Hindley

Amberswood 

Waking to what would be a nice day in early March after the first decent night's sleep in a week I persuaded myself out of a jaunt out to try and catch a glimpse of the male smew at Lapwing Hall Lake (it's theoretically doable by bus but knowing what country buses in Cheshire are like I'd like the safety net of a train service back to Manchester to fall back on). The temptation to bus it over to Southport for a wild goose chase was allayed by a skein of thirty-odd pink-footed geese flying overhead. That bus trip's best postponed to February when there's more daylight hours.

Herring gulls, Lostock School 

Things were a little quieter in the back garden this morning, though the spadgers piled in mob-handed when I refilled the feeders. Over on the playing field seventy-odd black-headed gulls loafed about while a few herring gulls danced for worms. One of the first-Winter birds pushed its luck begging for worms and got pretty short shrift. A big brute of a Scandinavian herring gull flew in (darker grey wings and mantle, big white mirrors on the wings, hefty but not yellow-legged gull hefty). After throwing its weight about for a couple of minutes amongst the black-headed gulls it heaved off elsewhere. The Scandinavian subspecies isn't uncommon but there's so much variation in gulls and the light can make such a difference in the shade of grey on their backs that it's uncommon for me to be sure when I see one.

I headed for the Trafford Centre for a pot luck trip out: if the first bus out was a 20 it would be Worsley Woods, if a 22 then Clifton Country Park if a 132 then Amberswood. As it was, the 132 had, unusually, arrived and was taking on passengers so the die was cast. I took a sparrowhawk putting the wind up the pigeons in Tyldseley town centre as we passed through as a good omen.

Amberswood 

It had been quiet and sunny right up to the point where I joined the path into Amberswood. About a hundred yards down the wind got up and the clouds darkened and I thought I was in for it but just as suddenly the wind died down and it became a mild, thinly clouded afternoon.

Amberswood 

Loosely organised mixed tit flocks bounced around in the bushes either side of the path. The blue tits were easier to see than the long-tailed tits which were much easier to see than the great tits and the willow tit that was calling was hard work. A treecreeper reminded me of the pitfalls of trying to photograph active small birds in January woodlands. A small flock of goldfinches was active in the treetops. I fancied I could hear siskins about but couldn't confirm it.

Amberswood 

There were a few dozen black-headed gulls on the lake accompanied by a lesser black-back, a common gull and half a dozen tufted ducks. The mallards at the Southern end of the lake kept to the reeds until a couple of anglers packed their bags.

Mallards, Low Hall

I crossed the road into Low Hall. I'd decided I was going to have an explore to see where the paths went,  the vague intent being to get to Bickershaw. I stopped to check that the mallards, tufties and black-headed gulls on the pond with the mute swans were mallards, tufties and black-headed gulls on the pond with the mute swans and they were.

Low Hall 

I followed the winding path through the woods. There's not a lot of undergrowth so there was only the occasional blackbird, robin or wren about. When I got to the path that runs parallel to the old colliery rail line I turned left away from Platt Bridge and headed towards Hindley Green. 

No.

A way down the path split into three, I followed the one going under the railway and out into the open. I'm not sure how permanent the pond is, it was busy with black-headed gulls and mallards. It probably doesn't usually cover the path in a foot of water. Not wanting to go for a wade and not fancying the alternative of a picturesque wander through the travellers' site I retraced my steps and passed back under the bridge.

A rather intimate coupling of ash trees

Of the two remaining paths, one circles back to where I started on Liverpool Road. The one I took meandered very roughly in parallel to the railway track before joining it in woodland at Hindley Green. Here and there there were clearings of tall rough grass where magpies chartered and chaffinches foraged in the trees. A kestrel hunted over one large clearing by the railway.

Walking from Low Hall to Hindley Green 

I joined the track into Hindley Green where I decided that rather than traipse half a mile through the village to get to a bus stop I'd take the track down to Bickershaw which wasn't much further and had the bus stop for the regular bus to Leigh at the end of it. I hadn't realised, because the maps don't tell you, that the path runs alongside the perimeter fence of HMP Hindley. Which didn't stop mixed tit flocks flitting about in the hedgerows.

I got to Bickershaw and got the bus. It had been an interesting little walk. If I do it again it should be in late Spring when there are warblers about but not yet too much cover.