Elton Reservoir

Great crested grebe 

It was one of those it doesn't matter what clothes you put on, it's going to be wrong days. I've been neglecting Elton Reservoir this year so I thought it was time for a visit.

I got the train to Bolton and the 471 to Bury. For a change I got off at Watling Street and crossed over for the walk through the housing estate to the path that leads to the creek. This goes through a patch of farmland and pasture which I thought might be interesting this time of year. I'm glad I did: as well as the full complement of chiffchaffs, robins, blackbirds, wrens, great tits and blackcaps I heard my first whitethroat of the year. A swallow passing by one of the farm buildings was good to see, too. I must remember to put together a map of this path as an addendum to the Elton Reservoir page.

Walking down to Elton Reservoir 

Walking along the creek to the reservoir 

The sound of willow warblers singing was a sign I was approaching the reservoir. The creek was already invisible at the bridge, a combination of dry weather and young vegetation. Robins and willow warblers vied to see which could provide the most background noise, the wrens, great tits and reed buntings didn't have a chance. A kestrel perched low in a tree by the path looking for anything disturbed by passersby. I saw it hovering above the field on the other side of the reservoir later on.

Kestrel 

Elton Reservoir 

A black tern had been reported so I had a scan round the reservoir. I just missed a pair of great crested grebes doing their penguin dance. Coots and more coots, mallards, a couple of great black-backs… The tern would likely be flying around the raft of black-headed gulls over on the far side, they know the best places for picking emerging midges off the water. No sign of a tern though. I checked all the black-headed gulls — I still haven't seen a Mediterranean gull this year — and was surprised to find a second calendar year common gull in the crowd.

Great crested grebes 

Dry paths — witchcraft!

I walked along a little, frankly astonished at the dry state of the path. All told I encountered a handful of patches of mud and the first-time visitor would have been excused for assuming they were the results of a horse emptying its bladder rather than permanent features. I had to stop once or twice as robins or willow warblers chased each other across the path. The reason why I hadn't seen the black tern flying about was that it had been sitting on one of the buoys in a bay. By the time the path emerged from the trees opening up to this bay it had flown over to the raft of black-headed gulls.

Black tern

There were plenty more coots about, a few pairs of mallards and gadwalls and there was a raft of a dozen tufted ducks that were over by the far bank when I walked into the trees and nowhere to be found when I emerged. All the Canada geese were congregated at the Capsticks end of the reserve.

Lapwing

The lapwings were laid out in regular grid formation amongst the horses on the field by Capsticks. There was at least one nest on the go, the incubating parent dozing off in the warm midday sun. I was glad I hadn't brought my big coat but I was still a bit overdressed. I scanned around for any passage migrants, hoping for a whinchat but settling for a wheatear and getting neither and serve me right for being greedy.

Withins Reservoir 

Withins Reservoir was drained again. I looked in vain for any waders or wagtails on the mud. I tried to remember how long ago it was I didn't see a bee-eater here. (It was two years ago.) I decided against walking down to the canal and into Radcliffe and went back for another look at the black tern.

I walked along the South shore. The black tern was closer and I had the sun behind me so I was getting cracking views of the bird through my binoculars. I was struck particularly at the difference the angle of the bird to the sun made. Flying dead straight it was conspicuous: black body, white rump, ashy grey wings. Whenever it did one of its turn on a sixpence wheels round on the tip of a wing it disappeared into the glare and shadows of the background water only to reappear a few yards further away. I had a go at getting some pictures. 

Black tern
The least worst of a couple of dozen photos. At least it looks like something in this one.

Taking photos of black terns is at least as bad for the ego as sand martins.

Great crested grebes 

I sat and watched the great crested grebes as they spent five minutes waggling their heads at each other as they drifted across the reservoir before going their separate ways. When I had one last look over the reservoir they were in the distance cruising side by side again.

Great crested grebes 

Great crested grebes 

Great crested grebes 

Great crested grebes 

Great crested grebes 

I walked round to the car park, chiffchaffs and reed buntings joining the blackcaps trying to sing over the crowing cockerels. The feeders were busy with greenfinches, goldfinches and bullfinches and a couple of mute swans were mugging for scraps by the bank.

I walked up to the road and got the 471 into Rochdale, hoping to see one of the town centre peregrines. The pair that's been nesting on the Town Hall clock tower seem to have a nest elsewhere but there's been a couple of younger birds seen on the webcam so I had some hopes of seeing at least one peregrine. Not today, though. Never mind, tomorrow is another day.

Rochdale town centre, just to prove I was there