Bickershaw Country Park

Canada goslings

Unlike yesterday, this morning I only caught the woodpigeon solo in the dawn chorus and I overslept through the alarm, which was a nuisance as I had errands to run before doing anything else. Errands begat errands, which was another nuisance as the oversleeping made me feel like a sandbagged tortoise and every joint in my body had an unfavourable opinion about the change in the weather. I shelved all plans, got a pot of tea down me and wondered what I was going to do with the afternoon. 

I decided that gardening wasn't an option as the latest new arrival stepped onto the scene. One of the adult robins escorted a youngster into the rose bushes and left it there to wait to be fed. The young dunnock was deep in the gooseberry bush and there was a young blackbird around somewhere, the female was ferrying beakfuls of worms down into the holly bush. I thought I'd best leave them in peace.

Juvenile robin

I went over to the Trafford Centre and played bus station bingo with a view to going somewhere for half an hour or so's quiet potter about. The 126 came in first so I headed off to Leigh. I didn't want to revisit Pennington Flash so soon, so where to go? For a few giddy moments I thought I could get off in Astley and walk down through Astley Moss and Chat Moss into Irlam. For a few giddy moments. It's a fair old drag when I've got the energy to do it. Then I remembered I hadn't been to Bickershaw Country Park yet this year. It's surrounded on three sides by fairly frequent bus services so if the worst came to the worst I could nibble about a corner then retreat to a bus stop.

I got the 609 and got off at Garvin Jones Grove, the stop  next to the entrance on the North side of the country park by Diggle Flash. A chaffinch in a tree by the bus stop took exception even before I'd stepped off and it escorted me out of the car park, leaving me once I started down the steps to the flash.

Diggle Flash

The trees and bushes were filled with songbirds and I even managed to see some of the willow warblers and robins. As I approached Diggle Flash, more a big pond than a lake, whitethroats and a reed warbler joined the chorus. I peered over one of the anglers' gates to see what was on the water and the reed warbler came over to check me out before deciding I was nothing to see and resuming singing. A small raft of tufted ducks and two pairs of great crested grebes drifted over the flash, the mallards and coots were more active, though not to any obvious purpose.

Bickershaw Country Park 

A bit of hawthorn

I wandered on my way. I don't have an instinctive feel for Bickershaw Country Park and can rarely manage to go the same way twice or find particular spots I'm looking for. I need to visit far more often. The hedgerows were busy with singing blackcaps and willow warblers, blackbirds sang in the trees or fossicked about in the verges and titmice were in stealth ninja mode, breaking cover rarely to flit between trees and bushes. Goldfinches were in as close as they get to stealth mode, they can't resist twittering when they break cover. I was hoping to hear grasshopper warblers out in the open but had no luck today though there were more than plenty of whitethroats. Overhead there was a steady traffic of carrion crows, jackdaws and lesser black-backs, the gulls tending to wheel high in the air before going wherever they were off to.

Alder beetles
Some of the alder saplings had doilies rather than leaves.

Bickershaw Country Park 

As I approached Fir Tree Flash reed buntings joined the songscape.

Reed bunting

The sun started to poke through the clouds as I arrived at Fir Tree Flash. A mute swan sat on her nest and pairs of shovelers chugged about the drowned willows. Further along, pairs of mallards dozed on the bank and Canada geese made a fearful row over on the other side of the flash. As far as I could determine, the commotion was caused by passing geese getting too close to sitting geese and the partners rushing in to support and egg on the combatants. In contrast, the coots were being unusually well-behaved dutiful parents.

Fir Tree Flash 

I had a chat with a couple of ladies who'd been watching a pair of great crested grebes feeding their young. I caught up with the grebes later on, the youngsters were keeping to the cover of the reeds and coming out to be fed. Every so often the male would take exception to one or other passerby, bark like a small terrier and the youngsters disappeared into the reeds with barely a ripple. A pair of Canada geese paraded their goslings along the bankside.

