Sleep seemed to slip from my grasp around 4.30am, and I feel that the extra quiet that snow brings awoke me.

A wander outside, the world of wildlife was being coated in white – camera, snowflakes and then sleepiness returned.

Later than I had planned, the snow was already being ‘contained’ by milder conditions yet the wildlife still had to contend with yet another challenging day…

A wander along an old loop of the Irwell then westward along the Ship Canal to Cadishead allowed me the privilege of seeing how those ‘365 day out there in ALL elements birds’ were coping in their world.

A black-headed gull surveyed the world from a nearby rooftop until a magpie chased it off. Then a tufted duck tucked its head under its own feathered duvet to avoid any conflict.

A house sparrow emerged from the lovely jumble of dogwood that stands along the north bank of the ‘old river’. A common gull (in truth quite a rarity in our area) found time to preen while more common black-headed gulls took their ease at the Irlam Locks. A cormorant hung its wings out to dry and a stand of mimosa held its own against the melting snow.