New Moss Wood

New Moss Wood 

I thought it would be a wise move to spend most of the day listening to the Test Match and go out for a teatime stroll. It was still very warm as I watched the swifts wheeling over the station so I decided against a long walk over the mosses. New Moss Wood had the advantage of lots of shade.

I got off at Irlam and walked through the allotments to New Moss Road. The swifts were wheeling round the rooftops here, too. Woodpigeons and collared doves sang from chimney pots, blackbirds and blackcaps from the railway embankment.

New Moss Wood, along one of the rides

New Moss Wood was in one of its quieter moods, or would have been if the blackcaps didn't have to shout to be heard over a song thrush. The small brown objects flitting between brambles patches were as likely to be wrens as speckled woods. The rides were busy with red admirals, large whites, gatekeepers and commas, the trees busy with mostly silent great tits and blue tits. A garden warbler sang from a stand of alders, the chiffchaffs tended to favour the birch trees and brambles. 

A search for any dragonflies proved fruitless, it was a bit late in the day for them, though I was relieved to find the little pools still had enough water for the usual selection of bugs and midges and, hopefully, dragonfly nymphs in the muddy depths.

New Moss Wood 

Woodpigeons clattered about in the treetops and there was a steady traffic of them overhead as they flew between the fields either side of the wood. The grain was ripening, some test cuts had been made and the woodpigeons and pheasant were picking up the spillage. Swifts and swallows hawked high over the barley fields and lesser black-backs started to drift over to roost.

New Moss Wood 

I wandered back to the station, greenfinches joining the goldfinches singing in the trees by the bridge where an invisible warbler squeaked ambiguously and could have been either chiffchaff or willow warbler. The Merlin app picked up a calling spotted flycatcher which turned out to be my knees.

Sun dog

As I got off the train at Humphrey Park a dozen swifts were swirling overhead and there were sun dogs in the low clouds. I was very glad I hadn't gone on a long walk today.