Canada goslings

The sun came out and so did the large whites and orange tip butterflies. Half a dozen swifts chased round each other high overhead. I wandered round the rucks South of the flash, adding the Cetti's warbler singing in a waterside bramble to the day's tally and hearing lots more blackcaps, chiffchaffs and willow warblers along the way.

Bickershaw Country Park 

The intention was to drift over towards Plank Lane but I got distracted by possibly hearing a grasshopper warbler over a rise. When I got there I couldn't hear anything because the police helicopter was doing a circuit of the area and passed overhead a few times. I followed the path I was on into into Firs Park then I had a quick potter about the park and the lake before getting the bus into Hindley Green and thence the 132 back to the Trafford Centre.

Firs Park 

Bickershaw Country Park

Humbugs 
Great crested grebe chicks

It was another sunny day. I played bus station bingo at the Trafford Centre and got the 132, at first with the intention of going to Amberswood but as we approached Hindley Green I remembered I hadn't been for a proper walk over Bickershaw Country Park this year and this was the season to do it in with warblers, butterflies and dragonflies on the menu. So I got off and walked down Leigh Road then took the narrow footpath at the corner of Bickershaw Lane and onto the Northern Trail on the country park.

The Northern Trail

I'd barely started down the path before I was hearing blackcaps singing amongst the robins and blackbirds in the bushes. As the path emerged into the light woodland along this stretch of the Northern Trail whitethroats and chiffchaffs joined the songscape. Large whites and speckled woods fluttered about the sides of the path. As the path neared Bickershaw Lane a Cetti's warbler sang in the roadside brambles.

Broad-bodied chaser

The first target was Diggle Flash, the small lake at the Northern edge of the country park. I passed a small pond, half dried-up and busy with frog tadpoles. A broad-bodied chaser hawked low over the dry reed stems on the margins, pausing every so often to bask in the sun.

The Northern Trail

Diggle Flash 

A raft of tufted ducks dozed on Diggle Flash. A mute swan cruised about, another looked to be sitting in a nest. A pair of great crested grebes drifted about in the open water, dabchicks hinneyed in the reeds, drowning out the reed warblers for a minute or two before settling back down to whatever they were up to. Closer by the grass by the path was lively with common blue damselflies and green lacewings danced about the willow leaves.

Common blue damselflies 

Goldfinches 

I took a zigzag route from Diggle Flash to Fir Tree Flash taking me through patches of light woodland, open hawthorn scrub and rough grassland. The soundscape flowed from robins and blackcaps to blackbirds and chiffchaffs, whitethroats, goldfinches, willow warblers and great tits. A garden warbler in an oak tree made up the expected set. A grasshopper warbler in some rough pasture was a bonus, though it was only when there was a lull in the wind through the leaves in the bushes by the path I could pick up its distant reeling. 

This is usually a small pond 

Grasshopper warbler country

Whitethroat and willow warbler country

Despite the lushness of the trees and bushes the landscape looked very dry. All the muddy side paths were like concrete, as were the dried-up pools. Every so often some filthy black clouds would roll in, I'd think: "Aye, lad, here's some of that rain they've been talking about," and they'd roll back out again.

Speckled wood

Stonechat

Swifts swooped overhead as I passed the allotments near Fir Tree Flash. I almost missed the female stonechat keeping an eye on me from the fence.

Canada geese

The Canada geese and mallards on the flash had fluffy bundles to keep tabs of. A great crested grebe spent most of its time trying to make sure there was clear green water between it and its three very noisy youngsters.

Fir Tree Flash 

I took the hint from my ankle and called it quits. I'd been wandering about the best part of three hours and didn't want to push my luck so I got the 608 into Leigh and headed home after a very productive stroll. At my stop at Leigh Bus Station a pigeon was being kept busy by a hungry full-grown youngster.

Pigeon and squab

Bickershaw Country Park

Common darter

I had numerous plans for today and couldn't be bothered with any of them so I ended up dragging myself out for an afternoon walk. I drifted over to Leigh after conceding that a low energy day isn't the one for that walk down through Astley Moss to Chat Moss and found myself walking down to Bickershaw Country Park for a long wander round the lake.

