Scorchio

The Matto Grosso comes to Stretford

It was a hot day and I didn't feel much like going for a walk in it. Especially as I'd given the back garden a stern looking at yesterday and had concluded that Something Must Be Done before the entire area becomes an impenetrable mass of fruit bushes and rambling rose. I thought I'd have a bash at a start on it today seeing as I wouldn't be feeling guilty about disturbing any birds. The blackbirds come in for the rowan berries first thing then go into hiding, the sparrows are spending the week deep in the brambles on the railway embankment (I know this by occasional chirrups) and I suspect all the other small birds are doing similar. The only birds doing any singing this past week have been the woodpigeons and collared doves. They're not up for a dawn chorus, generally waiting until after they've had their breakfasts. By then the family of carrion crows will have galumphed over the rooftops and chased each other round the field a couple of times.

Although I wasn't disturbing any birds I was encroaching on the territories of the speckled wood butterflies and they tried to chase me off a couple of times. Their problem is that they object to each other even more than they object to me so they lose their advantage in numbers.

Twilight brought a nice surprise in the shape of two pipistrelle bats fluttering about the back garden. No idea if they're common pipistrelles or soprano pipistrelles, both are possibilities round here. Whichever they're nice to see.