Mersey Valley

Chorlton Ees

It was a dour grey day and the cat was in a maungy mood and I'd spent the morning sorting something out to my satisfaction if nobody else's so I decided to spend a couple of hours wandering round Chorlton Ees.

I started out from Hardy Farm, where the wind had picked up a breeze and the jackdaws were already starting to gather for roost.  For a change I took the path into the woods that starts by the bridge over to Jackson's Boat. The idea was that it would probably be quieter than the main paths and I'd be more likely to hear any birds that were about. As it was, it was dead quiet for birds but very busy for gentlemen of a certain age, which is a sad indictment on the plumbing arrangements of Chorlton.

Chorlton Ees

I retreated to the main paths, which weren't much quieter but a bit more respectable. A buzzard flew over, calling noisily, followed by a couple of carrion crows. More jackdaws flew over and ring-necked parakeets called from the sycamores over by the school. Small birds were thin on the ground: a few wrens and a small mixed tit flock in the willows by the bridge where Chorlton Brook runs into the river.

I walked over Stretford Ees where more jackdaws flew over towards Broad Ees Dole and fifty-odd black-headed gulls flew over towards Sale Water Park. The heron I saw yesterday was still lurking in the reeds on Kickety Brook and a mixed tit flock flitted about the small hawthorn bushes by its side. I hadn't realised just how gloomy it had become until I noticed the shutter speeds the camera was using.

Cutting through the cemetery in the failing light I bumped into a goldcrest in one of the yew trees. Then off home for a pot of tea.