Heron

The Canada geese and mallards were loafing at the car park end of the lake, as usual, with a few coots. A couple of chiffchaffs squeaked in the trees with a few twittering goldfinches, pretty much all there was in the way of small birds by the lake this afternoon except for some reed buntings on the other side where the lake meets the meadows. A heron lurked in the depths of the bank and a family of great crested grebes with a surprisingly young (and very noisy) chick cruised in and out of the reed margins.

By the lake

Brown hawkers patrolled the lake margins while common darters littered the pathways. The speckled woods in the bushes were in a feisty mood and a couple of them tried their best to see me on my way, one of them getting too excited and hitting me in the face.

Mostly ragworts with a lot of eyebright, sneezewort and knapweeds in the mix.

Out on the meadows woodpigeons and lesser black-backs flew overhead and a willow warbler called from a stand of birches. A family of great tits worked the trees by the path and a wren scolded as I passed by.

A Southern hawker circled one of the small pools by the path and yet more common darters zipped around.

The heather was buzzing with bees and hoverflies.

I took the path that rejoins the path around the lake and finished the circuit. A quiet hour-and-a-bit's walk on a sunny, if cool, Summer's day.

Wigan bumper bundle

Small skipper, Bickershaw Country Park

It was a cooler, sunny day with a nice breeze and I wondered what I was going to be doing with it. My original plan was to have a lazy wander round Leighton Moss but I didn't really want to be bothered with trains, which wasn't a bad call in the event as it's all been a bit hairy North of Lancaster today. Eventually I drifted over to Leigh for a wander round Bickershaw Country Park, kicking off a bit later than planned because the 126 was half an hour late leaving the Trafford Centre.

Bickershaw Country Park 

I got the number 8 bus to Edna Road and walked down to the entrance by the lake. Over by the car park dozens of Canada geese and mallards loafed on the bank while families of coots and moorhens fussed about the lake. Chiffchaffs, blackcaps and blackbirds sang in the trees and a pair of jays made a racket as they bounced around the treetops. Walking round the South shore of the lake I hoped to be seeing dragonflies but aside from a couple of blue-tailed damselflies none were to be seen.

Coot and chick, Bickershaw Country Park

Kingfisher, Bickershaw Country Park

As I rounded a corner a flash of dark blue caught my eye in the trees on the opposite bank. Even though I knew it was there it took me a while to find the kingfisher, serenaded by a reed warbler and a Cetti's warbler as I hunted for it.

Bickershaw Country Park 

Moving onto the open scrub willow warblers took over from the chiffchaffs and whitethroats from the blackcaps and a couple of swifts barrelled over. There were more butterflies, mostly brimstones and meadow browns. Every year I'm surprised by how small large skippers are and every year I misidentify my first small skipper's because I know I'm always surprised at how small large skippers are. The marsh thistles and vetchlings of the shaley waste gave way to field thistles and buttercups and the appearance of ringlet butterflies and common blue damselflies. Goldfinches and chaffinches twittered and squeaked in the trees and a pheasant called from somewhere in the heather.

Bickershaw Country Park 

I reached the junction between the paths going all points of the compass and headed North. Pairs of stock doves browsed the grassy meadows, more willow warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps and whitethroats sang, a family of bullfinches bounced across the path as I approached the road to nowhere (possibly the best-preserved road in Greater Manchester, it used to be used by the lorries taking slag up top). I startled a few rabbits as I took a side path off the road. After the blisteringly hot weather lately it was reassuring to find a few muddy puddles along the paths.

