Mersey Valley

Grey squirrel, Sale Water Park

After yesterday's debacle I was ill-disposed to put my faith in trains so I had a lazy morning then at lunchtime toddled over to Chorlton Water Park for a wander.

I was struck yet again by the importance of chance in birdwatching when I happened to look up at the living room window and noticed a goldcrest in the top of one of the sycamores on the railway embankment. I also noticed that I've been seriously underestimating the size of the spadger flocks, now the leaves are off the rambling rose I could see at least twenty birds when the silver team came in. "Silver team" is becoming less appropriate: dark, sooty males are outnumbering white-cheeked ones two to one now.

Come lunchtime I walked past the allotments and caught the 23 on Urmston Lane, getting off at Southern Cemetery and walking down Maitland Road to Chorlton Water Park. It was a very pleasant Autumn day, quite warm in the sun but you could see your breath in the shadows. A couple of dozen spadgers bounced around in the hedges of the car park while collared doves, starlings and great tits fussed about the feeders in the garden next door. The first of what would be a constant chorus of ring-necked parakeets screeched through the treetops.

Black-headed gulls, Chorlton Water Park

Black-headed gull, Chorlton Water Park

There was plenty on the lake, mostly coots, mallards and a hundred or more black-headed gulls. A few mute swans and Canada geese mugged for scraps and a couple of pairs of gadwall dozed by the island at the car park end. Five cormorants lurked in the deep shadows here, perched on posts drying their wings. There were a few tufted ducks and a couple of great crested grebes out in the middle of the lake. There was more than just the parakeets in the trees along the path though they were much the easiest to see. (From here on in in the narrative you can assume the presence of parakeets.) One large mixed tit flock took me a while to sort out and included great, blue and long-tailed tits, a couple of treecreepers and a nuthatch.

Ring-necked parakeet, Chorlton Water Park

Treecreeper, Chorlton Water Park

Long-tailed tit, Chorlton Water Park

A quick foray into Barlow Tip found me more long-tailed tits and blue tits and a small flock of siskins in the stand of alders at the edge of the wood.

Barlow Tip 

I walked along the river to Jackson's Boat. The river was in full spate with no room on the banks for wagtails. Small groups of mallards bobbed and quacked at the margins and cormorants fished midwater. A couple of buzzards called at each other from the golf courses on either side. I looked in vain for redpolls on the larch trees, the cones aren't ripe yet, but it's always nice to find a few greenfinches having a preen before having another go at the hawthorns in the hedgerows. 

Sale Golf Course from the river

Wrens and chaffinches tried and failed to be heard over the noise of the parakeets at Jackson's Boat. Yet another flock of long-tailed tits bounced through the trees next to the bouncy bridge.

It was quieter along Sale Ees. A couple of parakeets flew over, blackbirds, robins and wrens fossicked in the undergrowth and a great spotted woodpecker called from the top of a dead tree. A heron was lurking by Barrow Brook, we acknowledged each other and then dutifully pretended we hadn't noticed each other as I walked close by.

Heron, Sale Ees

The lake on Sale Water Park was busy with gadwalls, a couple of dozen at the Eastern end with more besides by the islands. Over near the visitor centre mute swans, Canada geese and black-headed gulls vied for the attentions of visitors while cormorants, dabchicks and tufted ducks hunted offshore. The hawthorn hedges were busy with grey squirrels, blackbirds and redwings, all making short work of a good crop of berries.

Grey squirrel, Sale Water Park

I walked down to the café for a cup of tea and a nosy at the bird feeders, passing a few great tits and bullfinches along the way. There were more great tits on the feeders trying, and failing, to crowd out a parakeet that was monopolising the fat balls. It was well on into the afternoon and the birds were topping up before nightfall so there was a constant activity even when people passed close by. There were almost as many blue tits as great, a few coal tits and nuthatches; robins, blackbirds and dunnocks came and went and a great spotted woodpecker budged in for a few minutes. A couple of willow tits joined in the crowd scenes for a change and did a good job of beating the great tits to the fat balls once the parakeet moved on. Every so often a bunch of magpies or parakeets would barge in, the magpies being very wary of the parakeets as they had a habit of sidling up from below and taking a chunk out of their tail feathers. 

Great tits, blue tit and willow tit, Sale Water Park

At this point I had to move on sharpish to get my bus home to help sort something out for my dad but I probably wouldn't have lingered very much longer as the nights are drawing in now. I'd only planned a bit of a wander to keep the joints working but it had turned out to be a very productive afternoon.

Chorlton Water Park