Nature’s miracles could rock your Easter stroll
OVER the Easter weekend I will be spending a lot of time wandering around the streets of Manchester, while spotting little wildlife miracles.
It is Manchester Punk Festival time, with 140 acts across seven venues, with nature-friendly bands like King Prawn, Coral Springs and the Midwich Cuckoos on the menu.
But it is also a good chance to look out for some urban wildlife, in the parks and gardens around Manchester Museum and the universities.
You will see a lot of people dressed in colourful clothing sitting in All Saints Park over the weekend.
Of course, this is also a good opportunity to stop dancing for a moment to take in the bird song and meet some local sparrows, blackbirds, pied wagtails and many others.
Look out for some early insects, with bees and butterflies buzzing around as March turns to April. And you will definitely see squirrels.
Last year, I got out into the fresh air to watch a grey squirrel seeking food around some of the grand buildings attached to the museum. These mammals do get a bad rap as they are an introduced species in the UK, but for many of us they are the only wild mammal we will ever see in our own parks and gardens.
The city centre is a good hunting ground for urban foxes. They are happy to raid bins and eat any old fast food that we may have dropped.
It’s not the best diet for these beautiful animals but they need to survive and feed their young, particularly when those spring cubs are calling out for food.
While working close to the People’s History Museum, on the Manchester/Salford border, a couple of workmen told me they had been watching otters on the side of the River Irwell, in the city centre. Those mammals may have just been passing though because rivers, canals and railway lines make excellent pathways for animals - and plants.
There are parks and tree-lined avenues in the city where you will experience rousing dawn choruses if you are up early. Getting into town to avoid the traffic will give you an excuse to wander around listening to the birds, before anyone is around.
And dawn and dusk are great times to spot an urban mammal, like the wily fox, as they seek food away from prying eyes of humanity. Our city really is alive with wildlife.