Donations : Acorns

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Moira, Jackie Griffiths, Bob, Keep U, Rosie, Jayne Grosvenor, Jane & Andy Revell, Louise, Stuart Griffiths, M & D Shaw, Dave & Sue White, Janette Lowndes, Bart, Lise Hanson, Maria Hill, Phil V, Chris Elmer, Sue Murphy, Nicky, John Hague, Mike, Kimberley Bills, Norma Hines, Rob Gilbert, Julia, Colin Graham, Sarah Moreton, Lizzy, Lisa Hillier, Rob Leech, &P. 

Donations : RSPB

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Moira, Jill from Dorking, Nicky M, Terri Akers, Anne Beckett, Maria Hill, Mark Carter, P.

Chris and Stephanie at Belfast Loch RSPB Reserve 2010.

22nd January 2022    To Ellesmere, Salop

         A beautiful day, seemingly normal during this extraordinary January with day after day of calm, almost windless conditions. Sometimes it has been sunny. Other days have been cloudy yet overall the weather has been benign and temperatures at a constant 5 to 6C during the day. All of this has made for easy cycling days. None of the horror of either end of Biking Birder I - 2010 when ice, snow and plunging below zero temperatures had to be negotiated. 

Escape from Hemel Hempstead - 

January 2010

Snow at Minsmere RSPB Reserve -

November 2010

          So, a lovely downhill ride into Llangollen and a stop at the bridge over the River Dee, to look for today's target bird. Found almost immediately, a Dipper* is walking along the edge of a small rocky island upstream from the bridge.

          Great to see of course, I hope that I will be getting better, closer views of Dipper again during the Biking Birder VI adventure.

          Leaving Llangollen, I find an access point to the Llangollen Canal towpath and head towards the amazing Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.

          I stop to meet a couple of canal barge owners and have a natter first with an incredible woman, Caroline. Caroline wants to show me Billy the Bastard and goes into her barge to fetch him.

          Caroline is just brilliant. Her philosophy of life matches my own thoughts and her lifestyle is wonderful. A pure sunshine person.

          

          Three passing brothers walking together towards Llangollen just reinforce the feeling that there are a lot of wonderful people out there to meet.

          Reaching the aquaduct, I am extremely disappointed that the pathway across this, the highest aquaduct in the world, is closed. 

         I find a cafe and enjoy some superb vegan wraps!

         Onward along the canal once more, after taking the road down from the aquaduct and back up again once I have crossed the River Dee, I soon meet a brilliant couple of ladies, Kate and Natasha. You've just got to love Kate's hair!

           Kingfisher! Bird number 100 on the BIGBY list - Kingfisher! I excitedly try to point out the bird to a passing dog walker. He can't see it so I photograph it and show him. Having got the evidence photograph, I carry on towards the bird which does what Kingfishers do, an impersonation of a shockingly electric blue streak as it flies off round a bend in the canal.

          Two long, dark tunnels with narrow towpaths are negotiated with me doing video narrations for Youtube. These two tunnels are the first time I have ever been through them whilst on a Biking Birder adventure. Fascinating, Siri, on my google maps route, is taking me down some wonderful routes and I am really enjoying the lack of road cycling.

          Naively I trust my female route-directing companion and with about six miles to go before I reach the town of Ellesmere, the beautifully surfaced towpath transforms into a muddy quagmire!

           Tyres and wheels clog up with mud and my innocent cycling fun descends into a long mile after mile push. Here my MP3 player comes out and I spend the hour or so, before I reach a road, singing various Rock music classics. Well, there's no one anywhere around here to be either disturbed or bemused.

 Rock On!!!!!!

Charity Pledges 

These are the names of people who have made a pledge to pay so much per bird species seen at the end of the year to either one of the charities I am supporting or to both.

Lee Dark, Mary & Brian Prescott, Joshua Prescott, Rebecca Prescott and Les Oxley-Stoker, Donna Prescott. 

Massive thanks to everyone who has either made a donation or made a pledge.

                           Wonderful.

