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Gill Wrigley’s recce report:
Today I went on a recce of Moore Nature Reserve in preparation for the RFNS car trip on Sat 26th March.
The reserve is accessed by Moore Road which crosses the Manchester ship canal.
My satnav took me straight there using postcode WA4 6XE.
Immediately after you cross the canal there is a small car park for the reserve which is sign posted. Alternatively you can park on the road running parallel to the canal. Access is good. There were no stiles and apart from about 15 steps decending a gentle slope the whole reserve is flat with wide well made paths. There are no facilities such as toilets or cafe.
The hides we visited were all 3 sided so not enclosed but provided welcome shelter from the rain today.
We were there for 3 1/2 hours walking faster than ‘field-nat pace’ and stopping for lunch. We covered 2/3 of the reserve in that time and spotted 48 bird species including 8 duck species. There are extensive reedbeds, grassland and wet woodland. Chiffchaff were back and a Cetti’s warbler let us know that they are about. A local birder informed us that they have both marshtit and willowtit regularly and that if it was not such an overcast day we would have heard the lesser spotted woodpeckers drumming.
Highlights were the tranquility of the place, the yaffle of greenwoodpecker, views a few feet away of little grebe and common buzzard and a busy buff tailed bumblebee feeding on pussywillow.
Meet in the reserve carpark at 10:00 or at Manchester Road Cul-de-sac at 9:00 to carshare.