Wellacre Country Park

Small skipper on clover, Green Hill

I don't know what was wrong with me today, I just couldn't get started. In the end I dragged myself out for a teatime walk around Wellacre Country Park, starting at Green Hill so I could catch up with the bits I missed last week.

Starting off up Green Hill 

Green Hill was fairly quiet. Blackbirds and a chiffchaff sang by the Merseyview entrance. Ringlets skittered around in the grass and clover on the rise. 

Green Hill 

Out on the open hillside goldfinches, greenfinches and carrion crows flew to and fro but didn't seem to settle. Whitethroats sang from their hawthorns and bramble patches, dunnocks sang from nettle patches and a couple of song thrushes sang in the trees by the railway line. Each nettle patch was a combat zone as red admirals defended their territories against intruders, which apparently included me.

Red admiral

Dutton's Pond 

Dutton's Pond was in a quietly convivial mood, the family of coots all together at one side and a dozen mallards gathered together at the other. It took me longer than it should have to find the moorhens pottering about amongst the water lilies. An oystercatcher called loudly as it passed overhead.

Long-tailed tits bounced about in the trees by Dutton's Pond. As I walked down to Jack Lane blackbirds, blackcaps, goldfinches, chiffchaffs and woodpigeons sang in the trees. One of the willows on the railway embankment had fallen over the path making it passable for those of us who can duck but not for the horses and riders that frequent this way.

A willow cracked

Jack Lane Nature Reserve 

Nearly all the Jack Lane songscape came from the trees round the edges. Blackbirds, song thrushes and a chiffchaff counted for the bulk of it, with contributions from blackcaps, wrens and a whitethroat. I got tutted at by reed warblers deep in the reeds, just the one did any singing and that more in the nature of quietly keeping in practice. An oystercatcher flew over from the water treatment works, they must both have been feeding on the filtration pans. Judging by their trajectory they must have been heading to Trafford Park or Salford Quays to roost.

A great spotted woodpecker flew over from the nature reserve and into the top of one of the trees by the lane. Swallows zipped low over the stables and fields by Jack Lane and I could see the sand martins feeding over Irlam Locks. While the swallows tended to do long straight runs the sand martins did figures of eight, rising and falling with the loops.

Wellacre Country Park 

Wellacre Wood 

Wellacre Wood was quiet but busy, or as quiet as a singing song thrush may allow. Blackbirds and dunnocks silently rummaged about the woodland floor, the robins were extremely shy and retiring, more often than not small shapes disappearing into the undergrowth. Unlike the wrens which jumped out to sing me out of their territories. Overhead, magpies and woodpigeons clattered about in the trees.

I emerged from the wood, passing another family of long-tailed tits in one of the hawthorns, and walked into Town's Gate for the bus home. I'd managed to break my lethargy but I was gagging for a pot of tea.