Down the Vale, 2026.

 I went down the vale yesterday for the first time this year, cold but I was well wrapped up.

I'd hear there was a Golden Eye Duck there at the moment, which are a rare find there, I was lucky that a friend David was there and pointed it out to me, it was hard to see amongst the little gulls and tufted ducks, so I was lucky David was there.

I was then able to show another friend Emily where the goldies were!.

Has you can see here the tufted ducks are very much alike.

Emily thought this black and white one was the goldie but they are Male and female Goosanders, male the black and white one, the one with the rusty head is the female.

Quite a few Gadwalls about too.

Plenty of Squirrels too 

This chap is getting mobbed feeding the birds.

A splash of colour on a cool grey day. 

The swan family has still got one of the youngsters with them, surprised that one still there, usually see them off to start breeding again.

Heron there too

Back home there are loads of Sparrows on my feeders!.

Finished this jigsaw last week and it was so nice decided to frame it!.

Bought a pack of two photo frames from Amazon and they fit a 70x50cm jigsaw perfectly!.

Finished and framed this one too, birthday present from friend Jean.

The Bridge view Café was full on Thursday with a large group from St Georges church in Stalybridge.

Lady vicar on the right with the red hat.

A chap borrowed the mike and said it was nice to welcome the group and mentioned that it was their Christmas and New Years dinner 

They didn't show much appreciation by clapping for my mate singing but they said they enjoyed it.

This chap had his two English bulldogs there too, very well behaved.

They had a tub of ice cream each.

Bought these seat belt extensions from Amazon and it makes it much easier to clunk clink now! 

So its the end of January already!.

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Down the Vale, 7.11.2025.

 On Friday it was quite mild so it was off down Reddish Vale before meeting my mate for lunch at Morrison's.

No sign of any Kingfishers, though they must be there because another friend of mine Emily photograph's them quite regularly.

I was lucky in the fact I went down to the bend in the river and managed to capture this beautiful Little egret! that was hunting on the side of the river 

Crows soon come out when there are peanuts to be had.

 Plenty of Gadwall's on the top mill pond.

There were also a lot of Wigeons too.

These were right on the far side of the top mill pond, so not a very good picture but you get the idea don't you.

Plenty of tufted duck about.

Male and female.

Resident Swan family.

Then it was off to Morrison's for lunch, good value for money there and its a new menu, so can't be bad, still free refills on hot drinks too!.

Saturday it was off to the Bridge View Café to meet friends and enjoy the good food and have our game of Gin Rummy!.

We are having our Christmas Dinner there again, (not on Christmas day)  it was so good last year, where as the past year gone again?.

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Down the Vale, 24.3.2025.

 After a quiet weekend it was off to Reddish Vale on Monday and it was quite busy as it was a nice sunny day.

The RSPCA were there replacing the swans nest site which was looking worse for ware!.

It gave the people there something to watch as the old platform was removed and a new one put into position.

Even got a little ramp on this one.

That's how you get out, but the first chap has to go out on his own hasn't he.

Swans wondering if it was going to take much longer before they could inspect the new site.

Plenty of Terror-pins out enjoying the sunshine, I know that's not how you spell it but if you were a duck with a nest full of eggs you would think that!

These larger ones are on the top mill pond.

A Blue tit getting into the seeds.

Squirrel wondering whether to eat the peanut or bury it for later, in the end buried it and came to see if I had another.

Chaffinch not seen many of these about lately.

Today, Monday it was off to Morrison's to meet friends for lunch, luckily the 52 cafés Morrison's are closing, (same as Sainsbury's) are not ours at Bredbury and Reddish thank goodness!.

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If you look like our passport photograph you probably need the holiday!.

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