Stretford and Salford

Black-headed gulls, Salford Quays

The local patch is still desperately quiet but an influx of blackbirds might be a hint of better to come. The mistle thrushes still haven't returned from their Summer break.

• 13 Blackbird
• 1 Feral Pigeon overhead
• 1 Goldfinch
• 1 Great Tit
• 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull overhead
• 9 Magpie
• 5 Robin
• 10 Woodpigeon
• 2 Wren

Cherry, Barton Clough

Seeing as the weather was good I meandered over to Salford Quays to catch the gull roost and thoroughly bamboozle myself with the comfortably well known before anything uncommon turns up. There were hundreds of black-headed gulls on the canal and perhaps a hundred or so large gulls of all ages. The large gulls were 2:1 herring gulls to lesser black-backs, which is much the same as I've been seeing on the school playing field this week. There was a continuous passage of lesser black-backs overhead heading for the Mersey Valley. I spent a while scanning the roost and the only other gull I could find was an adult common gull.

Herring gulls, Lesser black-backs and black-headed gulls, Salford Quays

While I was scanning the roost I kept hearing a pied wagtail calling so I was surprised when a grey wagtail flew out from the walkway and over the quay. The pied wagtail was perched on the bench behind me.