With a couple of hours to spare earlier in the week I headed over to Bosley Reservoir with the camera, the forecast was mixed but initially the sun was shining, with some snow and ice still remaining it was cold, but a crisp, beautifully still day. Bosley Reservoir is managed by the Canal and River Trust, another location in East Cheshire popular with birdwatchers, anglers and walkers. It is a large reservoir on the outskirts of the Peak District, fed by the surrounding hills, and originally created to feed the Macclesfield Canal Network, particularly the well-known Bosley locks – a flight of 12 locks which lower (or raise, depending on how you look at it) the canal by 120 feet over the course of just over one mile.
Bosley Reservoir, from Western side, looking Southeast towards the Peak District |
Heading through to the reservoir from the village of Bosley,
moving further away from the houses, the chirrups of House Sparrows and the whistles, buzzes and squeaks of
Starlings gave way to the sounds of woodland alive with birds, Robins sang as did Blue and
Great Tits, safely tucked away in huge Hawthorn trees. Blackbirds scolded, informing anything that hadn’t already noticed that an intruder – me – was in their
midst.
Wrens scolded also - their loud churring alarm call, like their song, belying their tiny size. Hearing the familiar call of ‘Chiswick’ I knew that Pied Wagtails were present,
and after a little more listening and searching, sure enough scuttling to
and fro on the ice at the water’s edge, in between submerged roots, tail
wagging, was a Pied Wagtail.
Telling me off - a tiny Wren |
What I could see of the huge reservoir of water initially looked fairly
quiet, three Tufted Ducks – a female flanked by two males swam out towards the
centre, and Mallards could be seen hugging the ice-free edges on
the far side of the reservoir.
My attention was drawn to the distant
sound of the flapping and splashing that precedes take off as two male Goosanders
took to the air. I have seen these beautiful birds at several reservoirs but always at a considerable distance away. They are a diving duck, one of the three species of 'sawbill' seen in the UK, (the other sawbills being the Red-breasted Merganser and the rare Smew), so called because of their long serrated bill which allows them to catch and keep hold of their fish prey. Many thanks to Nick Stacey for letting me use his lovely photo of a female Goosander showing those wonderful 'teeth'.
The sharp calls of a Coot pierced the cold air while the bird kept out of sight this time, whilst a Great Crested Grebe, still in winter plumage, dived in the centre of the reservoir.
Female Goosander (taken by Nick Stacey) |
The sharp calls of a Coot pierced the cold air while the bird kept out of sight this time, whilst a Great Crested Grebe, still in winter plumage, dived in the centre of the reservoir.
Still very much alive - tree rooted in icy water |
Walking on ice - a Meadow Pipit |
Often dismissively referred to as one of several 'little brown jobs', viewed closely they are beautifully patterned little birds, and whilst pipit identification can seem like the stuff of nightmares, in the winter in the UK, there are only really two pipits likely to be seen - Meadow and Rock. (Of our other two regularly seen pipits, the Tree Pipit is a summer visitor, the Water Pipit is a very uncommon winter visitor (only 100-200 individuals) generally seen in East Anglia and Southern England.) Rock Pipits tend to keep to rocky coastal areas and have dark grey (rock) coloured legs, and a greyer appearance overall, Meadow Pipits have warmer colouring, with pinkish legs and a pale bill. At this point the light was quite dull, and being in the shade made getting a reasonable photo that much harder, but the one above at least gives enough detail to show the features that identify the bird as a Meadow Pipit.
Playing spot the difference again - a Common Gull amongst the Black-headeds |
Mute Swan |
Swan Mussel |
As I was leaving, a Robin singing his heart out silhouetted against a colourful sunset was a great reminder that spring is just around the corner and a lovely way to finish my visit to this reservoir.
Singing into the sunset - a Robin |
Stunning!!! Wonderful!! Love it!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much - I'm looking forward to going there with the macro lens when it warms up a little and seeing what bugs I can find in the meadows! :)
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