Moorhen spotted nesting with eggs on Oldham shopping trolley

The moorhen, which has a UK conversation status of amber and is protected by law, was spotted nesting with eggs on an overturned trolley in the Rochdale Canal.

The trolley was in the Rochdale Canal near Foxdenton Lane.

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Maria, who lives in Firwood said she was “sad that it was having to make its nest that way but overjoyed at her ability to adapt to her surroundings”.

According to the RSPB, Moorhens are blackish with a red and yellow beak. Their legs are green in colour.

Moorhens feed on water plants, seeds, fruit, grasses, insects, snails, worms, and even small fish and are between 32 to 35cm in length.

The Rochdale Canal has been described as the ‘dirtiest’ by some boaters, including one Manchester dad who found his trip up the canal marred by rubbish.

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The canal was originally completed in December 1804. It travels 32 miles between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, going via Failsworth, Chadderton, Rochdale, Todmorden, and Hebden Bridge on its way.

The moorhen and its nest (Image: Maria Flynn)

The canal was restored and reopened to boats in 2002 after a restoration project which ended 50 years of the canal being unnavigable.

Obstacles included motorways and road blockages, and some parts of the canal had even been filled with concrete.

The canal was originally used to carry coal, produce, and materials for the textile industry between towns. The canal ‘towpath’ was used for just that – horses would be attached to boats which would be towed along.

Road and rail came to replace the canal’s usefulness for cargo, leading to its original closure. Now, the canal is used for leisure by boaters, walkers, and cyclists alike.