St Aidens

Black-necked grebe and black-headed gulls 

I was feeling tired and jaded so I thought I'd have a bit of novelty. I got the train out to Castleford for an afternoon wander round the lakes and reedbeds at St Aiden's. I've got some "go anywhere on the Northern network free" tickets burning a hole in my pocket, with more to come, but decided not to use them today as it added an hour to the travelling time either way, I can use them on some other jaunts into Yorkshire. 

I got the 141 bus to Fleet Lane in Methley, which turned out to be more complicated than anticipated when we had to wait at the bus station for a replacement bus as the one that pulled in had broken down then I had a panic when two stops before my destination the bus reversed down the road, did a three point turn and headed off in the other direction, which turned out to be due to a diversion for roadworks.

Greylags, Methley Lane 

I got off and crossed over. A mixed flock of greylags and Canada geese were grazing on the field by the road.

I walked down Station Road, crossed the railway and went through the little cut taking me to the banks of the Aire where the first of the many invisible Cetti's warblers of the day was singing by the bridge. I crossed over and was in St Aidens.

River Aire

It was a first time visit for me. I had a look at the map and decided my best bet was to carry on straight ahead, go over the causeway across the main lake then swing round for the reedbeds to the North and West and loop round back to the bridge and decide then what I had left in time and legs for further exploration.

Approaching the causeway

Black-headed gulls, goosanders and gadwalls on the main lake

Walking up the road I'd been seeing and hearing lots of black-headed gulls. In the short time I reached the lake the noise had ratcheted up more than somewhat. There were hundreds of them on the lake, mostly paired up and many busy courting and nest-building. Lots of mallards flew about but it was mostly gadwalls and tufted ducks on the open water. A few teal dozed and squabbled at the edges of reedbeds, a handful of goosanders were asleep on an island, there were a lot of coots and a few herring gulls and lesser black-backs loafed to one side. I was walking through clouds of midges but there was no sign of any hirundines about to mop them up.

Black-headed gulls 

Gadwall

The sun had emerged from the thin cloud and it was becoming a warm Spring day. I wandered round, the big lake giving way to smaller, connected pools girt with gorse and reeds. There were fewer black-headed gulls and more ducks. I could hear the hinneying of dabchicks — I managed to see a pair later in the afternoon — and was tripping over Cetti's warblers every five minutes. Scanning the pools I could see great crested grebes cruising about then I saw my first black-necked grebe of the year.

Black-headed gulls, great crested grebe and coots

Coot, black-necked grebe and black-headed gulls 

Black-necked grebe and black-headed gulls 

Scarce fifty yards further along a pool held about a dozen black-necked grebes, all of them strikingly backlit. They didn't seem remotely bothered by us people stopping to stare at them. One, barely ten yards away, was making a start on nest-building, diving and bringing up bits of muddy vegetation that it patted down onto a tiny mound protruding from some thin reeds.

This black-necked grebe was busy nest-building, diving down for bits of muddy reed to pile up on the little mound by its side.

Other black-necked grebes were busy courting. One pair had me puzzled before I realised it was an adult and a first-Winter bird.

Black-necked grebes and great crested grebes 
This pair of black-necked grebes looked to be an adult and a first-Winter bird.

I'd heard there was a long-staying Slavonian grebe about and wondered if I'd manage to see it. Left to my own devices I wouldn't have. Luckily a chap noticed I was scouring round and asked if I'd seen it. He put me on to it though it took an embarrassingly long time, I just wasn't seeing it. It didn't help that it was spending a lot of time underwater but that's no excuse for not seeing something all of nine feet away in thin reeds. I finally clocked it and apologised for being such a slow study. I've only ever seen Slavonian grebes in Winter plumage and nearly all from a distance so frustrating as it was it was good to see the dark head and the emerging golden plumes that have the Americans calling it horned grebe.

The Slavonian grebe was being awkward

Great crested grebes and black-necked grebe 

Western reedbeds 

I carried on walking round to the noise of black-headed gulls, Cetti's warblers and greylag geese and the occasional wittering calls of passing oystercatchers. Then I heard the bittern.

St Aidens 

I followed the path round to where it meets Swillington Ings. Nearby to one side there was a booming bittern, to the other there were duelling Cetti's warblers in the pathside gorse bushes, I gave up trying to see either and just enjoyed the sound, the bittern's boom reverberating in my bones as the warblers' explosions of song drowned out the background. 

Black-headed gulls

I followed the curve round and found a colony of hundreds of black-headed gulls on a small lake. It was almost standing room only as a few oystercatchers and lapwings tiptoed their ways past them. Much to my surprise I noticed a female tufted duck sitting on a nest slap in the middle of the crowd. I guess hiding in plain sight with the protection of a mass of easily-triggered gulls is as good as hiding away somewhere under cover. 

Further along the path left the pools and lakes and curved through open woodland and scrub roughly parallel with the  river on the other side of the embankment. Chiffchaffs, robins and great tits sang and there was a reassuringly lengthy stretch of song from a willow warbler in some birch scrub.

Walking back from the reedbeds

I arrived back where I started, feeling the heat a bit as I'd dressed for the morning not the afternoon. I checked the bus and train times and decided to call it a day. I walked back to Methley Road and got to the bus stop just as the next bus arrived and only had quarter of an hour to wait for the Manchester train. I've added yet another to the "must visit again" list.

I had ten minutes to wait for the train home from Oxford Road. I spent it in the company of a grey wagtail that was skittering about on the wall opposite platform five.

Grey wagtail, Manchester Oxford Road Station