Etherow Country Park

Mandarin ducks 

The good news is that I was awake to a bright new dawn after the overnight torrents with plenty of time for the day's planned adventure. The bad news was that I'd had something less than two hours' sleep so I catnapped most of the morning. Then I made the mistake of sitting down for an early dinner and the cat took her turn for a nap. So I was rather a lot later than planned for my Plan C wander round Etherow Country Park to take pictures of mandarin ducks.

Mandarin ducks 

Mandarin duck

The mallards are nearly all paired up now, most of the mandarins looked to be paired up but there seemed to be an overabundance of drakes (unless some of the ducks are already nesting somewhere). The coots were keeping a very low profile and there was no sign of any of the mute swans.

American mink

A mink scavenging on a dead Canada goose on the canal was an unwelcome surprise.

River Etherow

For all the rain we've been having the river was a lot lower than I expected thought it was still full and frisky. 

Grey wagtail 

I had rational hopes of grey wagtail and dipper this afternoon, in the end the only bird on the river was a grey wagtail feeding at the base of the weir.

Chaffinch

The sunset chorus in Keg Wood included robins, great tits, coal tits, blackbirds, nuthatches, wrens and a song thrush. Blue tits chased each other round the treetops and woodpigeons canoodled in the ivies. Chaffinches, goldfinches and siskins quietly got about their business.

Keg Wood 

Although it was getting on I thought I should do a decent portion of the circuit in Keg Wood, there's a danger I might scare myself off it. My knees really don't like a couple of the steep inclines on the roller coaster ride but it's a very picturesque walk and can provide some very productive birdwatching so I need to make sure to make the effort. And it's always reassuring that the inclines are more forgiving on the way back.

Keg Wood 

Etherow Country Park 

On the way back to the car park a heron and a buzzard came flying in low to roost in Keg Wood and fifty-odd jackdaws headed for the roost behind the church.

Treecreeper 

There seems to be a strict rule that God invented saying that treecreepers will come and feed on trunks within touching distance only when the light is so bad motion blur becomes inevitable with the shutter speed the camera needs to use.

Etherow Country Park 

Etherow Country Park