Mersey Valley

Mallard, River Mersey

It was a cooler, grey day and I felt like having a lazy morning of it. Magpies rattled in the rowan tree, they seem to be having it to themselves this year, I've hardly seen the blackbirds at all. They probably fattened themselves so much on the boysenberries they don't have to eat for a couple of years, the gannets. The juvenile spadgers seem to have got themselves into some sort of lumber, they've been being supervised by the old cock sparrows the past few days.

Cock sparrows, juvenile and adult, Old Silvercheeks

I was seeing friends in Sale for teatime so I decided to walk it and get some exercise. There wasn't much of anything about in Stretford early afternoon, the pigeons and woodpigeons were having a siesta on the rooftops and a house martin was hawking over the shopping mall.

Walking to Stretford Ees 

It wasn't a lot busier walking by the brook to Stretford Ees. Woodpigeons and magpies clattered about in the trees while black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs floated by overhead. It was subtly busier on Stretford Ees: if I stood still and listened after a tram passed by I could hear the mutterings of disturbed blue tits, goldfinches and chiffchaffs in the trackside vegetation.

A lone mallard stood on a rock in the Mersey. Where there's one there's usually more hiding under the riverbanks but not today. Nor any wagtails.

Sale Water Park 

I decided I didn't have time for a nosy at Broad Ees Dole and contented myself with a scan of the lake from the tramside path. Being Summer holidays there was plenty of activity out there, mostly groups of kids being taught how to sail. A juvenile shag had been reported on the lake over the weekend and again first thing today. With the lake being so busy and my not having time for a walk round I didn't fancy my chances and was surprised that it was the first bird as saw as I picked up my binoculars. It was sat by itself on a fencepost by the water sports centre, well away from the crowd of Canada geese, black-headed gulls and cormorants over by the slipway. The usual herd of mute swans were way over the other side of the lake. A few mallards kept to the reed margins by Broad Ees Dole. As did the great crested grebe with a humbug nestling in its back feathers. I'd thought they given up on breeding this season.

Priory Gardens 

Under the motorway I went and into a very quiet Priory Gardens. A couple each of woodpigeons and robins sang. Great tits and blue tits occasionally and very briefly broke cover as they dashed between trees and a couple of goldfinches twittered in the treetops.

I walked into Sale, the woodpigeons of the housing estates being abruptly replaced by pigeons in the town centre a block away from the tram stop.

I had too much very agreeable pizza to contemplate walking back home.