Pennington Flash

Little egret

After the running about of the last few days I just wanted a simple toddle round on what had become a pleasant Autumnal day. I played bus stop bingo: if the 256 arrived first I'd have a wander round Wellacre Country Park, if the 25 I'd see if I could connect with the 126 for a walk round Pennington Flash.

Walking in from St Helens Road
There's a spooky look to white poplars in Autumn.

Walking into Pennington Flash from St Helens Road was eerily quiet. The road's closed for yet more repair work but that didn't stop there being plenty of people about. Even so it was an oddly quiet walk. A heron and a woodpigeon flew overhead, a wren flitted silently across the path and a magpie muttered as the branch it landed on bent a bit too far for its liking.

Black-headed gulls

I reached the car park where the usual motley assemblage of mute swans, Canada geese, mallards and black-headed gulls were mugging for scraps. The mallards are barely out of eclipse plumage and are already head-bobbing and quacking for the ladies. The Egyptian geese have moved on, I wonder where to as much as I wonder where from, there aren't reports of their peregrinations round the region. There were plenty of coots on the flash as well as a couple of rafts of tufted ducks, each a couple of dozen birds strong. Out on the middle of the flash, beyond the coots and pairs of great crested grebes, a loose raft of a few dozen herring gulls and lesser black-backs drifted and bathed. I scanned round to see if there were any terms about but every likely prospect in the distance drifted in closer and turned out to be a young black-headed gull.

From the Horrocks Hide
Tufted ducks and great crested grebes, cormorant and a dabchick.

I worked my way through the crowds by the visitor centre and had a look from the Horrocks Hide. The water was high and half the spit was submerged. A line of cormorants, herring gulls, Canada geese and lapwings ran the edge of the far end of the spit. There wasn't a right lot closer to the hide, just a couple of coots. Stretched across the middle of the channel beyond the spit was a raft of a few dozen tufted ducks and great crested grebes, a few cormorants and dabchicks fished in the bight.

So far it had been very quiet indeed for small birds. As I walked down the path a couple of robins did a few limbering up exercises before deciding not to sing. Then I noticed some leaves moving the wrong way so I stood still and let the mixed tit flock come to me. Oddly enough it was the goldcrests and treecreeper I saw first. A dozen long-tailed tits soon appeared then a few blue tits, great tits and chiffchaffs. And all, except for one long-tailed tit, in complete silence.

Tom Edmondson Hide 

The Tom Edmondson Hide was busy with head-bobbing gadwalls. A family of mute swans steamed through one way while a few coot quarreled by the other way. The pool on the other side of the path was quiet, a couple of teal lurking in the reeds and a young shoveler chugging past and disappearing into the reeds.

Gadwalls, Tom Edmondson Hide 

Teal and shovelers, Ramsdales Hide 

The reeds had been cut back at Ramsdales Hide the better to see a couple of dozen teal dozing on the islands with a few shovelers. The drake shovelers were still in eclipse plumage and some of the teal hadn't completely moulted out of it. A little egret stalked the water margins while a young heron lurked by the reeds. I'd been hoping to hear the usual Cetti's warbler in the wet scrub in the corner and was surprised to hear two singing scraps of song.

At Ramsdales Hide 

Walking towards the canal

Pennington Flash 

Tufted ducks and great crested grebes 

I decided not to head back into the crowds so I walked up to the rucks and thence to Slag Lane. I got better views of the birds on the Horrocks spit from this end and bumped into another silent mixed tit flock on the Northern shore. As I walked up the slope a couple of buzzards flying low overhead were harassed by carrion crows. A kestrel hovered over the meadows by Slag Lane.

Buzzard

Walking to Slag Lane 

I debated carrying on through Byrom Hall Wood but the 588 to Lowton passed me as I was about to cross Slag Lane which meant it would be coming back to Leigh in five minutes' time so I took the hint. It was supposed to be an afternoon's toddling about after all.

Rishton

Wryneck

That wryneck at Rishton Reservoir was nagging at me. It had been reported a few times yesterday and again first thing this morning so I got myself an old man's explorer ticket and headed to Rishton.

