Woolston

Gadwall, tufted duck and ferruginous duck, Woolston Eyes 

It was a glorious Spring day. The plan was to use it to go for a wander over the Salford Mosses. As I was standing at the station I checked to see how the train was running and saw the third report of the ferruginous duck at Woolston Eyes. I'd promised myself I was going to avoid Warrington Bus Station this week. But it's been years since I last saw a fudge duck. Then I remembered I could get off at Padgate, walk down the brook into Paddington and down the New Cut to Woolston Eyes and along the public path to the oxbow corner of the river where the duck had been reported. That way I could get a good walk and if it wasn't playing nice I'd not feel I'd wasted the day on a failed twitch. And so I did.

Blackbird

The walk along the brook was very pleasant. There seemed to be a lot of blackbirds about for this time of year, the Winter visitors seem to have moved on back home. Robins, wrens and woodpigeons sang and moorhens lurked in the reeds keeping away from the dogs being taken for a walk.

Woolston Brook 

The New Cut 

I crossed Manchester Road and joined the New Cut, heading eastwards for the end of the cut at Woolston Weir. Robins and dunnocks sang, the titmice and moorhens were very busy in the drowned willows and there was a steady stream of black-headed gulls and herring gulls passing overhead. I reached the stretch where the pool called Grey Mist can be seen through the trees. Pairs of mute swans and tufted ducks quietly drifted about while the coots were having the first punch-ups of the breeding season.

Moorhen

It was while I was watching the coots that a Cetti's warbler starting singing in the reeds by the path. I spent a few minutes trying to see it. Even though it can't have been more than six feet away as it moved about in the reeds I was beggared if I could see it. It wasn't as if most of the stems weren't battered down and broken, either. The bird must have been creeping about under the wreckage an inch or so above the water as it sang. When I first started birdwatching seriously you'd have to go to sewage works on the South coast for a Cetti's warbler, these days any messy combination of brambles and reeds is worth checking out for them.

Looking over to Grey Mist 

A couple of buzzards soared overhead, one drifting over towards Woolston Eyes, the other drifting North escorted by herring gulls.

The house sparrows were busy on the feeders at Woolston Weir and the waterfowl upstream of the bridge were busy getting ready to look like passing children should be feeding them. A few teals dabbled on the far bank and a raft of tufted ducks drifted midwater. The mallards shadowed anyone who looked like they might have a bag of bird food.

Mute swan

River Mersey upstream of the weir

Downstream of the bridge where the river splits, one branch going over the weir, the other looping round into an oxbow round No.3 Bed, more mallards, mute swans and tufties drifted about, Canada geese and a shelduck dozed and a pair of courting herring gulls were deeply put out by the arrival of a first-Winter great black-back on their bit of floating tackle. A pair of adult great black-backs drifted over at treetop height and headed into the nature reserve.

The ferruginous duck had been reported at the corner of the oxbow about a quarter of a mile South of the weir, by the bridge to No.3 Bed. The public footpath rises high over the river and follows it round to this bridge. Unfortunately the sun was dead ahead so most of the time whenever the river could be seen between the trees the reflected light made it impossible to see anything. I'd just have to wait until I got to the bridge and hope for the best. I could hear mallards, dabchicks and Canada geese and there were more geese calling noisily from No.3 Bed.

Walking along the path above the river

Robins and titmice bounced about in the trees. I rounded a bend and came across a small bird fidgeting about in one of the willow trees and doing a lot of fly-catching. At first glance I suspected it was a goldcrest because it was so busy but it quickly became apparent it was a chiffchaff. It was far too busy to be bothered about me and got a lot closer, letting me have a good look at it whenever it emerged from behind sticks and twigs. I hadn't been expecting a Siberian chiffchaff today but there it was, cold coffee brown upperparts and startlingly white underparts and a flush of acid yellow to the armpits that was conspicuous whenever it jumped after a fly. I was also struck by the bright white eyebrow stretching behind the eye a lot more conspicuous than that on our common chiffchaffs. It was dead silent, which worried me a bit as I'm not so confident about identifying a Siberian chiffchaff as to be happy not to have it confirmed by the call. I needn't have worried, after a few minutes it flew off into the next clump of trees down the path and gave the sad, bullfinch-like call with a downbeat ending.

River Mersey
The ferruginous duck is just right of centre.

I got to the corner of the oxbow and saw some tufted ducks bathing in the water by the riverbank but no sign of a ferruginous duck. I walked up to the bridge and looked over into that corner and there was a drake ferruginous duck half asleep on a rock out in the open. I unlocked the gate and walked into the bridge so I could get a photo unhindered by bits of trees. It was a handsome little bird and the rich brown of its plumage was being enhanced by the modelling light of a late afternoon sun. I was glad I came.

Gadwall, tufted duck and ferruginous duck 

I walked back and locked the gate after me. I wouldn't have the time, or the legs, for a wander round No.3 Bed. I checked the buses as I walked down Thelwall Lane. I'd just missed the Altrincham bus so I walked down and got the 12 into Warrington. I had plenty of time for the next train to Urmston and a lot more time for the train straight home so I got off at the stop before the bus station and walked to Warrington Central so I could keep that promise to myself.

Thelwall Viaduct