Mersey Valley

Jay, Jackson's Boat

The plan had been to walk into Stretford to get some bird food. The house sparrows and goldfinches have been giving the feeders some hammer this week. After my saying I've not seen the great tits for a bit both the pair came in this lunchtime. I've done this a few times now, saying I've not seen anything awhile then having them turn up the day after writing. This might be the time to point out that I can't remember when I last saw a firecrest in the garden. (I've never seen a firecrest in the garden but if I'm going to test how the magic spell works I may as well aim high).

Anyway, the plan had been to walk into Stretford to get some bird food but on the way I decided to carry on to Stretford Ees and once I was there I decided to carry on over to Sale Water Park and I ended up walking to Jackson's Boat and following the river down alongside Chorlton Ees and back home via Turn Moss, the cemetery and Humphrey Park allotments.

It was a busy afternoon with lots of family parties, joggers and cyclists. Even so there were plenty of birds about. Every substantial group of trees had a wren, blackbird, robin and/or song thrush singing in it. Chiffchaffs and blackcaps were quieter than on the last visit but whitethroats were conspicuous in the hawthorns along Stretford Ees and Chorlton Ees.

Great crested grebe and young, Sale Water Park

The coot families on Sale Water Park seem to still be thriving and the mallard ducklings are well grown, as were the baby great crested grebes hitching a lift on their mother's back. The ginormous leather carp that were breaking the water (well away from the anglers at the other end of the lake!) posed no threat to any of them.

Broad Ees Dole was a lot quieter this visit. The lapwings and the pair of tufted duck were still about, together with a couple of herons and a small group of mallard. Just the one reed warbler singing from the water's edge. Good to see plenty of common blue damselflies about.

I walked up the main path from the café to Jackson's boat. The feeding station by the café's been removed so there was no incentive to hang about in the hopes of seeing a willow tit or two, I was better off walking down and keeping my ears open. Which I did, entirely unsuccessfully as it turned out. Still, no matter: as a consolation a very obliging jay came down to the brook for a drink then offered a selection of winsome poses at a ridiculously close range.

Jay, Jackson's Boat

 At Jackson's Boat the parakeets were still in and out of the nest in the telegraph pole. The first swifts of the day were hawking quite high up while a small flock of swallows flew over the river. Most of the singing was coming from a couple of blackbirds and two or three greenfinches (two bursts of song from behind the apple trees may have been two birds but I couldn't confirm it).

Blackbird, Jackson's Boat

I walked down the river back towards Stretford. Raptors of any kind had been notable by their absence. The first and only buzzard of the day was badgered away from its perch in one of the trees on the south bank by the water park by a couple of crows that got bored of the game immediately the buzzard took flight. Reed buntings were singing in the little glades away from the paths and a great spotted woodpecker flew into one of the big sallows.

All in all a nice walk but I'm going to have to find some quieter places to go, at times the social distancing isn't clever.