Longendale Trail

Chiffchaff 

The approach of the Spring Equinox brought the blackbirds singing at half four in the morning and the woodpigeons, carrion crows and the wren joining in an hour later, the robin waited until dawn. I need to start reminding myself of the songs and calls of the Sylvia warblers before they arrive to baffle me.

I made the mistake of sitting down to finish my cup of tea before going out for a walk and was immediately enveloped in sleeping cat. Thus it was I didn't escape until mid-afternoon. I got the trains to Hadfield for a gentle dawdle along the Longendale Trail in the sunshine.

Woodpigeons

The jackdaws of Hadfield were billing and cooing, the woodpigeons and collared doves sang from the rooftops, the robins and great tits sang from the bushes, it was a very nice Spring afternoon. I walked round the corner to the car park and joined the trail.

Joining the Longendale Trail 

Some tree-felling had been done along the stretch of the trail between the embankments, letting a lot more light in. It felt a bit quieter than usual, just woodpigeons, robins and blackbirds at first. A little further along there was more undergrowth and I was hearing wrens and great tits and long-tailed tits bounced through the trees. A chaffinch was singing on the other side of the embankment and there was a steady traffic of jackdaws and black-headed gulls overhead.

Chiffchaff 

I had wondered if there'd be any chiffchaffs about. I needn't have worried. A couple sang from the embankment trees. There were a lot more in the hedgerows in the open country above the reservoirs.

Chiffchaff 

Above Bottoms Reservoir 

The hedgerows were busy with birds. Most were greenfinches, robins, chaffinches and titmice. A few redwings divided their time between a hawthorn hedge and a field of sheep. A pair of bullfinches flew out of a hawthorn into a coppice of trees. I associate siskins with treetops so I was surprised to find a pair rummaging around near the base of a blackthorn. Magpies and woodpigeons canoodled in trees or joined the crowds of jackdaws in the fields.

Bottoms Reservoir 

Out on Bottoms Reservoir the only waterfowl I could see was a flock of Canada geese though there were plenty of black-headed gulls flying about.

Walking on towards Valehouse Reservoir 

I walked up as far as Valehouse Reservoir and had a sit down. The background music along the walk had been a medley of robins, chiffchaffs, wrens and chaffinches punctuated by blackbirds and woodpigeons. A song thrush sang from the trees over the other side of the reservoir, a mistle thrush sang from somewhere in the trees on the hill behind me. It took me a while to find the buzzard calling as it flew over the reservoirs, I was looking too high, it was skimming the treetops. A couple of pairs of oystercatchers made a racket as they flew in to feed on the field. A pair of curlews flew over and across the hill in perfect silence. I caught a flash of white in the corner of my eye which turned out to be a jay's back end as it flew into the undergrowth below the path.

Jay
A lousy photo but I've seen so few of them this year I wanted a record shot.

Oystercatchers and jackdaw 

Oystercatcher 

I walked back. The oystercatchers, woodpigeons and jackdaws busied themselves in the fields, the hedgerows were stiff with singing songbirds. I couldn't see any geese on Bottoms Reservoir, they'd been replaced by a few mallards.

Rabbit

Despite all the people talking their dogs for a teatime walk there was an abundance of rabbits along the verge.

Rabbit

Rabbit

Chiffchaff 

I got to Hadfield Station as the train pulled in. Woodpigeons and jackdaws settled in to roost in the trees of Glossop and Tameside. The lesser black-backs were settling down on the rooftops of Openshaw and Ardwick. As I waited for the bus at Piccadilly Gardens a flock of Canada geese skimmed to rooftops heading for the roost in New Islington.

Walking back to Hadfield