Memory from previous Biking Birder adventure : 2010 - Hemel Hempstead. Seeing that the above cycling was undertaken along a canal towpath for most of the day, it reminded me of January 2010 and a different canal towpath occasion . . . 

          Stuck in Hemel Hempstead, after an attempt to leave by pushing through the deep snow had to be aborted because of even more snow, I was rescued by a lovely couple, Richy and Maddy. They put me up for two nights at their home and then I pushed the bike along the canal towpath between Hemel Hempstead and Uxbridge.

 

20th and 21st January 2022 Chester to North Wales.

 Donations : Acorns

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Moira, Jackie Griffiths, Bob, Keep U, Rosie, Jayne Grosvenor, Jane & Andy Revell, Louise, Stuart Griffiths, M & D Shaw, Dave & Sue White, Janette Lowndes, Bart, Lise Hanson, Maria Hill, Phil V, Chris Elmer, Sue Murphy, Nicky, John Hague, Mike, Kimberley Bills, Norma Hines, Rob Gilbert, Julia, Colin Graham, Sarah Moreton, Lizzy, Lisa Hillier, Rob Leech, &P. 

Donations : RSPB

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Moira, Jill from Dorking, Nicky M, Terri Akers, Anne Beckett, Maria Hill, Mark Carter, P.

The Sunshine RSPB Ladies at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve from back in 2010. 

and their version of Morecambe & Wise's song - Positive Thinking.

20th January    Into Wales

          Up early and out likewise, a Grey Wagtail has a large grub which it soon swallows down before flying off over the rooftops towards a nearby canal.

          After a brief visit to the university i attended in the Seventies, Chester, I head down to the River Dee and am reaquainted with a place where i was almost swept away many decades ago.

          Fishing at night, I heard a loud rushing sound and realised that a tidal bore was bearing down on me. Grabbing everything I could, I scrambled up the river bank just in time as a metre high plus wave of water came surging in. 

          There is a superb smooth cycle path along the tidal river and I soon reach a footbridge over it and before long I am into Wales.

          Long pushes up steadily rising hills and long stretches of relatively easy cycling all get me close to Mold in North Wales. From there though the road is steep and it is agonising to push the heavy bike up to the top of the hill in order to reach tonight's accommodation, Plas Hafod Hotel.

          Mind you all that agony is soon forgotten when the receptionist tells me that they are going to put me in a small cottage in the hotel grounds!

21st January 2022     Llandegla Forest

          A seemingly never ending series of dips and rises brings me eventually to moorland and then to Llandegla Forest itself. Crossbills* fly overhead with a few landing on the topmost branches of the tall fir trees.  

          Walking on with the thought of how will I see the real target bird of the day, Black Grouse, I lose the path towards the RSPB viewpoint and find myself on the moorland edge. For half an hour not one bird is seen. Red Grouse* are calling somewhere out there but not giving any views. No birds flying. No birds on the cut parts of the extensively managed grouse moorland, I hide from the cold wind by trying to get behind a few small fir trees.

          About to give up and try a different spot, the birding gods give me a break and a female Black Grouse* flies in front of me. Reasonably close, the bird's large size and wing bar are both clear to see.

          With a beaming success smile, I march triumphantly along mountain bike pathways and find the RSPB viewpoint. Not in use as the prime time to see Black Grouse is when the males are lekking, morning time displays, later in the year, I read the RSPB noticeboards and look through the bird hide slots out over the moorland. Still no birds and I note that some small tree management will be desirable for anyone to go and see the lek in the future.

          Back to my hidden bike, I cycle on to the Horseshoe Pass and have memories of Peruvian Andean plummets from my 2018 Biking Birder III adventure as I negotiate the steep drop.

Charity Pledges 

These are the names of people who have made a pledge to pay so much per bird species seen at the end of the year to either one of the charities I am supporting or to both.

Lee Dark, Mary & Brian Prescott, Joshua Prescott, Rebecca Prescott and Les Oxley-Stoker, Donna Prescott. 

Massive thanks to everyone who has either made a donation or made a pledge. Wonderful.

