I'd no sooner got my scope and bins and walked to the car when the first big blobby blobs of thundery rain started fall....luckily it held off during an hour or so at Marshside late this afternoon.
And it wasn't bad - considering the summer lull was in full swing.
A Common Sandpiper was feeding in front of the Sandgrounders hide, as were 30 or so Blackwits, when they weren't preening.
Growing numbers of Tufties on the Sandplant Pools, with the squadron of feral geese, Mallards now looking scabby beyond belief, and one of the Teal mothers out with her chick north of Sandgrounders hide.
Avocets and Oystercatchers making a right racket - the former trying to keep their ever more independent chicks in check, the latter just freaking out in a yelping, scurrying mob of four birds.
Three Curlews dropped in high from the north.
The Pyramidal orchid (in the same place as last year) is going over now, but there were two flower heads.
A Cinnabar moth by the walls of the Sandplant, (Clarko told me there'd been a Large Skipper in the same area in the sunshine yesterday) plus Whitethroat, Sedgies and Reed Buntings in the usual spots.
A Little Egret was on the outer marsh as were 20+ hawking Swifts, a flock of at least 30 post breeding Linnets were feeding further out, flushed by a Kestrel.
Right out to the north the gull colony off Hesketh Bank was a blizzard of birds - I wonder how they and the terns got on this year?
Several fledged young were with adult Black Headeds on Polly's Pool.
Top marks to this Moorhen for finding the best place to nest on the marsh.
The Glossy Ibis was out on Marshside Two, but lurked out of sight for a good while before preening up by Polly's Pool, then flying nearer to the Sandgrounders hide.
Several Brown Hares loping around the long summer vegetation - always nice to see 'em too.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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Ken Lewis wrote...
Only 4 Swifts hawking above Waterpark Road, Prenton last night, with House Martins lower down.
A female Blackbird still on eggs in honeysuckle in my back garden.
Posted by: Ken Lewis | June 25, 2008 10:39 AM