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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> GREATER MANCHESTER BIRD SIGHTINGS -> Mossley
Post Info TOPIC: Mossley
Alan Turner


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RE: Mossley
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16:55. Red Kite over Mossley Rd., beyond Golf Course, approaching Top Mosley.



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Steve Suttill


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Great Spotted Woodpeckers have bred successfully in trees by canal.
Juvenile was peering out of nest hole on Thursday evening.
This morning one was out of nest being fed juicy grubs by the adult male.

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Steve Suttill


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Late visit to BBS square (Top Mossley/Hartshead Pike) this morning:

10 Lapwing + some juveniles - welcome upturn in their fortunes after several years of decline.
Just one Skylark, but a flyover Buzzard was a new survey tick.
Good numbers of Willow Warbler but Chiffchaffs seem to have moved on.

Just after finishing the second transect a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling from a rushy field just north of Lane End Farm.

-- Edited by Steve Suttill on Wednesday 31st of May 2017 02:49:02 PM

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Steve Suttill


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Dippers fledged from nest on canal earlier this week. Two fledglings were perched on a waterside stone ledge on Tuesday evening and were still there the next morning. They were gone from the ledge today - hopefully somewhere safe.

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Steve Suttill


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Moor Edge Lane this morning (7.30 - 8.30) cold and windy

6 pairs of Lapwing in usual field.
2 pairs of Swallows at the farm.
Pair Linnet, 3 Mistle Thrush + Meadow Pipits and Wrens.


Puddle Clay Pits (17.45 - 18.15)

went to see if Sedge Warblers had returned but, drawing a blank, went to check out a Canada Goose nest where the female was incubating 12 days ago. Much to my surprise, the nest was occupied by a female Mallard brooding eight ducklings! It's definitely a Canada nest (exposed and lined with pale grey feathers) so can only assume the Canada's clutch was lost (a nest nearby was predated last year) and it provided an nice comfortable place for the Mallard to brood her youngsters. Did, for a moment, wonder if the Canada Goose had been incubating the Mallard eggs - but surely not?

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Steve Suttill


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Moor Edge Lane this morning (7.30 - 8.30) in glorious spring weather (unlike when I met David Walsh here on Good Friday!)

6 pairs of Lapwing in usual field - not tolerating presence of Pheasants near their nests.
1 female Wheatear.
Pair of Swallows back at the farm.
Meadow Pipits and Wrens as expected.



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Garry Chesters


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Bottom Mossley......Tollemache area,around 11:30 am 2 swallows flying over the river Tame and surrounding fields.

My first of the year,but no Martin's as of yet.

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Steve Suttill


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Early visit to BBS square (Top Mossley/Hartshead Pike) this morning (my 20th year of covering this site for BBS!):

5 Lapwing, hopefully signifying an upturn for them.
No Skylarks, and the Swallows haven't returned to either farm yet. Meadow Pipits a-plenty though.
One Willow Warbler and two Chiffchaffs singing.
Best of all - my first Wheatear of the year - and a female to boot (don't think I've ever seen a female before a male).


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Steve Suttill


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Another soggy trudge along the moor edge this afternoon.

17 Lapwings in fields below Noonsun Hill - 3 or 4 sitting.
Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting singing.
A few Linnets, and not much else...

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Steve Suttill


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Spring seems to have gone! Cold and increasingly wet as the day went on cry

Noonsun Hill: 1 Curlew and 6 Red Grouse

Fields below hill: 4 pairs Lapwing and numerous Pheasants.

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Steve Suttill


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Walk along moor edge from Millbrook to Greenfield and back.

Buzzard, 2 Ravens and 2 Kestrels at Buckton Castle raptor watchpoint,
Little Owl in old quarry at Noonsun Hill,
4 pairs Lapwing in their favourite field - mostly hunkered down sheltering from the wind behind molehills, but getting up for the occasional display flight
Spring IS here!

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Steve Suttill


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c60 Pink-footed Geese heading East at 09.00 this morning.

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Steve Suttill


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Around 20 Redwing early this morning on Heron Lane, flushed from a roost in Himalayan Balsam, they flew up into adjacent Larches. Also 14+ Bullfinch.

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Steve Suttill


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First decent stroll round the neighbourhood for a couple of weeks, due to knackered knee - may be some time before moorland mooching is back on the agenda cry

Several Chiffchaff still around the valley (including one singing).
Dipper (with metal ring) at Wrights Mill on the river.
Female Sparrowhawk mobbed by Crows and Jackdaws.
Numerous Jays.
No Redwings or Fieldfares yet - just Song and Mistle Thrushes which are probably locals.

