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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ColinD" data-source="post: 1312395" data-attributes="member: 55409">Still plenty of Pink-feet on the mosslands. There were a couple of thousand on Kings Moss, to the east of Rainford, but the largest numbers were close to the roost site at Simonswood moss, where there was a flock of about 5000 viewable from the Old Coach Road, and this flock contained the adult Ross's Goose, as well as a couple of leucistic Pinkies.As I watched, small flocks of geese began to take to the air and headed south along the Coach Road. For a long time the Ross's Goose refused to fly, but eventually it did go.I jumped back on my bike and headed south with the geese. After about a mile, I found the flock, about 5000 birds on the ground with the light right on them, and at close range. I quicky picked out the Ross's Goose and watched it for 10 minutes at reasonably close range, until a farm vehicle came past and flushed them. It was an awsome spectactacle - the light was perfect, I could see every detail on every bird, a tightly packed flock of geese rising with deafening sound, and in the middle, a snowy white little goose, with black wing tips, distinguishing it from the superficially similar leucistic Pink-feet which are with the flock.Elsewhere on the mosslands, there has clearly been a large influx of winter thrushes during the past few days, with flocks totalling about 300 each of Redwing and Fieldfare scattered across the mosslands, with calls almost as atmospheric as the geese.At Reed's Brow, just outside Rainford, there was a singing male Corn Bunting and two Tree Sparrows.Total birding miles by bike so far in 2008: 1037 (63 bike rides)Number of miles since last puncture: 1022 </blockquote>

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