Chorlton

Coal tit, Sale Water Park

A cooler, greyer, windier day today so after a quiet time in the garden I thought I'd take a chance on a walk down to Chorlton Ees and perhaps have another go at finding willow tit on Sale Water Park.

The times are a-changing on the school playing field: today there were lots of woodpigeons and jackdaws but just the one gull, and that a common gull.

Stretford and Chorlton town centres were quieter than usual as far as pigeons are concerned — I suspect they were busy with other things — but there were plenty of woodpigeons, carrion crows and jackdaws about. Every so often I'd bump into some goldfinches, starlings or blue tits. It wasn't till I was most of the way down Hardy Lane that I saw my first black-headed gull flying over, just the one tagging after four lesser black-backs flying over towards Sale Water Park.

I got to the path onto Hardy Farm in the company of a coal tit, a ring-necked parakeet, a couple of jackdaws and a great spotted woodpecker. I didn't know it then but I'd be spending the whole afternoon bumping into parakeets and great spotted woodpeckers. There wasn't a single gull over on the football pitch, just a flock of woodpigeons and a pair of mistle thrushes.

A pair of jays were fossicking around the trees by the bridge at Jackson's Boat and a chiffchaff sang from one of the willows. The parakeets shrieked around the trees by the telegraph pole they often use as a nest site.

Coal tit, Sale Water Park

I took the high path through Sale Ees to the café by Sale Water Park and was a bit dismayed because it looked like there was a coach trip in. As it was it was just a few walking people taking group exercise and they were soon on their way. I got a coffee and set to watching the bird feeders. There were plenty of great tits and blue tits about and a coal tit came in a few times, It took a while for the first nuthatches and dunnocks to turn up. While I was watching the tables I noticed a pair of teal dabbling in the pool just beyond the willows. After half an hour's wait a willow tit finally turned up, grabbed a sunflower seed off the table and promptly disappeared again.

I had a look on the lake to see what was about. The usual herd of mute swans, rafts of Canada geese and tufted ducks and the coots dotted around the lake were obvious enough. A dozen or so black-headed gulls could be seen over on the other side of the lake and a couple of pairs of mallard hugged the nearby banks. Strangely I couldn't see any great crested grebes.

Great crested grebe, Sale Ees

I took the low path through Sale Ees back to Jackson's Boat. The first bird I bumped into was a great crested grebe feeding in the brook by the path. The usual pair of grey wagtails were feeding on the riverbank by Jackson's Boat.

Bracket fungus, Sale Ees

Chorlton Ees was noisy with birdsong and the shrieking of parakeets. Three or four chiffchaffs vied with the song thrushes for the loudest song and it was only by pure dumb luck I heard and found a singing goldcrest in the conifers by the river. A pair of woodpeckers were in the trees by the hay meadow, I quite often see them here.The herons don't seem to be nesting in the trees near Chorlton Brook this year, they were noisily fiddling with sticks in one of the conifers on the other side of the path.

Chorlton Brook, Ivy Green

I crossed over and walked along the brook through Ivy Green as the sun came out for ten minutes. Lots more small birdsong, a few more parakeets and another pair of woodpeckers. I was surprised to see a pair of mallard in the brook, I rarely see any ducks in here. I'd just sat down on a bench to take a 'phone call when a raven flew low overhead cronking loudly and easily outflying the pair of carrion crows chasing it.

Thence into Chorlton and off home, the only surprise being a heron noisily flying low over Wilbraham Road.