I got the Blackpool train to Salford Crescent and changed there for the Clitheroe train to Blackburn. Approaching Salford Crescent the train flushed a wheatear from the trackside, which I took as a good omen. Ditto the jay fussing about in the trees at the station. Google Maps suggested I walk down to Blackburn Bus Station for the bus to Rishton War Memorial but I waited the seven minutes for the Colne train instead and walked down. We got there about the same time.

It was a bright, sunny and crisp Autumn lunchtime. Instead of going through Cutwood Park I walked down Cut Lane to get to the Northern shore of the reservoir. A steady trickle of smiling birdwatchers coming back confirmed I was on the right track. 

By Rishton Reservoir 

There were lots of robins, jackdaws and woodpigeons about. I was keeping an eye on the fields and hedgerows for any passage migrants. A movement in a willow bush caught my eye. There was a male blackbird in there and a robin was rummaging about. Then a bird hopped onto a branch at the front, dived down and got something off the floor, returned to the branch and then disappeared into cover. All in a flash. Luckily I'd seen enough of a sandy brown body and red tail to identify it as a female redstart, an addition to the year list I'd pretty much written off. I mentioned it to a chap who was coming along but he could only find the blackbird and robin. I couldn't blame him if he decided I imagined the redstart, I'd be tempted myself in his shoes.

Rishton Reservoir
A bit different to the other day.

Arriving at the reservoir there were the black-headed gulls, little egrets, Canada geese and herring gulls I saw the other day. I didn't see any hirundines about, the cool morning not having woken up the midges. One of the birdwatchers on his way back had noticed a rather dainty gull amongst the black-headed gulls on the far side, stopped to check it out and found himself a little gull. He let me have a nosy at it, yes sure enough there was a two-thirds sized "black-headed gull" standing a lot lower than its companions. It didn't turn its head so I couldn't see its beak but there was more black about its wings than I'd expect from a small black-headed gull (and it would have been an exceptionally small black-headed gull). It occurred to me how rarely I've seen little gulls on the ground. 

Dunlin and ringed plovers

There was a knot of birdwatchers at the end of the path and they were all looking in different directions which didn't bode well. The wryneck had been showing well but had gone into hiding and nobody was picking it up. I've heard that song so often over the years I can sing it in the bath. I spent an hour and a half scanning round that stretch of reservoir bank. A common tern flew in and did ten minutes' fishing before moving on. A pair of mute swans flew in and settled down amongst the geese and cormorants. A few mallards fussed about and upset one of the egrets. A mixed flock of dunlins and ringed plovers flew in and fossicked round the mud with a couple of pied wagtails. As well as being nice birds in their own right I was grateful to them for providing a sense of scale, when you've been staring at bankside rubble through binoculars for half an hour you start to lose it. A stoat provided a nice diversion as he scampered round the bank, stopping once in a while to try and work out what we were about.

Stoat

Eventually there was just a handful of us left. It was while the stoat was regaling us for the third time that something moved in the corner of my eye. A bird not very much bigger than a sparrow flew out of the sedges a hundred yards away. I don't know how or why I knew it but I immediately called: "wryneck!" I just knew. It was cool pale brown above and white below and sort of angular and didn't fly like anything I know, fluttering with its tail wide open before disappearing back in the sedges. Luckily somebody else saw it too.

Then we all saw it. It flew directly out of the sedges and perched in plain sight on a rock by the reservoir wall. The direct flight reminded me somewhat of a wheatear though this was a very different bird. And a very bonny one indeed. The upperparts were shades of grey and brown with thicker dark brown stripes as the eye stripe stretched down the side of the neck and almost met the dark edge of the wing. It reminded me very much of the bark of birches and red alders. The undersides looked white but were finely barred in pale greys and browns. I was very happy to finally get to see one, it was worth the wait.

Wryneck

Wryneck
Like it says on the tin.

Wryneck

Wryneck

Wryneck

Wryneck
Again showing us why the name.

