Along the mighty Irwell

Goldeneyes, Clifton

I thought I'd ease myself gently into the week, I've been sleeping badly lately so I wasn't feeling up to doing anything clever like remembering to get the right train. Thus it was late morning before I set off for a walk, leaving a school playing field with its thirty-odd black-headed gulls and handfuls each of common gulls, herring gulls and lesser black-backs behind me. I got the 25 to the Trafford Centre and the 22 bus to Bolton, getting off in Clifton and walking down to Clifton Country Park.

Grey squirrel, Clifton Water Park

There were fifty-odd black-headed gulls on the lake at Clifton Country Park together with dozens of coots, tufted ducks, gadwall and mallards. There were fewer Canada geese than I was expecting, perhaps a dozen, and half a dozen mute swans most of which were last year's cygnets. I could hear teal the moment I arrived, it took me ages to find the two drakes calling at the Western end of the lake. It was while I was scanning round looking for them that I found a female goldeneye in a raft of tufties. A calling great spotted woodpecker was easy to find in its tree, the noisy crowd of goldfinches in the young alders near it were surprisingly difficult.

Clifton Country Park 

I had a look at the Irwell by Bolton Water Treatment Works. A couple of dozen mallards loafed on the big shingle bar at the bend of the river while a couple of goosanders swam upstream.

Clifton Country Park 

I came back into Clifton Country Park and walked along the path on the high river bank. Blackbirds, robins and wrens were busy in the undergrowth while mixed tit flocks bounced around in the trees by the path. The first I encountered was a mixture of long-tailed tits, coal tits and goldcrests, the rest were loose assemblies of long-tailed, blue and great tits. 

Goosander, Clifton

Down on the river grey wagtails fossicked about in the detritus of human litter on the banks while mallards and teal dozed and dabbled and goosanders drifted downstream and flew back upstream to start the journey afresh. A way downstream half a dozen goldeneyes looked to have paired up. I scanned the shoals and rapids in a fruitless search for any dippers. Dozens of lesser black-backs and herring gulls soared overhead, I've no idea where they were going or had come from.

Goldeneye, Clifton

I joined the old Fletcher's Canal towpath and headed East. Whenever I've visited Clifton Country Park I've crossed the river and either walked upstream to Ringley or gone up the hill to Radcliffe. I thought it about time I should explore the walk down to Waterdale Meadows and through to Philips Park. There was a marked change once I got to the point where the motorway, railway and river come together: upstream there was an abundance of ducks, downstream there were two mallards.

Clifton Viaduct 

I crossed Clifton Aquaduct into Waterdale Meadows where I spent an inordinate amount of time admiring the views of the Clifton Viaduct, a 13-arch Grade II listed beauty that used to carry trains between Pendleton and Radcliffe. The meadows themselves were fairly quiet save for wrens and the occasional great tit but passing into the woodlands I started to find pairs of bullfinches and jays lurking quietly in the trees. As I reached one of the cycleways what I assumed was a rather leggy dog lurching my way turned out to be a roe buck. For a moment it was difficult to know which of us was the more surprised but as I stood there gobsmacked he turned on his heels and pelted into the trees beyond.

Philips Park 

I was tempted to follow the path leading into the Outwood Trail and thence into Radcliffe but I wasn't convinced I had enough left in me for a comfortable walk. Instead I followed the path into Philips Park and took the path skirting the formal gardens. A large mixed tit flock by the gardens was almost entirely long-tailed tits with a handful of goldcrests. There were a couple of coots and a heron on Drinkwater Pond as I walked by. 

Prestwich Clough 

I skirted Drinkwater Park and walked through Prestwich Clough into Prestwich. It was getting on and most of the birdlife was intent on quietly feeding up before retiring for the night and avoiding dogs having a giddy time of their walks. Great tits and coal tits rummaged in the bushes with robins and blackbirds and another pair of bullfinches were feeding in a stand of alders. I cut through and walked down St Ann's Road to get the bus. Halfway down a rather handsome sparrowhawk put the fear of God into a flock of woodpigeons.

Sparrowhawk, Prestwich

What had set out to be a quiet potter around for an hour or two had become a four-hour exploration of an unfamiliar stretch of the Irwell. My knees were relieved when I got to the bus stop on Bury New Road and didn't have to wait long for the 97 into Manchester.