Local patch plus

House sparrows

All my intentions for today where shelved when "overnight showers," became two hours of rain of biblical proportions in the wee small hours. It was so bad that the cat, who had had her legs crossed for hours, didn't go out for her midnight pee until three am. This gave me the opportunity for a chat with one of the local lady hedgehogs. It's reassuring to see them still about though I could do with their improving their productivity on the slug-munching.

Throughout a damp morning there was a steady procession of spadgers at the feeders together with a couple of juvenile blue tits and the now regular trio of great tits.

Rosebay willowherbs and golden rod, Barton Clough

The weather settled down over lunchtime so I had a wander round my local patch which was very quiet despite the presence of a good number of goldfinches on the thistles.

• Blackbird 2
• Blue Tit 1
• Bullfinch 1
• Carrion Crow 1
• Dunnock 1
• Feral Pigeon 45
• Goldfinch 26
• House Sparrow 6
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 4
• Magpie 3
• Swift 4
• Whitethroat 1
• Woodpigeon 11
• Wren 1

I decided this was as good a time as any to explore the new tram line that runs through Trafford Park. By now it had become bright and sunny so I got off at the Imperial War Museum so's to do a bit of birdwatching on the Ship Canal and Salford Quays.

Even at this stage of high Summer there were a lot of gulls loafing on the water. Rafts of black-headed gulls tended to stick to the quays while a raft of lesser black-backs and herring gulls floated midwater in the canal. A big herd of mute swans had congregated by the Lowry. Just the one coot, though, where I'd expect half a dozen.

• Black-headed Gull 70
• Canada Goose 52
• Common Gull 8
• Coot 1
• Cormorant 3
• Feral Pigeon 8
• Goldfinch 2
• Herring Gull 10
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 56
• Magpie 2
• Mute Swan 24
• Swallow 3
• Woodpigeon 1