Wildlife & Nature
A naturalist heaven for all to enjoy.
A habitat survey of the Moston Brook corridor was conducted by The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit in 2007. Important habitats identified include lowland broad leaved woodland, marshy grassland, reed bed and lowland heath/acid grassland, all of which are priority habitats for conservation listed in the national and Greater Manchester Biodiversity Action Plans. Important species identified included song thrush, house sparrow, starling, snipe and kestrel.
The Moston Brook corridor is bookended by two important sites designated for their nature conservation area. The first of the Rochdale Canal Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is a European Designated Site of international conservation importance. The second is the Moston Fairway Nature Reserve (former railway sidings at Moston), a Site of Biological Importance (SBI) which is a designated site of sub-regional nature conservation importance.
Moston Fairway Nature Reserve is a naturalist haven. A mixture of grassland, marsh and woodland, with a diverse range of plant and animal life. It’s unique in Manchester and therefore very special. It forms part of the Moston Brook Corridor; four areas of green space right on your doorstep. Open all year round and free.
This urban wilderness is lush with cotton-grass, marsh willowherb and even patches of heather, combining urban marsh, woodland, grassland, boggy fen and mossland habitats in an area no larger than a football pitch. Spring and summer bring the spikes of southern marsh orchids, while a rich variety of mosses and liverworts can be seen all year round. Look out for the ‘Witches Tree’, a willow that was struck by lightning.
It’s hard for visitors of all ages not to be inspired by the amazing wildlife right on Manchester’s doorstep. Reed buntings, linnets, kestrels and snipe are all seen regularly, while frogs and smooth newts breed here year after year. Spring and summer bring clouds of butterflies, moths, damselflies and dragonflies, with brown hawker and broad-bodied chaser dragonflies spotted darting around the vegetation.
And the transformation of Moston Fairway is still only just beginning. Working closely with Manchester and Oldham Councils, we want to make the reserve even more valuable for both people and nature, opening up an inspiring wildlife corridor to our local communities.