Birchwood

Buzzard

I had all sorts of plans for the day but couldn't be doing with any of them so I found myself on the lunchtime train to Liverpool debating whether to get off at Birchwood for a walk round to Risley Moss or get off at Padgate and walk down to Woolston Eyes now I've finally got my act together and bought a permit. I decided against Woolston Eyes, I'd want to give more time for my first proper explore of the inside of the reserve, and got off at Birchwood.

There were dozens of black-headed gulls and woodpigeons in the field by the Liverpool-bound platform yesterday morning, this afternoon there was one of each. And a buzzard sat in the tree in the corner.

Birchwood Forest Park 

Leaving the station I walked down into Birchwood Forest Park. The trees were full of bird song, the inevitable robins being joined by song thrushes, dunnocks, woodpigeons and coal tits. A mixed tit flock fizzed through the trees by the railway line, a couple of goldcrests joining the coal tits and long-tailed tits while the blue tits and great tits forged ahead. For once it was the red in a great spotted woodpecker's plumage that caught my attention. I was watching some long-tailed tits when the bright red undertail and white belly of a woodpecker flashed in the tree just behind them.

Song thrush 

A flock of redwings moved over the woodland, flying over in ones and twos, a few of them stopping in the treetops for a minute or two before moving on to who knows where. My guess from the direction of travel is they were going for an early roost at Woolston Eyes.

Birchwood Forest Park 

The large mixed tit flock near the brook included singing coal tits and a lesser redpoll. Lesser redpolls are tiny finches though I hadn't properly registered just how small they are until I saw this one sharing a twig with a long-tailed tit. Even allowing for the tit being fluffed up in the cold wind its body wasn't much smaller than the redpoll's.

Risley Moss 

I thought I'd left plenty of time for a wander round Risley Moss, which keeps office hours. I would have done but it's closed Fridays. The bus to Warrington was due in five minutes, I took it and got the train home.