Atherton

Just off Miller's Lane
There are times when I wonder why I wash my feet and then go out for a muddy walk.

I thought I should get Iceland gull onto the year list so I went over to Atherton to see if I could have any luck with the individual that's been reported a few times on the flooded fields just South of the town centre over the past week.

It took me a few goes to find out how to get near to the fields in question. In the end I went down Miller's Lane and took the footpath to Howe Bridge and this got me quite close to where the gulls were loafing. I could see the Iceland gull — an adult bird — from a distance but as the path took me closer to the birds it was hidden by a rise in the field. I contemplated leaving the path and walking up the field to try and see over the rise so I could try and get a photo but the state of the field beyond the path was even worse than the muddy mess I was standing in so I decided not to disturb the birds any.

Gulls: mostly black-headed and lesser black-backs with a few herring gulls and a great black-back

The path got less muddy but more wet, in some parts being a fast-flowing stream. I should have taken the hint when I noticed a heron's footprints in the mud earlier on. Once we reached the junction with the path between Leigh and Atherton, which at least was solid underfoot, I abandoned the original plan and cut through the housing estate to get to the bus stop for Leigh. I did contemplate moving on to Pennington Flash for a late afternoon's wander but decided it might be wiser to get the buses home in the hope my feet might dry out a bit en route. (They did but the cat ran away from my socks when I got in.)