Stoke

Juvenile blackcap

I had just looked to see how the trains were running and taken plans A to D out of the equation when I noticed that for the past few days a marsh warbler has been holding a singing territory half a mile from Stoke-on-Trent Station. A marsh warbler would be a lifer and there are so many trains running between Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent it would be hard work to be stranded long. Besides, Stoke is such an unlikely place for a twitch it was irresistible.

I got a lunchtime train out, figuring to get to the appointed place after the lull and when warblers start tuning up again. The reports said that the warbler was singing by the river near the bridge to Lordship Lane and the last report was just after twelve.

I made the mistake of using Google Maps' directions to get to the right place and ended up in an alley behind a carpet warehouse overlooking the river. I've been in more unlikely twitching spots but the absence of any bridge or anybody else staring at the river through the high fence didn't suggest this was the right place. Chiffchaffs, blackbirds, robins and wrens and great tits and blackcaps sang in the trees, giving me a bit of encouragement.

Lordship Lane 

I decided to find Lordship Lane, wander down it and see where I got. It was about fifty yards down the road, signposted as a footpath to the station and it ducked behind a distribution warehouse. A little path up a bank looked interesting so I bobbed up it and found myself in a field. I could see where the river was a couple of hundred yards ahead so I headed that way. 

River Trent, Manorfields Pools
The marsh warbler had been in there somewhere 

I soon bumped into a chap with a pair of binoculars. "Have you seen the marsh warbler?" he asked. I replied that I'd only just arrived. "It's nice here, I've not been before, do you know the place?" he asked. I replied I hadn't even known it was there. "Come on, I'll show you where it's supposed to be." And he did. His mate had seen it at five in the morning and had sent him a photo at the time. It turned out to be just where I was wanting to be when I was on the other side of the fence. He'd had no luck and was on the point of giving up until I'd arrived. We stayed on the bridge watching and listening for anything that could be a marsh warbler for about an hour.

Juvenile blackcap

Juvenile blackcap

Juvenile blackcap

The chiffchaffs, blackcaps, blackbirds and a song thrush kept up a loud background noise almost drowning out the staff announcements from the warehouse. A family of blackcaps in the willow tree ten feet in front of us were a perpetual distraction. I managed to get a lot of "There was a warbler there a moment ago" photographs. A mallard and her tiny ducklings kept whistling from under the bridge and a mixed tit flock of juvenile great, blue and long-tailed tits bounced around the trees along the river. I also kept getting distracted by the shoals of minnows swimming in the river.

Minnows

Mallard ducklings

After an hour with no joy I decided to have an explore upstream, thanking the chap and wishing him luck. I crossed the bridge, looked over a rugby pitch and realised I'd walked a mile out of my way. The nature reserve is called Manorfields Pools, it's managed by Staffordshire University and it's a couple of hundred yards from Leek Road.

River Trent, Manorfields Pools 

I wandered back and found the chap still there and still having no luck. I joined him and we spent the next half hour still having no luck but enjoying the blackcaps and titmice in the trees and the ducklings, minnows and banded demoiselles on the river. It was his turn to give up, "They might think I've gone to the quarry to watch them making a bag of cement from scratch." I lingered another half hour and left two newcomers to it with my best wishes.

Large skipper

Whitethroat

I had a bit of an explore downstream, bumping into a couple of whitethroats in the hedgerows and a sedge warbler singing in a small reedbed. A moorhen chased a heron off the river with a bit of help by my turning up to see what the noise was about. There were more banded demoiselles, black-tailed skimmers chased each other over the shallows and a male emperor dragonfly patrolled the hedge tops and very intimidating he was, too.

Walking back to the station I reflected that if I was a twitcher I'd be disappointed about dipping. While it would have been very nice to have seen, or just heard, the marsh warbler I'd had a good walk, explored a very pleasant little nature reserve and added the week's second site within fifteen minutes' walk of a railway station to my repertoire. I'd say that was better than a poke in the eye with a pencil.