Stretford

Carrion crow, Cob Kiln Wood

The spadgers had emptied the feeders by mid-morning and a mixed tit flock — the pair of great tits, three blue tits, the female coal tit and a passing long-tailed tit, with a dunnock in tow — were making a point of looking for scraps and remnants in the feeder by the living room window. I'd put the last out yesterday so I had to do a shop. The weather was fair, if blustery, so I thought I'd have a wander over Stretford Meadows on the way.

Stretford Meadows

The trees by the path at the Newcroft Road end of the meadows seemed to be full of singing robins. There were a couple of great tits and goldfinches and some greenfinches flew overhead.

The open land was very quiet. There were lots of woodpigeons flying about overhead and a couple of jays were collecting acorns. For the first time ever there were no magpies around.

Stretford Meadows

On a whim I went over the motorway bridge and had a wander round the Kickety Brook local nature reserve. I was barely over the bridge when I bumped into a singing song thrush. There were a few more great tits and goldfinches and a couple of wrens objected to my passing by.

I got a cup of coffee at the Riverside Café, watching the rooks and jackdaws to-ing and fro-ing between the fields either side of the river. A male kestrel flew in and perched on the telegraph pole behind the café van.

River Mersey

Suitably refreshed I decided to wander over to Cob Kiln Wood. The river was very high after the past few days' rain. A couple of mallards bobbed along in the current.

Just where the path forks between Urmston Meadows and Cob Kiln Wood a family party of long-tailed tits came bouncing into the willows by the path.

Cob Kiln Wood

It was fairly quiet through Cob Kiln Wood, save for a family of carrion crows making a racket around the electricity pylons.

I'd had a couple of hours' wander so I got the bus into Stretford for fresh supplies for the feathered hooligans back home.