Fletcher Moss Nature News – Spring/Summer 2017
Birds
Spring is the time when bird activity and bird song really take off after the winter. All birds are singing at full volume now; some winter migrants are still around and have not yet departed to their northern breeding grounds, while the first of the summer migrants are arriving.
In Stenner Woods you should hear the sound of Woodpeckers drumming to establish their territories; Nuthatches are in several areas, Tree-creepers are also active, and there are the unmistakeable sounds of the Song Thrush and Blackbird. Chiff-chaffs are arriving from their wintering grounds in Africa (listen out for their distinctive call), and it won’t be long before we have the first of the Swallows and House Martins.
Along the river we still have the Goosanders, most often in pairs – there are some half-dozenpairs between Northenden and Stockport. Sand martins are an early arrival and they have favourite nesting areas on the Mersey – there is usually a colony in the sandbanks on the river opposite Parrs Wood fields (easy to spot), and another opposite the car park in the Galleon (harder to see when the bankside vegetation gets going). Resident birds on the river include many pairs of Grey Wagtail. There are always a lot of Black-headed Gulls, now developing their dark summer head feathers.
Bird sightings:
Along the Mersey there have been reported sightings of Chiff-chaff, Kingfisher, Dipper (near Cheadle Bridge), Goosander, Bullfinch.
In Stenner Woods, seen and heard: Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatches, Tree Creeper, Song Thrush, Blackbird, and lots of smaller birds: Robin, Wren, Blue Tits and Great Tits, and a few Coal Tits - all setting up their nesting places for the spring and summer. Many of these birds, including the woodpecker come to the bird station to feed.
Wild flowers
All around the Fletcher Moss area are the cheerful yellow flowers of Lesser Celandine, tilting their heads to follow the sun. In the damp and wet areas look for another, larger, bright yellow flower – Marsh Marigold. Along the river banks are clumps of Butterbur,whose flowers appear before their leaves. A shrub whose (white) flowers also come before its leaves is the Blackthorn – in several places but specially in the meadow next to Stenner Lane.
Butterflies and Insects
The first butterflies have emerged from their winter hibernation and will take advantage of any spells of warm sunshine. Some species of butterfly hibernate as adults, including the Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral, and all have been seen recently around Fletcher Moss. Other species survive the winter as eggs, caterpillars or chrysalis, and they will appear later.
A very good website about British Butterflies by Stephen Cheshire: