Marple

Juvenile woodpigeon, Stretford

It had been a cool and rainy night and the joints were objecting to the change of weather, clicking like knitting machines as I listened to the foxes on the railway line. Evidently it wasn't just the foxes that have been feeling the fires of the blood, a young juvenile woodpigeon accompanied one of its parents in the garden and was shown where the rowan berries are.

It became a dry, but grey and cool, day. I was definitely not up for a long walk but I needed to get some exercise to stop the joints stiffening up entirely. The buses are a bit fitful at the moment as some but not all are on strike so I went over to Piccadilly Station and played train bingo. The first train out was the Sheffield train so I got on that as far as my monthly travel card will take me, getting off at Marple.

Brabyns Park 

It was only the other day I'd walked through Brabyns Park to Etherow Country Park and I didn't fancy an early repeat. Instead I took the paths that go through the woodland and loop round to the Peak Forest Canal. The nuthatches were infuriating, calling incessantly but always from deep cover. A particularly noisy coal tit at least played the game by sitting at the end of a branch in a larch tree to do its shouting. There was no sign of the moorhen family on the pond.

Into the woodland, the titmice weren't forming into coherent mixed flocks, preferring to stay as family parties in the canopy and pairs rummaging about in the bushes. Robins and woodpigeons sang, wrens scolded and chiffchaffs squeaked. Overhead was a constant traffic of jackdaws and woodpigeons.

The steps up to the canal

I climbed up to the canal where a group of mallards bathed in the lock basin and a couple of moorhens pottered about. I had a nosy round, marveling at the narrowness of the narrow boats that plied the canal. I reckon both of my shoulders would rub the sides of Lock No.8 but I'm happy not to conduct the experiment to prove it.

Lock No. 8

Peak Forest Canal 

It had taken me exactly an hour to walk the circular walk back round to the station, the Sheffield train pulled in just as I got there. I'd got my bit of exercise, the joints were a bit more mobile, job done. I planned on going home the long way via Glossop but the bus didn't turn up so I went the less long but half an hour slower way via Stockport.

Friday toddle

Juvenile moorhens, Brabyns Park

I was evidently tired after the past couple of days and a serious case of oversleeping knocked the day's plans for a trip out to Bempton on the head. A bright sunny day clouded over so I headed off to Etherow Country Park to have a look at the mandarin ducks.

Moorhen

I got the train out to Marple rather than drag the afternoon out with two bus rides. From the station I walked down the road and turned into Brabyns Park. A heron on the pond spotted me before I spotted me and it was off sharpish. Unlike a family of moorhens — the two adults and three full-grown juveniles — that emerged out of hiding and started pottering about the water lilies.

Brabyns Park 

I walked through Brabyns Park up into Compstall, a gentler suite of inclines than Compstall Road and a lot more picturesque. The mixed tit flocks in the woodland were accompanied by very vocal nuthatches and robins sang every hundred yards. Crows and jackdaws called from the parkland and ring-necked parakeets screeched their way around the mature oak trees. 

The last time I walked this way the iron bridge over the Etherow was closed for repairs so I ended up walking up Compstall Road anyway. I crossed it today and walked up Rollins Lane, passing the community woodland with its magpies, titmice, chiffchaffs and robins.

Canada x greylag hybrid goose

Crossing the road I walked up to the car park at Etherow Country Park. This end of the lake was a mass of Canada geese, pigeons and jackdaws with a few mallards and mute swans fitting in as best can and a tufted duck looking lonely on its own. A ghostly edition of a Canada goose — the product of a furtive pairing with one of the greylags stationed on the island — drifted over and hauled itself up onto the side, standing out in the crowd.

Tufted duck

I walked down the path alongside the canal. There were plenty of mallards, Canada geese and coots about and moorhens, pigeons and dunnocks fossicked about along the banks. A blue tit flying across the path and disappearing into the bushes was followed by a parade of long-tailed tits. I walked down to the weir without seeing any mandarin ducks. Nor were they on the river.

They'd all gone to bed early. There were whistles from the depths of the trees upstream of the weir and a dozen were asleep in the drowned willows at the top of the canal by Weir Cottage.

