Adwick Washland

Reed bunting

I had literally no idea what I was going to do today. I knew I wasn't up for an early start for a couple of trips out that I feel need doing soon. I also knew it probably wasn't wise to have another long walk through grassy countryside on a high pollen count day two days running, the precautions worked yesterday, I shouldn't push my luck. I decided I'd use one of my Delay Repay compo tickets on a trip into Yorkshire and go and have a look at Adwick Washland just outside Bolton-upon-Dearne. I've not been there before, it's not a long trip out and the maps reckoned it was a quarter of an hour's walk from the station. So off I went.

The Northern train to Sheffield stops at nearly all the stations, which was fine because it meant there was only a ten minute wait at Sheffield for the Leeds train that goes through Bolton-upon-Dearne. Along the way the Peak District was busy with jackdaws and carrion crows.

The most difficult part of the journey was finding my way out of Bolton-upon-Dearne Station. After that it was literally a matter of walking straight down the road and there you are. It actually came as a shock how easy it was, the last house down the road is next door to the first, small, pool on the Washland.

Black-headed gulls and jackdaw

English (left) and Japanese honeysuckle 

It was a bright, warm day, fine for a walk. Everywhere was the scent of honeysuckle (I very much like the scent of honeysuckle but my eyes and sinuses aren't keen, which is a shame). 

Just having a nosy to see where the path goes

As it was my first visit I thought I'd best have a wander rather than just walking down the main path that runs straight through the reserve. My first side track run straight beside the edge of the main pool and ended at a gate overlooking a smaller one. The hedgerows were busy with house sparrows, goldfinches, blue tits and singing chiffchaffs. Large whites and gatekeepers fluttered by the wayside and a broad-bodied chaser zipped across the path. A lapwing and a family of coots padded round a large puddle in the corner of a field on one side while skylarks sang in the background. There were considerably more lapwings and coots on the large pool, together with dozens of black-headed gulls and their youngsters.

Avocet

A couple of avocets were feeding on the small pool at the end of the path.

Avocet

Juvenile black-headed gulls

Adwick Washland 

Canada geese and goslings

I retraced my steps and rejoined the main path. The hedgerows quickly receded and the path became a causeway between pools lined with reeds and thin willows. And the birds, by and large, didn't care in the least that people were walking close by. Little egrets stalked the margins, croaking and gronking horribly whenever an avocet or black-headed gull decided it had come to close to their nest or youngster and gone in for the attack. Mallards and gadwalls had ducklings, coots and moorhens had youngsters ranging in age from tiny chicks to just short of full-grown. Pairs of shovelers and tufted ducks cruised about unaccompanied, unlike the caravans of Canada geese and greylags chugging across the pool. Every so often there would be a grand kerfuffle as families of greylags hurried across to the far bank to socialise, like the gathering of parents at the school gates. There were plenty of lapwings about and the adults made sure they were conspicuously well away from their chicks. The chicks' whereabouts were usually betrayed by the juvenile pied wagtails feeding with them

Gadwall and ducklings

Juvenile pied wagtail
That plumage that jumps out at you from a plain surface like a car park or lawn disrupts the bird's shape on broken ground.

Lapwing chick

There was an abundance of reed buntings and sedge warblers. The reed buntings only stopped singing to move a couple of feet into the wayside reeds and teasels if I accidentally got within about a foot of them as I moved aside to let people and dogs go by. Once that precious couple of feet's space was made they'd resume singing. The sedge warblers were more circumspect, but not by much. One of them singing on a branch just above my head added to my portfolio of photos of where a warbler was a moment ago.

Reed bunting

Adwick Washland 
A noisy pair of dabchicks are in the reeds by the near bank of the drain.

I was hearing dabchicks but they were hard work finding. I finally got lucky with a pair of them fishing in the smaller of the two pools though they spent most of the time underwater. A little further on a very noisy pair were fussing about in the reeds in the pathside drain but I couldn't see whether they had chicks to look after or were just particularly noisy.

Large skipper

Another side path was accompanied by skippers large and small, the small skippers hardly stopping still long enough for me to recognise them for what they were. The large skippers posed for the camera like troopers. As I was chatting to a chap in the seating area at the end of this path there was a bit of a commotion going on in the marsh ahead. I couldn't see what was causing it but a couple of lapwings flew off in a panic, a family of greylags ran out of the area and a pair of teal flew out, wheeled round a couple of times and settled back whence they came. I couldn't see an airborne predator so I can only think a stoat or similar was rummaging about on the ground.

Mallard and ducklings

Nesting avocets

The clouds rolled in but there was no appreciable chance of rain. The mugginess held onto the scent of honeysuckle and the clouds of midges over the pools and paths. Swifts, swallows and house martins swooped in to take advantage of the latter. I returned to the main path and walked on. A couple of avocets were sitting on nests while others stalked around feeding. A muddy corner was productive: both a ringed plover and a little ringed plover were skittering about and redshanks waded along the water's edge. I kept being distracted by the shapes zipping about just above the water's surface. Most, if not all, were black-tailed skimmers but I dare say I missed several somethings in the mix.

Mallard, avocet and little ringed plover

Lapwing

I took another side path, this time leading to a pool choked with flowering reeds, sadly still only in bud, I had a look at the map and decided to carry on to the main road just outside Harlington, just to see what was on the other side really, then make my way back for the train.

Flowering rush

Leaving the Washland the path becomes a road through wooded fields, grazing for horses (and some very pretty foals). Pheasants, woodpigeons and rabbits fed in the fields and the usual woodland choristers provided a suitably rural backing track. 

Heading for the main road

I decided not to spoil everything by walking far along the main road. Instead, I turned on my heel, walked back and did it all again. Which was splendid.

Dabchick

I seriously contemplated hopping off the train at Moorthorpe and having a wander round South Kirby, it's been years since I last visited. Common sense prevailed, I'd had an extremely good day, there was no call for kicking the icing off the cake by being greedy 

A big dog fox, battle-scarred by the looks of him, sat and watched the trains go by as we rattled into Leeds. I wished him well.