All partied out , woke to a sunny morning with Redwings, Fieldfares and Rooks in the Dawn Redwood at the bottom of the garden and loads of Tree Sparrows on the feeders. Prezzies opened, breakfast in bed and then a good long walk round the Winwick area and Highfield Moss with Em. Highlights were: a female Merlin( hunting the field behind the house and coming really close); 550 Fieldfares feeding on stubbles, 350 Skylarks and 120 Meadow Pipits feeding in brassica crops (all adjacent to Highfield Moss); 9 Grey Partridges, 2 Corn Buntings and 7 Yellowhammers (all along Barrow Lane). Then back home to bung Christmas dinner in the oven and chill. Happy Christmas to one and all

Cheers David

Yesterday between 2.00pm and 3.30pm

1 Peregrine (flying East)
60+ Fieldfare
10+ Redwing
40+ Pink Footed Goose (over flying)
3 Tree sparrow
20 Linnet
5 Long Tailed Tit
1 Buzzard

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 26th of November 2014 06:33:12 PM

The maize field to the north of the line has now been cropped and this morning it held loads of birds. Good numbers of Corvids and a sizeable flock of Starlings plus quite a few mixed Finches, Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings kept me busy for a while. Unfortunately I could find nothing unusual in amongst them.

Elsewhere it was fairly quiet apart from a bit of overhead passage from mostly Starlings but also some Redwings and Fieldfares.

43 Skylarks
1 Kestrel
c30 Redwings through west.
9 Chaffinches
17 Meadow Pipits
5 Goldfinches
7 Greenfinches
7 Yellowhammers
17 Reed Buntings
1 Song Thrush
1 Buzzard
1 Goldcrest
1 Jay
33 Fieldfare through west
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Sparrowhawk

Quite windy on the moss this morning and so it was pretty quiet really.

13 Skylarks moving through southwards.
4 Yellowhammers
1 Mistle Thrush
4 Chaffinches
1 Stonechat - a first winter male on the gorse near the pond.
7 Meadow Pipits moving through in one flock.
1 Kestrel
2 Buzzards
1 Goldfinch
17 Pink-footed Geese through west.

Apart from the overhead passage it was fairly quiet in and around the moss this morning. That said, there were still one or two good birds to be found. A late Chiffchaff was singing in the big hedge to the north of the line and was still there two hours later when I came back that way. Also, a female Stonechat was fly catching on the edge of the maize field and was still there on my return too. On the southern edge of the moss a tit flock held a Coal Tit which was only my third ever record of one down here and three Fieldfares flying through south were my first of the autumn.

1 Mistle Thrush
1 Kestrel
4 Jays
1 Chiffchaff
14 Meadow Pipits through south.
41 Skylarks through south.
1 Stonechat - female.
1 Buzzard
4 Yellowhammers
c50 Pink-footed Geese over west.
4 Goldfinches
4 Reed Buntings
8 Linnets
2 Greenfinches
1 Coal Tit with mixed tit flock.
3 Fieldfares through south.
4 Chaffinches

Today was a red letter day as I finally scored my bogey bird of a Barn Owl. I've been looking for Barn Owls down on here for a good few years without any success despite knowing that they breed not too far away. As I looped back around the footpath at the western end I passed by a large copse of trees and inadvertently flushed the bird from less than 20 yards away. It came straight out at me and drifted off over the embankment and out of sight. To say I was made up is an understatement!

Migration was a bit down on yesterday with hardly any Meadow Pipits moving through and only a handful of Swallows. The field to the north of the line though held good numbers of birds with a large flock of Linnets and a good number of Pied Wagtails as well as around 120 Black-headed gulls, 20 Lesser Black-backed gulls and a single Common Gull. Other birds of note around the moss were a single Snipe and a Golden Plover.

9 Meadow Pipits
8 Goldfinches through south.
7 Reed Buntings
2 Chaffinches
9 Yellowhammers - mostly juvs.
2 Grey Wagtails through south.
2 Kestrels - one adult and a juv.
1 Jay
1 Barn Owl
1 Goldcrest
19 Pied Wagtails
c70 Linnets on ploughed field.
11 Skylarks through south.
1 Snipe through west.
1 Song Thrush
1 Golden Plover through north then east.
2 Tree Sparrows
9 Grey Partridges - 7 juvs.

Meadow Pipits were trickling through southwards this morning during my visit and a sure sign that birds are on the move. Otherwise, pretty much quiet like yesterday with small pockets of activity.

c25 Meadow Pipits
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Skylark - through southwards.
2 Buzzards
2 Jays
1 Sparrowhawk - female.
3 Reed Buntings
2 Grey Wagtails - through southwards.
1 Kestrel
1 Yellowhammer
1 Whitethroat
1 Willow Tit

Calmer conditions this morning and so there was a bit more activity around.

c25 Linnets in one flock moving about around the stubble.
1 Kestrel
3 Pied Wagtails over north.
1 Willow Tit
3 Yellowhammers
3 Whitethroats
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Meadow Pipits
5 Reed Buntings
3 Willow Warblers
8 Goldfinches
2 Jays
1 Chiffchaff
2 Buzzards
c20 Tree Sparrows in same location as previous.
2 Chaffinches

First visit down here for over a month. It was fairly quiet but there were a few little pockets of activity. Three Chiffchaffs were in the big hedge to the north of the line, with two more elsewhere on the moss. To my knowledge this is the largest count of Chiffchaffs I've had down there. Also, I had a possible female Pied Flycatcher. I got a very brief view of it as it flit from a bush on the eastern side by the airstrip but I was unable to relocate it to confirm it.

