Mersey Valley

Great crested grebes, Chorlton Water Park

It had been a rough old night's sleep and I wasn't feeling up to the early start required for today's planned jaunt so I ended up having an early lunch then another pot of tea, then another, then I decided I shouldn't waste another decent day's weather, which then occasioned the usual dithering about as to where to go. 

In the end, by accident more than foresight, I got the 101 from town and got off on Princess Parkway just before Merseybank Fields. I walked down to the river and walked along the Lancashire bank into Chorlton with a diversionary wander round Chorlton Water Park and Barlow Tip along the way.

River Mersey going under Princess Parkway 

The walk down to the river was busy with blackbirds, wrens and chiffchaffs despite the heavy traffic alongside. Four drake mallards dozed on the river and blackbirds and robins sang from the trees on the Cheshire bank.

Heron, River Mersey, Chorlton

Passing under Princess Parkway there were more mallards on the river and a heron fishing on the rapids. Woodpigeons and parakeets flew in and out of Kenworthy Woods and a pair of carrion crows bounced about the far bank. Chiffchaffs, robins and blackcaps sang from both sides of the river. Brimstones and banded demoiselles fluttered about on the bank by the path.

Great crested grebe, Chorlton Water Park

For all that it was a warm, sunny afternoon Chorlton Water Park wasn't silly busy. The waterfowl were thin on the water, the last of the wintering birds having moved on and most of the mallards having business elsewhere. A few Canada geese called from the islands, a few more cruised the open water. Pairs of great crested grebes didn't seem to have any youngsters with them, the mute swans had half a dozen chunky cygnets in tow.

Mallard, Chorlton Water Park

I paused before walking on to Barlow Tip to watch a bloke make a complete Horlicks of getting an e-bike through the pedestrian kissing gate to the river. I didn't know it at the time but it was a sign of things to come.

Male common blue damselfly, Barlow Tip

Barlow Tip was awash with damselflies, mostly common blue damsels with a few blue-tailed to keep me on my toes. I still get confused by the females of both and have to keep checking references to know what I'm looking at. Brimstones patrolled the brambles patches and orange tips the rides. 

Female common blue damselfly, Barlow Tip

The birds were plentiful but mostly hidden in the leaf cover. Chiffchaffs and song thrushes sang from the trees and whitethroats from the ground cover under hawthorn bushes. Waves of small flocks of swifts and hirundines — a handful of swallows and perhaps a couple of dozen house martins in three flocks — wheeled overhead and drifted downriver.

The walk down to Jackson's Boat was punctuated by loutish behaviour by passing e-cyclists, the worst of Chorlton's cycling fraternity seems to have decided it's not worth working up a sweat just to cut up pedestrians on footpaths. Mallards and Canada geese loafed on the river banks, swallows hawked low over, sometimes dipping their beaks for a drink. Chiffchaffs, robins and wrens sang in the hedgerow and woodpigeons clattered about in the trees.

At Jackson's Boat a song thrush and a chiffchaff chased a jay out of one of the hawthorn trees. The chiffchaff left the chase once the jay was out of the tree but the thrush pursued it out of sight.

Hardy Farm 

I walked through Hardy Farm into Chorlton for my bus. Chiffchaffs sang in the trees by Chorlton Ees and whitethroats in the bushes between the path and the tram lines where a pheasant called from somewhere in the rough.

River Mersey, Chorlton