Pennington Flash

Courting mute swans

The blackbird started singing at twenty to six. I wondered what we were both doing being awake at that time and had another go at trying to fall asleep. I emerged, blinking, into a second day of Meteorological Spring that was dismal, dreary and downright dreich. I reviewed the day's plans and headed for Pennington Flash where at least there is plenty of cover in the hides.

Primroses 

This turned out to be a wise move: as the 126 made its way to Leigh the rain started. Walking into Pennington Flash from St Helens Road I stopped to admire the primroses and dog violets. Robins and great tits sang, blue tits and blackbirds moved like shadows through the hedgerows. A mistle thrush burst into song and this mingled with a background hubbub I couldn't identify until I started to see the redwings in the treetops near the brook.

Tufted ducks

The car park was quiet of people and I got a lot of expectant stares from black-headed gulls and mallards as I splashed my way along. The mandarin duck that's usually on the canal had tagged along with a pair of mallards. Out on the flash there were perhaps a dozen pochards dotted about in ones and twos and tufted ducks drifting about in rafts of a dozen or so. A redhead goosander drifted out from the brook. There wasn't a lot of large gulls on the flash and they roughly equal numbers of herring gulls and lesser black-backs. This gave the common gulls and black-headed gulls the opportunity to lord it on the buoys while the big boys were playing elsewhere. A couple of oystercatchers were very wary of my passing by and made sure there was a bench between they and me.

Mandarin duck and mallards

Pennington Flash 

I took shelter in the F.W.Horrocks Hide and let on to the birder already there. He'd been hoping for a repeat appearance of yesterday's sand martin but the weather had turned dead against it.

From the F.W.Horrocks Hide 

There were more oystercatchers at the end of the spit, with the usual assemblage of lapwings, herring gulls, cormorants and coots. There weren't many great crested grebes about, and only a handful of mute swans. I'm hoping that means they're busy in the smaller pools. One pair of mute swans ignored the rain for a bit of courting.

Mute swans 

Mute swans 

Mute swans 

Mute swans 

The trees and hedgerows were bustling with robins and song thrushes though not many were singing. Unlike the wrens, great tits and one of the many blue tits bouncing through the willows.

Walking down to the Tom Edmondson Hide 

A pair of mute swans occupied part of the reed bed at the Tom Edmondson Hide. Shovelers and gadwalls dabbled about but it was otherwise fairly quiet. A couple of herons flew low over the trees but didn't stop.

The pool opposite the Tom Edmondson Hide 

Shovelers and teals dozed on the banks of the pool opposite the Tom Edmondson Hide.

At Ramsdales Hide 

It wasn't quiet at Ramsdales Hide, the islands were dotted about with noisy pairs of Canada geese and the teals and mallards cruising about were full of quacks and whistles. Herring gulls and black-headed gulls billowed over from the flash before going back whence they came in the grandest confusion. It was impossible to see which gull had the dainty titbit the others wanted.

Dabchick

The dabchicks I hadn't been seeing on the other pools were on Pengy's with some gadwalls and shovelers. Most of the time at Pennington Flash I'm seeing the dabchicks from a distance so I took the opportunity to get a couple of photos while I could.

Reed bunting 

The Bunting Hide was, fittingly, busy with reed buntings. And titmice, moorhens and stock doves. Which was nice because I've not been seeing stock doves here for a bit. I lingered awhile in the hopes a willow tit might turn up but I'll just have to wait to get one on the year list.

Stock dove

As I walked back to St Helens Road I stopped to listen to a goldcrest singing. It was quite happy to fidget down to a branch five feet from my shoulder but hid behind twigs at the first sign of the camera. I put the camera away and listened to the concert in the rain.