3 Buzzards
5 Chiffchaffs
4 Whitethroats
1 Yellowhammer
2 Linnets
2 Kestrels
1 Goldfinch
1 Reed Bunting
2 Jays
2 Chaffinches
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Grey Partridges

A good mooch round this morning with conditions more favourable than the last couple of days. Loads of activity and plenty of juvenile birds around.

c40 Lapwings in the cropped field by the maize field.
13 Whitethroats - mostly juveniles.
5 Skylarks
1 Greenfinch
7 Linnets
9 Goldfinches - all juvs.
7 Reed Buntings
5 Yellowhammers
2 Oystercatchers
2 Chaffinches
13 Meadow Pipits - five juvs
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - juv
5 Willow Warblers
5 Mallards - all juvs
18 Mistle Thrushes - all feeding together on the airstrip. Probably several family parties.
2 Song Thrushes
2 Tree Sparrows.

Quick visit this pm was passing with a bit of time to spare
Corn bunting just beyond farm, 5 yellowhammer,3 goldfinch,kestrel,several reed bunting,swift and swallow darting about,lapwing,mistle thrush,wood pigeon,carrion crow, will definitely return with more time to spend exploring the area.

Steve Judge wrote:

---

Hi Gary - which Highfield Farm are you referring to? On map I have just looked at there are two farms with that name in that area. Is this one to the north or south of the railway line?

---

The Highfield farm to the south is actually within St Helens and so out of county.

Hi Gary - which Highfield Farm are you referring to? On map I have just looked at there are two farms with that name in that area. Is this one to the north or south of the railway line?

Quick hour this teatime, First visit to this site considering it's not very far from my house.

1 corn bunting
4 yellowhammer, 2 pairs
3 skylark
2 meadow pipit
2 common whitethroat
2 male wheatears
Could hear a blackcap singing, as was quite a few willow warbler's
3 linnet
2 buzzards
3 lapwings
1 kestrel
2 chiffchaff

Will definitely be coming back

First time on this site - even though quite local patch. It did not disappoint. Will be back!!!
Buzzard
Kestrel
Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer
Whitethroat
Blackbird
Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Think I saw Corn Bunting. Not 100% sure. What is best area to spot Corn Bunting on this patch?
Is the air strip still in use?

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 19th of May 2014 06:22:23 PM

Beautiful morning on the moss today. Plenty of activity all over.

1 Corn Bunting
4 Cormorants over westwards.
6 Whitethroats
8 Lapwings including two fledglings.
1 Oystercatcher
1 Sedge Warbler
6 Chaffinches
9 Skylarks
7 Willow Warblers
8 Yellowhammers
7 Reed Buntings
6 Meadow Pipits
1 Blackcap
1 Bullfinch - male
3 Tree Sparrows
1 Song Thrush
2 Goldfinches
4 Linnets

Also, nice to meet fellow Manchester birder Mark Burgess who was on a mission to catch up with a Corn Bunting.

Early morning blaze around the moss. Seven Wheatears on the ploughed field to the north of the line plus an Oystercatcher. The Corn Bunting present in the usual area too.

A pleasant stroll around the moss this evening in dry conditions (for the first time today).

The Sedge Warbler was still present in the same area as previously along with a Corn Bunting too. Four Greenland type Wheatears (3f, 1m) were in the ploughed field near the line as was a single Oystercatcher. Several Whitethroats and Willow Warblers and a Blackcap were around the moss along with all the other usuals.

PM-Same area as yesterdays Whinchat
Wheatear-1 Female
Oystercatcher-2
Whitethroat-1
Yellowhammer-2
Corn Bunting-1

The two Whinchat were in the rape field to the right of the track, still there when we left around 11.30am, also 1 Corn Bunting, 6 Yellowhammer, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Sedge Warbler and 2 Tree Sparrow.

Another good morning down on the moss today. Two female Whinchats present along the path down to the railway line were good to see. Also here was a Sedge Warbler 'scratching' away in a nearby bush and to top it off two Yellow Wagtails on the adjacent ploughed field.

All the other usuals present too.

12.30 - 1.30pm walking back from work on Kenyon Hall Farm

4x Yellow Wagtail
2x Linnet
8x Yellowhammer
10x Reed Bunting
3x Meadow Pipit
10x Tree Sparrow
4x Willow Warbler
1x Common Whitethroat heard only
5x Buzzard


Also 1 Corn Bunting singing for over half an hour from top of tree seen from Asparagus field opposite Kenyon Hall Farm (this probably in Cheshire)

Had a site mega this morning in the shape of a cracking male Ring Ouzel.

After the overnight rain I had a brief window of opportunity to get on the moss this morning before errands beckoned. Walking along the embankment I quickly found my first Whitethroat of the year skulking in a small tree. A little further on I heard three sharp 'chacks' which drew my attention. Immediately a blackbird with silvery wings flew from some gorse and across to the trees on the southern edge of the moss. I got my bins on it and immediately saw it was a stonking male Ring Ouzel. It then dropped to the ground and disappeared.

I continued on and picked up a male Wheatear on the gorse before moving onto the airstrip on the eastern side. Here I re-located the Ring Ouzel as it was happily feeding with a couple of Blackbirds. I managed a couple of iPhone digi-binned shots of it before it flushed again to the moss whereby I couldn't relocate it again.

There was no sign of the two Whinchats from Thursday.

Perhaps dawdle a little more slowly in future Paul