Stretford

Stretford Meadows

I had an afternoon stroll round Stretford Meadows today, going through into Stretford Ees then circling back to Stretford Mall for a fruitless attempt at a bit of shopping for my dad.

There were plenty of warblers about. Willow warblers and blackcaps were singing in the trees about the paddocks at the end of Newcroft Road and around Kickety Brook, where there were also a couple of chiffchaffs and a singing goldcrest. Out in the open country there were five singing whitethroats, together with half a dozen singing reed buntings. I thought I caught a grasshopper warbler singing but the combination of the sound of M60 traffic, a whitethroat and a wren made it difficult to pick out for sure and whatever it was went quiet so I can't be sure one way or another.

There were only a couple of swallows overhead today. No swifts and no house martins in Stretford town centre either. It's a sign of the strange times that I still haven't seen any sand martins, they're usually the first hirundines I find in Spring.