Mersey Valley

Great tit, Chorlton Ees

It was a bright, sunny day so I thought I'd have a walk through the Mersey Valley from Turn Moss to Princess Road. I've only skimmed through Chorlton Ees so far this year and haven't walked the stretch of the river from Jackson's Boat to Chorlton Water Park. It's about time I did.

Ivy Green 

Hazy clouds had drifted in by the time i got to Turn Moss. Walking down Hawthorn Lane the ring-necked parakeets, carrion crows and magpies were competing to see which could make the most noise in the treetops, drowning out the robins and titmice in the wayside. The damp nights have taken their toll of the paths across Ivy Green. As I slid and squelched my way across the mud there was a definite "My God, not this again!" vibe from the old knees. The green itself had been strimmed to an inch of its life and was for all intents and purposes a desert, even the magpies and crows couldn't be bothered with it.

Chorlton Ees 

Blackthorn 

I crossed the brook into Chorlton Ees where the footpaths were better, if still muddy, and the bird life less subdued. The parakeets were very vocal but couldn't drown out the great tits and robins. Blackbirds and song thrushes bustled about in the dead hedges, titmice bounced through the hawthorns and jays were uncharacteristically quiet as they scuttled about the treetops. A heron flew low over the hay meadow but didn't stop. 

Blackbird

The Mersey was running fast and high past Jackson's Boat. Pairs of mallards loafed on the banks, complaining loudly as they took to the water every so often to avoid dogs intent on getting themselves soaking wet. A line of black-headed gulls drifted down the middle of the river snatching at emerging midges. As each drifted too far for the snacking it flew upstream and joined the end of the line.

Black-headed gulls

The trees and bushes on the Lancashire side of the river were quietly busy with magpies, jays, bullfinches and goldcrests. The goldcrests were very confiding but made sure there was a twig in front of their faces every time the camera got them in focus. 

Jackson's Boat 

Things changed beyond Jackson's Boat. There were far fewer people and dogs and, at first, fewer birds in the hedgerows. The gangs of Canada geese and mallards on the riverbanks made up the numbers.

Long-tailed tit

I was checking the larches on the edge of the golf club for finches, in vain as it happens as it looked like all the cones had been worked out. As I was looking up a troupe of long-tailed tits came giddying across the hedgerow with a few blue tits in tow. Even by long-tailed tit standards the action was frenetic, the lean times seem to have come early this year with everything being out of synch and this cold snap after a mild start to the month can't be helping. Further along as the river ran beside Barlow Tip wrens, robins and bullfinches sang in the trees and another troupe of long-tailed tits passed by.

Cormorant

A couple of cormorants dried their wings on the far riverbank in the company of a few mallards and a redhead goosander floated downstream. The water was too high for the grey wagtails to be in any of their usual haunts, if they were about they were more likely to be fossicking about under bridges than up on the banks. Bailey Bridge, which connected Chorlton Water Park and Kenworthy Woods, had been condemned as unsafe and has now been removed completely. Fingers crossed for its replacement coming soon.

Barlow Tip 

The metalled path into Barlow Tip was very wet indeed, the surrounding ground was even wetter so I didn't wander from it. There were plenty of blackbirds, magpies and dunnocks about. Robins, carrion crows and song thrushes sang and bullfinches wheezed from the trees, a mixed tit flock bounced through the undergrowth and another heron flew overhead. I couldn't work out whether the squeaking from a gorse bush on the rise was a great tit or a chiffchaff, it went quiet almost as soon as I heard it and I wasn't for walking up the cascade of muddy water to try and get a visual on it. Every so often even I can recognise a fool's errand. 

The tufted ducks were easier to see here than at Lymm

Chorlton Water Park was busy with people, birds and dogs and roughly in that order. Rafts of tufted ducks, mallards and black-headed gulls drifted about the island at the Barlow Tip end. It took me a while to find the great crested grebes, they were cruising about just off the island. 

Chorlton Water Park 

There was a much bigger raft of black-headed gulls, inevitably, off the landing stage by the ice cream van with a lot of mallards, coots and pigeons. The Canada geese were very vocal but there were only a handful of them and there were only a few mute swans about. Half a dozen goosanders drifting midwater here included a very salmon-pink drake which evidently knew where all the best shrimps were. Cormorants sat on the island at this end drying their wings and the trees were full of gulls. There were a few common gulls about and they spent most of their time chasing black-headed gulls to try to pinch whatever they'd found to eat.

Black-headed gulls and common gull

I rejoined the river and walked down to Princess Road. Parakeets, magpies and carrion crows called from the woods. Titmice and goldfinches fidgeted through the hedgerows on this side of the river. A coal tit sang from one of the gardens and house sparrows fussed about by the children's playground. I walked down, joined the road and got the 87 into Greenheys and got the 15 back home. I need to remind myself to do that walk more often, it's just the right length for getting the knees working properly and it's very productive for birdwatching, even on a half-term holiday afternoon.

Looking over the river to Kenworthy Woods