Etherow Country Park

Chiffchaff, Etherow Country Park

After getting away with dodging the rain yesterday it was back to business as usual today as it poured down in the sunshine. I'd gone over to Etherow Country Park for an afternoon wander. The mandarin ducks were keeping a low profile, I only saw a couple on the walk up to the weir. There were plenty of chiffchaffs and blackcaps singing in the willows and robins bobbed around the length of the path. A small flock of swallows swooped on the lake then soared over Ernocroft Wood.

Mandarin duck, Etherow Country Park

I looked in vain on the river for any dippers and nearly missed the only available grey wagtail until I looked in the tree it was singing from.

Keg Wood was heaving with birds but most of them were very quiet about their business. Most of the small birds flitting about in the trees were blue tits but there was plenty enough variety about to keep me on my toes. The chiffchaffs and willow warblers sang every so often but mostly spent their time gleaning from the beech twigs. 

Keg Wood, with bluebells

I sat by Sunny Corner for quarter of an hour to see what might come along. I was rather hoping a pied flycatcher might drop by en route to wherever it is they're nesting these days but had no luck this time. I wasn't alone, a chap I bumped into later asked if there were any about and I had to admit the last one I saw here was two years ago.

Bluebells, Keg Wood

A lot of kerfuffle and noise on the river approaching the weir turned out to be a pair of mandarin ducks taking exception to a heron that was a bit too interested in their family of ducklings.

Etherow Country Park

I had another look at the river by the weir. Good job I did, a dipper was busily collecting food for nestlings somewhere or other in the vicinity.