16th to 19th January 2022 Southport to Chester. Days of Cycling and People

 

Donations : Acorns

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Jackie Griffiths, Bob, Keep U, Rosie, Jayne Grosvenor, Jane & Andy Revell, Louise, Stuart Griffiths, M & D Shaw, Dave & Sue White, Janette Lowndes, Bart, Lise Hanson, Maria Hill, Phil V, Chris Elmer, Sue Murphy, Nicky, John Hague, Mike, Kimberley Bills, Norma Hines, Rob Gilbert, Julia, Colin Graham, Sarah Moreton, Lizzy, Lisa Hillier, Rob Leech, &P. 

Donations : RSPB

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022 

Many thanks to . . . 

Jill from Dorking, Nicky M, Terri Akers, Anne Beckett, Maria Hill, Mark Carter, P.

Thanks to everyone who has very kindly made a donation.

16th January      Southport to Eccleston, Lancashire

A cycle path, the Trans-Pennine Way, takes me most of the way after I reaquaint myself with the Snow Goose at Moels Moss, much closer this time, being in a field adjacent to the road.

Day memorable for the mile after mile of mostly off road cycling, along a reasonable surface on the cycle path and for a spoke problem with the back wheel that took a little time to sort.

A large flock of finches and sparrows just out the incorrectly spelt Prescot, contained mostly Linnets but also Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Tree Sparrows.

17th January        Eccleston to Stockton Heath, Back to Madeleine and Denis!

After a few road miles, yet another cycle path takes me to the River Mersey . . .

. . . and then along other cycle paths into Warrington. There I cross canals and find my way to the wonderful Air B & B owned Madeleine and Denis in Stockton Heath.

      I am delighted to see that Denis has put up his oil painting of my favourite Van Gogh picture, Wheatfield With Crows, on the wall of my bedroom. Superb.

18th January     Stockton Heath to Ellesmere Port

Leaving Madeleine and Denis with a promise that "I'll be back," I cycle along roads and cycle paths through Halton, where I meet a most incredible lady, Ruth. Ruth is clearing pathside verges from all littler and tells me that she has be doing this as a volunteer for seventeen years!

          An RSPB Robin badge is the least of what this magnificent woman deserves!

          Siri on Google Maps getting a bit confused just after this and sends me along a footpath, definitely NOT a cycle path through the wood. I have a problem with a broken brake cable but soon sort it.

          Through Frodsham, I head off over towards Ince Marshes and am surprised and delighted to meet a familiar face, Coling Wells. Colin was warden of the nearby RSPB Burton Mere reserve, as it is called now, Inner Marsh farm when I first went there decades ago. I say was because Colin has now retired after having a career spanning four decades there. A reserve that he, all the staff and the RSPB can be extremely proud of, Colin told of breeding Egrets as well as a list of rarities that would have any carbon twitcher drooling.

        Onward to Ince Marshes, Cheshire, I couldn't find any geese let alone the reported Bean Goose but I did see a Bullfinch* and further on I found a Cattle Egret* with a few Little Egret and pigs in a well snuffled up field. The smell was intoxicating! LOL.

  

19th January          Tyre Problem, Eight Mile walk & a Saviour

Out the hotel to find a flat tyre. I try to repair it but to no avail and with the wrong size spare inner tube (!), I walk from the Motorway cafe at the Ellesmere Port junction of the M56 to Chester! 8.6 miles. 

           Big Bill Bikes!

          What an absolute superstar and saviour, Bill, real name Richard but surname Billing hence Big Bill's Bikes, spends three hours chatting whilst he not only replaces the back wheel tyre and inner tube but also checks the whole bike over, sorting out smaller problems that would have most likely become bigger ones further down the road.

           A truly wonderful man, Bill tells me of his passion for bikes and of his history as a rather famous cyclist.

 

https://twitter.com/BigBillsBikes

Charity Pledges 

These are the names of people who have made a pledge to pay so much per bird species seen at the end of the year to either one of the charities I am supporting or to both.

Lee Dark, Mary & Brian Prescott, Joshua Prescott, Rebecca Prescott and Les Oxley-Stoker, Donna Prescott. 

Massive thanks to everyone who has either made a donation or made a pledge. Wonderful.