A local wander

Scaup, Salford Quays 

After a busy, but in the end useful, morning I was keen to take advantage of another mild, grey day and go for a walk but I didn't have a lot of energy for one. I decided I'd have a wander round the local patch then get the bus towards Wharfside and see what was on the Ship Canal and Salford Quays. There'd be a lot of herring gulls and mute swans but the yellow-legged gull might be about and if I was lucky the couple of scaups that had been on Central Bay yesterday might be lingering.

Barton Clough 

Lostock Park was noisy with robins and titmice, the great tits dominating the soundscape, almost drowning out the song thrush singing from the corner by the warehouses. A big flock of goldfinches bounced about in the tops of the alders. The waste cornfield was, by contrast, very quiet. A couple of great tits called from hawthorn bushes and a small flock of goldfinches headed for the trees behind the school. And this time I didn't see a single greenfinch.

• Black-headed gull 1
• Blackbird 3
• Blue tit 7
• Carrion crow 1
• Chaffinch 1
• Common gull 2
• Dunnock 1
• Feral pigeon 9
• Goldfinch 28
• Great tit 9
• Herring gull 5
• House sparrow 6
• Lesser black-back 1
• Magpie 8
• Robin 9
• Song thrush 1
• Woodpigeon 6
• Wren 2

Herring gull and scaups
First-Winter drake left, female right

The scaups were still on Central Bay, in fact, they were right next to the quayside with a bunch of coots and herring gulls. I first saw them from afar from Wharfside, as I crossed over the bridge to Central Bay they drifted in closer. They seemed content to just bob about on the water, I only saw them dive the once while I was there.

Female scaup

 

Female scaup

First-Winter drake scaup

First-Winter drake scaup 

First-Winter drake scaup 

Further out there were a few more herring gulls and coots and a few black-headed gulls. Mute swans cruised either side of the Ship Canal and there was a line of cormorants drying their wings on Clipper Quay. Half a dozen great crested grebes were gathered together at the mouth of Ontario Bay where they spent their time preening. As did a female goosander in the middle of the bay while a very spruce drake cruised up and down by the sides.

Female goosander

Drake goosander

Mariners Canal

The X50 bus has been replaced by the 30, the new route taking in both sides of the canal, doing a tour of Salford Quays before crossing Trafford Bridge and joining the Trafford Park section of the X50 route from Wharfside to the Trafford Centre. It was due in five minutes so I caught it to see how it ran. It turns out that it should be useful to me when I'm visiting the Quays but the extra half hour the change puts on the journey from Manchester kills its utility as a Plan B when the 255 and 256 are playing silly beggars.