I walked back to the station, having to climb a couple of gates along the way, and sat down to transcribe the records from my notebook. Much to my surprise I found my hand was shaking. I can't remember ever investing that much nervous energy into a twitch before.

The Preston train arrived and I got on. I had a look at the logistics of getting to Fairhaven Lake where a few black terns were having a frolic. Did I really want to be riding the little train to Blackpool Pleasure Beach on a sunny Friday afternoon? My train arrived at Preston less than five minutes after the Blackpool South train left and I'd have the best part of an hour hanging round for the next so I decided against. If it had been twenty minutes I'd have chanced it.

The train from Colne becomes the train to Ormskirk so I stayed on and had a pleasant hour counting the jackdaws and woodpigeons along the way. There were lots of butterflies about — all either large whites or red admirals — and a common darter zipped by as we slowed down into Rufford Station. I got off at Burscough Junction and had a walk over to Burscough Bridge for the train home just because I could. It had been that sort of day.

The year list now stands at 199 and my British List 306.

Longendale

Bottoms Reservoir 

It was a bright, crisp Autumn day and I didn't much feel like chasing after anything. I went and got my new monthly travel pass and decided that now I had it I should do something with it so I got the Hadfield train and had a slow wander along the Longendale Trail as far as Valehouse Reservoir.

Hadfield 

When the train arrived in Glossop there was a large brooding cloud and much rain over the hills. I rather hoped they were staying over there but as the train pulled into Hadfield it started raining. Quite heavily. The first stretch of the trail is pretty sheltered so I thought I'd assay that bit and see what the weather did then — it was looking like one of those afternoons where the wind was blowing four seasons per half hour.

Walking down the cut between Hadfield and Padfield Main Road was very quiet. A couple of chiffchaffs squeaked and a robin sang while woodpigeons and jackdaws clattered noisily overhead. 

Carrion crow and buzzard

It was a different story when I reached the open ground above Bottoms Reservoir. The sun shone brightly, flocks of woodpigeons, jackdaws and Canada geese fed on the grass and a swarm of swallows hawked low over the fields and paths. A few carrion crows spotted a buzzard minding its own business hunting for worms and decided to gang up on it until it eventually left and they could sit on fenceposts celebrating their victory.

This dunnock was put out that I happened to walk by as it was having a bath

The hedgerows were busy with dunnocks, robins and chiffchaffs, all letting each other know I was passing by. The goldfinches and great tits quietly got on with feeding in the hawthorns.

Bottoms Reservoir 

The Longendale Trail above Bottoms Reservoir 

Guelder rose 

The trees lining the path above Valehouse Reservoir were busy with robins, chiffchaffs and dunnocks while wrens, blue tits and great tits rummaged about in the undergrowth. I was tempted to carry on with the walk but the next cloud coming along was both large and dark and I didn't fancy my chances with it.

The Longendale Trail 

I hadn't gone far on the way back before it started raining. A soft tweet alerted me to a small flock of siskins in the trees above Bottoms Reservoir and they, in turn, led me to a mixed flock in the hedgerows. The goldfinches I'd already heard; greenfinches and a blackcap fed on hawthorn berries; chiffchaffs, great tits and blue tits gleaned from the leaves.

The walk back into Hadfield would have been dead quiet had it not been for a noisy and very friendly cat. I'd just missed the train back and would have had a half hour wait for the next had it not been cancelled so I got the bus to Stalybridge and got the train back from there. I saved all of two minutes but at least I was sitting out of the rain.

Looking over towards Bottoms Reservoir 

A bit of a wander

Kents Bank 

I was right in my guess about Leach's petrels: today the Mersey Estuary is peppered with them and a supporting cast of grey phalaropes, Sabine's gulls and who knows what. I looked out, the sky was leaden, the rain heavy. When I checked the Met Office I found that the Wirral was having much the same. Excellent seawatching weather. I took my cough bottle, put on my coat and went out for a lazy day's birdwatching by train.

