All posts by Paul

What to see at Risley Moss January 2016

The mild weather has caused some unusual sightings such as a Peacock Butterfly seen flying in the sunshine on 20 December. Also, there is still quite a lot of fungi showing, particularly Jews Ear on dead elder trees. If the mild weather persists into January, you may well see other unusual sightings such as flowers appearing earlier than usual, or even frog spawn.

Because of the natural food that was still available during the mild weather in December, there were fewer than usual birds at the Woodland Hide feeding station. There will probably not be large numbers until we get some colder weather (especially if it snows), which makes natural food harder to get at and hence the birds will have greater dependence on the supplied food. Even so, I recorded 18 species in half an hour just before Christmas, so it shows that there can be plenty to see if you choose the right day. For the record, the species I saw are listed below. You could easily see most, if not all, of these.

Blue tit, Great tit, Willow tit, Coal tit and Long-tailed tit

Blackbird, Robin, Wren and Dunnock

Great spotted woodpecker, Nuthatch and Tree creeper

Chaffinch, Bullfinch and Siskin

Wood pigeon, Magpie and Jay

I could have scored 20 (equalling the record) if I had also seen the goldfinch in the trees and the Sparrowhawk that flew through when I visited the following day. You don’t tend to get a good view of Sparrowhawk as usually some small birds see it coming and fill the woodland with alarm calls to warn the others. All you will see will be the small birds scattering as a larger bird flies through rapidly, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. It does however occasionally stop on a post (probably cursing its luck at missing out again) and is a stunning sight if it does. This is the male.

Male Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk

Because birds get used to the food put out by Rangers and to the number of visitors, the birds are not usually disturbed people being in the Hide if you are quiet. This makes them comparatively easy to photograph, and a great place to practice taking wildlife photographs if you have been lucky enough to receive a camera for Christmas. However, the birds are still vigilant against potential attack, for example  by the local Sparrowhawk, and will scatter if they are alarmed. All of the food at the Woodland Hide is sponsored by RIMAG at a cost of around £500 each year; there is a donation box in the Visitor Centre if you have enjoyed your visit and would like to make a contribution towards it.

 

Phil Rees

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RIMAG Workday December 2015

Peacock
Peacock

Had a great workday on the moss clearing some trees and gorse from the side of the path towards the centre copse.  The highlight of the day was a peacock (not the one seen in the photo unfortunately, today’s kept taking off as I tried to get close enough to photograph it) on the wing latest I’ve ever seen a butterfly of any description.  Other sightings were two buzzards, a sparrowhawk and a greater black-backed gull.  Phill spotted a brief flight of a water rail whilst Mark supplied some much welcomed mince pies.

Best wishes to all for the festive season.

RIMAG.

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Christmas Crafts

 

20151213_111638

Hi to all those who turned up to the Christmas crafts event on Sunday,  It was fantastic to see such a great variety of ideas and creations, each one different.  It was also nice to hear so many stories from people who have come to the event for many years and their reasons for attending.  Thank you all for such an enjoyable session.  A big thank you goes to all who purchased the reindeer to which will go someway to helping pay for the bird feed in the woodland hide this winter.

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Goldcrest at Risley Moss (29/11/15)

goldcrest
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

Currently, fantastic views of goldcrest (Regulus regulus) can be see through the window of the Visitor Centre at Risley Moss.  I was there on Thursday and a pair were flitting around the buddlleia and again this morning (Sunday).  With a bit of patience they will appear.  Other notables on the bird feeder outside the window include great tit, blue tit and coal tit with willow tit too.  A great spotted wood pecker is using the feeder as well as some rather fat squirrels and a wood pigeon.  Dunnock, robin and blackbird also used it this morning.

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What to see at Risley Moss in December 2015

As winter starts to get a grip, the feeding station at the Woodland Hide really becomes a great place to visit. The best time is after a hard frost (even better if there is snow) because this makes natural food even harder to find and hence there is greater reliance on the food provided.

Over the years, over 40 bird species have been seen at the Woodland Hide; usually there are about 30 species seen each year by regular visitors. It is quite common to see 15 species in half an hour; the current ‘record’ is 20, but you could beat that if you are lucky. Although some species are those you can see in your own garden, you will be unlucky if you do not see Nuthatch, Bullfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker in a half hour visit.

nuthhatch
nuthatch
bullfinch
bullfinch
great spotted wood pecker
great spotted woodpecker

Because they get used to the food put out by Rangers and to the number of visitors, the birds are not usually disturbed people being in the Hide if you are quiet. This makes them comparatively easy to photograph, and a great place to practice taking wildlife photographs if you are lucky enough to receive a camera for Christmas. However, the birds are still vigilant against potential attack by the local Sparrowhawk and will scatter if they are alarmed.

