Daisy Hill

Kestrel, Daisy Hill Sewage Works

It was a lovely bright Winter's day so it was just right for mooching round a sewage farm.

I've not done any birdwatching in the Bolton area yet this year and seeing that the water pipit that was reported at Daisy Hill Sewage Works last week was reported again this morning I thought I'd visit a site that's new to me.

I got the train to Bolton and the no. 7 Wigan bus to Daisy Hill. First off I followed the Google Maps route down Mill Lane but this only got me as far as the gates of the sewage works with splendid views of a private road and a brick outhouse. But it was a nice walk down the lane, with plenty of spadgers, robins and goldfinches in the hedgerows and a buzzard on a telegraph wire and a kestrel on a telegraph pole.

I had a look at a footpath map and found one running parallel to Mill Lane which skirted the perimeter fence of the sewage works and carried on down to Dangerous Corner. I just had to walk back a few yards and there was another footpath which would take me across to the one I wanted. I got halfway across when I encountered a stile I wouldn't have reckoned even when I was young and daft, complete with muddy landing patch sloping down directly to a frozen pond. So I retraced my steps again, walked back to Hindley Road and found the turn-off that eventually led to the footpath.

Just off Hindley Road

More goldfinches, robins and spadgers and a pair of bullfinches in the hedgerow here. The path opened out into a stable yard just before it got to the sewage works with half a dozen house sparrows rummaging around the feed holders and a dozen woodpigeons in the trees.

I passed through a gate and followed the path along the perimeter fence. The ditch between the path and the fence was planted either side with hawthorns, giving plenty of cover for a flock of blue tits and great tits and a few robins, dunnocks and wrens. This is the sort of setting I associate with Winter chiffchaffs so I had a close look round just in case. Over on the filtration beds there was a dozen black-headed gulls on the superstructure and a few pied wagtails flitted about. There was no chance of seeing the beds themselves from this angle so if there was any water pipit on there I wouldn't be able to see it. Ah well, doubtless there'll be a chance of one someplace else this year.

The rest of the walk was pretty quiet, just robins, woodpigeons and great tits with the occasional passing jackdaw. Just before I got to Corner Lane the footpath dipped down and through a short tunnel under the field for no apparent reason. 

Tunnel. No idea.

Emerging, blinking in the light, I bumped into a friendly dog and her owner who stopped for a chat. He reckoned the brook to the East of the sewage works was worth checking out for kingfishers (South of the sewage works it was mostly treated water), pointed out a couple of paths which I think might be pleasant Autumn walks and he reminded me of the footpath along the old railway line between Hindley Green and Howe Bridge.

I got the 595 bus into Leigh and thence off home. While I was waiting at Leigh Bus Station there was a steady stream of black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs heading to roost at Pennington Flash.

No water pipit, but a pleasant walk on a sunny day and a nice bit of undemanding birdwatching.