Unlikely birdspotting

I was surprised enough to see a Greater Spotted Woodpecker in Moss Side last autumn, but today I got a really glorious bit of urban birdlife. Walking down the banks of the Irwell near the Lowry Hotel, I saw a rapid flash of turquoise, which zipped fast along the river, low above the water and off under Blackfriars Bridge. I thought I must be fantasising to think it could be a kingfisher, but several posts on the Manchester Birding Forum confirm that there have been a number of sightings on that stretch - right in the heart of the city. Wow.



Image pinched from some birding forum but copyright Cook Images.