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Roger Baker 3


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Hi John ... a friend told me about a Ring-neck parakeet being in a tree on the Stamford Arms car-park at Heyheads around 3 month ago.

Roger.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Monday 5th of September 2016 08:37:01 PM

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JSPALDING


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5 Ring-necked parakeets, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk over Stamford Golf Course this morning.



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Steve Suttill


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Extended walk from Mossley, via Buckton Castle, across the moor to Alphin Pike:

Flyovers of Peregrine and Buzzard on the moor, otherwise the usual fare of Red Grouse, Meadow Pipits, Skylark and Wren, plus a singing Reed Bunting and a family party of Mistle Thrushes.

Descending Alphin to Greenfield, three juvenile Stonechat was a pleasant surprise. Lapwings in the fields seem to have raised very few young this year though they were tolerating the Pheasant in their field today.



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Steve Suttill


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Woken early this morning - Jackdaws much noiser than normal as young had fledged.

Late morning walk along the moor edge from Micklehurst Cricket Club to Greenfield border:

Lapwings noted nesting in late April had been wiped out (apart from one brood) by farming operations but most seem to have relaid. At least 12 birds were calling frantically and diving at some unseen predator as I approached their field. When I got closer, it transpired that the object of their annoyance was a pair of Pheasant in the field. Most of the aerial onslaught seemed to be directed at the male (who wasn't taking the slightest bit of notice!).

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Steve Suttill


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Steve Suttill wrote:


On the river, I seem to have found a bigamous male Dipper (identified by a metal ring) which has one mate in Mossley and another upstream in Greenfield. Will follow progress...




Have recently found a Dipper nest at a new site. Regular observations strongly suggest that a single mum is doing all the feeding of the young but seems to be coping. The ringed male seems to be devoting his attention to his other mate up the river.

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David Walsh


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Thursday 19th May 2016, 12.30pm

Blackcap singing in the vegetation next to the railway, behind Mossley Home Improvement Centre, Manchester Road.

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David Walsh


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Several fire engines engines just gone up Huddersfield Road, Stalybridge. Looks to be a fire raging on the moors around Harehill or the Alphin area, from the view out of our attic.

One consolation may be the wind, which is still coming from the north and east, which will hopefully contain the blaze around the moorland fringes.

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John Everett


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7.10pm - 2 swifts over Mossley Railway Station. My first of the year.



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Steve Suttill


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Late morning walk along the moor edge from Micklehurst Cricket Club to Greenfield border:

Little Owl
2 pairs Wheatear
5 pairs Lapwing
1 Twite - first I've seen in this area for almost twenty years!

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Steve Suttill


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Four singing Willow Warblers on Heron Lane this morning and only one Chiffchaff. Seems to happen every year - as soon as the Willow Warblers arrive, the Chiffchaffs move away from this patch with only the odd pair remaining to breed.

On the river, I seem to have found a bigamous male Dipper (identified by a metal ring) which has one mate in Mossley and another upstream in Greenfield. Will follow progress...

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Steve Suttill


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Another disappointing early visit to BBS square (Top Mossley/Hartshead Pike) this morning:

As last year, just one pair of Lapwing. No Skylarks again. Meadow Pipit numbers better than last year.

No Willow Warblers yet and just one wind-blown Swallow.

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Steve Suttill


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Pairs of Dippers displaying at two traditional nest sites on the river this morning. Also Chiffchaff singing.

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Steve Suttill


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3 Chiffchaffs on Heron Lane this morning (one singing, two silent)

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Steve Suttill


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First singing Chiffchaff of the year on Heron Lane this morning.

Pair of Grey Wagtails and a Robin all carrying nest material by the river. Dipper carrying food to a traditional nest site - presumably the female is already on eggs.

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Steve Suttill


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A lone Curlew heading south through the snow this morning!

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Steve Suttill


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Sunny, but icy, morning walk along moor edge from Buckton Castle to Greenfield:

Little Owl sunning itself on a favourite drystone wall.
Flyovers of Peregrine, female Sparrowhawk and 2 Raven.
Red Grouse heard but not seen.

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Steve Suttill


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65 Pink-footed Geese heading W at 08.50
2 Ravens flying S
4 Goosander circling round the valley
Kestrel hovering over Midge Hill
Dipper on River Tame

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Steve Suttill


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Mossley railway station this morning at 08.10

3 swans, almost certainly Whoopers, flying SE.

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Steve Suttill


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Heron Lane this morning:

more birds than I've seen here for a long time. Highlight was two juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers which alighted in a tree six feet away from me and proceeded to search for food and scrap with each other seemingly unaware of my presence.

