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| Heron, Broad Ees Dole |
Had a wander across Stretford Meadows in bitter cold wind this lunchtime. Seems strange to spend an hour there and not hear or see any warblers, the first time since early March. Birds of prey, on the other hand were very much in evidence: a buzzard drifted over from the motorway and soared off towards Trafford Park, a pair of kestrels were hunting over the meadows and a sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a magpie over the cricket ground and retreated down Urmston Lane.
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| Stretford Meadows |
A couple of meadow pipits and a linnet dropped in and I disturbed a large charm of goldfinches on a patch of great willowherb at the top of the mound. Other than that, if it wasn't woodpigeon or magpie it didn't seem to be there.
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| Kickety Brook |
I walked down by Kickety Brook and through Stretford Ees, both very quiet, and on to Sale Water Park. A couple of dozen black-headed gulls fussed around on the water park and a couple of lesser black-backs loafed on the water. The usual mallard, mute swans and Canada geese milled about the walkway by the Boathouse.
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| Broad Ees Dole |
A couple of migrant hawkers buzzed past over the reeds as I walked into Broad Ees Dole, a sign that the wind had dropped and we could still pretend it was Summer-ish. A dozen mallard and a couple of dabchicks were on the teal lake. The pool in from of the hide hosted half a dozen each of dabchick, gadwall and teal and a heron dozed on the island despite the squabbling of moorhens.
I got a cup of tea and spent a while overlooking the feeding station by the café. It was surprisingly quiet, just a few great tits and blue tits, together with a nuthatch and a coal tit. By this time the clouds had rolled in ominously and I had places to be so I called it quits for the day.
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