The mandarins had gone to bed

Keg Wood 

I had a quick look at Keg Wood, the knees suggesting that we might not enjoy a long walk. Titmice bounced noisily through the trees and a squadron of Canada geese passed by at treetop height.

Etherow Country Park 

The walk back down was fairly quiet. The jackdaws were flying in to roost in the trees by the courtyard and more Canada geese were flying in from parts unknown. I'd looked in vain for grey wagtails on the river, one flew over the bus stop as I waited for the 384 to Stockport and the bus home.

Third time lucky

Blackbird, Stretford

The day started with another influx of blackbirds in the back garden. The spadgers descended on the feeders mob-handed and blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits bounced about in the trees.

It was pouring down and cold with it so rather than letting the weather spoil a nice walk I thought I'd have another crack at finding the firecrest at Dukinfield Park, driven by the flurry of reports of it over the weekend. I got a bowl of porridge down me and headed off yet again for Hyde North. At Humphrey Park I decided the first singing blackcap of the year was a portent of good luck. It got wetter en route so I got the 330 into Dukinfield from the station rather than walk the mile in the rain. I was in luck, the rain eased as I got off the bus and crossed the road and into the park.

Dukinfield Park 

The now-familiar collection of pigeons, woodpigeons, carrion crows and squirrels foraged about the park. Greenfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches bounced around the treetops and blackbirds and robins rummaged about the flower beds. I got to the bowling green and found plenty of great tits, blue tits and long-tailed tits in the trees by the path. A couple of goldcrests in a cypress got my blood racing. I bumped into a fellow birdwatcher and asked if he'd had any luck. He'd been looking for a couple of hours and kept finding lots of very confiding goldcrests. I warned him to keep away from me as I'd had two goes with no joy, we argued as to which of us was the bigger jinx but nonetheless each promised to let on to the other if we found it.

I had a wander down the path, constantly distracted and frustrated by titmice and goldcrests. A couple of coal tits added a bit of variety. We'd both of us drifted to the back of the bowling green and were looking at the same group of trees when I spotted something. Before I had the chance of say: "Goldcrest" to myself I noticed the golden green shoulders and armpits. Firecrest! It hovered under some larch cones, giving me a brief good view, including the silver white face with black eye stripe. I gesticulated wildly, scaring many small dogs in the process, and caught the other chap's eye. He was on the other side of the trees so while he managed to see the firecrest before it flew off he mostly saw it in silhouette against a white sky. It landed in the holly trees behind us where it spent a few minutes giving tantalising fleeting glimpses as it bounced about the foliage and hovering about the ends of twigs. It then flew off into the trees on the other side of the bowling green where we lost sight of it. Eventually I gave it up, wishing the chap good luck on getting a better view (he tells me he did later on when the firecrest returned to the hollies).

I've never in my life found a firecrest that I've gone looking for, I've only ever tripped over them by accident (and the last of those thirty-four years ago I find when I check my records). 

I got back to Hyde North where I had the choice of waiting five minutes for the train to Rose Hill Marple or half an hour for the train back to Manchester. I decided to head off to Marple, if the weather behaved I could have a look at mandarin ducks in Etherow Country Park, if not I could have a quick nosy at Brabyns Park then go home. It was pouring down so Brabyns Park it was. I got the 375 to Mellor, getting off at Marple Bridge and walking down. A possible contender for the last mixed tit flock of the Winter bounced around the trees by the pond: half a dozen blue tits, a pair of great tits and a coal tit. A couple of moorhens and three blackbirds fed in the grass by the pool and a song thrush sang in the car park. Having satisfied my deep-seated need to get cold and wet I headed for Marple Station for the train back to Manchester and thence home. There are worse ways of spending a day of dismal weather.

Marple

Brabyns Park 

I like to imagine I'm not a fair-weather birdwatcher but after plans A to E were shot out of the water by cancelled trains I wondered if I shouldn't be staying home in the warm and dry and drinking too much tea. There's a strike day this coming Friday, I wonder if we'll notice any diminution of service.

