A SWAN'S feathers were ruffled when it mistook a wet motorway for a stretch of water.
Drivers had to take avoiding action when the huge bird stopped on the M62 at Whitefield.
The swan then calmly walked to the hard shoulder.
Minutes later a police patrol arrived to discover the driver of a red Volvo moving slowly along the hard shoulder, to shield the swan from passing cars.
A second police Range Rover arrived and the three vehicles drove behind, alongside and in front of the bird to block its way onto the motorway.
A police officer then threw his jacket and a blanket over the bird and held the swan until an RSPCA official arrived.
A police spokesman said: "Apparently swans see the wet road surface and land thinking the motorway is either a river or pond."
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