Salford

Drake goldeneye

I popped round to friends in Salford to drop off a parcel (2020 has ushered in the return of Knock and Run). "There's a lot of goldeneyes on the river," I was told so we had a socially-distanced walk down the river from Broughton Bridge down to Salford Crescent.

Goldeneye

There were a lot of goldeneyes, at least a couple of dozen scattered along the length of the river, a group of six drakes and three ducks being the biggest group.

Goldeneyes

Goldeneye

Goldeneyes

There were also plenty of goosanders, mostly drakes in sumptuous plumage, with but half a dozen redheads, all by Peel Park. There were a few dabchicks about, together with a lot of mallards and Canada geese, a couple of herons and a treeful of cormorants. A couple of pied wagtails and a grey wagtail ran along the riverbank near Frederick Road.

Drake goosander

Heron

A tit flock followed us along the path though they were hard work to spot. A song thrush sang from a holly bush and as we were trying to see where it was sitting a goldcrest bustled out of the depths and fidgeted its way about the top of the bush. And three mistlethrushes rattled from a treetop by the art gallery.

A nice couple of hours' stroll, and it was good to see friends, though I'm so out of practice talking to people it must have been hard work to hear me at times. We bid our adieus at Salford Central and I made my way home.

On my way home the bus got stuck at lights at White City where a song thrush serenaded us while we waited.