I decided to have a look at the fishery near Bickershaw Lane, an inspired choice as all the dragonflies I hadn't been seeing were concentrated here. Huge numbers of common blue damselflies whizzed about. There were a few azure damselflies and at least one blue-tailed damselfly in the mix and the variability in the females of common blue damselflies gave me plenty of scope for confusion. If you told me there were other species of blue damselflies in there as well I couldn't contradict you. Black-tailed skimmers basked, four-spotted and broad-bodied chasers chased and a brown hawker patrolled some meadowsweet. It was good to see my first Southern hawker of the year. Coots and mute swans had families on the water and somewhere in the reeds a dabchick hinneyed. I was surprised there was enough cover for a Cetti's warbler to have a territory.

Along Close Lane 

I crossed Bickershaw Lane and tried to trace back the path I took earlier in the year that took me past HMP Hindley. In the end I found a better path about a hundred yards to the left that connects to Close Lane and thence into Hindley. Willow warblers, whitethroats and chiffchaffs sang in the fields and trees and reed buntings sang in the wet meadows. I was extremely surprised to bump into a half-grown grey partridge as it walked down the path. The partridge was just as surprised and discovered it could fly about six feet and disappear into the tall grass.

My reassurance at finding a few muddy paths was stretched beyond its limit

I missed the bit where Close Lane turns to meet the rough path to Low Hall and found myself exploring a slag heath that's in the process of being colonised by heather and St John's wort. My reassurance at finding a few muddy paths was stretched beyond its limit so I turned round and had another go at finding the right path. When you're standing on top of a slag heap you don't expect a passing common tern but there was one.

Low Hall

I found the right path and had a meander round Low Hall. There were more chiffchaffs, blackcaps and willow warblers singing in the trees and I kept tripping over wrens and blackbirds.

Amberswood 

Amberswood Lake

I wondered if I had the legs to walk through Amberswood to Ince for the buses to Wigan but a quick look at the bus schedules gave me no choice unless I wanted to walk the same distance down to Platt Bridge or Hindley. (At this time in the evening the 132 only goes as far as Tyldesley so realistically I had to get the train home from Wigan.)

Mute cygnets, Amberswood

The coots, mallards and mute swans were parading their young families around the lake, the swans going out of their way to be obnoxious to the mallards, hissing and barging their way through the family groups. A Cetti's warbler joined a reed warbler in singing in the reedbeds, blackbirds, blackcaps and song thrushes in the woods. Walking down to Manchester Road the hedgerows were busy with blue tits, wrens and chaffinches, a family of long-tailed tits bounced about deep in a sycamore and a goldcrest sang from a gorse bush.

Mute swan and mallards, Amberswood

Mallard ducklings beating a retreat, Amberswood

I got the next bus into Wigan, had five minutes' wait at Wallgate for the train into Manchester and got home to a "What time do you call this?" from the cat.

Bickershaw Country Park 

Bickershaw

Bickershaw Country Park 

I was desperate to get a walk done now the weather isn't ridiculously hot. The morning's train cancellations didn't bode well and the weather forecast was offering thunderstorms. So it was probably as well that the train I went for got cancelled so I didn't go for the planned wander over the Horwich Moors. I got the bus and headed over to Leigh for a walk round Bickershaw Country Park where, if the weather got nasty, I could scuttle off for the number 8 bus to Wigan or back to Leigh.

It was overcast and muggy when I left home, by the time I got to Leigh it was pouring down so I got the bus as far as Firs Park so I didn't get too wet. (Note to self: for God's sake buy a new flat cap!) The Canada geese and mallards were milling about on the grass in Firs Park while the black-headed gulls divided themselves between the nearby rooftops and the lake.

I nipped down the footpath on Hulme Walk and headed off for what turned out to be a couple of hours' aimless meandering. I still haven't got my head round the geography of this country park so I just followed a few paths round to see where they go. In the end I did a very rough circuit round and emerged at the top of Wigan Road, by which time the rain had eased off to occasional showers.

Bickershaw Country Park 

It was August quiet in the country park. A chiffchaff called in the trees by the houses and willow warblers called from the trees around the lake by the car park. A couple of whitethroats churred from the undergrowth by the tarmacked paths and a party of sedge warblers bounced around the reedmace in a dried-up pool. There was a steady traffic of woodpigeons, black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs and a pheasant called by the field on the Northern margin.