A refill of the feeders in the back garden was quickly demolished by the attentions of a couple of dozen spadgers, a couple of magpies and a mixed tit flock. The poor squirrels couldn't get a look in. It was nice to see a goldcrest in the rowan tree with the flock of long-tailed tits.

Out on the school playing field the herring gulls have been outnumbering the lesser black-backs 3:1 lately and today was no exception. Just a couple of dozen black-headed gulls on this lunchtime, it was nudging forty yesterday. And still no woodpigeons about.

In the end I beetled over to Marple, thinking I could have a couple of hours toddling round Brabyns Park and Etherow Country Park. I didn't bother taking my big camera lens, the light was so bad I'd just be getting a lot of camera shake with long exposures.

Brabyns Park 

I left Marple Station and walked round the corner to the park entrance on Brabyns Brow. It was raining pretty heavily and promising to rain a lot more. Half a dozen mallards and a moorhen skulked on the water lily pond, glowering at passersby and daring them to make any "nice weather for ducks" quips. Carrion crows and woodpigeons clattered around the treetops and pairs of jackdaws made crowd scene noises as they passed overhead. 

I walked past the car park into the trees, great tits and dunnocks making noises in the undergrowth while a robin and a song thrush tried to outsing each other in an Irish yew. More woodpigeons and crows clattered about and a couple of wrens pottered about by the paths.

River Goyt, Brabyns Park 

The plan had been to cross the iron bridge over the River Goyt and join Compstall Road just below Etherow Country Park but the bridge was fenced off. I walked down the river back to Marple Bridge. The river was in full spate so any hopes of dippers or wagtails were dashed, even the ducks were keeping off it. The weather closed in, it was a good half an hour before sunset but it already lit for twilight.

River Goyt, Brabyns Park 

By the time I got to Marple Bridge I was very wet, didn't fancy the walk up to Etherow Country Park in the encroaching gloom and couldn't justify getting a bus for two stops. So I called it quits. There are times when I am a fair-weather birdwatcher.

Marple

River Goyt, Brabyn's Park

A look at the weather forecast followed by a look at the day's scheduled train cancellations put today's plans on ice. The cancellations are down to a lack of train crew; now we've been told the pandemic's over and the public can dispense with even the most elementary precautions the poor devils are dropping like flies.

I was beset by fidgets over lunchtime so I went out to scope out a walk across Ludworth Moor that looked interesting. The intention was to get the train to Hazel Grove and get the 375 to Mellor to have a quick check of the terrain and make sure that what looked like a straightforward start really was. Unfortunately that train got cancelled too, so I got the train to Marple to pick it up there.

I had fifty minutes to wait for the next bus so I had a wander round Brabyn's Park to kill a bit of time. I've never had a proper look round here, usually just ten minutes or so between bus and train connections. I should pay it more respect: there's a couple of nice woodland walks around the edges of the open parkland and the Goyt happily burbles its way through from Marple Bridge.

Brabyn's Park

A moorhen fussing about on the lily pond by the entrance was joined by a heron. Given the lack of reaction any young moorhens were someplace else. As I walked up the path into the trees the chiffchaffs and blackbirds I could hear singing from the station were joined by song thrushes, blackcaps and robins. A handful of house martins swooped high over the parkland. As I crossed the Goyt to join the path to Compstall Road a grey wagtail was fly-catching by the riverside cottage.

Brabyn's Park

I hadn't intended going for a walk so was wearing my shoes, not boots, and my knees were reminding me that even though the boots are starting to fall apart they're much better at cushioning the impact of a steep inclined plane. I decided against walking back down for the Mellor bus. Walking down as far as the bottom of Glossop Road for the 394 to Glossop and picking up the train back to Manchester was an option but the bus was due in three minutes and it's a ten minute walk to the stop by the Windsor Castle. So I walked up Compstall Road to get the bus into Stockport.

