Along the Croall

Marsh helleborine

It was a bright, if cloudy, day and agreeably warm. A couple of black-necked grebes had spent the past couple of days on the lodges at Moses Gate Country Park, I thought I'd have a look to see if they were about and then drift about and see where I found myself.

I got the 524 from Bolton Bus Station and got off at the entrance to the country park. Blackbirds and blackcaps sang either side of the road. As I walked down to the car park I decided to have a look at the river, the Croall, and I surprised a kingfisher which shot up into the canopy of one of the riverside trees.

Crompton Lodge

There was no sign of the black-necked grebes on the lodges. I took my time looking, my reckoning being that if after scanning round the big pool for quarter of an hour I could overlook a tufted duck I could just as easily have overlooked the grebes, especially considering how long they can stay underwater. I hadn't, but it's as well to check. Mute swans and mallards mugged passersby by the car park. Canada geese and more mallards dozed under trees. The black-headed gulls kept away from the raft of herring gulls and lesser black-backs over on the other side. And all the while a flock of sand martins and a couple of swallows hawked low over the water.

Great crested grebe

A great crested grebe sat on her nest in the middle of the pool. A nearby coots' nest was being used as a rallying point by the owners whenever the tiny chicks started to wander too far. Another coot was sat on a nest under the trees. All the mallard ducklings were very nearly full-grown.

Red-eyed damselfly
The chappie on the left is a water lily beetle of the genus Donacia.

Brown hawkers and a Southern hawker patrolled the lodges. Damselflies swarmed over the lily pads in the smaller lodges. Most of them were red-eyed damselflies, I've not knowingly seen them before so I made sure to get a good look at them to get my eye in. A few black-tailed skimmers hawked low over the water or sunned themselves on the paths. 

Common blue damselfly

Red-eyed damselflies

Black-tailed skimmers

I wandered back to the river and walked along to join this end of the Kingfisher Trail which starts up in Jumbles Country Park. Meadow browns and small tortoiseshells fluttered around the meadows while carrion crows, blackbirds and magpies fossicked about in the grass.

River Croall 

The Kingfisher Trail 

In the woods I joined the trail, I have an unerring capacity for finding staircases in woodlands. It's a mostly flat walk thereafter so my knees were in a forgiving mood. Blackbirds and blackcaps sang in the trees and robins silently disappeared into the wayside. It seemed odd to have all that shingle bankside and small rapids on the river and have no wagtails or dippers but it was so. At one intersection of paths four song thrushes had a singing duel which baffled the senses, particularly as one of them had a few notes from a police siren in its repertoire.

River Croall

A little further on a buzzard circled high over the woodland and a jay called from the other side of the river. The path turned into an opening in the trees by the river. A kingfisher, which had been sitting in a tree on the near bank shot across into the trees on the other. Blackcaps, blackbirds, chiffchaffs and wrens sang in the trees as I walked along. Then I was through the gate and out of the trees and on Nob End.

Goldfinches twittered about and whitethroats sang in the bushes and carrion crows rummaged about in the meadows. Large whites, meadow browns and small tortoiseshells fluttered about and brown hawkers and Southern hawkers patrolled the landscape.

Nob End is notable for its unusual flora, being very different to the surrounding area due to the land having been contaminated by the soda works that was here in Victorian times. Most of Greater Manchester's natural riches have industrial origins. I didn't think I'd have much luck spotting anything unusual, I expected that in my ignorance of plant life I'd overlook the specialities. I was wrong on both counts.

Marsh helleborines 

At first I was just seeing clovers and vetches. Then I started seeing the orchids. And more orchids. Most of the purple spires were unknown to me, they turned out to be fragrant orchids. I found a few common spotted orchids, and a few I presume were more common spotted orchids. And there were drifts of marsh helleborines. Which I also had to look up. I was frankly a bit overwhelmed by my bafflement. I later bumped into a chap who asked me if I knew where the bee orchids were. I admitted I had no idea but pointed him towards the meadow full of orchids.

Marsh helleborine

Fragrant orchids

Marsh helleborine

Common spotted orchid

Fragrant orchid

Common spotted orchid

Giant hogweed 

I crossed the river and walked into Farnworth, more blackbirds, song thrushes, goldfinches and wrens singing me on my way. The train back to Manchester left the station as I walked by, I hadn't thought to try going for that, I was too busy trying to work out the best way through the maze of back streets to get to the main road for the bus. I didn't have long to wait for the next bus, the 37 to Manchester. As we passed Blackleach Country Park my legs said no, let's not get off for a walk round. I changed in Swinton for the bus to the Trafford Centre. Along the way my legs said no to a walk round Worsley Woods either. I must be getting old.