Bolton

Juvenile dabchick, High Rid Reservoir 

The morning's errands done earlier than expected I got the lunchtime train to Bolton and the 575 into Lostock for a walk up to High Rid Reservoir then a stroll over to Doffcocker Lodge. I've not been to either yet this year and the walk up Fall Birch Road and Old Hall Lane is one of those ones best suited to early Spring or mid- to late-Autumn.

The hardest part of getting to Fall Birch Road is crossing Chorley New Road from the bus stop. It's one of those roads that will be very busy on one side and quiet on the other but never with a quiet gap on both. Having spent five minutes waiting for a gap in the Horwich-bound traffic I then spent five minutes standing on an island waiting for the gap in the Bolton-bound traffic so I could get across.

Fall Birch Road 

It was a lovely Autumn lunchtime. It was so warm I was struggling a bit to walk up the road because I'd dressed for a cool morning. Robins sang me on my way and jackdaws frolicked on the golf course. I was nearly at the entrance to the reservoir when a buzzard floated overhead, calling to another buzzard soaring high up the hill over Chorley Old Road. Both had carrion crows flying up to check they were heading out of their territories.

High Rid Reservoir 

I was glad of the Winter jacket when I got to High Rid Reservoir, the wind had an edge to it. A hundred or so black-headed gulls littered the reservoir and a few mallards dabbled by the sides. I started to wonder if this would be my first visit here without seeing any dabchicks but they were all over by the side of the reservoir away from the road.

Canada geese (and a greylag), High Rid Reservoir 

Over the wall fifty-odd Canada geese grazed and loafed in the field. In amongst them was a greylag goose, fast asleep in some long grass, its head tucked deep in its back feathers. The field beyond was white with loafing black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs. A meadow pipit, the only one I saw all day, skittered past the geese and flew up the hill.

Great crested grebe, High Rid Reservoir 

Looking back at the reservoir I could now see that the raft of large gulls midwater were nearly all lesser black-backs with just a couple of herring gulls. A couple of great crested grebes were busy fishing, as were a couple of cormorants. The water was too choppy for me to see any of the koi carp underwater, I think they'd be safe from the birds as they're enormous. There were only a couple of pied wagtails on the reservoir sides, I'd expected to see rather more this time of year.

High Rid Reservoir 

Old Hall Lane

I walked back to the road and headed for Old Hall Lane. I don't know where Fall Birch Road becomes Old Hall Lane, I suspect it's when the cobbles turn into gravel track though it might be further along where it's tarmacked up to the first house after the golf course. Whatever, it's a nice Autumnal walk with robins, great tits and nuthatches calling in the trees and the sun shining through the leaves and into the puddles in the potholes.

Old Hall Lane 

Uphill a crowd of dozens of jackdaws and carrion crows fussed about the farm buildings. It looked like a social gathering, there wasn't any feeding going on.

Pied wagtail, Old Hall Lane 

The same pied wagtail having a bath

Three pied wagtails and a robin bathed in a large puddle at the corner of the lane by the houses. I waited for them to finish and a dunnock came over to see what I was up to.

Dunnock, Old Hall Lane 

I walked down to the end of the lane onto Old Kiln Road and walked round into Doffcocker. The footpath leading into Doffcocker Lodge is a few streets down from the junction with the A58.

Doffcocker Lodge 

Doffcocker Lodge was busy with people walking their dogs but not uncomfortably so and all the dogs were well-behaved and friendly. The paths were good with only a few puddles about.

The small pool on the left of the path was busy with dabchicks, tufted ducks and gadwalls. I only saw a couple of gadwalls on the main lake despite there being plenty of dabchicks, coots and tufties. There were dozens of black-headed gulls and noisy with it.

Great crested grebes and black-headed gull, Doffcocker Lodge 

Even noisier was a well-grown young great crested grebe as it begged from its parent. The adult was still in breeding plumage, unlike the birds on High Rid Reservoir.

Great crested grebes, Doffcocker Lodge 

Coot and moorhen, Doffcocker Lodge 

A moorhen by the path was looking splendid in this light, the yellow and red of its beak vividly contrasting with the inky blue of the water. And would it have its photo taken? Would it eck. I was stood standing there so long faffing about a coot swam over to see what was going on.

Doffcocker Lodge 

There were a few blue tits and great tits in the trees between the lake and the houses on the Northern side but they didn't seem organised into a flock. Unlike the goldfinches in the birches and alders further down.

Doffcocker Lodge 

It almost goes without saying that most of the mallards and all of the mute swans were loafing by the car park.

Mute swans and mallards

The bus stop for the 125 back into Bolton is just across the road from the car park. At this time of day they're every ten minutes so I only had a twenty-five minute wait for the next one.