Etherow Country Park

Grey wagtail

The plan was that seeing as today was going to be a lot less scorchio I'd bob over to Etherow Country Park, have a quick look to see if any dippers were on the river then have a wander through Keg Wood to see if any pied flycatchers had overshot the Goyt Valley and landed in here and see if any dragonflies were on the pool.

I arrived at Etherow Country Park to a heavy sky and high humidity. There were plenty of black-headed gulls on the boating lake with the Canada geese, coots and mallards. The gulls were competing with a white farmyard goose to see who could make the most noise. There were a couple of oddly pale young Canada geese with the flock, both having ghostly beige backs and wings but one having a normal black and white head, the other having a smoky grey head and neck. I don't know if these are leucistic birds or Canada x domestic greylag.

Canada goose (or Canada x greylag hybrid)

Most of the small birds were being very quiet, as is usual this time of the year when most of the adults are catching their breath and having a post-breeding moult. The blackbirds and blackcaps made sure it didn't get too quiet.

Mandarin duck

All the mandarins are in eclipse now and most of them lurking in the wooded bits of the river away from people and dogs.

Mandarin duck

Mandarin duck

No dippers on the river today, I had to make do with the grey wagtails that have been nesting under the canal overflow and have raised a couple of youngsters.

Grey wagtail

I had a very brief wander round Keg Wood. Frankly, the humidity beat me on the first dip and rise. There were a few blackcaps and chiffchaffs tempting me further but I know when I'm licked.

Juvenile robin

I wandered back slowly, stopping to watch a robin feeding one of its youngsters and catching sight of a jay flying through the treetops to the disgust of a flock of goldfinches.

Not my finest hour and a half but I got a bit of exercise and just missed the rain on the way home.