ECO BIRD RACE 2007 - SALFORD

Long gone are my days of "carbon footprint birding" (national twitching and 24 hour car dash county bird races) but the desire to "race" and list is still there - hence the next level concept of Eco Bird Race, a full days environmentally friendly birding.

Having gone round - on foot - Frodsham Marsh (Cheshire), 82 species in 2003, Brockholes Quarry (Lancashire), 75 species in 2004, and Timperley (Greater Manchester), 50 species in 2006, I decided to explore the borough of Salford on bike in 2007, on Sunday 6th May.

Salford often has a reputation as a "dirty old town" and would probably not be on many birders lists of top spots - however, open your mind, have a look round and you can find a multitude of essential habitats and an array of ornithological treasures.

The area is even getting an increasing reputation for rarities, the Desert Wheatear on Barton Moss making the headlines this year, and in recent years, Bufflehead and Greater Flamingo have both made brief appearances on Astley Pools.

Inevitably both these sites were on my itinery, in fact Barton Moss was the first sight visited shortly after dawn. This site is part of the patchwork of mosses in the south west of Salford borough. The first highlight of the day was sat atop a small hawthorn here - a singing male Corn Bunting. In Botany Bay Wood amongst the commoner woodland species were a singing Cuckoo, a male Bullfinch and a pair of Grey Partridge. I heard a slightly unfamiliar song coming from oil seed field north east of Bartonmoss Farm. Bizarrely, there had been an arm chair dumped by the road here and I was able to rest for a short while and use my telescope to the pick up the songster - a Tree Sparrow. Morning on the mosses are full of bird song with birds such as Lapwings, Skylarks, Whitethroat, Song Thrush, Blackcap and Yellowhammers adding to the highly tuneful soundtrack.

On the fields were small flocks of Stock Dove, Lesser Black Backed Gulls & Carrion Crows. The latter flew up in alarm and gave away the presence of a pair of Common Buzzard, circling over Twelve Yards Wood. Also on Chat Moss, a pair of Shelduck were on the fields at Olive Mount Farm.

Astley Peat Pools were full of Plover activity - with busy Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers giving close views for identification and Lapwing chicks being looked after by watchful parents.

The brook and pools by the opencast workings site southwest of Boothstown added several more species including several singing Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings, pair of Tufted Duck and a pair of Mute Swans.

From here, I made my way along the Bridgewater Canal cycleway hearing my first Chiffchaffs of the day. During a drink break by Booths Hall Bridge I had superb views of a Willow Tit (identitifed by its' strong pale wing panels), this was followed by Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay and Long tailed Tit in Bittern Pits Wood, and the overcast and rainy conditions had brought large numbers of hirundines - Sand and House Martins and Swallows - and Swifts over the reedy pools northwest of Alder Forest. An excellent finish to the day was a Kingfisher at the picturesque Dukes Wharf.

Altogether 59 species were recorded despite the northwesterly winds and sometimes constant drizzle during the afternoon and evening.

Thanks to Judith Smith, Ian McKercher and Geoff Hargreaves for their pre-race information and advice.

The total had the potential to be quite a lot more if done more planning and weather had been better, but the bar has been set and I'm already looking forward to next year.

If anyone is interested in doing their own Eco Bird Race next year, and even making it into a local conservation fund raising event, let me know here or at: ecobirdrace@planet-save.com

James Walsh




-- Edited by EcoBirdRacer at 12:23, 2007-05-07