Wellacre Country Park

Wellacre Country Park 

This time of year it's tempting, very tempting, to go hurtling about hither and thither to build up bankers in the year list. It's tempting and I do it, as the past week will testify. I contemplated the day: should I chase after the scaup at Elton Reservoir, the smew at Crosby Marine Lake, perhaps black redstart and public sandpiper at New Brighton or hawfinch at Marbury Country Park… I decided I needed a quiet day perhaps with a bit of a potter about in the afternoon. It was a cold, grey but dry day and I took a lot of persuading but I thought I should do something with the day so I dragged myself out to Wellacre Country Park.

Wellacre Wood 

I got off the 256 and walked into Wellacre Wood. The ground wasn't as fearfully muddy as I had feared but was still treacherous underfoot in places. All the action was in the woodside margins with robins singing, woodpigeons and parakeets going to early roost and a mixed tit flock — only the usual suspects — bouncing through the brambles. The depths, such as they are, of the wood were quiet save the constant rattling of magpies as they squabbled in the treetops. A squadron of lesser black-backs flew to roost followed by ones and two of black-headed gulls.

I usually do this walk anticlockwise, leaving the wood and heading along the very muddy paths to Jack Lane. I headed the other way today, keeping to the more reliable path to Dutton's Pond. The pair of horses in the field were outnumbered ten to one by woodpigeons, magpies and carrion crows.

The more sensible path

Dutton's Pond was settling down for the night, it was an hour to sunset but looked darker. Mallards dozed in the reeds and the moorhens were having one last blazing row before going to bed.

Green Hill 

I lingered a while in the wet woodland at the bottom of Green Hill. It had struck me the other day that it's been more than a year since I last saw a willow tit here. I didn't see one today, either, though there were plenty of blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits. There were also plenty of robins, woodpigeons and magpies and a couple of goldfinches mithered in the tops of the alders.

Walking to Jack Lane 

I went back and walked along the path by the railway to Jack Lane. The magpies were gathering in force and it was difficult to pick up the calls of the titmice, chaffinches and bullfinches. I had a quick look at the reedbed before retreating back to terra slightly firma, a reed bunting and a moorhen called from the depths but couldn't be seen.

Jack Lane 

The walk up Jack Lane to Town Gate was pleasantly muddy. A quick check confirmed I'd done well not to take the path through the reedbed, the exit at this end was unpleasantly muddy. Starlings, magpies, woodpigeons and jackdaws headed to roost. I got the bus home.