Thwarted

It was another of those peculiar cold, wet days that promises sun and showers and delivers overcast skies and sleet. The spadgers are giving the feeders a fair old battering. I caught the blue tits passing through for the first time in ages. I didn't see the great tits until twilight. A blackcap's been singing from the railway embankment this past couple of days, I hope he becomes a fixture.

I'm not sure what's happening with the old crow's nest on the corner. There's a couple of pairs of carrion crow about: the pair nesting in the tree by the old library and the pair I assumed was using the nest on the corner. Last night, coming home from a visit to my dad's, five rooks had taken residence there. Today the crows are back. I dare say this will run and run and I'll be none the wiser at the end of it.

Today's plan was to explore the rural corner of Trafford around Dunham Massey, Warburton and Heatley. I got the bus to Broadheath and got to the stop for the Warrington bus with a good ten minutes to spare. Half an hour later I gave up on it and walked down into Altrincham. I still had a yen to explore a bit so I gave my travel card a workout and did some public transport birdwatching. 

I got the bus that meanders round Hale Barns, got off at Hale Station and got the train to Piccadilly. Hale Barns had plenty of woodpigeons and blackbirds and the like, the usual fare as you pass through suburban Greater Manchester. It was interesting watching the transition on the train as woodpigeons and magpies gave way to lesser black-backs and pigeons on the approach to central Manchester. 

Gamesley from the train

As my train pulled into Piccadilly the train to Glossop was sitting on the opposite platform so on a whim I hopped into it. There was a similar transition as lesser black-backs and pigeons gave way to woodpigeons and magpies then to woodpigeons, jackdaws and jays as brick gave way to stone. There and back again through gloom and sleet then off home for a pot of tea and a sausage butty.