Another trip out to Daisy Nook, hoping to see the Water Rail

The last post on here followed a trip to Daisy Nook Country Park in the heart of the Medlock Valley.

I mentioned in that post it’s just a few miles from where we live and so was very convenient to visit again.

Last time we were there it was February and it was grey and cold.

On this occasion even though just a few weeks later the weather was clear and bright with blue skies and a real feel of Spring in the air.

A slow amble in the park

We were not in any rush, we wandered along the canal pathways, past Sammy’s Basin and onto Crime Lake. Crime Lake being the scenic and historic spot formed by a canal collapse in 1795.

Despite the name there really isn’t any connection with any criminal activity. In this case the word Crime is an old term for land broken by a stream or a local word for meadow.

I don’t suppose it will come as too big a surprise to hear we didn’t get to see the Water Rail.

Although Water Rails are said to be fairly common (on freshwater wetlands) they are also known to be pretty secretive.

I think we have missed our chance of seeing the Water Rail there this year.

But there again the thing about bird watching is that there is another day. And a walk in the fresh air is always worth it even if there is little to see, which in turn makes this a short blog post!