Mersey Valley

Chorlton Ees

The weather forecast was ambiguous so I thought I'd stay local for an afternoon stroll and within scuttling distance of a bus stop. As it happened it only rained for ten minutes and there was even some sunshine. I got the bus into Chorltonville and had a wander round Ivy Green and then down to the river and back into Stretford.

The paths were clear but there was enough twiggy debris around to give evidence of this week's storm and a couple of big crack willows had literally split in two down the centre of their trunks. Despite the weather there weren't many people (or dogs) about so there wasn't much to scare off the birds if I stopped to look round. Two, possibly three, great spotted woodpeckers were working the trees along Chorlton Brook. The mixed tit flocks were almost exclusively blue and great tits with nuthatches following along behind, a large flock by the school included some long-tailed tits. A small flock of goldfinches in the beech trees included a couple of siskins. Strangely I didn't see any chaffinches. As usual, the ring-necked parakeets were heard more than they were seen, though three came screeching low over just by the little bridge to the car park. A couple of jays added to the soundscape. Towards the bottom of the brook, about a hundred yards from the bridge over to Chorlton Ees, a pair of willow tits were feeding around the base of the trees at the top of the bank, I've not seen them here before.

I wondered about walking down through Chorlton Ees and then to Sale Water Park but the weather didn't look promising so I walked back into Sretford past Stretford Ees and through the cemetery.