Pennington Flash

Jay

I got soaked through on the way home in the thunderstorm from my dad's last night. I could say that I didn't set out for today's walk until lunchtime because I was giving my coat a chance to dry but it was really a combination of a good book, a sleeping cat and sheer idleness.

I got the 132 from the Trafford Centre and struck very lucky changing onto the 35 to Leigh in Boothstown. Rather than getting to 610 to Pennington Flash as is my usual custom I decided to get the 584 into Plank Lane, cross the canal and take the path from Slag Lane onto Ramsdales Rucks and onto the flash. There'd been reports of a wood warbler singing on the rucks first thing and you never know your luck.

It was quiet on the marina at Plank Lane, just a couple of mallards and some house sparrows. The trees on the other side of the lake were a different matter: blackbirds, robins, wrens and blackcaps were all in full song. I crossed the canal and by the Slag Lane car park a song thrush and some goldfinches joined the songscape. A couple of pairs of swifts zipped about overhead.

Walking in from Slag Lane 

The rough track onto the rucks wasn't much rougher than the pedestrian entrance from St Helens Road and was mostly baked dry. The songscape was constant, as the trees started to thin out a little willow warblers took over from the blackcaps. Magpies and jays bounced about in the trees and blackbirds and robins fussed about the path margins. A pair of bullfinches quietly slipped through the trees as I passed them by. 

It was a cloudy day and cooler than the weekend but not so cool that I couldn't expect to see a few butterflies or damselflies. I didn't see a one. As I got into the more open stretches of the rucks a cool breeze blew and provided an excuse for their absence. There were plenty of willow warblers, blackbirds and robins in the area where the wood warbler has been reported but I couldn't hear anything remotely like its staccato song. Not my day for being lucky.

Ramsdales Rucks 

As the path approached the canal whitethroats took over from the willow warblers. It was interesting to hear the changes from one habitat to another as I walked along. Gulls, mostly black-headed and lesser black-backs flew to and fro between the common on the other side of the canal and the flash. A great black-back lumbered by and an arctic tern screeched past and headed North, I didn't expect one of them today.

Pennington Flash 

Approaching the flash willow warblers and whitethroats sang in the trees, reed warblers sang in the reedbeds and a Cetti's warbler sang from the willow undergrowth by the path but wouldn't show itself. Swifts zipped about, a herd of mute swans cruised over to the sailing club and a great crested grebe fished in the water just beyond the reeds.

Walking towards Ramsdales Hide 

I followed the path round towards Ramsdales Hide, chiffchaffs and blackcaps taking over from the whitethroats and willow warblers. The coal tits and long-tailed tits foraging in the canopy were hard work to keep tabs on, I'd only noticed them at all because I was trying — and failing — to find where a juvenile robin was squeaking from. They, in turn, led me to a willow tit working at the mossy bark high in a willow like a tiny woodpecker. It found a caterpillar the size of its head, beat it into submission and flew to its nest with its prize. It was soon back hammering at that stretch of bark but seemed only to be getting beakfuls of small insects thereafter.

Moorhen on nest

At first sight Ramsdales Hide looked quiet. The nesting Canada geese, coots and lapwings were surprisingly inconspicuous, unlike the moorhen which had its nest out in the open, dead centre. You usually have to put in a lot more work to find a moorhen's nest. Pairs of gadwall drifted about, black-headed gulls made a racket as they passed by, a female mallard had a dozen ducklings in tow. A single stock dove rummaged about on the islands.

Little ringed plover

This time of year there's always the chance of a passing wader so I scanned round the patches of bare mud with my fingers crossed. I was in luck: over on the far bank a little ringed plover skittered across the water's edge.

Canada goose and little ringed plover 
Little ringed plovers are very little.

Little ringed plover 

A pair of blackcaps lurked in the hawthorn bush on the corner of the path and the usual Cetti's warbler had decided to sing from the hedge by the Tom Edmondson Hide. The pool there was quiet, just a few gadwall, dabchicks and coots. I pointed out a coot's nest to a couple who'd come in for a quick look and they had a nice view of a heron flying into the trees opposite.

Opposite the Tom Edmondson Hide 

The Cetti's warbler had moved back to its usual patch of scrub on the other side of the path when I came out. A pair of shovelers and a gadwall dabbled by the reeds on the pool, the reed warblers were notable by their absence.

Walking down I was pleased to hear a sedge warbler singing in the dogwoods by Pengy's Pool, I've not had a lot of luck with them here the past couple of years.

From the Horrocks Hide 

It was quiet at the Horrocks Hide. A few cormorants and herring gulls loafed on the end of the spit. Lapwings, woodpigeons and stock doves quietly rummaged about in the grass. A pair of Canada geese had half a dozen goslings. It looked like it was standing room only for the black-headed gulls nesting on the raft beyond the spit.

Pennington Flash 

Out on the flash there were a few loafing lesser black-backs and herring gulls. There was a small raft of apparently non-breeding great crested grebes. And only a couple of pairs of tufted ducks, the majority being discreetly busy elsewhere. There were plenty of swifts hawking over the water but nary a single hirundine despite the weather closing in.

Bradshaw Leach Meadow 

I decided not to chance my luck with the weather and headed for St Helens Road. There were only handfuls of mallards, Canada geese and lesser black-backs on the car park, probably because it was closed for repairs (already?). As I crossed the brook a pair of goosanders broke cover from the reeds and swan quickly upstream.

I got the 610 back to Leigh. It was that part of the afternoon when there's a long wait for the 126 as its schedule takes into account the end of the school run and the beginning of the rush hour so I got the V1 to Sale Lane and got the 132 back to the Trafford Centre from there. While I was waiting half a dozen swifts drifted by heading for Moseley Common and a dozen house martins chipped and chattered low over the rooftops. There's roadworks between Tyldseley and Wigan so I had a longer than expected wait but I struck lucky: the rain didn't properly fall until I was safely on the bus.