Rainy day

The weather today looked like being even worse than forecast so I parked plans A to C and decided to try and fit a quick wander round Pennington Flash in before the worst arrived. As it turned out a late bus got me into Leigh half an hour later than planned and a stiff breeze blew the rain front in a good hour earlier than scheduled and by the time the bus was passing Pennington Hall Park it was falling stair rods. I decided to stay on the bus. I'm getting old, there's not the joy in getting soaked to the skin that there used to be. I stayed on the bus to Wigan then got the 575 to Bolton, thinking that it if the rain eased off I could get off and have a wander round High Rid Reservoir or perhaps a drag up to Doffcocker Lodge or Moses Gate. Anyway, it didn't ease off. So I didn't. So I gave up and got the bus back to the Trafford Centre and just missed the 25 so I walked home from Urmston.

All the way along I was recording the birdlife I was seeing through the rain-flecked windows. Aside from a short stretch of the A6 by the golf course at Blackrod the journey was through urban and suburban terrain and the birdlife reflected this, Factor in the leaf cover on the trees and the lousy weather and the options get a bit limited. This sort of weather you almost end up doing a survey of woodpigeons sat dejected on rooftops. Most everything else is sensibly under cover.

All species

Woodpigeon

Which isn't to say there wasn't a decent supporting cast given the circumstances.

Species	%age records
Woodpigeon	25.1%
Feral pigeon	17.8%
Lesser Black-backed Gull	9.3%
Jackdaw	7.3%
Magpie	6.9%
Black-headed Gull	5.8%
Collared Dove	5.8%
Swift	3.9%
House Sparrow	3.5%
Blackbird	3.1%
Carrion Crow	3.1%
Rook	1.9%
Starling	1.5%
Pied Wagtail	1.2%
Blue Tit	0.8%
House Martin	0.8%
Swallow	0.8%
Wren	0.8%
Dunnock	0.4%
Herring Gull	0.4%

If ever I get old enough to get myself a free bus pass I'll be spending awfully wet days sat on buses on rural rides.