Pennington Flash

Lesser black-back

It was a remarkably mild, grey November day. I'd pencilled in a couple of plans for the day but decided against, I just didn't want to be bothered with trains today. It turned out I'd dodged a bullet, missing out on a sea of hassle due to points failures on the local line and service suspension North of Preston with all the inevitable knock-on effects. I made myself a cooked breakfast, something I never do at breakfast time, then went out and played bus station bingo at the Trafford Centre and ended up at Pennington Flash.

By St Helens Road 

The mixed tit flock bouncing about in the trees by St Helens Road was a good omen. I decided I'd walk through the woodland on the South side of the country park and then drift round to the flash. 

Pennington Flash 

This turned out to be a good idea, there were plenty of birds about, very busy and very camera shy. Jays were heard constantly but I didn't see a one of them. A couple of times they appeared to be having shouting matches in oak trees with squirrels, the squirrels shaking their tails in fury from the tree trunks while ear-piercing screeches came from the depths of the canopy. Titmice, goldcrests and chiffchaffs flitted between trees, robins bobbed in and out of hedgerows, blackbirds and redwings raided hawthorn bushes. I put my camera away and the birds became less wary but only the goldcrests were approachable.

Tufted ducks 

Great rafts of coots and tufted ducks drifted about the flash. It was still technically lunchtime so there weren't crowds of gulls about, perhaps a couple of dozen each of lesser black-backs and herring gulls and a handful of great black-backs, all adults. A few dozen black-headed gulls were over by the car park with the Canada geese and mallards. 

Pennington Flash 

I spent a while scanning the flash to see what else was about. The handful of pochards took some finding, the drakes still in dull grey eclipse plumage which almost exactly matched the dull grey water. A couple of great crested grebes cruised about, a few cormorants were fishing and a redhead goosander steamed over towards the sailing club.

Pennington Brook

The brook was in full spate after the rains and appeared to be a mallards' knocking shop.

The car park wasn't busy with cars but was very busy indeed with Canada geese. Most of the mallards were dozing under trees and the gulls were loafing by the bank primed and ready for the arrival of anyone with a bag of goodies. I was accosted by a couple of geese that took some convincing I was empty-handed.

Horrocks spit

It was fairly quiet at the F.W. Horrocks Hide, the water was high and nearly all the birds were at the end of the spit. There was the usual motley assemblage of cormorants, herring gulls and herons. An oystercatcher made a lot of noise but there was a notable absence of lapwings. Nor were there any stock doves and just the one woodpigeon rummaging about in the grass. On the plus side there were a lot of teal and dabchicks on Ramsdales and a great white egret on the far bank.

The usual Cetti's warbler sang from the scrub by the screen opposite the Tom Edmondson Hide. A dozen teal dozed with the mallards in the roots of the willows at the edge of the reeds.

Mute swan

A few mute swans drifted about the pool at the Tom Edmondson Hide in the company of a pair of gadwalls and a few shovelers. There was a constant traffic of redwings and blackbirds between the hedgerows either side of the hide, the hawthorns providing berries and the dogwoods providing berries and cover. 

At Ramsdales Hide 

The scrub clearance had opened up the view at Ramsdales. Groups of teal dozed on the islands while a few individuals dabbled about in the pool close to the hide, a few shovelers and gadwalls further out.

Teal

I wandered round to Pengy's, which was liberally peppered with gadwalls, and to the Bunting Hide where moorhens and robins took last pickings from the emptied feeders. 

Pengy's Pool 

A shower of rain passed and I decided to call it a day. Wandering back a common gull was the fiftieth species on a tally that was missing lapwings, stock doves and reed buntings. I wasn't lucky with willow tits either but I always consider them a bonus rather than a target. I had nothing to complain about, there's been plenty to see, I'd had a good walk and I'd scarcely got wet. And the buses home ran on time.