Mersey Valley (again!)

Juvenile carrion crow, Chorlton Water Park 

The five-minutes-past-dawn chorus was heralded by chattering jackdaws. The robin and one of the woodpigeons started singing soon after and a carrion crow joined in from a chimney pot across the railway line. It had been a spectacularly bad night's sleep and I knew that even if I managed to steal a couple more hours I'd be too bleary-eyed for the day's planned excursion.

I was tired and fidgety after lunch so I got the bus to Didsbury with a view to walking down the river to Chorlton Water Park and see how it goes from there.

River Mersey, Didsbury

Getting off at Withington Golf Club I bobbed down the woodland footpath to the river. A gang of people with Environmental Agency jackets were doing an inspection of works. Of course, I'd forgotten that the stretch from Lee's Steps to Ken's Steps was closed for repair after the New Year floods. It was worth the walk, though: a couple of mandarin ducks were with the mallards pootling about on the river.

Mandarin ducks

It had been a quiet walk down to the river, the birds were ready for me this time and the robins, great tits and wrens barracked me on my way. I walked up Palatine Road, turned onto Mersey Road and Mersey Meadow and onto Hollies Path down to the river.

River Mersey, Didsbury 

It was a muggy day with a chill to the wind, which was good walking weather and a relief after the past week. 

Juvenile grey wagtail blending in with the background 

There wasn't a lot about that wasn't woodpigeons, magpies or ring-necked parakeets. Every so often there'd be a squeak from a chiffchaff or great tit. Around each big turn of the river there'd be a juvenile grey wagtail. I don't know if they're trying to set up their Winter territories but it was looking that way by the way they were spaced out.

Woodpigeon

Pigeons thronged under the arches of Princess Parkway and billed and cooed on the path by the river.

River Mersey, Chorlton 
Kenworthy Woods on the left bank

I walked down to Chorlton Water Park. Woodpigeons and parakeets clattered about the treetops on either side of the river. Robins sang in Kenworthy Woods, chiffchaffs squeaked in the hawthorns of Chorlton, once in a while a chiffchaff squeaked from Kenworthy Woods.

Ring-necked parakeet

A couple of parakeets were gorging themselves in a hawthorn bush by the entrance to Chorlton Water Park. A family of carrion crows were rummaging about on the grass by the path, occasionally stopping to say rude things to passing dogs.

Black-headed gulls 

Out on the water there were rafts of black-headed gulls and Canada geese, small groups of mallards and coots drifted about and the herd of mute swans was strung out along the far bank. I could only see the one cygnet, fully grown and ashy grey. Over by the landing stage a large group of pigeons were hoovering up the visitors' leftovers.

Chorlton Water Park 

I walked round, bumping into a mixed tit flock in the willows and upsetting a nuthatch which made a row as it flew off into the big trees. Did I have the legs to walk round then on to Sale Water Park or into Chorlton I asked myself. I decided not and walked up to Southern Cemetery for the bus home.