Hindley

Mute swan, Low Hall

Much to my surprise the clear, sunny day we were promised actually materialised. Rather than waste it in a paroxysm of indecision I headed for the Trafford Centre with the intention of having a walk "over there" [waves vaguely in a Northwest direction]. If the first bus that came was the 100 I'd have a stroll on Chat Moss, the 126 Pennington Flash and the 132 Amberswood. The 132 came first, which in retrospect was fortunate because it was a keening wind accompanying the sunshine and there's plenty of shelter at Amberswood.

The traffic was bad and it seemed to take forever to get to Hindley. I remembered to get off at the church and walk down Liverpool Road this time.

Low Hall

I'd been hearing robins, moorhens and a mistle thrush as I walked down so I decided to have a quick look in Low Hall to see what was about. A pair of mute swans were grazing by the pond and half a dozen teal silently slipped into the reeds by the bank as I walked by. There were coal tits and great tits about but I couldn't see that they were part of a mixed flock.

Amberswood 

I walked back and crossed the road to Amberswood as the low sun reminded me there's not a big window between lunchtime and twilight this time of year. A bullfinch flew from the bush by the gates as I arrived and it joined the mixed tit flock in the alders behind the houses. A couple of pairs of blue tits and great tits bounced about the trees with a family of long-tailed tits and a nuthatch.

Mute cygnet, Amberswood

A couple of cygnets were preening on the bank of the lake with a gang of mallards. Out on the lake there was a very loose raft of a couple of dozen black-headed gulls and a couple of dozing great crested grebes. Half a dozen tufted ducks lurked by the reeds on the far side. 

Amberswood Lake 

I walked clockwise round the Western side of the lake for a change, following the quiet calls of siskins going to roost in the trees. It was remarkably quiet save the mutterings of jackdaws overhead and the occasional black-headed gull letting on to a friend on the lake. Even the dabchicks by the edge of the lake were silent. Which made the blood-curdling cries of a water rail in the reeds all the more surprising when it got going.

Amberswood 

I got round to the bottom of the path to the National Cycle Route (the long straight path to Manchester Road) where I found a bird feeding station at the corner of the lake. I hadn't noticed it until I followed where the great tits and blue tits were going. It was good to see a couple of coal tits and a willow tit tucking in as well.

A great spotted woodpecker calling in the woods defeated my trying to spot it. I had more luck with the jays, dunnocks and blackbirds. As I started on the stretch to Manchester Road the woodpigeons, magpies and carrion crows started settling in the trees by the path. A couple of carrion crows were quietly preening each other's head feathers when they suddenly dropped down from the tree with a shriek as a sparrowhawk shot by. The crows returned and settled for a doze.

Whelley Loop Line 

I got to Manchester Road and noticed I had twenty minutes' wait for the 132 back to the Trafford Centre so I had a bit of an explore of the start of the Whelley Loop Line that curves round to New Springs and thence towards Haigh Country Park (I think it's another of those walks bequeathed to the nation by Marples and Beeching). This late in the afternoon there wasn't a lot of activity besides woodpigeons, magpies and blackbirds and the sound of jackdaws and lesser black-backs passing overhead to roost. I've added this to the ever-lengthening list of places to explore next year.

It was sunset as I caught the bus after finally getting some proper movement walked back into the knees. It's only taken two days, I'll have to make sure not to leave it so long again in future. Which is an excellent excuse for a lot of birdwatching.