Bird is the word at Ashton's Field

A recent bird survey at Ashton’s Field has found 836 individual birds at the popular walking spot in Walkden.

Volunteers who conducted the 2019 breeding bird survey with the Wildlife Trust had extremely positive results, identifying 31 different species of bird, three of which are red listed species.

Ashton’s field is a hidden oasis in Salford. Previously a colliery, it was transformed into a park and transferred to the Land Trust in 2007.

Unsurprisingly, the most common species spotted was the blackbird, along with wrens and robins. However, good numbers of summer visitors were found on site, including chiffchaffs, willow warblers, whitethroats and blackcaps.

One of the reasons for the impressive results is down to people who feed the birds in their gardens which surround the site.

Sarah Palgrave-Neath, Estates Manager at the Land Trust, said:

“It’s excellent to hear so many birds have made Ashton’s Field their home.

“The park is a great place for nature despite its urban setting, and the local volunteers work extremely hard to ensure the park continues to improve and encourage biodiversity.”

The team will be surveying butterflies over the coming months and welcome anyone interested in getting involved.

Stephen Cartwright, Ashton’s Field Ranger, said:

“Butterfly surveying is a really easy and pleasurable thing to do and they are very distinct, so we can teach you how to identify the different species very quickly.

“If you can spare an hour each week to walk around the site with a butterfly net we’d love to hear from you!”

For more information, or if you’d like to get involved, please contact Stephen Cartwright on 01204 663 754 or email scartwright@lancswt.org.uk.

A full list of  bird species found is below.