Sunday 3rd May - 1hrs Exercise in Lockdown

Cycle with Thomas 12noon to 1:30pm

Broad Ees Dole Reserve

Canada Geese
Mallard
Little Grebe
Merganser Common (Goosander)
Tufted Duck
Teal

Orange Tip
Small White

Walk around Stretford Meadows to the Water Park (Sat 1st July 2017)

A nice sunny day today, so a good opportunity to get outside and enjoy the sunshine for a few hours.

Started on the meadows in a circular route so that I would end up at the café at the water park.

Some of the highlights from today's walk, in the main butterfly's. All taken with a Sigma 17-70mm lens, trying it out properly for the first time.

Small Tortoiseshell - Sun loving caterpillar's feed on nettles

Comma - feeds on nettles, note the ragged edged wings

Stretford House from the meadows

Meadow Buttercup

Bridge under Chester Rd

Red Admiral - Summer migrant, often in good numbers.

Stretford house from Stretford Ees.

Stretford Ees

Common Blue Damselfly - have to look close for this one (centre)

Bridgewater Canal

Speckled Wood

Side of the tram lines to SWP



River Mersey

Broad Ees Dole

Swimmers in the lake

Stretford looking good, very summery.

And to finish off the walk with a nice piece of Carrot Cake at the SWP Café - great afternoon!!

Shooting Birds....

Some pictures of small birds, Great Tits, Blue Tits,Coal Tit and Nuthatch. A good couple of hours messing about with the new camera.

Short-eared owl

A couple of short-eared owls local to me are proving to be tough to catch up with. Attempts to photograph this owl at the moment have been thwart with bad weather, I assume keeping the owl tucked up somewhere warm and dry.

I'll keep going until I get a picture of her (or him).

It was nice to meet and put a face to the name - Tony hardy on Mcr Bird Forum, thanks for the chat!! I'm not a contributor but a keen reader of the forum.

On another note it saddens me greatly to see news like this from Pennington Flash - 5 Pink Footed Geese shot and their breasts removed and carcasses left behind - who would do such a thing, with this and someone setting one of the hides on fire earlier in the year I think the current lack of a on site warden needs serious attention.

I believe if you see or hear anything you can let the people know in the golf shop who have the number for the ranger service.

Sale Water Park / Broad Ees Dole

Friday 28th March 2014

Teal (Male and Female)
Moorhen x 1
Coot x 3
Lesser Black Backed Gulls x2
Lapwing x 5
Canada Geese x2
Grey Heron x1
Chiffchaff x1 (a first for me) singing just by the hide

 On the main lake;
Great Crested Grebe x 1
55+ Canada Geese
Mute Swan x 2
Mistle Thrush x1 (bushes by the side of the lake)

Broad Ees Dole 28/8/2013

Although a quiet morning, it was nice to be up and out and about early.

Time: 7.15am - 9.00am

Coot 4A +2J
Moorhen 3A +3J
Lapwing 2A+1J
BHGull 7
Canada Goose 1 (7 Flew over heading for the main lake)
Magpie 2
Little Grebe 1A+1J
Grey Heron 3
Mallard 2A+6J
Blue Tit 2
Robin 1
Teal 3
Long Tailed Tit 1
Carrion Crow 2

No photo's as the camera would not power up(even though batteries had been charged), shame as the Heron was very close today, it would have appeared very nice when digiscoping.

Sale Water Park - 31st March 2013

and Broad Eees Dole 

TRIP: SWP and Area
Date: 31/3/2013
Time: 4-6.15pm

Hawthorne Lane:

1 Goldfinch
3 Blackbird
2 Robin
Some Longtailed Tits nr Turn moss
Great Tits

A couple of unidentified birds, a larger brown walking down towards the Mersey, have to watch out for this one again.

Broad Eees Dole:

30+ Black Headed Gulls including 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull*
2 pairs of Teal
7 Canada Geese (more flew in later)
4 Moorhen
5 Coot
1 Grey Heron
2 Little Grebe
Mallards M+F

On the Lake:

2  Great Crested Grebe
1 Mute Swan
# Canada Geese
# Black Headed Gulls
3 Robin

Feeding Station nr Cafe/Visitors Centre:

4 Great Tit
1 Robin
1 Coal Tit*
5 Long Tail Tit
2 Blue Tit
2 Pied Wagtail
1 Nuthatch*

Around the area there were the usual's, Magpies, crows, wood pigeons.

*Some new ones for the list today:

Nuthatch, Coal Tit and Long Tail Tit and Lesser Black Backed Gull

Broad Ees Dole (Sale WP) 4th Sept 2012

TRIP: SWP - Borad Ees Dole
DATE: 4/9/2012

START: 18.00 FINISH 20.00

Sale Water Park is very close to me and easily accesible. It links in to the Mersey Valley, a system of nature reserves across Urmston, Stretford, Sale. Chorlton and including 2 water parks.
At Sale WP there is a small hide made of concrete so it keeps the weather out. This looks over a small area of water called Broad Ees Dole. The Dole is home to many Canada Geese along with many others.
New
Black Headed Gull c35
House Sparrow x7

Others
Cormorant
Mute Swan
Mallards
Canada Geese

Pictures:

Cormorant

Canada Geese

Black Headed Gulls

Mute Swan

Sale Water Park 3rd Sept 2012

TRIP: SWP (Nr Visitor Centre)
DATE: 3/9/2012
START: 18.00 FINISH 19.00
Walking around the WP you have many areas excellent for Birding, this time I stayed up near the vistor centre and cafe.

New

Goldfinch x1
Chaffinch x1
Black Headed Gull x1

Others

Blue Tit x2
Magpie x 5
Wood Pigeon x2
Great Tit x1

Trip Pictures;

Blue Tit & Chaffinch 

Goldfinch

Black Headed Gull

Sale WP 14th Aug 2012

Went by SWP and Broad Ees Dole on a bike ride yesterday evening approx 7pm.

On BED there was a new one for me a Little Grebe x1, diving in front of the first Island. Around near the cafe on the platform a Yellow Wagtail x1 fly by, lots of others in the trees by the cafe but unfortunately no time to sit and watch - maybe next time.
Also on the Ees there was the usual birds, Heron, Coots, Lapwings, Moorhen and Canada Geese flying in.