Home thoughts

Juvenile goldfinch

Today's little jaunt was a reconnaissance of the first half of a self-evidently impracticable and unfeasible journey to see if it was impracticable and unfeasible. Spoiler: it is impracticable and unfeasible. On the plus side, the train journey between Manchester and Glossop is charming but if you're windy about heights you might not want the window seat.

Approaching Dinting on the Glossop train

I came home to a garden full of damp birds as the downpour dialled down to mere drizzle. A pair of robins and a wren were washing in the bird bath (which I would have thought a tad redundant in the weather). Half a dozen young spadgers were on the seed feeder over by the rowan tree and a great tit and a blue tit were feeding on the one near the house until they were evicted by the squirrel. I don't mind the squirrel taking a fair share of the seeds but I do mind the little beggar wrecking the feeders. I've gaffer taped the base of this feeder, it takes the hairy hooligan a couple of days to chew its way through to empty the seed all over the flowerbed.

The usual pair of goldfinches have brought in yet another youngster. They don't produce many at a time but this is the fourth brood this year.

Hollingworth Lake

Male redstart

The weather looked better North of Manchester so I went over to Hollingworth Lake for a walk. There had been plenty of reports of passage migrants recently and a first-Summer Caspian gull has been seen daily over the past week, which was encouraging.

The journey in was made difficult by a cancelled train so I arrived later than planned and the promenade was extremely busy so I began to wonder if I'd made a mistake.

There were plenty of gulls about — mostly black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs — but they seemed very unsettled. (I found out later they'd been disturbed at the nature reserve end by workmen with strimmers, I was all too aware what was disturbing them at the Promenade end and my hope that they'd be savaged by Canada geese was all in vain). One of the large gulls that settled on one of the buoys looked odd: a long-legged juvenile with a very pale head. I got my bins on it: juvenile herring gull plumage, white head, dark nape, long dark bill (appearing the longer because of the relatively small, rounded head). The bill looked to have a pale tip, Sandwich tern style. I'm pretty sure that was the Caspian gull, sadly I didn't get much more of a chance to study it as it moved on with the others.

Hollingworth Lake from the promenade

I stopped to have a chat with a chap who'd seen the Caspian gull a few times and had just had an unsuccessful hunt for a yellow wagtail on the nature reserve. He mentioned that he'd seen some redstarts, whinchats and spotted flycatchers along the path up from the old water activties centre, which encouraged my flagging spirits. "Look out for the 'Beware of the bull' sign," he advised.

The trees along the path to the hide were full of a mixed tit flock — a dozen or more long-tailed tits, half a dozen each of great tit and blue tit, two or three chiffchaffs and a coal tit. A few goldfinches and chaffinches were bobbing around, too, but didn't associate with the tit flock. A few dozen lapwings flew back to the nature reserve area but were very skittish.

Hollingworth Lake nature reserve area

By the time I got to the hide a lot of the gulls had come back and were loafing along the shoreline. Most were black-headed but there were a dozen lesser black-backs and a few herring gulls amongst them. One gull asleep in the crowd my eye: a big juvenile herring gull with a very pale head and neck. Was this the Caspian gull back? It had its head tucked deep into its back feathers and most of the bird was hidden by a couple of other gulls so I couldn't be sure. Neither could the chap who joined me in the hide. Eventually it woke up and we were disappointed: a most herring gull-like beak, pale at the base and dark at the tip. Definitely a herring gull, albeit a big tall one. We consoled ourselves by finding a nice common sandpiper. We also wondered about the ethics of deciding those three house martins that just flew past were really Wilson's petrels and concluded we'd stay on the side of the angels. I left him to it, hoping I'd take the jinx off it for him. He'd also mentioned that he'd had redstarts up the lane so I kept my fingers crossed.

Loafing gulls

A bird I was unable to identify was calling from the poplars by the old water activties centre, and for once it wasn't a great tit. I spent so long trying to spot it a nuthatch came down to see what I was up to.

I've always passed by the lane up from the centre, an oversight I won't be repeating in future. Robins, willow warblers and blackbirds foraged in the hawthorn hedgerows and woodpigeons clattered about in the trees. A small party of swallows flew high overhead and three swifts flew past at treetop height. I got to the fields with the signs. A copse of hawthorns was busy with woodpigeons and blackbirds and every so often a willow warbler would catch my eye but nothing to add to the year list.

