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| Black-necked grebe, Moses Gate Country Park |
It was one of those windy days where you know it's pouring down because the sun's shining. The business of the day was concluded by lunchtime so I caught the 20 from Salford Royal Hospital and debated whether to get off at Logistics North and risk a walk over Cutgate or stay on to Bolton and go on to Moses Gate Country Park where an adult black-necked grebe was gracing the big lake. In the event, I got off at Walkden and walked up to Blackleach Country Park.
As I walked across the green on Hilltop Road to the entrance to the country park a swarm of swallows flew in and started hawking round the trees, equal numbers of adults and juveniles. I had a bad stab at trying to get photos of them and didn't fare any better with the house martins that flew in and joined them.
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| Blackleach Country Park |
A chiffchaff squeaked from the trees as I approached the lake. A small charm of goldfinches twittered in the tree tops and a pair of bullfinches wheezed sadly as they flew over the path.
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| Coots and great crested grebes |
Rafts of coots and mallards drifted over the lake. Most of the mute swans lurked by the pier confident that someone would be along with some scoff. One pair dozed with a couple of large cygnets on the opposite bank. The cob steamed across the lake with all colours flying at the first rustle of a bag of bread. A pair of great crested grebes cruising about amongst the coots had a couple of young humbugs on their backs. Most of the black-headed gulls crowded onto one of the islands, until that bag of bread got rustled.
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| Black-headed gulls |
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| Mute swan |
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| Blackleach Country Park |
I walked through to Bolton Road and got the 37 into Farnworth and walked down Lower Rawson Street into Moses Gate Country Park.
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| Moses Gate Country Park |
Of course, I forgot that this way in involves a steep but very picturesque path down to the lakes.
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| Moses Gate Country Park |
The first of the two smaller lakes was busy with coots and mallards. That is, until the rusty brown face of a mink broke water near the far bank and started making a beeline for the nearest raft of coots. They had it spotted fifty yards away and all the waterfowl save a couple of mute swans swiftly shifted over to the other side of the lake.
There were no such dramas on the water lily lake with its mallards and tufties.
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Canada geese, mute swans, mallards, herring gulls, lesser black-backs, coots and moorhens
I've no idea why they like scrunching up together like this in this corral but every time I've been here they've done it. Correlation does not always equal causation. |
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| Moses Gate Country Park |
I walked down to the big lake. "Are you looking for the black-necked grebe?" asked a gent with a big lens on his camera. "It's just next to that willow there."
And so it was.
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| Black-necked grebe, first sighting |
A nice adult black-necked grebe still in breeding colours and entirely unperturbed by people standing on the path twenty yards away watching it fishing.
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| Mute swan |
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| Mute swan |
It occurred to me that I was fighting the light — despite its being an overcast day — and I'd be better walking down a little beyond the willow and have the sun coming from behind me. Backlighting suits mute swans but not nearly entirely dark-coloured grebes.
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| Black-necked grebe |
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| Black-necked grebe |
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| Black-necked grebe |
Any chance you get to see any species of grebe up close, do so. They're bonny birds.
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| Coots and great crested grebes, juvenile grebe in the centre |
A way further out a great crested grebe was taking its two near-full-grown humbugs for a cruise past the rafts of coots.
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| Great crested grebes, adult far right |
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| Juvenile great crested grebes and coots |
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| Herring gulls, lesser black-backs, coots and tufted duck |
A lack of exercise was telling on that Achilles tendon so I quit while I was ahead and got the 524 into Radcliffe and got a bus home. One of those dull days that aren't dull.
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