Etherow Country Park

I had ten minutes' wait for the 384 from Compstall Village so I had half an hour's wander round the lake at Etherow Country Park to keep my knees honest. The rain had stopped but it was still pretty quiet of people, so most of the birds were relaxing by the paths except for the pigeons which descended en masse at the sight of anyone carrying a bag. There were a couple of pairs of mandarin ducks by the bank near the first bridge over the canal. The unpaired drakes that were about are starting to moult into their eclipse plumage, the long orange cheek feathers looking bedraggled and a couple having already lost the orange sails on their wings.

A mandarin duck on a stick

I hadn't missed anything by going for a walk: the lady at the bus stop told me the bus I'd missed hadn't turned up. I got the next 384 that arrived and got the bus home from Stockport. I'd had a bit of exercise, seen and heard more birds than intended and was still none the wiser about that walk over Ludworth Moor.

Etherow Country Park

Sketch map of Etherow Country Park

Etherow Country Park is a piece of wooded valley just outside Marple. A wide range of woodland species can be found here, including a good population of mandarin ducks.

River Etherow, Etherow Country Park

There is a 384 bus stop just by the entrance to the Country Park on Compstall Road and a 383 bus stop a little way further down across the road. The 384 runs from Stockport bus station via Romiley train station, the 383 runs from the bus station via Marple train station. During the day they're roughly every 15 minutes. Be careful crossing the road: traffic comes at speed down the steep hill!

If you're starting or ending your visit with a walk through Ernocroft Wood the bus stops for the 394 are just south of the entrance to the Country Park on Glossop Road. This bus goes from Glossop to Stepping Hill, and vice versa, once every two hours.

From Compstall Road, once you've negotiated your way through the car park and decided whether or not to have a cup of tea in the café it's a nice gentle stroll along the banks of the little canal that feeds the boating lake. You won't get very far before the first mandarin ducks show themselves.

Mandarin duck, Etherow Country Park

I cross the canal at the first bridge I come to, as much to avoid cars as to have a good look down to the River Etherow to see if I can spot any grey wagtails or dippers (the best place to see them is near the end of the walk as you approach the wooden bridge to the picnic area).

Dipper, Etherow Country Park

This path joins the road at the point where the river goes over a stepped weir. At this point you can either turn right for a walk through Ernoroft Wood or left for a walk around Keg Wood.

Weir, Etherow Country Park

Keg Wood

Keg Wood is a piece of ancient woodland that used to be managed for shooting. In Spring it's carpeted in bluebells and ramsons. You'll find all the usual woodland suspects. The Goyt Valley, a local stronghold for pied flycatchers, isn't far away so there's a chance you might strike lucky and find one here.

Bluebells, Keg Wood

A metalled track into Keg Wood starts by the house on the corner (please respect that this is somebody's home). As the track curves round behind the house you go through a gate into the wood and then meanders and undulates its way around to bring you back where you started. In this early stretch you can see the river through the trees on your right. 

Just after the first rollercoaster dip the track forks. The path to your right takes you down to Keg Pool and then, eventually, back here. I have a dodgy knee and find the slope here easier to walk up than down so I carry on along the main path. The pool is a decent-sized pond that usually hosts a few ducks, coots and dabchicks and good numbers of dragonflies and damselflies. The Egyptian goose that lived here for a dozen years was frightened by fireworks last year and taken into care. It turned out to be perfectly hale an hearty but can't be released because the people taking care of it don't have a licence for its release.

Keg Wood

There's a house within the wood (again, please respect that it's somebody's home), once you get past that the track gets a bit rougher. Every so often there are benches and there are a couple of wooden bus shelter affairs for when the weather turns temporarily nasty. The second one of these is by a picnic area in a glade called Sunny Corner. Once you pass this you do a big loop round and then down to Keg Pool.

Ernocroft Wood

Ernocroft Wood is a younger piece of woodland covering the east side of the river valley up to Glossop Road. It includes a lot more conifers, including a small, thickly-planted telegraph pole plantation.

Ernocroft Wood

A rough but serviceable track snakes its way up the slope without indulging in the insane undulations of Keg Wood. This leads to the entrance to the country park on Glossop Road. The bus stops are a few minutes' walk down the hill. Walking down the side with the pavement you get some good views across the valley and beyond. Mind how you go crossing the road, it can be quite busy.