Male redstart

I turned and started back down the lane whence I came when something caught my eye on the other side of the field. A bird flitted out of the hawthorn bush there, caught a fly and disappeared back into the bush. Another willow warbler? Check it and see. Out it popped again and the flash of red as it turned in mid air and retreated back in the bush was unmistakable. A female redstart. I spent a minute or two scanning the bush to see if I could see it when another redstart, a male this time, darted out and perched on a fence post. After striking a few poses it retreated back into the bush, only to re-emerge, hawk for a few insects then dive back in. A couple of willow warblers flew over and settled in. I was watching where they were going when another bird made a sortie, caught something and flew down into the dense foliage lower down in the bush. It repeated this a couple of times, giving me just good enough views to identify it as a spotted flycatcher. From a birdwatching perspective this was a very productive bush! Coincidentally (or not) this is the first time in a couple of weeks a horsefly hasn't had a nibble at me while I've been strolling round the damp bits of Greater Manchester.

Male redstart

The action-packed hawthorn bush, with willow warbler.

I bumped into the chap from the hide on my way back towards Smithybridge and we had a chat while we waited for the bus to Rochdale (I wasn't for risking the trains again). It turns out I'm not the only one who's been working out permutations of trains and buses and concluding the bearded vulture's out of reach.

As the bus meandered up to Wardle I recalled that one of the plans for Spring had been a stroll round Watergrove Reservoir so I put it on my reminder list for later this year.

By the West bank of Hollingworth Lake

Elton Reservoir

Mallard  ducklings

Afternoon stroll round Elton Reservoir and Withins. Apparently ten minutes too late for an osprey, four hours too late for redstart, whinchat and spotted flycatcher and two hours early for a little gull. And no complaints at all: it was a nice walk and a bonus because the men who'd come to replace the bathroom window finished early and having looked at the week's weather I didn't want to waste a sunny day.

The water on Elton Reservoir is slowly getting back to nearly normal levels. There were plenty of coots, mallards and black-headed gulls on the water together with a handful of great crested grebes. The mute swan cygnets were hanging round the sailing club end well away from their parents which were over by the creek. A couple of dozen herring gulls and lesser black-backs were loafing about well out in the water and a lone common gull sat on one of the buoys.

Mute swan

I walked up to the creek, the path getting increasingly muddy (something else getting back to normal!) There were lots of small bird noises from the hedgerow, nearly all coming from great tits (I really like great tits but I do wish they'd limit their repertoire to seven or eight calls). Joiners-in included dunnocks, robins, wrens and a chiffchaff. Goldfinches and chaffinches flitted about but didn't settle. Walking on there was more of the same, a few juvenile chiffchaffs and willow warblers joining the crowd. One of the juvenile chiffchaffs was particularly pretty with bright acid lemon highlights on its flanks. Try as I might I couldn't add to my year list.

Heron

A heron was feeding along the shoreline, paying not a bit of attention to any of the people walking by. A small raft of coot was accompanied by a dozen tufted ducks and a few gadwall. They, and a family of mallards with young ducklings, pretended not to be bothered by any of the noisy dogs splashing about on the shore.

The horses in field next to Elton Reservoir were closely followed by black-headed gulls and pied wagtails.

Withins Reservoir was literally birdless. The path to Withins Lane was a lot quieter than usual, too, though the number of woodpigeons made it up in biomass. A couple of blue tits and willow warblers sat in the hawthorns and a small flock of swallows flew overhead towards Radcliffe.

On down Withins Lane and the bus home.

Southport

Black-tailed godwits, Crossens Outer
Spot the knot!

The weather forecast was vile and the actual weather was viler so there was no chance of a local walk being either enjoyable or fruitful. The coast was promised better weather so I went over to Southport to have a nosy round Marshside and Crossens.

By the time I got off the bus at Marshside it was cloudy and windy but still dry. House martins were feeding low over the fields by Marshside Road. Feeding on the fields were dozens of Canada geese and curlews, the curlews difficult to see amongst the spikes of dock flowers.

The Junction Pool was quiet, just five young tufted ducks. I walked down to Nels Hide. Turns out that the hides are open again, with the seating set out to impose social distancing and sanitiser available for hand-washing. A couple of dozen black-headed gulls shared the little island in front of the hide with a couple of gadwall and coots. Half a dozen herring gulls and a lesser black-back joined them. Out in the water a dozen coot and a few mallard steered well clear of a great black-back that was having a bath.

Bathing great black-back, Marshside

Bathing great black-back, Marshside

There have been reports of cattle egrets here over the past couple of weeks and this is the usual time of year when I usually see my first cattle egrets so I had a good look round for any. It wasn't very promising: there wasn't much showing in the grass opposite the hide so I had a scan over towards Hesketh Road where a herd of cattle were feeding. A bunch of black-headed gulls were fussing about and also a little egret which flew over and landed beyond. I was about to give up on it when a flash of orange caught my eye. It was the crown of an adult cattle egrets. After a couple of minutes I realised it wasn't alone, it had a juvenile with it. The two of them fed around the feet of the cattle, mostly hidden by the tall grass.

