It’s good to see animals visiting city
HOW do you feel about the urban fox?
Is it a real pain, knocking your bins over and leaving bin bags shredded and all your rubbish spread across the back garden?
Or is it an absolute treat to see the countryside coming into our streets and gardens?
Regular readers will know I am in the latter camp.
I am often quizzed about urban wildlife in all its guises.
We have seen pictures of a fox in Media City and heard stories about bins being raided at night.
Peregrines have nested on top of tall buildings in Manchester, where there are feral pigeons to feed on.
What joy to know that the world’s fastest creature is breeding here.
We have had reports of otters along the banks of the Ship Canal and the Irwell in the city too.
It wouldn’t be a surprise as rivers tend to be a pathway from wilder areas, so the odd otter may pass through on the hunt for food.
This pathway idea is one of the reasons that wildlife wander into our towns and cities.
Railway lines need a bit of space around them, and these areas are maintained once or twice a year.
It leaves an ideal habitat for many birds and animals, definitely used by foxes.
I was told last week by The Lancashire Badger Group that they rescued a badger from the Arndale Centre a couple of years ago and returned it to its natural habitat.
We have reports of ravens in Wigan town centre. The raven is a relatively rare bird in towns and is a larger version of our local crows and jackdaws. One pair even built a nest on top of the DW Stadium, despite all the noise.
If you work in a town and city it is nice in spring and summer to try and get in a bit early, have a coffee, and sit and listen to the amazing orchestras of songbirds – blackbird, robin, great tit and wren.
It will give you a lift before heading into the office. Over the decades we have filched much of the habitats of our wildlife. It’s nice to know they don’t bear a grudge and are happy to share our new developments with us.
To become a member of The region’s Wildlife Trust, go to the website www.lancswt.org.uk, or call 01772 324129.