The footie was a disaster (for City) and I should have gone Smew spotting again instead !

As Geoff said - something had spooked all the birds - even the Herons took to the air. However the odds of two red-head Smews in the same area, which have never been seen together seems a bit unlikely.

Mind you - who's to say it's not another escape like the Black Swan, RC Pochard and a funny White Duck we saw on the canal

this is  just idle speculation,and i,ve no way of ever sorting it out.But on sunday morning me and tony coatsworth went around wigan flashes, during our stroll we picked up the smew on horrocks front pool at approx 10.00 after checking scotsmans and pearsons for the redcrested(not seen)we walked round to the viewing screen on horrocks backpool and much to my surprise spotted a smew @11.45 along with 4/6 goldeneye at this  point evey bird in area was spooked into the air,we scanned the skies for the cause of the fuss and nothing was found,but the smew and goldies gone .at 12.00 i got the call the breakfast was on the table so we hotfooted it home(tony dismissed my theory as the ravings of a mad man and left for footie) i returned to the horrocks frontpool at 14.00 and the smew was there on it,s own happy as larry having left @10.05.. partied with some goldies and returned at 13.50. i also read with interest a smew was in west yorkshire today. there got that off me chest.
cheers geoff