I got myself an old man's explorer ticket (and apologised profusely for offering a pile of National Rail Travel Vouchers to pay for them — the barcodes on the ones issued by Northern don't scan) and got the Barrow train. All along the journey the sun came out and it was a bright Autumn day for all of quarter of a mile and then the sky would suddenly darken and we'd run through a bleak ten minutes' worth of muck before the sun came out again for a couple of minutes. I can't say I wasn't tempted to bail at Preston to get the Liverpool train.

What I wasn't seeing along the way was more striking than what I was seeing. No crows at Agecroft, no black-headed gulls or pigeons at Chorley, woodpigeons were few and far between even in the stubble fields we passed. Preston and Carnforth stations are usually the haunts of large gulls but not today. Galgate still had rooftops littered with jackdaws so some eternal verities still applied.

Mute swans and little egrets mooched round the pools at the coastal hides. I looked at the expanses of wader-friendly mud and hoped the weather would be less filthy on the way back.

Passing through Silverdale Moss a great white egret stalked past a carrion crow in a field so I'd know I'd got the scale right. A little egret a bit down the field confirmed the identification if I still had any doubts.

Grange-over-Sands 

The Lune was riding high at Lancaster but the tide was low on Morecambe Bay. Black-headed gulls and rooks giddied about on the salt marsh by the Kent, there were a few little egrets about but they were few and far between.

River Leven

A couple of dozen eiders loafed on the Leven. I almost missed the half dozen shelducks dabbling in a creek near the bank.

I got to Barrow and decided not to venture North on the rail replacement bus. I had the best part of an hour to wait for the next Manchester train so I got the X6 bus to Dalton just for a change of scenery and waited for the train there in bright sunshine and a fierce wind.

Idly checking reports on the 'phone I noticed a wryneck had turned up at Rishton Reservoir. I've dipped on wryneck a few times, it would be a nice lifer to get so I decided I'd go down to Preston and get the Colne train to Rishton and try my luck. Rishton Reservoir's been on my radar a while so if I had no luck with the wryneck I could at least check out a new site.

The sun brought out the birds, I was seeing more woodpigeons and jackdaws, an occasional swallow or house martin skimmed the fields and even a few large whites fluttered by. There was a large crowd of black-headed gulls inland of the viaduct over the Leven together with more eiders, little egrets, redshanks and curlews. A couple of dozen rooks clattered about the station at Kents Bank, three dozen black-headed gulls crowded out the mallards on the park pond at Grange-over-Sands and I was surprised to see a couple of great white egrets sitting in a tree near Meathop. The Kent at Arnside was busy with mallards, redshanks and lapwings and I know there was something smaller on the mud that I missed spotting.

I resisted the temptation to get off at Silverdale. I'll have a proper walk round Leighton Moss sometime in the next week or two. A flock of lapwings had joined the mute swans on the coastal pools.

Cutwood Park 

I got the Colne train at Preston and soon arrived at Rishton. It had been bright and sunny all the way. It won't surprise regular readers to hear that it started raining as soon as I reached Blackburn Road. I walked through Cutwood Park to the reservoir and had a look round from the terrace on the East side.

Rishton Reservoir

There were a few dozen black-headed gulls about with a few mallards and a couple of dozen Canada geese grazing on the West bank and a dabchick bobbing about midwater. These almost faded into the background compared to the swarm of swallows feeding low over the water with handfuls of house martins and sand martins tagging along with them. The wryneck had been reported on the West bank and I couldn't see any way of walking round so I presumed somebody with a telescope had reported it. I scanned around more in hope than expectation and found myself a couple of pied wagtails. Finding a wryneck at that distance in this light would be nigh on miraculous. After a while I decided I'd have an explore and see if there were any paths that might get me closer to the West bank, or else provide a change of perspective that might be useful. At this point it started hailing. I took the hint and got the next bus back to Blackburn.

Rishton Reservoir — same view as above

Despite everything it wasn't a disappointing day. I had no expectations of it in the first place save seeing a few eiders on the Cumbrian estuaries. I'd seen plenty of birds, and some fine scenery, and had checked out a new site and all without knackering myself along the way. I'll have that as a win, a wryneck would have been the cherry on the cake.

It will surprise regular readers not one whit to hear that it was sunny all the way home.

