Bollington, A Town Based on Cotton Production

From the late 18th through to the mid-20th centuries, Bollington was a major centre for cotton-spinning. The high humidity enabled Clarence and other mills to produce the finest cotton in the world, and was sought after by lace makers in Nottingham and Belgium. .Clarence mill was the first in Bollington to be built for steam power.  The raw materials and finished products were transported on the Macclesfield Canal, designed by Thomas Telford. There was also a railway which served the town.

Parkgate 12th February

Parkgate on Monday presented so many spectacles - the view of masses of birds against the industrial scenes on the other side of the estuary and the speed with which the water rushed in to inundate the marshes at high tide. There were lots of White Egrets catching the voles, flocks of Pipits and Skylark, hovering Kestrels, Herons etc.

Hoylake 12th February: Wader Flocks in Slow Motion

Bright sunshine and clear skies greeted us on arrival at Hoylake on Monday so, just to be contrary, I chose a slower shutterspeed (1/125th and 1/50th) to try panning the large groups of waders. Because they move at different speeds and directions, the results are very random but I did achieve one or two that I like. I got a bit finger happy with manipulation for the second photo creating a wonderful flight of Kingfishers! Some straighter shots plus a panorama to show the huge extent of the wader flocks.

Parkgate Inundation 11th February

 With very high tides, the marshes at Parkgate get inundated with water which comes in a surge up the Dee estuary. This strands lots of voles and other creatures and these are easy pickings for Gulls, Egrets, Kestrels etc. Our visit on Sunday had quite overcast conditions but the sun came through periodically early on in the visit giving causing great changes to the landscape. I spent quite a time trying to get a feel for the vastness and the coexistence of such an abundance of wildlife and the many industries based on the Estuary. The rest of the time I captured the action as many voles met their death.

Hide Tide at Hoylake

 Our first stop yesterday morning was at Hoylake to watch the wader flocks as the tide drove the birds towards us. Here just a sample - maybe others to come when processed. I was attracted by the light and dark as the birds changed aspect.