Irlam

Black-headed gulls, Irlam Locks 

It was the last day before the promised storms but I only wanted a bit of a dawdle round somewhere. I couldn't even be bothered playing bus stop bingo and ended up getting the 256 into Flixton and walking down to Irlam Locks. Walking down Irlam Road it felt good to have a reassuringly large flock of three dozen spadgers hoovering up spilled oats by the side of the road. A couple of dozen sand martins twittered from very high overhead, the constant traffic of woodpigeons mostly skimmed the chimney pots. A couple of swallows joined the sand martins wheeling above the stables.

Black-headed gulls, Irlam Locks 

The canal looked quiet at first, just a young heron giving the last rites to an unfortunate frog over on the far bank. Then I looked over to the locks where fifty-odd black-headed gulls were loafing about in the company of a lesser black-back, an adult heron and an oystercatcher. A brown hawker seemed huge as it zipped past my ear and headed downstream.

There weren't many birds on the water treatment works, just a few magpies and a carrion crow. In part the reason might be the six carfuls of teenagers pulled up alongside to play music and gossip. I have to admit that were I a teenager with a car my first port of call wouldn't be a sewage farm but each to their own.

Black-headed gulls, Irlam Locks 

There were forty-odd pigeons on the downstream section of the locks as I passed over, together with three cormorants drying their wings at the end of the lock. For once there were no birds downstream on the canal. I double-checked the black-headed gulls just in case it was my lucky day.

Irlam Locks 

I walked up Cadishead Way and crossed over onto the path to The Boathouse. A few mallards drifted about the relict of the Irwell and pairs of coots and moorhens chugged up and down to no apparent purpose. Very close to the near bank a large red-eared terrapin sunned itself on a log.

By The Boathouse 

Irlam Community Woodland 

As far as birds were concerned Irlam Community Woodland was very, very quiet. For the first couple of hundred yards the birdlife was a chiffchaff that squeaked and flew off and the half a dozen woodpigeons flying overhead. On the other hand it was fizzing with butterflies. Most were large whites, gatekeepers, ringlets or meadow browns with a supporting cast of speckled woods and peacocks and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo by a small skipper as it skipped about a stand of thistles. A couple of brown hawkers zipped by and Southern hawkers patrolled the trees along the rides. A couple of goldfinches twittered past, a lesser black-back headed for the canal. A dark shape soaring very high up turned out to be a cormorant.

Peacock butterfly, Irlam Community Woodland 

I took the path heading towards the tree-lined pool that Google assures me is called The Jezzy's and who am I to argue? It was reassuring to hear a wren sing and the contact calls of blue tits, long-tailed tits and chiffchaffs. The long-tailed tits bouncing about in the trees by the path looked not long out of the nest. Unlike the squirrel eating licorice torpedoes on a tree stump. Peeking out onto the water I could see a few broad-bodied chasers and blue-tailed damselflies fluttering about over the water, there were more unidentifiable objects skittering about in the distance. The only birds were a couple of coots keeping an uncharacteristically low profile. Given the amount of rubbish strewn about the bank I dare say they're wise.

Grey squirrel, Irlam Community Woodland 

I walked into Irlam and got the 100 to the Trafford Centre, passing a great crested grebe on the canal as we passed over the Lift Bridge. I'd a long wait for the bus home so I got the 150 and walked through Lostock Park. The Community Woodland was a hive of activity in comparison: a chiffchaff squeaked, a magpie rattled and six woodpigeons clattered about in the treetops. The sound of Summer.

Barton Clough