The Inkwell#promptuarium #Lockdown #birds
The birds are having a whale of a time
perched as they are on the quay fencing
taking in the rays
of the warm summer sunshine
their only dilemma for today
is when their waiter service is returning
for its great hopping to the waters for take out
but they’re missing their seeds of gold
and some of them have their feathers in a frizz….
word on the bridge is – its down to a bug
point him out they say – we want our feeders back!
Salford 9th April 2020
The wildlife of the locality
have had their free reign
with everyone inside
and no sight of rain
swooping around
enjoying the air
landing on rooftops
without a care
meeting up with old pals
on a moonlit street
the pickings are meagre
there’s no one to greet
watching the geese and ducks
out on parade
spotting scattered birdseed
heading off on a raid
As its the start of winter, at the toolshed (home of the inkwell)
A piece of artwork on seasonal migration….some of the birds have flown south
The ducks, geese and swans (as usual) have decided to stay by the canal basin
(Attracted no doubt by the free feed cast across the centenary walkway ! 🙂 )
Poem 2 of the word art project – If there’s a topic you would like me to cover – drop me a line on here THANKS!
#poetry #salford #docks #geese #swans #ducks #breakfast
What attracts our feathered friends
to the dock on a sunday morning
you would think they’d be happy
simply swimming over the surface
of the calm waters of the canal
Could it be the man from the council
Spreading sensational delights
on their favourite meeting spot ?
“Move the Camera”
Its funny how a couple of steps, or a turn of the body can change the view of what you are capturing.
I was stood by the pontoon of the watersports centre on Salford Quays, when the Canada Geese came up the centenary walkway for their elevenses.
In they came one after the other, heading for a grassy spot by the pontoon where a water bailiff had generously left some bird food across it. They all ate like royalty, and then waddled back down the walkway to the watersports centre, where they hopped in and out of the canal basins
Salford, 3rd February 2018
Detritus floating en-masse down the ship canal
Readily aided by the boats and the water
Is floating aimlessly towards the basin gates
Full stop only happening upon hitting the booms where each stick gangs
Together forming a pretty pattern on the
Waters surface
Overjoyed geese, plunder the booty, piling
One large stick on top of another till a safe place for eggs has been built, whilst
Downstream, a boat with a foriegn name (and crane) is coming to pick up the leftovers
Canada Geese by Welland Lock, Salford Quays
waiting for the warden to arrive
eyes fixed on a patch of green
and a whole load of swans jumping the dinner queue
Signals are clear
dinner wont be long now
their feathered friends are moving….quickly
#weather #water #reflections #poetry
Salford, 15th May 2017
You could almost mistake them for the real thing
confused Canada geese try to eat them as an appetiser before lunch
they seem to float gently on the waters edge
easy pickings for our feathered friends
Bubbles arise from deep below
but clever fish they do not show
as anglers sit along canal bank
the hiding oxygenator fish have to thank
but with one move of a beak
illusions are shattered –
disappearing in ripples
across the water
Salford, 25th January 2017
in response to the daily prompt
i never realised my home city was such a magnet for birds, particularly waterfowl
pigeons are normally the first thing I’d spot,
sparrows usually nest in the small fir trees 🌲 In the front garden
today a blackbird said hello, hopping about from tree to tree with his distinctive yellow beak. He pecked around the hardened lawn looking for the odd worm 🐛 or caterpillar 🐛 for breakfast,
and at Christmas we were visited by a robin redbreast who hopped in and out of the house 🏡 on the look out for food 🥘
he enjoyed nibbling on the bits of bird seed cake 🎂 left on the windowsill
a family of song thrushes is now occupying the fir tree in the front garden, and I can’t wait for early spring to arrive, as new life hatches in front of its mum and dad high up in the trees 🌲
The colour soon returns in the spring as blue birds and canaries descend on the lawns , grasses and gardens in my hometown. It’s an ideal time for the birds 🐦 and is great for the flowers 🌺 as they get pollinated as the feathered friends go for the prize of their nectar.
living by a river and a ship 🚢 canal, I see plenty of seabirds around the water, Canada geese are most in abundance, and can be seen on the basin in packs going for the spoils left for the rest of the wildfowl. Tourists sandwiches can now be denoted as endangered due the curiousity of these brown feathered greedy guts! But I humour them all the same…as being chased by an irate mother goose is not what I call fun
alongside the geese are a family of swans. They have grown in number since I first saw them by the quayside. They’re relatively quiet, but this doesn’t stop the adolescent ones having sibling rivalry on the centenary pathway…common cause of the fights…scraps (by that I mean the bits of food 🥘 left by those sat by the waterside)
finally there are two different sea 🌊 birds 🐦 I see parked on the orange coloured buoys by the basin lock booms. The first, a heron is practically the veteran of the entire group, as he took up residence just after the waters were cleaned up, and he’s been living on the dock since then. It’s fun seeing him dive for sprats in the basin. The newest arrival, a black cormorant landed around the lock gates last summer…and he hasn’t left…I get the sense he likes the waters round my neck of the woods.
Salford , 16th January 2017
Picture of the Manchester ship canal’s Centenary Pathway on Salford Quays
Taken on my way home from Imperial War Museum North – on the other side of the water.
It might seem a heck of a hike – but this is the start of my path home from the museum.
Having crossed over the Millennium Bridge on the Trafford Side, I go over one or two bridges on my way home
Depending on which path I take – I pass Manchester United’s Football Ground. As you can see – this is an old photo but it shows the short distance from the stadium to home – The stadium is at the top of Trafford Road (which changes into Sir Matt Busby Way) whilst I live half way down the road by the Nearby Health Centre.
Home is just a short walk up the Garden path after I’ve reached the cul-de-sac.
