Whalley Range

Mallard, Alexandra Park 

The rain started about 3am and persisted down, filling the bird baths in the back garden. The juvenile spadgers jostled for position in the big bath which I thought a mite redundant given it was pouring down. The sun came out just after lunch on my way back from hospital visiting and it brought the winds of Storm Floris with it. The adult spadgers came out for a bath, having the sense to sit in the sun to dry off afterwards.

House sparrow
This cock spadger is old silver cheeks, the oldest male in the troupe that lives in the brambles and ivies by the railway.

Over on the school playing field the nearly fifty gulls hunkered down keeping the wind out of their tail feathers were equal numbers black-headed gulls and lesser black-backs and half a dozen herring gulls. The local pigeons carried on feeding regardless, surprising given their tendency to go and sulk under railway and motorway bridges in inclement weather. It takes very bad weather indeed to put off the rooks, jackdaws and woodpigeons, they were out feeding in the pouring rain when I'd set out this morning.

Tufted duck 

It continued sunny and I decided I needed to get some exercise but I wanted to go a bit further afield for a change. Then I realised I'd be getting embroiled in the rush hour mêlées so I settled for a toddle round Alexandra Park. The target birds were moorhen and tufted duck, which goes some way to explaining why I wanted to go a bit further afield.

Pigeons
It occurred to me that I don't have many photos of pigeons and pigeons is birds after all.

Alexandra Park 

The usual motley assembly of lesser black-backs, black-headed gulls and pigeons flew round Moss Side as the bus passed through. Pigeons, woodpigeons, carrion crows and magpies rummaged about the park lawns, aside from the occasional goldfinch the birds in the trees were dead quiet and even the parakeets didn't make an appearance.

Mallard

Crowds of mallards and black-headed gulls covered the pond., families of coots squabbled, pairs of Canada geese sat about the island. The moorhens on the island took some finding. The half dozen tufted ducks were hiding in plain sight amongst the mallards.  Mission accomplished, I made my way home before more than twigs started falling out of the trees.

Alexandra Park