Cutacre

Carrion crows, herring gulls, lesser black-backs and Canada goose, Swan Lake 

There have been reports of that pair of garganeys at Cutacre every day so I thought I'd have another go at them. It was another bright, sunny day with a fresh breeze so I reckoned it ought to be a good walk.

I got the bus into Tyldesley and walked up Common Lane. The robins, wrens and chiffchaffs sang in the trees, great tits, blackbirds and spadgers rummaged about in the hedgerows. There was a profusion of peacock butterflies and orange tips and a few large whites and small tortoiseshells, the difference a bit of warm weather makes. A blackcap singing in the trees by the kennels added another Spring note.

Lesser black-backs 

As I was approaching Engine Road I bumped into a birdwatcher who was walking back. He'd just been unsuccessful on his third attempt to see the garganeys. We can get quite competitive about the birds we've missed seeing, he reckoned I'd probably see them. Spoiler: I didn't. 

I apologised to a chap with a telescope for putting the mockers on his luck. He was happy to blame me but was grateful for my confirming he was looking in the right place, he'd been all over the shop before arriving here. He had my sympathy, been there and done that.

Carrion crow and herring gulls 

There weren't quite as many gulls on Swan Lake as last time and considerably fewer black-headed gulls. Most of the large gulls were herring gulls of various ages, mostly subadults. There were nearly as many lesser black-backs but they were nearly all adults. The Canada geese, mallards, gadwalls, moorhens, coots, tufties and mute swan were all present and correct but I could only find the male teal this time. I had a walk around the lake walking anticlockwise along the bank and meeting a rough path on the other side. A cormorant and a pied wagtail made an appearance, a pair of oystercatchers flew in. No garganeys.

Oystercatchers 

I took a meandering route up to Logistics North, checking the pools and brooks to see if the garganeys had moved in there. There were plenty of pairs of gadwall lurking about with the moorhens and a dabchick. Linnets and reed buntings flitted about and skylarks sang above the open meadow. It was rather nice even if the birdwatching was frustrating.

Coltsfoot seedhead

Rather a lot more frustrating was the forty minute wait for the 20 bus back to the Trafford Centre that was due in fourteen minutes' time. I'm going to have to stop paying any attention to the Bee Network web site.