There is something exciting about wandering from the small car park off The Links, in Moston, and into a pocket of natural beauty.
I say pocket, from that car park path you look down on three hectares of greenery, which provides a home for so much wildlife.
Just two miles from the city centre, Moston Fairway is such a tranquil and sheltered place, with only the sounds of the neighbouring railway breaking into the peace.
The Fairway is part of the extensive Moston Brook green corridor through the housing and industrial estates of East Manchester. Manchester City and Oldham Councils have worked with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to create a real haven for wildlife here.
This was a former railway sidings which flooded, creating a bog. Cottongrass carpets the boggy bits of the reserve in spring and summer. Manchester’s official flower may have been abundant a century ago, but it just shouldn’t be here now.
Other plants that should be out of place are marsh willowherb and heather, happily thriving on the marsh and boggy fen. Southern marsh orchids appear among the rich variety of mosses and liverworts.
The bog is a breeding ground for frogs and smooth newts, happy to hang around the local grassland seeking insects and other food.
Brown hawker dragonflies make a steady path over the water and are joined by darting broad-bodied chasers. Summer is a great time for wildlife here with butterflies, moths and damselflies joining the dragonflies.
There are dawn choruses throughout the year – reed bunting and linnets can be heard, and you will see kestrels hunting the small mammals that inhabit the greenery on the ground. A reserve so close to the city centre, shouldn’t attract snipe, but they appear regularly, probably using Moston Brook as a pathway from the Pennine moors.
The wooded areas of Moston Fairway are great for the birds and for spotting bright fungi, growing off the paths. Trees and scrub abound and there is a famous willow tree to look out for. The Witch’s Tree was struck by lightning many years ago and stands out from those around it.
The woodlands have been used for Forest Schools and has been visited by TV’s bug man Nick Baker, who introduced children to the wonders of slugs and snails, to a soundtrack of “yuks”. Local schools still make the most of this wild area, taking pupils into a glorious natural world away from the estates overlooking the reserve.
There is an excellent path at Moston Fairway, making it accessible to most people. It is certainly popular with dog walkers and people seeking a break from the hustle and bustle.
Reserve officer Rory Andrews has been busy with volunteers recently, clearing those paths and removing scrub to allow the rare bog plants to grow in that central area. The hard work begins now, creating habitats for birds in the 2024 nesting season and making pathways available for walkers to wrap themselves in nature.