Juveniles of at least a dozen species were flitting through the trees, the most numerous were Willow Warblers and, for the second time in the last three days, I even heard a snatch of Willow Warbler song.

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Neil McCall


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3 Grey Wagtails on canal side, from Micklehurst Road bridge.

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Roger Baker 3


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Thurs 16th July. 15.00 hrs.

Newly mown field facing Mossley Hollins High School.

Jackdaw. 300+
Swallow. Around 8, all entering the old barn.
Kestrel up on moor.

Roger.

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David Walsh


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Thursday 25th June 2015, 9.30 - 10.30am

Moor Edge Road, below Abraham's Chair

2 Linnet
4 Goldfinch
1 Chaffinch
2 Willow Warbler
1 Blackcap
100+ Starlings around the old quarry
6 Swallows
2 House Martins
1 Swift
3 Mistle Thrush
6 Meadow Pipits


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Steve Suttill


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Late visit to BBS square (Top Mossley/Hartshead Pike) this morning in glorious sunshine:

Willow Warbler seem to be having a successful breeding season - and good to see two pairs of Whitethroats which have been scarce round here this year.

The two Lapwings from the early visit have gone - and no Skylarks at all for the first time in 18 years of surveying this area cry

Jackdaws continue to thrive.

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Alan Turner


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Dipper on Tame just down from Woodend Mill.

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Steve Suttill


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Rather disappointing early visit to BBS square (Top Mossley/Hartshead Pike) this morning:

Lapwing decline continues. Just one pair (doing battle with Crows). Just 10 years ago I would have expected 10 pairs.

First visit I've ever made and not seen or heard a Skylark. Meadow Pipit numbers low as well.

The only plus was 4 singing Willow Warblers.

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Steve Suttill


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Good start to the day (bird-wise if not weather-wise) when 2 Swallows flew past my house - heading South! Wood Pigeons nest-building just behind the house.

Once the sun had appeared, I walked up Heron Lane for some more signs of Spring, and wasn't disappointed. A singing Willow Warbler and a pair of Chiffchaffs. The Pink-footed Goose looking very lonely now that most of the Canadas have paired up (with one bird already on eggs).

Into Greenfield...

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Steve Suttill


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Two singing Chiffchaffs on Heron Lane this morning. Doesn't really feel like Spring though cry

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Garry Chesters


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Beautiful morning this morning.
My only sighting so far is of a Kingfisher on the river Thame, in my area, but I am hopeful for the rest of the day!
Also, the single pink footed Goose has turned up again this afternoon, grazing with the Canada Geese.


-- Edited by Garry Chesters on Wednesday 18th of March 2015 04:47:03 PM

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Garry Chesters


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A single pink footed goose still feeding with Canada geese next to the river behind the housing estate opposite 'The Tollemache Arms' in Mossley.

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Steve Suttill


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Plenty of Dipper activity on the river this morning.

At one regular site, one bird was frantically wing-shivering whilst the other sang nearby. Apparently the female sings whilst the male shivers! Then, just upstream, two birds were posturing like two rival male Robins do and I presumed another male had entered the first one's territory. However, it could have been the first pair that I saw - it seems from my books that this aggressive-looking behaviour is also part of the pair-bonding ritual. Both birds were unringed.

Another pair of Dippers were present at the next regular territory.

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Steve Suttill


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Pink-footed Goose with small flock of Canadas in field off Heron Lane.

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Steve Suttill


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9 Goosanders (6 males, 3 redheads) on river above weir at Queen St. Mill this lunchtime.

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Roger Baker 3


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1st Feb. 15.00 - 16.30.

Scout Green.

Pair of Mistle Thrush on Egmont St football pitch.
Party of Long-tailed Tit. (c7).
Dipper (un-ringed) just upstream of foot-bridge.

Roger.

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Steve Suttill


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Moor edge walk this morning from Micklehurst Cricket Club to the Greenfield border.

Cricket Club area: c20 Redwing and almost as many Blackbirds scoffing Hawthorn berries, 2 Mistle Thrush, 6+ Greenfinch, male Bullfinch.
Little Owl on fence across the field.

Micklehurst Clough: hunting Peregrine and female Kestrel (former definitely putting the wind up the latter!)
30+ Fieldfare with a few Redwings.



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Alan Turner


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Late post for yesterday afternoon. Grey Wagtail on roof opposite Milton St John's School.

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Steve Suttill


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Big movement of Redwing SW down the valley this morning.

100+ over the railway station at 08.10 but prior to that at least two larger flocks had flown in the same direction down the valley. Hard to count birds and eat breakfast at the same time smile

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