Etherow Country Park

Mandarin ducks

I was, frankly, shattered. The weather forecast said it would be a bright, sunny day, the grey clouds and damp air, and the aches in my joints, didn't seem to support the proposition.  I'd have stayed at home drinking too much tea but I had to renew my monthly travel card and after paying for it I wanted to see some value for the money so I headed over to Etherow Country Park to take pictures of mandarin ducks striking abstract poses.

I got the train to Stockport and the 383 to Etherow Country Park, usually a half-hour journey on a busy day. It took an hour and a half, including the half hour waiting for the bus that was due any minute now.

Moorhen

Canada goose

By the car park 

Arriving at Etherow Country Park it took me a while to find any mandarins, and all they hiding under the bank of the canal. I was feeling very sorry for myself and a lot scratchy when I raised the bins to my eyes to have a look at the river just downstream of the weir. And added a dipper to the year list. I'd begun to think they'd abandoned the place. It wasn't by any means a close view but it was a view.

Dipper

River Etherow 

On the way back down the mandarins took pity on me and struck their poses. And very abstract they were, too.

Mandarin drake

Mandarin drake

Mandarin drake

Mandarin drake

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin drake

The sun was threatening to come out so I had a sit down for a few minutes to wait it out. While I was sitting on the bench with my back to the river a grey wagtail fussed about on the bank, flitting out of sight whenever I turned round to have a look at it. While we were playing peep-oh the sun came out and provided a glorious late afternoon light as some of the mandarin ducks had a bath.

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin drake

Mandarin drake

Mandarin duck

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin duck

Mandarin ducks

Mandarin drake

Cormorant

Etherow Country Park 

The 383 back to Stockport was due in six minutes so I spent that half hour watching a high-flying buzzard circling on the thermals and putting the wind up the jackdaws and pigeons of Compstall. 

Widnes

Ruddy shelduck, Spike Island 

Another day, another change in the weather. There was a fleeting promise of sunshine quickly succeeded by leaden gloom but at least the wind had died down. I headed to Widnes to try and add the resident ruddy shelduck to the year list. A Kumlein's gull had also been seen on the Mersey here recently and Caspian gulls had been reported on the river and the recycling depot on Ditton Road so I thought it was worth having a wander.

St Mary's Church 

I got the train to Warrington and the 110 bus as far as West Bank and walked down to the river. The ruddy shelduck had been reported that morning on the river by St Mary's Church. I usually walk down to the bridge from the bus stop but today I walked down Irwell Street to where the shelduck had been reported and realised that St Mary's is quite a nice-looking church.

Looking over the Mersey from West Bank to Runcorn

Arriving at the river I bumped into a birdwatcher who told me the ruddy shelduck had flown upriver. I was surprisingly laid-back about having been told my bird had literally flown and set about just having a stroll and seeing what was about. The tide was low. Pairs of mallards and teals dozed and dabbled. Black-headed gulls squabbled. Herring gulls and lesser black-backs loafed on the mud. I told myself I wasn't doing anything with subadult gulls today, I was only going to be baffled by adult gulls. I've really lost confidence in my gull watching skills. A little egret flew in, a pair of Canada geese flew out. Every so often there'd be a commotion as a black-headed gull would find a tasty morsel and get chased after by common gulls. I was enjoying the walk and the birdwatching despite the gloom.

I let on to a man emptying a litter bin. "Architecture or birdwatching?" he asked. I admitted both but mostly the birdwatching. He asked if I knew about the peregrine that uses the bridge as a lookout. I did, and that it's nearly always not there when I am. "I see it a lot over the pylons at Pickering's," he said.

Silver Jubilee Bridge and Ethelfleda Bridge from the slipway by the old bridge

Seeing as I was there I pottered about for a bit enjoying the architecture of the bridges and exploring the relict landing of the old bridge that had been demolished. I quite easily resisted the temptation to go down the old slipway for a bit of mudlarking. Good job I did, I might have scared off the common sandpiper bobbing about between the redshanks before I got a proper look at it.

Redshank (left) and common sandpiper 

Gadwalls 

Gadwalls and herring gull

It brightened up a little as I walked back and round to Spike Island. As I walked down the path I saw pairs of gadwalls loafing on the near bank. And the ruddy shelduck on the mudbank opposite with a pair of shelducks.

Shelducks and ruddy shelduck

The usual mute swans mugged for scraps from passersby at the canal's end with a crowd of pigeons and black-headed gulls. Coots and tufted ducks fussed about further upstream. I'd walked along a bit when I heard a honk and saw the ruddy shelduck fly over and start feeding on the mud on this side of the river, which was very good of it.

Ruddy shelduck 

Ruddy shelduck

Shelduck and ruddy shelduck 

Shelduck and ruddy shelduck 

Upstream this side of the river the grassy banks were busy with Canada geese and woodpigeons, the muddy riverside busy with redshanks and teals.

