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| Mandarin ducks |
I was, frankly, shattered. The weather forecast said it would be a bright, sunny day, the grey clouds and damp air, and the aches in my joints, didn't seem to support the proposition. I'd have stayed at home drinking too much tea but I had to renew my monthly travel card and after paying for it I wanted to see some value for the money so I headed over to Etherow Country Park to take pictures of mandarin ducks striking abstract poses.
I got the train to Stockport and the 383 to Etherow Country Park, usually a half-hour journey on a busy day. It took an hour and a half, including the half hour waiting for the bus that was due any minute now.
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| Moorhen |
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| Canada goose |
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| By the car park |
Arriving at Etherow Country Park it took me a while to find any mandarins, and all they hiding under the bank of the canal. I was feeling very sorry for myself and a lot scratchy when I raised the bins to my eyes to have a look at the river just downstream of the weir. And added a dipper to the year list. I'd begun to think they'd abandoned the place. It wasn't by any means a close view but it was a view.
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| Dipper |
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| River Etherow |
On the way back down the mandarins took pity on me and struck their poses. And very abstract they were, too.
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin drake |
The sun was threatening to come out so I had a sit down for a few minutes to wait it out. While I was sitting on the bench with my back to the river a grey wagtail fussed about on the bank, flitting out of sight whenever I turned round to have a look at it. While we were playing peep-oh the sun came out and provided a glorious late afternoon light as some of the mandarin ducks had a bath.
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Mandarin duck |
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin duck |
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| Mandarin ducks |
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| Mandarin drake |
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| Cormorant |
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| Etherow Country Park |
The 383 back to Stockport was due in six minutes so I spent that half hour watching a high-flying buzzard circling on the thermals and putting the wind up the jackdaws and pigeons of Compstall.
