Wigan Flashes

Scotman's Flash 

A bright, sunny, if icy, day invited me to go and have a look for that great northern diver on Scotman's Flash. A nip round to check up on my father and take him his newspaper persuaded me that I wanted a hot pot of tea and some toast first. I put out some suet balls in the back garden and knocked the ice out of the bird baths before putting fresh water in them. If I wasn't already aware of the icy air the clouds of condensing vapour rising from the bird baths pretty much made it obvious.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal, approaching Poolstock

I got the trains to Wigan and walked down the canal to Scotman's Flash. It was a beautifully clear afternoon and the walking was remarkably ice-free right up to Scotman's Flash itself where a few patches of dry ice lingered in the cobbles. A pied wagtail fussed about the lock at Chapel Lane. Crowds of mallards milled about and cormorants fished in the stretches of canal with open water. Frozen, open, it seemed to alternate between locks. Titmice, robins and bullfinches fidgeted through the trees across the canal. At Poolstock a pair of goosanders flew up the canal into the town centre. 

Westwood Flash was completely frozen up, I wondered if the other flashes would be, too, and if I'd had a wasted journey.

Scotman's Flash 

At first glance that worry was well-founded: Scotman's Flash was a sheet of ice dotted with gulls. A scan round found a few patches of open water. A thin strip of water by the reeds below Westwood Way was occupied by pairs of mute swans, gadwalls, mallards and goosanders and another fishing cormorant. Way over by Scotman's Island a much larger patch was open and heaving with birds. My guess was that the diver was over that way.

Looking over the canal, Pearson's Flash was nearly entirely frozen with only just enough water on the sunny side of the reeds for a pair of mute swans to cruise up and down.

I walked down the path between the canal and the flash trying to take care underfoot while trying to avoid being dazzled by the low sun as I scanned the flash. A chap stopped me: "Looking for the diver?" he asked. "It's right over there, it's got a small pool to itself. I raised my bins and literally got it first glance. It was a way away but even from here I could see the light catching pale, scaly edgings to the feathers on its back that suggested it was a first-Winter bird. Apparently it was in water right next to the path last night but that froze over overnight. "I didn't have my camera with me last night, I've brought it today and it's right out there!" He had my sympathy. The diver was up and down a lot, sometimes underwater for a minute or so at a time but every time it bobbed back up it was in that little patch of open water.

Black-headed gulls, coots, herring gulls and great northern diver (front)

The bigger stretch of water by the island was heaving with black-headed gulls, mallards and mute swans with more black-headed gulls and herring gulls massed on the surrounding ice. There was a small stretch of clear water by the path on the approach to Moss Bridge, mute swans, mallards and coots stared at passers-by just in case they had any goodies, and every so often they did.

A water rail called from the reeds and I made a token effort at trying to see it. I was glad I did, a pair of tufted ducks flew low over the reeds and headed off up the canal.

I decided to keep on the path on this side of the canal. A firecrest had been reported by one of the woodland paths between Scotman's Flash and Ochre Flash, I didn't reckon I had a chance of finding it but it was an excuse for a bit of an explore. Magpies and jays bustled about and made a racket in the trees by the canal and the sun disappeared behind a low cloud, dropping the temperature considerably.

By the path towards Carr Road

At the next junction I took the path into the woodland for a wander round. Titmice were very much in evidence, nearly all great tits and blue tits. There were lots of blackbirds, nuthatches and robins, too. I was looking in vain for anything that looked like it might be a firecrest, or even a goldcrest as I've not managed to get them onto the year list either. I had a chat with a chap who was going to top up the feeders the other side of Ochre Flash, he told me to keep an eye out for willow tits along that stretch.

I gave up on the firecrest and took the path past a frozen Ochre Flash. A Cetti's warbler gave a burst of song from a scrubby reedbed in the corner, which was a nice surprise and my first warblerof the year. The chap I'd spoken to earlier was sat down at his feeding station surrounded by robins, titmice and nuthatches. The coal tits I hadn't been seeing elsewhere in the woodland were all here.

Ochre Flash 

Looking at the map I reckoned I could walk into the setting sun for the 610 bus back to Wigan. The path left the woodland and became a thin icy lane between hedgerows busy with blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits. At the first fork in the road I headed due West for Wigan Road, which turned out to be a mistake as there was a big locked gate with "Private No Entry" signs at the end. I retraced my steps and took the path that leads to Land Gate Lane and thence to Wigan Road.

The last few magpies and carrion crows were rummaging in the sheep fields as I passed. Three fieldfares which had settled in a hawthorn bush in the middle of one field rattled out in a panic as a sparrowhawk skimmed over the top of it.

Land Gate Lane

My heart sank when I reached Land Gate Lane. Then I breathed a sigh of relief, it was very wet not icy. I walked down to Wigan Road passing mistle thrushes, blackbirds, robins and blue tits as they settled into the trees and hedgerows to roost. I had five minutes to wait for the next bus as robins sang in the failing twilight.

I don't know why I don't visit Wigan Flashes more often, it's not difficult to get to. Mind you, I could say the same of dozens of places I didn't get to last year.