Flixton and a bit

Juvenile herons, Alexandra Park

I've been feeling tired and achy all week and it isn't entirely the cat's fault [editor's note: it is] so I've been hearing a few too many dawn choruses. The blackbirds are fixtures from first light, a couple of mornings I've been surprised to hear one of the house sparrows singing long before the robin pipes up. After a couple of days' manic singing the garden warbler calmed down a lot. I didn't hear him yesterday and started to wonder if he'd moved on but it turns out he kicks in with the late shift about seven o'clock with the collared doves and the wren.

It took a lot of effort to drag myself out for a walk. I'm glad I did it as I needed the exercise and it helped to work a couple of the aches and pains out of my system. I set myself an easy effort: taking the 256 bus over to Flixton and having a wander round Wellacre Country Park.

Wellacre Wood

I walked down the path into Wellacre Wood to a backing chorus of blackbirds, wrens and chiffchaffs. Blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits gleaned what they may from the leaves on the trees in absolute silence. Unlike one of the squirrels which let rip with a lot of extremely bad language as I passed by.

House sparrows dustbathing, Jack Lane

It was difficult to make my way down Jack Lane to the nature reserve because of all the spadgers dustbathing on the path. In the end I managed to pick my way through them without anything worse than nearly treading on one of the males that had decided to fly towards my feet instead of away from them. No harm done except a bit of a surprise on both parts.

Jack Lane

For such a small nature reserve (not a lot more than a couple of acres) Jack Lane had a fair selection of warblers singing in there. A blackcap and a couple of chiffchaffs sang from the willows and hawthorns. Both sedge warblers and reed warblers sang from the reeds, the sedge warbler favouring a bit of scrubby reedbed next to a pool full of tadpoles. No sign of the Cetti's warbler today though.

Dutton's Pond

I walked down to Dutton's Pond which was fairly quiet, the moorhens were busy sitting on nests and the mallards busy getting some sleep. I was about to turn away and set off down the path when a shape caught my eye: a tail-end view of something flying over the water in a most un-birdlike way. My first thought that it was my first dragonfly of the year but it was huge and I couldn't make it out. Luckily for me it veered and flew round the pond so I got a sideways view of a big, fox-red noctule bat. Where it had come from, where it was going, why it was flying about at lunchtime, I have no answers to these questions. By the time I had the wit to think I should try and get a photo of it it had gone.

Blackbird, Fly Ash Hill

A wander round Fly Ash Hill brought more titmice and singing blackbirds, wrens and robins. I bumped into a pair of goldcrests. The female I saw by pure luck as she worked her way up some ivy. The male I couldn't see at all despite his being in full song not more than ten feet away. A couple of singing whitethroats out in the open country completed the warbler tally for the day.

I had a nosy at the river from Flixton Bridge. A few woodpigeons and a mallard dozed on the bank near the garden centre and a male grey wagtail skittered around the base of the bridge. I was watching the wagtail when a kingfisher shot downriver and under the bridge.

I decided not to go straight home. I got the 150 to Alexandra Road and walked up to Alexandra Park. There'd been a report of a common sandpiper here this morning and that would be a good tick this close to the city centre.

Juvenile heron, Alexandra Park

Mute swan, Alexandra Park

I did a turn of the lake and had to admit I must have missed it. No matter, it's a nice small park to walk round. There were still a few pairs of tufted ducks about but no sign that they might have been breeding. Unlike the Canada geese and mallards which both had young on the big island. The nesting herons had been and gone, leaving behind a couple of gawky youngsters to get by as best they could. The coots and the mute swans weren't filled with glee at their being around.

Alexandra Park

Back home for my tea. Later on, when I'd nipped out to the shop for a couple of things, a young fox galloped across the school playing field. Everybody's been busy but me.