Etherow Country Park

Pied flycatcher, Keg Wood

I waited for the rain to be done and dusted before heading over to Etherow Country Park to see if I could get mandarin duck and dipper onto the tally for the month.

Coot

The Canada geese and one of the mute swans lurked by the car park hoping for goodies from passersby. There were only a couple of mallards and the only coot was sitting on its nest. The little canal was similarly quiet, the few ducks about lurked in the willow roots by the bank. A pair of mandarins skulked under the little bridge over the canal.

Blackbirds, dunnocks and robins rummaged about on the roadside. Blackbirds, robins, willow warblers and a chiffchaff sang in the trees and a green woodpecker yaffled from somewhere over in Ernocroft Wood.

Horse chestnuts by the canal

There was another pair of mandarin ducks on the river and a family of grey wagtails up by the weir bridge. I had no luck finding any dippers. Meanwhile, a pair of blue tits shuttled constantly between the wood and their nest by the bridge.

Keg Wood 

I had a walk around Keg Wood. It seemed quiet at first, just robins and blackbirds singing and a great spotted woodpecker barracking me as I passed by. As I walked in deeper chiffchaffs and blackcaps joined the songscape, blackcaps soon becoming the dominant feature. Woodpigeons, wrens, dunnocks and coal tits joined in and chaffinches sang from the woodland margins up the hill. 

At the bend by one of the sitting areas two blackcaps were having a singing duel with a blackbird singing in the background. A fourth bird piped up, at first I thought it was another blackcap warming up but the song stayed rushed and slightly scratchy and I had me a garden warbler on the tally.

Pied flycatcher

I had a sit down by Sunny Corner. Nuthatches, great tits and a grey squirrel came over to see if I was providing food and gave hard stares when it became apparent I wasn't. A pheasant called from somewhere and blue tits fidgeted about in the trees. A little further along a small pale something flitted through the trees like a butterfly with unusually direct flight. It remained a puzzle until I noticed it alight on a dead branch. Luckily for me it stayed put so I could identify it as a pied flycatcher. I stayed still and watched it catching flies for a few minutes then, as it hasn't been bothered when a couple walked by with a dog I got a few photos taken to make sure I hadn't fallen asleep at Sunny Corner and dreamt it. It was a bonny little bird.

Pied flycatcher

Pied flycatcher

Pied flycatcher

It was obviously a much-favoured perch, the flycatcher was back later on as I was on my way back. I retraced my steps because I knew the knees weren't going to be happy with the slope up from Keg Pool. I'll have to try and remember which bend the dead branch is on, just in case the bird's still around next time I visit.

Pied flycatcher

Pied flycatcher

Pied flycatcher

Treecreeper

A treecreeper on the next tree along was a nice bonus.

Treecreeper

No visit to Etherow Country Park should be without a few pictures of mandarin ducks. The pair on the canal were having a bath out in the open.

Mandarin duck

Mandarin duck

Mandarin duck

Mandarin duck

While I was waiting for the bus home at Stockport Interchange I had a look to see if anything was on the river. A grey wagtail flitted about the bankside and a family of goosanders slept under the bridge.

Goosanders, ducklings (front) and duck