New Moss Wood

Blue tit

No two days are the same lately. Today was cool and grey and the wind had a cutting edge. Still a bit weary after yesterday's efforts I belayed the ambitious plans for today and had a gentle toddle round New Moss Wood.

I got the train to Irlam and walked past the allotments to Moss Road. Despite the weather robins, starlings and goldfinches were singing in the gardens and rooftops. The path through the allotment was busy with blackbirds and a song thrush sang from the railway embankment.

There was a short detour as I had a nosy down the old access road for the junction with the abandoned Wigan to Stockport line. The hedgerows were busy with great tits, chaffinches and robins. The Rowson Drive playing field was busy with black-headed gulls and magpies.

I returned to Moss Road and walked up to New Moss Wood. Robins and woodpigeons sang in the trees of the gardens I passed and every bush seemed to have a singing goldfinch and a mob of house sparrows.

Going into New Moss Wood 

New Moss Wood 

The wood, in contrast, was fairly quiet. There were plenty of birds but not many of them were singing. Wrens, robins and great tits expressed their objections to my passing by. Dunnocks watched me from log piles. Jays and pheasants silently glided across rides and disappeared into the trees. Even the magpies and woodpigeons went about their business quietly.

A lot of thinning out

The Woodland Trust has been doing a lot of thinning out of the trees. By the looks of it there was some significant help and/or hinderance by Winter storms. It was particularly noticeable in the centre of the wood where the transition from the trees to the open rides felt less abrupt. It'll be interesting to see how or if it makes a difference to the Summer migrant birds.

The central ride

I played leapfrog down the central ride with a mixed flock of about a dozen each of blue tits and great tits. Although they were acting as a flock they were moving about through the trees in pairs. Great tits en masse demonstrate a wide range of vocalisations — if you ever hear an unfamiliar small bird sound in woodland the odds are it'll be a great tit. One of these had a classic metallic hammer on anvil call. Another had evidently heard an oystercatcher some time. Yet another sounded like somebody tapping a brass plate with a pencil. There was also a varied selection of squeaks, chips and churrs.

The dragonfly pools looked cold and dark

New Moss Wood 

A song thrush was singing in a willow by the car park as I emerged into Moss Road. More blue tits and goldfinches bounced through the bushes and a flock of chaffinches flew out of the wood and over to the poplars on Astley Road.

Moss Road looking over to Astley Road

As I walked back past the allotments the hedgerows were busy with blackbirds and song thrushes though I couldn't see much in the way of berries that might be attracting crowds. A couple of greenfinches joined the songscape. I was glad to get on the bus and out of the wind.