IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Mount Sion Road, MANCHESTER, M26 3SJ

The River Irwell passing the back of Mount Sion Road, to the south of Radcliffe.

This footbridge over the River Irwell at Radcliffe has long since been closed for access. Although of steel framework construction, the treads are wooden and moss covered. Some have even rotted away and gaps can be seen.

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck, and an orange bill with black at the base of it. It breeds across most of the UK and may be seen anywhere there is a shallow lake, or a slow-flowing river or canal, even in urban areas and parks. Mute Swans are less vocal than other swans but, despite the name, they are certainly not “mute”, making a variety of grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises.

The overgrown canal between Radcliffe and Little Lever is an ideal habitat for moorhens, providing still freshwater with reeds and bushy ground-cover; the canal here is well-populated with moorhens as well as their cousin, the coot, as well as mallards, geese and swans. Unlike mallards, moorhens and coots are not ducks but are members of the rail family Rallidae. Coots and moorhens are similar in size and colour of plumage but, whereas the Coot is mostly black and has a distinctive white front face shield and beak, the Moorhen has dark brown back wings and a more bluish-black belly. They also have a red frontal face shield and beak with a yellow tip. Moorhens also have and long, green legs. Moorhens take their common name, not from the moor as it suggests (they are seldom seen in a moorland habitat). In this case, moor is possibly a corruption of ‘mere’ (meaning water), hence the bird’s alternative common name of water hen (hen because the bird’s feet are like those of a hen). http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/m/moorhen/ RSPB https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_moorhen Wikipedia

This is the same bird shown in Image The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), or just mandarin, is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan. They were introduced to the UK from China and, following escapes from captivity in the 20th century, a large feral population became established in south, central and eastern England; more recently small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. The male has the most elaborate and ornate plumage with distinctive long orange feathers on the side of the face, orange 'sails' on the back, and pale orange flanks. The female is dull by comparison with a grey head and white stripe behind the eye, brown back and mottled flanks. http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/m/mandarin/ RSPB

Perched on a piece of wood on the bank of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal between Radcliffe and Little Lever, this brightly coloured duck stood out from the mallards and geese around it. see also:Image] and Image It is almost certainly a Mandarin Duck with its distinctive long orange feathers on the side of the face although it is leaner and less brightly coloured than most other photos I have seen of this species, probably because it is an escapee from a collection (although not clear in this photograph, its right leg was ringed). The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), or just mandarin, is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan. They were introduced to the UK from China and, following escapes from captivity in the 20th century, a large feral population became established in south, central and eastern England; more recently small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. The male has the most elaborate and ornate plumage with distinctive long orange feathers on the side of the face, orange 'sails' on the back, and pale orange flanks. The female is dull by comparison with a grey head and white stripe behind the eye, brown back and mottled flanks. http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/m/mandarin/ RSPB

The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal between Nickerhole and Scotson Fold.