Local patch

Carrion crows, Barton Clough

I've had a quiet couple of days, partly because of the weather, mostly due to the usual November slump. The clocks going back works against me because I'm not an early morning person so that limits the available light for birdwatching and the scope for seeing much on the way back home. Tuesday's three site visit day was pretty much an act of defiance. Heavy showers notwithstanding I decided I needed to shift myself so I had a wander round my local patch.

Lostock Park

There's still plenty of leaf cover about so most of the small birds were keeping out of the wind and rain. Blackbirds fossicked round in the leaf litter by the paths, goldfinches twitted about between hawthorn bushes and a mistle thrush was perched at the top of the tallest tree demonstrating to anyone who cared to notice why they used to be called storm cocks.

Barton Clough

The magpies that haven't paired up have formed their Winter gangs. One of half a dozen birds spent its time hanging round with the family of carrion crows in the dead trees on the copse behind the school.

I've no idea where the usual woodpigeons had gotten to. They weren't feeding in the open nor were they roosting in their usual trees.

• Black-headed Gull 6
• Blackbird 5
• Carrion Crow 4
• Common Gull 1
• Dunnock 1
• Feral Pigeon 29
• Goldfinch 6
• Great Tit 1
• Herring Gull 1
• House Sparrow 4
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
• Long-tailed Tit 2
• Magpie 25
• Mistle Thrush 1
• Robin 2
• Starling 23
• Woodpigeon 3

Barton Clough
The old freight line bed

I thought I'd get the bus to the Trafford Centre and have a look what was around on the Barton stretch of the Ship Canal but my arrival at the bus stop coincided with kicking-out time at Old Trafford and the chances of seeing a bus anytime soon were extremely slim. It started raining heavier so I took the hint and went home. Tomorrow is another day.