All of the food at the Woodland Hide is sponsored by RIMAG at a cost of around £500 each year; there is a donation box in the Visitor Centre if you have enjoyed your visit and would like to make a contribution towards it.

siskin
siskin
lesser redpoll
lesser redpoll
goldcrest
goldcrest

As you walk around the site you can occasionally hear and see flocks of small birds feeding. These are usually referred to as ’tit parties’ because they often include the five species of tits that are resident at Risley Moss. It is always worthwhile looking over these groups because they can also include more unusual species such as Goldcrest (the smallest UK bird), Siskin and Lesser Redpoll.  In fact there have been some great viewings of goldcrest on the buddleia just outside the window of the Visitor Centre.

 

Phil Rees

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WORK DAY CANCELLED

The Work Day for 29/11/15 has been cancelled

The event has been cancelled because of expected bad weather, which will require Mark to be instantly available in case there is any wind damage.

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November 2015 News

Although there are fewer birds around Risley Moss now than there were in summer, they are much easier to see now that the trees are losing their leaves and easy food supplies are becoming scarcer. As a result, on a typical day, you can easily see around 20 species either on or flying over the reserve as you walk around.

One spectacular sight to look out for is one of the large flocks of geese that fly over the Reserve at this time of year. If they are in flocks of up to 30, not very high up and ‘honking’ like farmyard geese, they will probably be Canada Geese. If they are in flocks of over 50 (sometimes there can be hundreds!), flying high up and ‘gabbling’, they will probably be Pink-footed Geese on their way to their over-wintering grounds in the Southern UK and northern Europe.

If you want to get a close-up view of birds (particularly to photograph them), then the Woodland Hide is well worth a visit. The Rangers have started to put out bird food onto the ‘squirrel resistant’ feeders but it will take some time for the birds to get fully used to it and while there is still ‘natural’ food around. The feeding station really becomes important to the birds when the weather becomes colder and natural food becomes scarcer.

Willow Tit
willow tit

All of the food at the Woodland Hide is sponsored by RIMAG at a cost of around £500 each year; there is a donation box in the Visitor Centre if you would like to make a contribution towards it. You can also help birds by having a feeding station in your own garden. There is a public event on 15 November (11:00 – 13:00) at the Visitor Centre to make a feeder to take home. The event is free, but RIMAG would appreciate a donation towards materials cost to help us fund future events.

There are still quite a lot of fungi around the site both on trees and on the ground. One common species is the Jew’s Ear fungus that grows specifically on dead Elderberry trees. There are some good examples on the right side of the slope on the path to the Tower.

jews ear fungus
Jew’s ear fungus

 

Phil Rees.

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Rare Bird Seen over the Moss today

Nice Shot Phil.

Vulcan XH558
Vulcan XH558

The Vulcan bombmer (XH558) on one of its final flights flew close to the moss today and photographed by Phil.  According to the organisers of the flights, Vulcan to the Sky, it will then make one final flight towards the end of October, details of which are yet to be confirmed.

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What to see at Risley Moss in October 2015

Although there was some lingering summery weather in late September, we are definitely into autumn in October. Even so, you may still see the odd butterfly on warmer days; these are likely to be species such as Peacock that over-winter as adults and will be the first to appear in spring. Unfortunately, this is 5-6 months away, so enjoy them while you can.

Most of the summer migrant birds have now left and we can look forward to the arrival of the winter visitor birds. Usually, the first are flocks of Redwing, which often arrive during the night but can be detected by their thin, high whistle. Often they can arrive in large numbers that are very hungry and can strip berry bearing trees such as hawthorn in a few hours.

redwing
Redwing

The Redwing is slightly smaller and darker than the Song Thrush and easily identified by the red mark under its wing. If you see a flock of thrushes feeding in bushes or on fields, they are almost certain to be Redwings.

As the leaves start to fall, you can see fungi around the site, especially after damp weather. Some of the fungi such as the birch bracket fungus can be seen all through the year but is far more obvious in winter. You can see them on the branches and trunks of many dead birch trees around the site. If you are lucky, you may also see the classically coloured Fly Agaric on the woodland floor. This species is poisonous, as are several others so if in doubt, don’t pick them!

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Fly Agaric

If you would like to find out more about fungi at Risley Moss, you can join a local enthusiast on an introduction to mushrooms and toadstools and learn some funky fungus facts and some foraging skills in the woodland. The event is on Sunday 11 October, starting at 10:00 (See events for more details).

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Meeting Postponed

Tomorrow night’s meeting has been postponed until the 8th of October at 19:00 at the Poachers as usual.  Sorry for the messing around but could you pass this message on to any one who may not get it directly.

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