There were plenty of large gulls on the mudbanks upstream. I had a sit-down to look them over. The light was bright enough to cast shadows and the greys on the backs of the gulls moved up and down the Kodak Grey Scale as they shuffled about. Some of the lesser black-backs looked very dark, almost candidates for being Scandinavian intermedius birds, then they'd shift around a little and the contrast between slate grey back and black primary feathers would be textbook local graelsii. I was rather glad I was sticking to only being baffled by the adult birds. A big, dark-looking herring gull was a Scandinavian argentatus bird, I only spotted it because I was scanning intently for anything that might be a Caspian gull. At this distance there wasn't much point looking for a gull with dark eyes any more than looking at shades of grey. A couple had open faces and beady looking eyes like a common gull but were small enough, round-headed enough and relatively short-winged enough to only possibly be female herring gulls. 

It was when I gave up looking for a Caspian gull I found one. I was watching a couple of oystercatchers walking through the crowd of gulls when I noticed one of the "herring gulls" had a long neck, a pear-shaped head and rather a lot of tail end to it. The grey on its back was darker than that on the nearby herring gulls, though not nearly dark enough to be common gull grey. As I was making these mental notes that group of gulls noticed something going on at the riverbank and flew over to have a look. As the Caspian gull took off I noticed a fingerless mitt look to the white mirrors on its black primary feathers, not unlike that of a common gull.

Mersey Gateway Bridge

I was feeling quite pleased with the day's tally. I hadn't found a Kumlein's gull but I'd got the ruddy shelduck, the target for the visit, and a Caspian gull and a bonus early common sandpiper. Finding some siskins in the trees on the walk back to the canal was the icing on the cake. I made my way to the bus stop for the 110 back to Warrington. 

Teal

Sefton bumper bundle

Starlings, Crosby Marine Lake 

A caterwauling of magpies, rooks and jackdaws woke me up and for the life of me I couldn't work out what all the row was about. As I got washed and dressed it all went quiet and the back garden was left to the goldfinches and titmice when, an hour later, the hooligans came back into the trees and resumed their racket. I suspect it's teenage disco fever.

It was a gloomy morning with the threat of wind and rain and distinctly cooler than it has been. I headed out to Merseyside to have a wander round Crosby Marine Lake, check out Seaforth Nature Reserve through the wire fence then see what was about on the Alt Estuary at Hightown. Anything further would be dependent on time, weather and my energy levels.

Crosby Marine Lake 

The wind was a bit fierce at Crosby Marine Lake. Cormorants and a great black-back lounged on a raft, goldeneyes and a drake red-breasted merganser drifted about on the water, I couldn't see any sign of any dabchicks. Pigeons, starlings and a little egret pottered about the banks.

Coot

The old boating pool was livelier, mostly with coots, black-headed gulls and herring gulls. A couple of dozen oystercatchers roosted on the grassy bank. A small flock of starlings rummaged about on the near bank before flying over and joining the fifty or so on the far bank. They were joined by a turnstone which flew in from across the lake. A handful of tufted ducks cruised about, all the mallards were with a mute swan at the far end by the dunes.

Crosby Beach 

I very quickly got very windswept and almost interesting on the beach. I looked over the estuary at the filthy weather being dumped on North Wales and decided I'd best not linger too long, it would be over here in an hour's time. Oddly, though there was the usual complement of black-headed gulls, herring gulls, carrion crows and pied wagtails on the beach there was not one single wader. 

Canada geese and shelduck

I had a look through the fence at Seaforth Nature Reserve. Canada geese and rabbits grazed on the grass while shelducks loafed and dozed. Over a hundred black-tailed godwits were feeding thighs-deep in the pools with a few dozen redshanks and a couple of curlews. I thought I was going to have no luck finding any bar-tailed godwits when one obligingly had a bit of a stretch of its wings then resumed feeding. Usually, when I get an eye in on one I can find a few more but not today I didn't.

Turnstone

The water levels have been lowered on the marine lake for maintenance and this provided rich pickings for half a dozen turnstones scampering about the usually submerged rocks on the edge.

The nature reserve 

The little nature reserve was fairly quiet, the titmice took some finding and the robins didn't feel like singing much. The Cetti's warbler in the reedbed did a warm up but didn't really give it the full song. The weather was hardly springlike so I couldn't blame it.

Alt Estuary, Hightown 

If anything the weather was gloomier and windier at Hightown, though it mostly kept dry. The tide was well out, leaving groups of curlews and herring gulls dotted about the mud. About ten minutes after I arrived the curlews decided it was time to go for a feed and they flew out to follow the tideline. The couple of dozen redshanks stayed behind to fossick about the muddy banks of the Alt while pairs of mallards were content to doze out of the wind. 

