We’re all used to seeing pigeons scattered all over Manchester.
Piccadilly Gardens is a haven for the feathered beasts, you can barely walk down Market Street without getting hit in the face with a bird, and they love picking through your McDonald’s leftovers at St Ann’s Square.
But commuters this morning were surprised to find themselves quite literally face-to-face with a pigeon.
A mystery man boarded a Metrolink tram heading between Chorlton and Manchester city centre with his feathered friend in tow.
The passenger was photographed with an actual pigeon perched on his shoulder, like a greyscale chubby parrot.
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The man was spotted riding the Metrolink with his pet pigeon in tow. Credit: Submitted
One eye-witness who got in touch with The Manc said that people ‘barely batted an eyelid’ at the strange sight.
They added: “I saw a video of him the other day when he goes in a shop he puts the pigeon down and it waits for him like a f***ing dog.”
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The man, and his pet pigeon, are often spotted out an about around Manchester, but seeing the bird quite that close on your morning commute is a bit of a surprise.
Someone who saw presumably the same pairing (unless there’s two of them, which we doubt) earlier this week tweeted: “It’s too early for a man to get on the tram with a pigeon on his shoulder.”
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A spokesperson for TfGM said: “We are planning a pilot to allow dogs on trams but sadly there no plans to expand this to pigeons.”
Metrolink recently revealed plans to test dogs being allowed on the tram network for the first time since 1992.
Currently, all animals are banned from the service, apart for service animals.
Featured image: Submitted
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A rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ will appear in the sky for the final time tonight – here’s when to catch it
In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.
Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.
The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.
But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.
Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained
Look up tonight for something sweet!
The full Strawberry Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes for the time of year that berries ripen, will take to the night skies on June 10-11. pic.twitter.com/GKr41bGUUV
Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.
The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.
Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) June 10, 2025
Why so low, moon-face?
As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…
“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”
With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.
Speaking of…
When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?
Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.
However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.
The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.
In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.
Manchester’s newest scissor-themed pizzeria will be giving out free haircuts this Father’s Day… genuinely.
We know it sounds a little strange, especially as we unusually described the restaurant as ‘scissor-themed’, but stay with us on this one.
One of Manchester‘s most exciting new openings so far this year, Forbici, has aptly announced that it’ll be treating dads who dine with them to free haircuts on Father’s Day this Sunday.
Forbici – which literally translates to ‘scissors’ in Italian… get it now? – opened its doors in the heart of the city centre last month, and is already making waves in Manchester’s foodie scene thanks to the fact it serves up every pizza with a pair of scissors.
Forbici is giving out free haircuts to dads who dine there on Father’s Day / Credit: The Manc Group
The restaurant specialises in authentic Neapolitan pizza made by master bakers and fermentors, using ingredients straight from Naples, but what makes this place a little different to the norm is that, staying true to tradition, each pizza is served in quarters and snipped with pizza scissors right at the table.
Given that scissors are such an integral part of Forbici, now it provides you with a bit more context as to why its latest Father’s Day collaboration is so clever.
Forbici has teamed up with respected Manchester-based barbershop, Urban Gent, to give any dad who dines in at on Father’s Day the chance to walk away with more than just a full belly, as they’ll also receive a voucher for a free professional haircut.
After enjoying a signature Neapolitan-inspired pizza from Forbici’s curated menu this Sunday, dads will be able to redeem their stylish surprise when settling the bill.
The voucher – covering the cost of a standard ‘haircut’ service – will be valid for a full month between 15 June to 15 July 2025, giving dads plenty of time to book a trim.