MALE HEN HARRIER CROSTON/MAWDESLEY MOSS 4.30/6.15PM.

[gary lilley]

I arrived straight after work today with the hope the harrier had moved over from eccleston to the mosses , i had only got to the railway line when the male hen harrier flew right over me it then hunted the whole area of croston finney before disapearing near the railway line , i then headed towards mawdesley moss ten minutes later the bird turned up again flying low over the stubble and heading deep into the mawdesley area but made the mistake of flying into a field of corvids , 2 crows then chased the the harrier all the way back to croston finney were it went out of view , on my way back as the light faded the bird turned up again it was hunting in a large field of grass between the river douglas and the railway line were it looked like it made a kill , the bird will probably be roosting in the thick bushes on the railway line so i would recomend a early visit in the morning , i would just like to thank John Edwards for putting the oringnal posting on for if he had not posted it i would not had made the visit this evening.
Other bird sightings , 20+ grey partridge ( 2 coveys) , 5 red legged , 2 kestrel ,40 linnet , several skylark , 2 heron , 6 mallard , heard a yellowhammer , 10+ tree sparrow , 100+ starling feeding as well as several flocks passing through at dusk , 100+ corvids , pretty sure my dog flushed a single jack snipe , 1 dead fox .

[John Edwards]

Well done Gary! i'm glad you caught up with it. I spent an hour or so at Tinklers fields yesterday morning but there was no sign of it there, maybe it'll stay in the area for a while.