Orrell

Greenslate Water Meadows 

It wasn't a fit morning for going any further than the kitchen. The rain eased a little by lunchtime so I decided to go out for a walk round Orrell Water Park and Greenslate Water Meadows seeing as they're literally two minutes from the station and there's plenty of cover.

The rain eased off completely once I arrived in Orrell though it was a dark and gloomy afternoon. Robins, great tits and dunnocks sang at the station and I hadn't walked far before I'd added blackbirds, chiffchaffs and a song thrush to the soundscape. The park was very quiet of people and dogs today, which is probably just lucky timing on my part.

Orrell Water Park 

The lake was fairly quiet, pairs of mallard, mute swan, coot and moorhen lurked around the edges while a pair of great crested grebes performed synchronised swimming displays out in the middle. A few black-headed gulls flew in, squabbled and flew out and there was a steady passage of them overhead together with a few lesser black-backs, all heading towards the Wigan flashes.

Greenslate Water Meadows 

Greenslate Water Meadows was very busy with birds. Robins, chiffchaffs and nuthatches sang in the hedgerows with the occasional explosive burst from a wren or two. Blackbirds, song thrushes and chaffinches sang in the treetops when they weren't littering the paths and woodpigeons clattered about everywhere. The feeding station was well-attended by chaffinches, dunnocks and moorhens and a few great tits and greenfinches. The blue tits and coal tits were more shy and I could hear a willow tit escorting me away from the area but I was blowed if I could see it. Walking round there were long-tailed tits, goldcrests and goldfinches bouncing round the taller treetops with blue tits and woodpigeons and a couple of carrion crows sang a love duet.

I completed a long circuit of the water park and headed back to the station. I'd been lucky with the weather and there had been plenty enough birdlife to see and hear. As I waited for the train great tits, chiffchaffs and woodpigeons joined the station chorus and a couple of wrens had a singing match under the road bridge. Not bad for a miserable sort of day.