Woolston Eyes, Risley Moss, Rixton Claypits - exploring the local patch - 27th July 2014

I have been sick this week with some kind of summer flu bug. Thursday and Friday I was laid up in bed reading bird books. Saturday I managed to get the energy to look into the nearest nature reserves to us but I didn't manage to get up early like I planned and we didn't leave until lunchtime, by which time it was boiling. A thoroughly unpleasant time was had by us both. Despite walking for about an hour from the gate at Woolston Eyes we never even managed to find the reserve!! Instead we saw mute swans and a few mallard ducks on the Manchester Ship Canal and a Buzzard overhead. Exhausted, thirsty and tired we gave up and thrashed our way through some bushes and down a small ridge (we were very lost by this point!!) to eventually get back to the car and go home.

After some respite at home we set off again for Risley Moss, which I have visited three times now and really liked. I don't know if it was because it was a warm summer Saturday afternoon or what but we were thwarted by weirdos walking their wet dogs (which kept rubbing against us) at every turn.  After we sought refuge in the tower hide thinking we had finally shook them off unfortunately they (and their three big wet dogs) came up there and it was impossible to see anything with all that racket going on so we just left without seeing anything.

Thinking third time lucky, we tried Rixton Claypits with only 45 minutes to go before it closed for the day. We had a pleasant walk and René managed to get a photo of a bird we couldn't identify. It turned out to be a Reed Bunting which was a new "lifer" for me so that cheered me up a bit but all in all for all the effort we put in today, that was a pretty poor show!

On Sunday we went back to Rixton Claypits in the morning and explored it more fully by walking the acorn signposted route right around the lake. Saw nothing new whatsoever, apart from a load more chavs+scary dogs. List total stays at 69.