Salford is the favourite to be the first of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs to adopt an official borough bird as part of “The Perfect Ten”; ten bird species to represent the ten boroughs.

James Walsh, aka The Mancunian Birder, of the GMBCR Project said “The people of Salford have taken to the Perfect Ten concept like a cygnet to water! I know from my Salford docker heritage that the Salford people are the “can-do people” and this has proven to be the case. There have been some great contributions to the campaign for the Mute Swan to be the official bird of the Salford borough from photos on social media to merchandise, and there is also talk of a film. The concept of “A Bird For The Borough” has also been discussed at Salford Council and with Paul Dennett, the Salford Mayor.”

“Salford is the “engine room” of Greater Manchester and I was not surprised when Andrew Western recently stated at the Chamber of Commerce Natural Capital Conference that Salford is taking the lead on the “Greater Manchester Green City Region” agenda. As the song says… Salford never lets you down!”

“We chose the Mute Swan as it represents the waterways – the essential wildlife corridors that connect all the habitats – such as the River Irwell, the Manchester Ship Canal and the Bridgewater Canal.

“This species also represents the new Kersal Wetlands and the Country Parks such as Blackleach and Clifton. There is now an annual Salford Mute Swan Day on 7th April and in the recent survey the Mute Swan was a popular choice with 79% agreeing with this selection for Salford.”

“There are many amazing birds that we could have chosen for an initial selection for Salford, especially residents of the internationally important mosslands such as the Buzzard, also known as the Salford Eagle.

Image credit: Salford Wildlife

“I hope that we have started a very intriguing debate about what bird truly represents the Salford borough. I’m very interested to see any future public consultation results from Salford Council.”

“Hopefully, Salford’s positive attitude towards the wider “Perfect Ten” campaign can be inspirational for all the Greater Manchester boroughs.”

“The Greater Manchester Birding City Region Project aim is for all ten boroughs to announce their official borough bird prior to Manchester Festival of Nature 2022, scheduled to be in Heaton Park in June 2022.”

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