Local patch

Goldfinch, Barton Clough

My first bird of 2022 was the robin that was disturbed by the New Year's fireworks barrage. By daybreak it was joined by a singing collared dove and a gang of spadgers. I noticed a new male sparrow with the silver team, a mature bird at least a year old that had bright golden cheeks, a definite contrast to the old white-cheeked male when they were sat next to each other in the rose bush. Needless to say, they weren't for having their photos taken. Now I know to look out for him I'll give it another try.

• Black-headed Gull 2 overhead
• Blackbird 1
• Blue Tit 2
• Carrion Crow 1
• Coal Tit 1
• Collared Dove 1
• Dunnock 1
• Great Tit 1
• Herring Gull 2 overhead
• House Sparrow 17
• Jackdaw 1
• Magpie 1
• Rook 5
• Starling 10
• Woodpigeon 2

For reasons which escape me there was a big flock of black-headed gulls on the school playing field, back to historical numbers. Usually it requires a storm to bring them in.

• Black-headed Gull 92
• Common Gull 1
• Herring Gull 5, 3 adults, 1 3rd-winter, 1 2nd-winter
• Jackdaw 6
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
• Magpie 1
• Rook 5
• Woodpigeon 3

It being a bright, warm Spring day and there being no buses today (and my not wanting to trust the trains without any bus services to fall back on in case of cancellation), once I got the domestic chores sorted I had a wander round the local patch. 

Along the old railway track

It was back to business as usual after the crowd scenes of my last visit but there was still plenty about. The robins were very vocal, two of them had a punch-up in the buddleias next to the old railway line.

Long-tailed tit, Barton Clough

A mixed tit flock bouncing through the hazels and oleasters only included long-tailed and blue tits, the only great tit of the visit was in the park. There were a few greenfinches around and two small flocks of goldfinches, one in the treetops in the copse by the school and one sat twittering in the gutter of the engineering works by the line.

Magpie, Barton Clough

There was a small passage of gulls overhead, almost all heading towards Salford Quays, probably going early to roost. At first it was an odd herring gull or two at a time, then a group of lesser black-backs. A couple of common gulls headed off towards the Ship Canal. One of the lesser black-backs made me look twice as it was significantly lighter than the others and a bit front-heavy but its primaries weren't right for yellow-legged gull (I'm not being clever, I looked it up) so it was just a relatively pale lesser black-backs in bright, low light.

• Black-headed Gull 1 overhead
• Blackbird 10
• Blue Tit 6
• Carrion Crow 4
• Common Gull 3 overhead
• Dunnock 2
• Feral Pigeon 9 overhead
• Goldfinch 26
• Great Tit 1
• Greenfinch 5
• Herring Gull 5 overhead
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 6 overhead
• Long-tailed Tit 7
• Magpie 22
• Mistle Thrush 2
• Redwing 1
• Robin 12
• Starling 1
• Woodpigeon 5
• Wren 1

There being no buses on I couldn't move on to anyplace and I wasn't in the mood for a walk down the canal into Trafford Park so I called it quits for today. A nice start to the year.

Barton Clough