Collected Bazzo and got down to Marshside a bit before high tide today - water levels on the marsh very high now, with little mud for waders to feed on.
Common Sandpiper around the Sandgrounders hide - Neill had a few earlier in the day.
Plus three Sand Martins hawking amongst the Swallows, House Martins and Swifts.
Only a handful of Avocets about, so Bazzo and I went up to Mount Baker to watch the estuary mouth as the tide came in.
We were joined by Neill and John Aitchison.
Good numbers of Common Tern, a Sandwich Tern, Great Crested Grebe and a very distant Gannet was all we managed until the next cloudburst literally battered us off Baker.
The late news that a Yellow Nosed Albatross had been released unannounced in Somerset at 4pm yesterday was all we needed to hear - soaking wet and seriously gripped off.
As the boys headed for home, I walked down to Nels for an hour or so - at least you couldn't get any wetter in the hide.
Mr Blobby the Little Owl poked his head above the parapet in between thunderous showers on top of Stanley School, but it was pretty quiet.
Closer to the hide, the ringed Ringed Plover was still about, with one or two Avocets and a small flock of 12 Blackwits.
All the ducks are now deep in eclipse plumage, making the Mallards especially attractive.
A male Ruddy Duck sailed out of the reeds for a few minutes, followed shortly after by the female Tufted Duck at the top of this entry, with eight ducklings in tow.
As the rain bounced off the water they learnt how to dive for food - it was probably drier underwater today.
Quick look from Hesketh Road later produced a small gull roost of commoner species, circling female Sprawk, a conversation with John Bannon and a singing Reed Warbler in the SSSI ditch.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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2 adult Roseate Terns, 17.40pm, by looking through the fence at Seaforth from the Crosby Marina side.
Plus Kittiwake, Fulmar (in the Mersey mouth), and 3 Common Sandpipers.