Mersey Valley

Jay, Cob Kiln Wood 

I'd managed to rekindle the cold I had last week and added a bit to it so I was feeling a bit delicate today. By teatime I got a touch of the fidgets and decided to get some fresh air. It's one thing lolling about the house when I feel like being idle, it's quite another when I'm not feeling well and I can't be doing with it. The cool, wet morning had become a cool, cloudy afternoon with a wind that had a bite to it, nice walking weather ordinarily. I decided on a potter round Cob Kiln Wood to get a bit of exercise.

Cob Kiln Wood 

The wood was fairly quiet. Chiffchaffs squeaked and wrens scolded as I passed by. Great tits and blackbirds rummaged about in the undergrowth, a robin ran through its scales and hordes of woodpigeons flew around or clattered about in treetops.  

The pylon clearing, Cob Kiln Wood 

Magpies fussed about in the trees by the pylon clearing. As I walked along the path a family of jays were busy gathering acorns from the oak saplings, often getting to within ten feet of me but always keeping a good amount of foliage between me and them. A great spotted woodpecker called from the trees by the edge of the clearing but I couldn't get a decent look at it.

River Mersey, looking towards Urmston 

The plan was to walk down Cob Kiln Lane into Urmston then go home but the clouds were clearing and I wanted to have a look at the river to see what was about. The answer was: not a lot. A couple of woodpigeons and a pigeon were having a drink by the side of the river and that was it as far as the view from the bridge was concerned.

Cormorant, River Mersey

I didn't have the legs for the walk through Banky Meadow into either Ashton on Mersey or Carrington and I didn't want to retrace my steps into Urmston so I wandered along the river in what had become bright September sunlight. Chiffchaffs and wrens called from the hedgerows either side of the river. One of the chiffchaffs flew over and disappeared out of sight in the thistles on the near bank just in front of me. Rooks, jackdaws and starlings fussed about noisily on the golf course over on the other side, blackbirds and magpies fossicked about in the bushes on this side and there was a steady traffic of lesser black-backs and black-headed gulls overhead. A cormorant flew in and fished the river, every dive being successful but the catch being tiny fish, probably minnows, so after a few minutes' snacking it decided to move on and flew downriver.

River Mersey by Kickety Brook Local Nature Reserve 

Kickety Brook Local Nature Reserve 

The stroll through Kickety Brook Local Nature Reserve was fairly quiet, with just the one small mixed tit flock which seemed to be a dozen long-tailed tits and a pair of great tits. A couple of blue tits bounced through the trees as the path turned and climbed towards the motorway bridge.

Stretford Meadows 
As I came over the motorway bridge I was beguiled by the faux mountain scenery backdrop provided by the white poplars on Stretford Ees.

Stretford Meadows 

Over the motorway and onto Stretford Meadows and the scenery looking wonderful in the bold modelling light of a September teatime. The birdlife was mostly woodpigeons and jackdaws going to roost, a few jays and magpies rummaged about in the oaks and hawthorns and chiffchaffs and wrens called from the hedgerows. A couple of swallows passed by, flying North which is odd this time of year.

Stretford Meadows 

As I passed Newcroft Nursery the sparrows in the hedgerow kept the muttering to a discreet quiet as I passed by then descended into excited chirrupings before settling to roost.

What had been planned as a short potter about to get a bit of fresh air had turned into a four mile walk. I was more tired than I should be but I felt better for having had the walk. On my way home I glanced up at the lamppost by the motorway slip road by Barton Clough and found the local buzzard sitting atop it again. I'll have to remember to check each time I pass.

It was only when I got home that I realised I hadn't seen or heard any parakeets all day.

Rainy day

Chiffchaff

As if the pink-footed geese at Marshside the other day weren't sign and portent enough of Autumn a couple of juvenile chiffchaffs tagged along with the mixed tit flock that bounced through the back garden in the rain.

Spadgers

Long-tailed tit

Blue tit

Blue tit

Long-tailed tit

Long-tailed tit

Long-tailed tit

House sparrow

Goldfinch

Juvenile blackbird