New report published reveals changes to water birds using the River Irwell In 2018, Kersal Wetlands (28-hectare flood basin that lies within a meander of the River Irwell and includes 5 hectares of urban wetland habitat) was constructed as part of a flood protection scheme at the site of the…

Rivers up and down the country provide important habitats for a wide variety of species, including invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals. In the North West, the River Irwell in Greater Manchester provides a particular haven for wintering ducks, with regionally significant numbers of goldeneye and tufted ducks being recorded. The…

Many of us have wonderful childhood memories of dipping nets into rivers and streams and marvelling at the different forms of life that we caught.  Who would guess that we have a group of volunteers doing the same thing in Greater Manchester, thereby creating a scientifically robust water quality data…

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has recently published the outputs of a study which helps Irwell Catchment Partnership members and others to understand the water quality issues within the River Irwell catchment and the opportunities to make water quality improvements. The Evidence & Measures study brings together existing data packages,…

The Woodland Trust held a Bioblitz on May 27th 2017 at Smithills Estate to call on volunteers to help them count as many wildlife species as possible, in just 24 hours. The counting of wildlife was led by Greater Manchester Ecology Unit and supported by the Natural Course project. By…