Urban birdwatching

Juvenile moorhens, Alexandra Park 

I've held off putting out food for the birds in the back garden this past week because I didn't want to encourage the ring-necked parakeet that's been hanging round, and I've not been entirely gruntled with the squirrels either, but with the onset of colder weather I relented and filled up all the feeders. The magpies were there before I'd even finished and the robin wasn't far behind. It usually takes the sparrows a day or two to come back in after a hiatus, a couple of cock sparrows were in pretty quickly, sharing the sunflower feeders with a goldfinch. The cock sparrows are nearly always the explorers, they'll be letting the others know we're back in business. It'll be interesting this Winter to see if I can work out which flock's in at any time, the two family groups seem to have disintegrated and I've not worked out the new dynamics. Oddly enough, the blue tits and great tits have been in all week but I've not seen them today.

Wild cherry, Barton Clough

I had an excellent excuse for listening to the Test Match (records skittling left, right and centre) but end of play coincided with a long gap in the schedules for trains and buses. I went for a wander round the local patch to fill in a bit of time. No bonus little egrets today but there were more woodpigeons about this time, also a flock of half a dozen goldfinches. There was just the one chiffchaff tagging along with the mixed tit flock in the trees. There was just the one gull on the football pitch, a common gull which is a sign that the weather's changing.

Grey squirrel, Barton Clough 

I was going to go over to the Trafford Centre to play bus station bingo but the 150 to Gorton was due as I emerged onto Barton Dock Road so I got that. This bus goes through Stretford and Chorlton then goes through Fallowfield and Levenshulme before making a detour through Longsight and Belle Vue and ending up in Gorton. Broadly the choices along the way were Longford Park, Turn Moss and thence the Mersey Valley, Alexandra Park, Platt Fields or Debdale Park and the Gorton Reservoirs. Looking at the state of the traffic through Stretford and Chorlton it was likely I'd be seeing the sunset at Gorton so I got off at Withington Road and walked up to Alexandra Park.

Alexandra Park 

The ring-necked parakeets noisily flying about on Withington Road were a precursor of the racket they were making in the park. It was very difficult indeed to hear any small bird noises, even the robins and a nuthatch struggled to be heard. 

Juvenile moorhen, Alexandra Park 

The pond was modestly busy with ducks, the tufted ducks mostly loafing on the water or getting some sleep, the drake mallards jostling each other for the chance to start impressing the ladies. There didn't seem to be many coots, moorhens or Canada geese about and no mute swans. A flock of sixty-something pigeons crowded the bank by the play area with a similar number of black-headed gulls on the waterside.

Tufted duck, Alexandra Park 

Tufted duck, Alexandra Park 

Moorhen, Alexandra Park 

Tufted ducks, Alexandra Park 

Tufted ducks, Alexandra Park
Yes, I did look twice at the tuftie at the back.

Over on the football pitches a flock of six mistle thrushes shared a penalty box with a lesser black-back.

Mistle thrushes, Alexandra Park 

I'd intended to walk on from Alexandra Park into Old Trafford, taking a look at Merlin's Park, Hullard Park and Seymour Park along the way but I hit that period where the school run meets the rush hour and headed home while the going was good. I'd got a couple of short walks in while the weather was behaving itself.

Alexandra Park