On arrival at the edge of the Ordnance Survey square I was to cover, the Wild distracted me with a mixed flock of birds that would insist that I follow them as they played hide and seek with my camera.

Redwing, fieldfare and starling happily denied me a quiet moment to catch their numbers and scribe them into my notebook’ preferring to behave in their expected cautious way and treat me as a possible predator. After a few deprecating laughs at my earnest efforts I did come up with a reasonable count and even a photo or two.

Yellowhammer, reed bunting and goldfinch tried to keep me away from my survey but the sunlight lit the way and led me to my official recording square.

A flock of 33 skylark flitted from a stubble field and in doing so hit a raw nerve in me. The area they were depending upon in both winter and summer is under threat as it is deemed that warehouses take precedence over the Greenbelt designation of this area. The Wild within me roared.

Square reached and the count began with meadow pipit and a few lapwing starting my records for the square, distraction then followed as moving along a tree clad ditch an overwintering chiffchaff - from the likes of Germany, its UK counterparts are now residing in North Africa for the winter - called me over to try and take a photo.

Planes and helicopters busied about Barton Airport - the original Manchester Airport, now oddly named City Airport. Kestrel, buzzard and other members of the avian wild crept onto my records.

Then a pootle along the A57 took me back onto Barton Moss Road where a party of long tailed tit and a lone goldcrest swung wildly about the treetops, avoiding my camera with aplomb.