A dozen little egrets hiding in sea lavender, Marshside

On the way back I noticed a dozen little egrets loafing by a pool on the marsh across the pond. They were pretty well hidden by clouds of sea lavender. It occurred to me that there was a time when twelve little egrets would have been a twitch.

It was a high tide and flocks of waders were moving about the marsh, most of them being disturbed by walkers heading for the tideline. A cloud of dunlins or knots were far distant. Flocks of oystercatchers rose up from a pool they'd been sharing with a couple of dozen shelduck.

Oystercatchers, Marshside

The Sandgrounders Hide was open and attended by a volunteer. She told me there'd only been seven visitors all day, which surprised me even though Marshside is one of RSPB's quieter reserves. I didn't sit in the hide, I could see plenty from the screen next to it. Out in the grass there were small groups of black-tailed godwits. Further out were groups of Canada geese and black-headed gulls. On the pool in front of the hide were  half a dozen mallard and a couple of gadwall. And a wader asleep on its own. A chunky wader with its bill tucked into its back feathers standing behind a tussock of grass so you can't guage the length of its legs isn't easy, especially this time of year when nearly anything could be nearly anywhere, so it was a relief when it woke up and had a look round and confirmed my guess it was a knot.

Knot, Marshside

By this stage it was quite sunny so I carried on along the path by the road to see what was in the pools and ditches. Quite a few more mallards, coots and little egrets and a dozen male shovelers in a baffling selection of eclipse, partial eclipse and juvenile colours.

I wandered over towards Crossens. I often think that when the pink-footed geese aren't about Crossens Outer Marsh is a bit thin pickings. Days like today remind me I'm wrong. The tide being very high hundreds of waders could be seen roosting on the marsh. A couple of big mixed flocks of knot and dunlin were very skittish and didn't really settle. Three big flocks of black-tailed godwits spread themselves across the ground and large groups of oystercatchers congregated around small pools. Dotted about this landscape were small flocks of shelduck, teal and gadwall. Further out the waders were unidentifiable but large flocks of black-headed gulls stood out. All the time hundreds of Canada geese and dozens of lapwings and oystercatchers commuted between Crossens Outer and Crossens Inner marshes.

Knots and dunlin, Crossens Outer

Oystercatchers, Crossens Outer

Black-tailed godwits, Crossens Outer

Black-tailed godwits and knot, Crossens Outer

Black-tailed godwits, Crossens Outer

Peering out from the wildfowlers' pull-in I spotted a big dark bird flying in from the river. I thought it was a carrion crow at first but it wasn't flying like one so I kept an eye on it as it flew closer and revealed itself to be a juvenile marsh harrier (it's always easier when they wheel round and you get a head-on view rather than trying to work out the wing length side-on from half a mile away).

In the end I'd made a long afternoon of it and it was very worthwhile. Keeping the year list ticking over with the addition of cattle egrets was a bonus.

Mosses

Painted lady, Little Woolden Moss

I'd planned a longer walk than usual across the mosses, setting off from Irlam across Irlam Moss and down Chat Moss to Little Woolden Moss and beyond.

I wandered down Cutnook Lane from Irlam. The hedgerows were pretty quiet but there were a couple of dozen swallows hawking low over the turf fields. A family of long-tailed tits flitted about the hedges by the fishery, joined by a flock of house sparrows and a chiffchaff.

There have been reports of spotted flycatchers in the trees at the junction with Twelve Yards Road so I spent a while checking them out with no success bar a couple of chiffchaffs, a wren and a robin. A buzzard soared overhead, harassed by a couple of carrion crows.

Twelve Yards Road was very quiet birdwise, nearly everything except woodpigeons was keeping its head down out of the wind. A few dragonflies — a couple of brown hawkers, some black darters and a single common hawker — patrolled the field margins. About halfway down to Four Ends another flock of swallows flew overhead.

About this point I met an elephant hawk moth caterpillar. I made sure it crossed the road safely before moving on

Elephant hawk moth caterpillar

Approaching Four Ends I noticed some more woodpigeons in the field. A few flew off and two turned out to be stock doves. I was watching them on their way when my eye was caught by two more birds flying around the far field edge. Dark wings and white rump, a couple of green sandpipers doing a good job of looking like house martins.

The Eastern end of Woolden Moss was quiet, too, with just a few willow warblers calling in the trees and a pair of pied wagtails chasing each other on the pools. There were a lot of black darters with a few Southern hawkers and a couple of common darters. I was busy being bitten by horseflies while I was checking out the dragonflies.

I carried on down the path. A moorhen with a couple of youngsters were fussing about on the pool by the site of the old hide.

A work team was doing some work with a digger a bit further along. I passed them and carried on towards the boundary path on the Western side.

