Blackleach Country Park

Sketch map: Blackleach Country Park

Blackleach Country Park is a local nature reserve about half a mile North of Walkden town centre, a small reservoir with some young woodland joining on to playing fields to the East and South. Another of those small Pennine reservoirs that provide a pleasant hour or two's birdwatching walk.

Blackleach Reservoir

A few bus services go through Walkden town centre and the 37 bus between Manchester and Bolton goes by the country park on Bolton Road. Alternatively, Walkden Station's just over half a mile away, it's a straight walk up to the town centre and up Bolton Road.

Black-necked grebe

All the usual Greater Manchester lakes suspects can be found on the reservoir, gadwall being signifcantly more numerous in Wiinter. Common terns nest on rafts during the Summer (I've not been up there this Spring due to lockdown so I don't yet know if the rafts have been maintained and occupied this year). The reservoir is often a stopping-off point for black-necked grebes and garganeys. Whooper swans and water rails can be seen in Winter.

Common tern

There are a few paths through the light woodland North of the reservoir. Willow tits breed here and in Summer you can usually find blackcaps, chiffchaffs and willow warblers, in Winter you might a brambling or two.