Gadwalls 

I was wind worn by the time I headed back to the station. I didn't have enough left in the tank for anything ambitious or energetic so I got the train to Southport and wandered down to see what was on the lake. The answer, naturally, was a lot of herring gulls, greylags, coots and mallards with a supporting cast of mute swans, Canada geese and black-headed gulls. The snow goose had been reported again, if it was around while I was there it must have been hiding in the trees. The great crested grebes were asleep by the islands, the banks of which were thickly lined with cormorants, geese and coots. For once there weren't many dabchicks about. I had a sit-down near the paddle steamer and scanned around. A few tufted ducks, mallards and gadwalls bobbed about by the near bank. A little egret appeared in one of the trees on the island then promptly disappeared. I wonder if they'll be nesting here. 

The wind decided to add an icy note to its buffeting. I noticed the 40 bus was due in ten minutes and weighed up whether to have a quick look at Marshside. I headed back to Liverpool for the train home.

Cutacre

Coltsfoot

It strikes me, frequently, how much of my birdwatching life is spent standing at bus stops. It struck me again today as I stood watching the buzzard floating over Davyhulme as I waited for a bus — any bus! — to the Trafford Centre with a view to my going over to Leigh for a wander round Pennington Flash. The pigeons were very anti the idea of the buzzard floating about and the pair of herring gulls fossicking about the flower beds on the roundabout weren't any too impressed either.

At last a bus arrived and went back the way I came because of diversions. When we eventually arrived at the Trafford Centre I could have waited half an hour for the next 126 or I could get the 132 that was ready for off and try to connect with a bus to Leigh en route. I got the 132. I started worrying about what time I would get to Pennington Flash, I started stressing about just wanting to get off and get a walk in while the weather was okay. I gave up on Pennington Flash, stayed on the bus as far as Hough Lane and walked up Cleworth Hall Lane to Cutacre.

Cleworth Hall Lane 

Robins, great tits, woodpigeons and starlings sang in gardens as I walked up the lane. Beyond the stables of Cleworth Hall Farm the lane became February muddy and the hedgerows filled with small birds. Most of the shadows creeping through the hawthorns were robins or blue tits, an occasional wren, dunnock or blackbird. Goldfinches twittered in trees and a flock of greenfinches fussed about in a stand of hawthorns at the corner of a field. Further on a bunch of black-headed gulls were buzzing about over a corner of a field, it turned out they were harassing a heron lurking by a pool for some reason or other I couldn't work out. Whatever it was, a common gull came and joined in the fun.

When I was a kid the primary mortal dangers of adulthood we were taught to fear were tarantulas, poison darts and quicksand. I have, naturally, learned to poo-poo all that as so much nonsense. Which is a bit embarrassing when you realise you've nothing sharp with which to hack off your foot and you're at an age where you no longer have the dexterity required to gnaw it off. Luckily, a blackthorn twig just within reach provided enough anchorage for me to break the seal and retrieve both foot and boot from a muddy grave.

The walls of the bridge had the full set: spleenwort, maidenhair, polypody and hart's tongue.

At the end of the lane I only had a short wade to the concrete safety of the railway bridge. I crossed over and watched a buzzard being given a hard time by a herring gull as they both circled high on the thermals. I walked past a couple of muddy pools, upsetting a couple of moorhens in each, and through the scrappy bit of woodland into the open rucks. It had been looking like rain, on and off, all day. There was five seconds of light rain then the weather decided it couldn't be bothered with it.

Cutacre Country Park
This is an old open-cast mine and spoil, the landscaping's pretty good.

Shakerley Brook 

I skirted Skylark Hill, though in the event it would have been less effort to climb up then coast down the metalled path to Swan Lake. The squelching about wasn't so bad, though, and the skylarks and a meadow pipit struck poses long enough for me to get the camera in focus on them, but only that long. I may start a portfolio of blurs in the grass. A male kestrel quartered the flooded terraces above Shakerley Brook but didn't seem to be having much luck. He may have been the reason why the pipits rummaging about on the bank of the brook were keeping to the long grass.

Herring gulls, lesser black-backs and great black-back 

Herring gulls 

Herring gulls dominated Swan Lake, both in numbers and noise. Canada geese tried to shout above them, the mallards, coots, mute swans and lesser black-backs pottered about quietly while a great black-back lurked ominously by the island. The ducks and coots kept a wide berth, the herring gulls showed it uncharacteristic respect. A pair of oystercatchers flew in, performed a bit of token courtship wittering about then decided that seeing as their beaks were already pointed downwards they might as well get something to eat.

Engine Lane 

The walk along Engine Lane into Atherton was accompanied by the songs of robins, great tits, wrens and dunnocks and the calls of black-headed gulls and herring gulls circling overhead before heading wherever to roost. I would guess they'd mostly be heading for Pennington Flash. I'd unwound more than plenty enough to have not minded not getting there myself.