Salford

Heron

I looked at the morning's cancellations and gave up on today's plans to visit Leighton Moss. Every other train to Barrow was cancelled and given how much a problem getting home can be when services are running properly I decided I could do without the grief.

I noticed that I've not seen any goosanders this month so I went for a toddle along the Irwell between Lower Broughton and Peel Park in Salford.

River Irwell, Lower Broughton 

The flock of Canada geese at Broughton Bridge was smaller than usual, just a couple of dozen birds. There were a few more on the river but nothing like the usual crowd scenes. The Mocha Shopping Centre has been demolished and the Arriva buses that service this stop are on strike but that may be coincidental.

Black-headed gulls

Goosander

The river was very low, exposing gravel banks that are usually just odd bits of turbulence in the river. There were lots of black-headed gulls about with a few lesser black-backs to quarrel with. A redhead goosander loafed on a bit of old tree trunk, there were a few more upstream loafing on the shoals. A heron stalked  near the bank by the bridge, upstream an older bird in full breeding plumage lurked by the Adelphi Bridge. It took me a while to spot the grey wagtail foraging on the far bank, I never did manage to see the chiffchaffs and long-tailed tits calling in the hedgerow by the path.

Goosanders

Peel Park was quieter, a few mallards and black-headed gulls on the river with a Canada goose and a couple of lesser black-backs. I think both of the black-backs were third year birds, one had an enormous bill which I think suggests it was a male. There was a big flock of black-headed gulls up by the Frederick Road bridge, loafing on the gravel banks.

Lesser black-back

I'd had a bit of a potter about and didn't much fancy going back into the city centre so I crossed over the road and got the 100 back to the Trafford Centre then into Urmston for a bit of shopping.