Lesser Redpoll: Wigan Flashes is one of my favorite local places. There are eight shallow wetlands or ‘Flashes’ in the area which were formed as a result of mining subsidence. Over the years and with careful maintenance the industrial landscape has developed in to a mixture of beautiful habitats including open water, reedbeds and mossland.
There has been some unconfirmed reports of possible common (or mealy) redpoll spotted around the feeders, so after working from home and with the sun and blue skies distracting me I headed out for my socially distanced daily exercise.
When I arrived there were nine redpoll around the feeders with a couple feeding on them and several in the trees nearby.
Frustratingly the angles were all wrong and the branches kept getting in the way! And alas, there was no sign of any mealy redpoll.
It was a really pleasant late afternoon walk, not a cloud in the sky and a real change of season in the air. Bird setting up breeding territories and birds collecting and building nets spring has sprung in Wigan.