Juvenile ruff (above) and juvenile wood sandpiper, Little Woolden Moss

I could see some more pied wagtails and a little ringed plover flew a short way before disappearing behind a bank. I turned into the boundary path and after a few yards I noticed a juvenile wood sandpiper working its way along the base of of the bunds.

I was watching the juvenile wood sandpiper I'd just found when a juvenile ruff joined us. In this unexpected context it took me ages to realise what it was. Ten yards to the right there were also a couple of juvenile little ringed plovers. Quite a difference to the tally on the Eastern side!

Juvenile ruff, Little Woolden Moss

Juvenile wood sandpiper, Little Woolden Moss

Then, as a change from the usual I walked down to the far side of Little Woolden Moss, through Great Woolden and through Cadishead Moss for a bus home from Irlam. (The intention was to walk through Great Woolden and get the train home from Glazebrook but I took the wrong turn once I'd negotiated my way through a farmyard).

Pied wagtail, Cadishead Moss

I'd crossed the motorway bridge onto Cadishead Moss and saw a commotion over one of the farmyards. A mixed flock of house martins and swallows were chasing off a sparrowhawk. It came back five minutes later and they chased them off again.

The fields were full of pied wagtails and linnets, moving up like a cloud when a tractor drove by.

I took a wrong turning and headed off towards New Moss Lane. Beyond the houses I stopped and had a look round one of the fallow fields, a field like that full of docks and rough grass must surely hold a stonechat or two, or perhaps even a passing whinchat. No such luck. Instead, a juvenile Merlin launched itself out of a tree and floated across the field before flying quickly over someone's back garden.

I carried on down New Moss Lane and past New Moss Wood and into Cadishead for the bus home.

Damp Wednesday

Nuthatch

The original plan was to say conkers to the weather and have a wander across Chat Moss in the hopes of passage migrants. Then I let the cat in for her breakfast and decided I'll take my raincoat for a walk somewhere a bit more sheltered instead.

Longford Park was a lot less busy than the other day so I managed to watch a few nuthatches and a ferocious battle between robins before the kids were launched out of the storytime tents.

Rye Bank Fields was completely fenced off again (it must be a full-time job for someone) so I couldn't have a wander round to see if yesterday's spotted flycatcher was still about. A wander round the perimeter in the pouring rain wasn't awfully rewarding.

The boundary hedge between Longford Park and Rye Bank Fields

Merseyside

Lesser black-back, Crosby Marine Lake

I decided to attack a fit of the grues with a trip to the seaside. I'd been meaning to go over to Crosby Marina in the hopes that I might bump into a Sandwich tern or a wheatear on its way South and the weather was iffy enough for the visit to be comfortable.

Herring gulls and a lesser black-back, Crosby Marine Lake

The gulls on the "boating lake" gave a hint of Winter gull watching bafflement to come. Most were herring gulls and black-headed gulls with a few lesser black-backs and a common gull.

Common gull,  Crosby Marine Lake

As well as the usual confusion of ages and moults quite a few of the younger gulls were showing signs of sun bleaching.

Herring gulls, including a very bleached individual, and a lesser black-back,  Crosby Marine Lake

There were a dozen or so mallards and half a dozen tufted ducks, together with a family of mute swans. I only saw one meadow pipit fly over and no signs of skylarks at all, twenty-odd pied wagtails skittering about in the grass were a consolation.

Although the tide was quite high there were no waders on the beach, just gulls and crows. I struggled with one small gull out on its own. In the light it looked wholly dove grey and at first I thought it was a pigeon. Eventually, after an embarrassing interval, I realised it was a juvenile black-headed gull.

Juvenile black-headed gull, Crosby beach
I struggled with this bird.

Walking along the perimeter fence I had a look to see what was about on Seaforth Nature Reserve. The only small birds about were a flock of house sparrows and a few linnets, so much for my hopes of any passage migrants. A curlew mingled with a few dozen Canada geese on the grass. I could hear terns but couldn't see any.

There were no waders or ducks out on the water, the only ducks were a couple of dozen mallards on the scrape with some loafing cormorants, a dozen oystercatchers and a few black-tailed godwits. I was surprised to see a pair of black swans steam into view.

Black swans, Seaforth Nature Reserve

I had a saver ticket I wanted to max out so I moved on to the Wirral, taking a walk from Hoylake to Red Rocks. The tide was receding by this time so it wasn't altogether surprising that aside from distant silhouettes of oystercatchers all the beach had to offer were some pied wagtails and a small flock of ringed plovers. I could hear distant terns but they must have been on the far side of Hilbre Island. Plenty of black-headed and herring gulls.

The weather had cheered up and by now it was getting rather busy so I called it quits. I wondered about getting back via Chester (I had an old man's Northern Rail explorer) but couldn't make the connection work so beetled directly back home.