As prices rise and the news landscape offers up increasingly complex and emotionally taxing stories from inside our borders and beyond, we need the sanctuary of green space more than ever. One thing the North of England has always had to offer is its landscapes filled with wildlife - albeit not in the abundance that it once was due to the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
While Greater Manchester isn’t usually associated with nature as it conjures images of industrial development - this is now largely abandoned, repurposed, or ruined. Across the mill chimneys of Rochdale, Oldham, Bolton and the smaller towns surrounding them, kestrels, cormorants and gulls roost or survey the landscape in search of food. It is the same picture with the waterways, as swans, geese, herons and waders inhabit man-made canals, lodges, mill ponds and reservoirs.
One of the most heavily birded places in Greater Manchester is Elton Reservoir. For years, it has provided a sanctuary for working class birders to learn about wildlife and share their findings. In 2008, these dedicated naturalists recorded 141 bird species in and around the reservoir. These sightings included increasingly rare birds such as pied flycatchers, whooper swans, and the red-breasted merganser. Discovering and identifying these many species is the collective result of spotting skills honed over many years of tramping around the British countryside.
There is indeed an art to birding, as it isn’t just about standing in a field and waiting for a bird to fly past (although sometimes it is!) It involves engaging all of your senses to identify calls and flight patterns, knowledge of plumage that changes according to season, and understanding of minuscule differences between species that look the same to everyone else.
Birds like pipits, warblers, waders, and gulls are particularly tricky to tell apart - as there’s always a possibility that it could be a new patch tick. This always excites birders as it means that a new species has come to their area, and they don’t need to travel anywhere to see it. For those who can’t afford to travel to see wildlife, it makes a huge difference and birds like this can be regularly seen at Elton Reservoir.
As an avid wildlife lover who has lived in and around Manchester since I was a fresh-faced 19-year-old, I know there aren’t many semi-urban places where you can almost guarantee finding so many species like this. Usually, you’d need to head to the coast, an island, or a dedicated reserve to find new ticks on your birding list. The issue is that this takes time and money.
However, this is not a problem for the middle-class or upper-class birders who generally make up the ‘twitchers’ who traverse the country as soon as they hear that an unusual species has landed here. Unsurprisingly, it is nearly all men in their 50s and 60s who have the freedom to regularly go on twitches. As a thirty-something woman with a young child and a job, I only ever look for wildlife in my local area or while on an occasional holiday.
For many people who grew up working class, chasing birds around the UK and beyond is simply pie in the sky. That’s why we learn our craft in our local patch - much like Chris Packham did while he was growing up in Southampton. Urban wildlife can also be more confiding, as it is used to living alongside humans which lessens the need for expensive scopes and long lenses. This is why places like Elton Reservoir are perfect, it isn’t too large of an area and there are usually other birdwatchers around who can help you with ID or post their finds on bird forums.
Sadly, it is also a prime example of what we stand to lose - as it has been approved as the location for 3,500 homes under the Places for Everyone scheme. While this decision is being challenged by a greenbelt campaign group, it is hard to believe that there won’t be any houses built on one of the largest pieces of countryside within Bury, as it has been discussed for years now.
When we develop urban green spaces that are easy to access via walking or public transport, as well as being free, it makes birdwatching only accessible to the middle classes who have the time and money for equipment, memberships, and petrol. As the nearest RSPB reserve is over an hour's drive away, the opportunity to nurture young birders and environmentalists with the rare species of bird that I've seen there will also be lost. The reality is that high-quality urban wildlife hotspots are rare to find and Elton Reservoir is one of the best in Greater Manchester.
We need everyone to fight for nature, so we shouldn’t be excluding anyone from the race at the start. Community should always be at the heart of any conservation project and with so many people willing to preserve the landscapes of the North, nobody is better equipped than those who live there. Wildlife can be put at the heart of development - but we need to be its voice.
All images: Jennifer Sizeland
