Stretford and Sale

Juvenile great-crested grebe, Sale Water Park

I thought I'd have a walk round Sale Water Park and decided to walk down via Stretford Meadows. A good call as I was no sooner at the car park by the garden centre than two ravens flew overhead. Nearly every time I see ravens flying over locally they're flying North. I've no idea where they're going or where they've been.

The meadows were a lot quieter than they have been: there were plenty of warblers, finches and buntings about but the only ones singing were a couple of reed buntings and a chiffchaff. Lots of woodpigeons flying over but only a couple feeding on the ground. No lesser whitethroats today but that's not surprising, they tend to be lurkers when not in song.

Walking down past Kickety Brook and through Stretford Ees there were a few more chiffchaffs calling, accompanied by blackcaps and song thrushes. There were small family parties of whitethroats in the open space by the cemetery.

Juvenile great-crested grebe, Sale Water Park

Sale Water Park was busy but not silly busy. The juvenile great crested grebes are full grown now and looking good. Strangely, I couldn't see the adults anywhere.

The "Teal pool" on Broad Ees Dole hosted a dozen mallard — full-grown juveniles and a couple of adult pairs, the drakes in partial eclipse with broken white collars and mottled green heads — a heron and a big red-eared terrapin, an unpleasant surprise.

Red-eared terrapin and grey heron, Broad Ees Dole

A family of mallard with very young ducklings were in the ditch in front of the hide. Out on the island there were more herons, an adult and four juveniles, and a juvenile little egret. It still feels strange having egrets within walking distance of home. More mallards, some coots and moorhens and two pairs of dabchicks. A call attracted my attention and my first kingfisher of the year shot across the water.

Grey herons and little egret, Broad Ees Dole

A jay came close to the hide to have a rummage round the brambles before disappearing into the trees.

The warmer, sunnier weather this afternoon brought out the dragonflies that have been hiding this week. Hordes of common blue damselflies danced over the water's surface and a couple of brown hawkers patrolled the ditch with jerky mechanical manœvures.

Carrying on through Sale Water Park there was a very young family of coot and a rather older family of mute swans. There were a lot more common blue damselflies and a couple more brown hawkers and my first black-tailed skimmer of the Summer.