Wellacre Country Park

Robin eyeing up a rival on the other side of the path

The blackbird, as usual, kicked off the dawn chorus an hour early. Its rival down the road took up the challenge at dawn and a woodpigeons and the wren soon joined in. The robin and blackcap had a lie-in and I couldn't blame them.

A bright, sunny morning became a muggy lunchtime. After yesterday's long, drawn out return home I didn't fancy travelling far. I got the train intending getting off at Irlam for a walk on the mosses but decided I wasn't in the mood for a long walk, got off at Flixton and walked down Carrington Road.

At Flixton Bridge I stopped to have a look at the river. It was down to normal levels though still running fast and the banks showed the scouring of Winter floods. I looked in vain for any waterbirds. The trees either side of the river and along Merseyview were fizzing with songbirds. Blackbirds, robins, chiffchaffs, dunnocks, blackcaps and wrens were in full song.

Onto Green Hill 

I joined the path up Green Hill (Fly Ash Hill as was before this became Wellacre Country Park). Chaffinches and great tits joined the songscape in the trees at the base and the warmth had brought out the orange tips and holly blues.

Green Hill 

Walking up into the open scrub the songscape subsided. Whitethroats and great tits sang from hawthorn bushes and a willow warbler sang from somewhere in the trees down by the old silt lagoons. Two buzzards were high-soaring dots in the sky and higher yet half a dozen swifts wheeled in the low cloud. There was a bit of a commotion as three mallards flew by. A bramble patch that had been cleared to make way for whip-planting had regenerated enough for a very vocal whitethroat to take possession which was cheering.

Green Hill 

Descending into the trees there were more great tits and chaffinches, blue tits and house sparrows foraged in the undergrowth and a jay floated across the path like a ghost. A song thrush sang in the willows by the main path.

Dutton's Pond
I'm not convinced the scarecrows do.

Oddly enough Dutton's Pond was the only place I wasn't to see mallards this afternoon. Moorhens fidgeted about in the reeds in the centre of the pond but showed no evidence of having nests which suggests there's a couple on the go.

Walking beside the embankment to Jack Lane

I walked down towards Jack Lane, letting on to the dog walker I met the other week on Stratford Meadows. The trees by the pond and along the railway embankment were noisy with birdsong though there was plenty enough leaf cover to keep most of the singers out of sight. A few orange tips, speckled woods and brimstones fluttered about the path margins. A passing kestrel paused to hover over one of the fields before being moved on by jackdaws.

Jack Lane nature reserve 

A couple of reed warblers were having a singing duel either side of the path across Jack Lane nature reserve. A couple of mallards quickly disappeared into the reeds, a reed bunting and a water rail were heard but not seen. I was trying to find the great spotted woodpecker in the trees when five parakeets flew out of the treetops and over into Wellacre Wood.

Jack Lane nature reserve 

Starling preening

I walked round to Wellacre Wood. The horses in the fields were accompanied by many magpies and starlings and a handful of carrion crows. A small flock of sand martins whizzed low over Irlam Locks.

Wellacre Wood 

Wellacre Wood was fairly quiet. There were lots of birds about but scarce any singing and only a song thrush making a sustained effort of it. The great tits had noisy broods to feed, the robins had youngsters quietly skulking out of sight.

I emerged onto Irlam Road and waited for the bus as the clouds got darker. I didn't get home before the rain.

Green Hill