And that was pretty much that, really. Still, I'd had a bit of exercise. I got the bus to Wigan, thinking I could get the train home. Which is why I walked over to the bus station and got the 635 to Appley Bridge. Not on purpose: the bus' number board wasn't working and the station departure board said it was the number 7 to Bolton. Anyway, it was a pleasant ride and I was in plenty of time for catching the train to Manchester in between the ones that had been cancelled.

Leigh

Lapwing chick, Pennington Flash

I looked at the weather and pollen forecasts and decided that it would be a good time to do a bit of exploration of the bit of the old Bickershaw Rucks between Plank Lane and Bickershaw. It's Terra Incognita for me and doesn't involve any trains (the lists of cancellations this week have been horrendous). Rather than taking the bus to Plank Lane I thought I'd have an hour in Pennington Flash to get my eye in, which meant I wasn't hanging round Leigh Bus Station for forty minutes.

Black-headed gull, Pennington Flash

The light showers predicted by the Met Office had become heavy rain by the time I was walking down towards the car park at Pennington Flash. I'll have to get a new flat cap, the Benny hat is too warm for Summer and putting the hood up on my raincoat means I can't hear any bird calls or song over the sound of raindrops hitting the fabric. It abated by the time I got to the car park and I managed a decent potter about.

Pied wagtail, Pennington Flash

There wasn't a lot different from my last visit: there were more lapwing chicks about, the great crested grebes that weren't sitting on nests had good-sized chicks in tow and most of the juvenile black-headed gulls were in flying condition, albeit a bit graceless in their landings. Most of the mallards and gadwalls were well into eclipse plumage now. The lousy weather had brought in a cloud of fifty or more swifts but hirundines were notably absent.

Great crested grebe and chick, Pennington Flash

Heron, Pennington Flash

The reed warblers on the Tom Edmondson Hide were too busy collecting food to be skulking in the reeds. They seem to have found rich pickings in the brambles on the bank, having to break off every so often to chase off the pair from the reeds across the path.

I could only see one of the little ringed plovers and one of the chicks on Ramsdales. There's plenty enough grass cover now for the others to have been out of sight. The car park Cetti's warbler had been singing by the entrance, the usual Cetti's had a brief sing from its brambles and I thought I heard a third doing a practice run in the reeds the other side of Ramsdales.

Little ringed plover, Pennington Flash

Little ringed plover chick, Pennington Flash

I walked up to the canal then followed the path that goes through the more open land towards Plank Lane. The blackcaps and chiffchaffs of the woods by the flash gave way to willow warblers and whitethroats.

Mandarin duck, Plank Lane

As I approached the bridge at Plank Lane a drake mandarin duck flew in to join the mallards on the canal, just a few orange plumes left on his cheeks from his breeding plumage.

I walked through the new housing estate and found the path shown on Google Maps. It's not a route I'll be repeating, if I come this way again I'll come in via Bickershaw Country Park proper. A hundred yards in the path became navigable and mostly veered unsteadily between rough and God-awful most of the way with odd patches of abandoned metalled road.

I didn't go down this path, though it looked like a soft landing after a steep forty foot drop

There was a profusion of vetches and clovers on the grassy patches

Not all the slag had been vegetated yet

The path I did take, apparently this is Shuffle Hillock Road

The terrain was a mixture of lightly wooded scrub, grassland and bare coal slag. Families of great tits and blue tits bounced around the bushes, willow warblers and whitethroats sang and a pair of buzzards soared over the treetops, taking advantage of the warm air over the rises.

The road ended at a scrap metal yard in Bickershaw so I retraced my steps a bit and found the path that curls round to the Northern part of the country park with the entrance by the bus stop on Bickershaw Road.

I think my next visit would be more productive if I got the number 9 bus from Wigan to this stop then took a meandering route round and down to the pools on the country park.