbled half of one of its hind wings.

The buzzard that had been flying over Moss Road as I started my walk flew low over the wood and spooked a sparrowhawk, which in turn panicked a small flock of goldfinches.

Kestrel, Cadishead Moss

It was fairly quiet on Cadishead Moss up to the motorway. A few swallows flew round and a small flock of house sparrows flitted in and out of one of the farmhouse hedges. A kestrel sat on one of the telephone lines looking out for any movements in the field of young barley underneath.

It was a bit busier past the motorway. A couple of fields had nesting lapwings and a pair of oystercatchers were doing a bit of courtship displaying. Another buzzard floated over and was promptly set upon by one of the lapwings. Lapwings aren't especially fast but by cracky they're manoeuvrable, some of the wingtip turns made it impossible for the buzzard to avoid all the blows.

Pied wagtail, Little Woolden Moss

Little Woolden Moss makes you work for your rewards. Today it was a male marsh harrier which floated in, upset the lapwings a bit and floated out in the direction of Astley Moss.

I expected more dragonflies in this weather, though I suppose the cool days earlier this week may have postponed the crowd scenes. There were a few female chasers and my first black darter of the year.

For the first time in a while I managed to see both of the curlews instead of just hearing them. They and the lapwings were the only waders today.

Yellow wagtail, Little Woolden Moss

I hadn't seen any yellow wagtails on the fields on the way up so it came as a bit of a relief to find a couple feeding on the bunds at the West end of the reserve. There were a few more feeding in the field of barley by the path to Little Woolden Hall. 

Skylark dustbathing, Little Woolden Moss

I had to stop awhile to let a skylark finish dustbathing on the path. It was in no hurry and didn't seem particularly bothered so long as I kept my distance.

I walked down to Glazebrook, just missing the train home so I nipped back over Glaze Brook and got the 67 from Cadishead.