A quick visit to Cambridge to see some electrofishing done by the environment agency, the haul was quite poor a good sized pike the best. But they also caught a small dace, roach and a bullhead. A quick blast up to Weeting where six stone curlews were present but only one stoat again showing well but distant.
28th June
With the tell tale signs of the hedgehog in the garden recently I had been putting out soaked cat biscuits in the garden, and tonight he showed while I was still up, allowing me to get a couple of photos before he ran off.
27th June
After a full english to start the day we headed over to Portland, we parked at Cheyen Wears and took a walk, we quickly found a fox it was a vixen with three cubs but she was weary and we never got in photo range. Our target was wall lizards and we quickly found three during our short walk, two vocal peregrines were patrolling the cliffs agitated by some climbers, no issues the young are fledged. Next stop was Broadcroft Quarry a mile or so away, where we quickly found the Silver Studded Blue ssp cretaceus. We then visited Abbotsbury to see the Swans thanks to Tesco clubcard vouchers we got in very cheaply. We were in time for the midday feed of a few hundred mute swans and some hangers on, mostly canada geese but also a few black swans and bar headed geese and a selection of common ducks. After a couple of stops we reached Arne RSPB where a short walk produced our target of a dozen or so Sika deer and a family of green woodpeckers before heading home.
26th June
A rather early start to get down to West Bay in Dorset for the Lyme Bay pelagic Cruise. I was not looking forward to the trip as regular readers will know I get very ill on boats. I was drugged up and had all sorts of gizmos to counteract the sea sickness but I need not have worried as the sea was incredibly calm and visibility very good. Our target was white beaked dolphins which are regularly seen in the area. We spotted a starling with an elongated beak on the dock as we waited to embark. John Dixon was also on the trip and had dipped on a previous trip but the weather was not as good as today. We quickly had two harbour porpoises and we left the shelter of the bay, it was very hot and after a couple of hours we reached their favoured area encountering a selection of gulls and a few gannets on the way. We followed the edge of the deeper water west for a few hours but no signs of dolphins, a few manx shearwaters and storm petrels were seen. The trip was extended a bit to check out an area further west but nothing, we followed the same route back and just as we were all flagging in the heat John called dolphins, I was quickly on to them but they were a little distant. The skipper moved the boat so they were a couple of hundred metres away and a small group (six and a youngster) of white beaked dolphins started showing well and they actively sought the boat to bow ride and spent the next 40 minutes interacting with the boat before they left. Very little happened on the way back to West Bay. Back on dry land it was time for some chips before heading to our B&B in Weymouth via Radipole Lake RSPB but noting was happening apart from eerie sea mist descending on the town.
25th June
A brief revisit to see the red eared terrapins locally also produced a brown rat.
23rd June
A visit to my parents was the perfect opportunity to drop into see the red helleborines and there was one in perfect flower. Plenty of grey squirrels around and on the way to my parents dozens of red kites.
22nd June
A quick look at Glapthorn cow pasture on the way home where the black hairstreaks were performing mostly high up in the bushes but a couple did come down to the bramble to be photographed. A brief stop at a site closer to home was rewarded with my first reptile of the year a red eared slider in a small pool which had a single bee orchid growing nearby.
21st June
With no news I headed up to Cley to see if the flamingos were still present, at Wiveton I stopped for a weasel running down the road (I have not seen one for at least six months then two in a week) but by the time I had the camera it had gone and did not reappear in the 20 mins I waited. On to Cley but no sign of the flamingos, rumors of their departure early morning were not firmed up but they had clearly departed at some stage. I took a wander down the east bank plenty of bearded tits and a family of sedge warblers and a spoonbill and little stint on Arnolds Marsh. Another spoonbill was also present on another pool just past Walsey hills.
20th June
The day was almost all touristy stuff after a leisurely start, a red kite on our journey to the east coast to see the feral barnacle geese and they were quite easy to track down. On the way home we stopped at Straw Bridge to see the showy great reed warbler however despite it calling almost continually it did not show well at all and we only got brief views and some blurry photos until it seemed to go to roost. A black rabbit was seen at Cambridge services and a roe deer at the edge of the village to complete the weekend with some mammals at last.
19th June
I was in Yorkshire for a social weekend, but I managed a day out on Saturday to pop up the road to Kirby Stephen to try and locate the free flying parrots that roam the town. There was no sign during a morning search so I visited a couple of sites locally to find some orchids, small white, heath fragrant, northern marsh and common spotted orchid were all located. Another site also produced a redstart and a couple of hares. On returning to Kirby Stephen I took a walk down the river and found grey wagtails and dipper as you would expect and nesting spotted flycatchers which I did not. I wandered further a field and had yet more spotted flycatchers some noisy grey herons and a couple of buzzards. Back in Kirby Stephen for some ice cream when I heard some parrots but they flew right across the sun so I could not make out the species. Walking round with binoculars and a big camera finally did the trick and a local asked if I was looking for the parrots and furnished me with some good gen. A few minutes later I was being shown some nest boxes put up for them, some young kestrels semi fledged were at home and one made a very dodgy test flight to a nearby tree. No parrots were at home but they were flying around, a green Amazon was too quick for the camera but scarlet macaws and a blue and gold macaw were a bit slower and I got some photos. They eventually landed in a distant tree.
17th June
After yet more car trouble, I managed to get to Weeting for a couple of hours, but stopped in traffic nearby I could see a stone curlew and it allowed a couple of photos. I arrived at Weeting and quickly had a stone curlew from the west hide. But that was not the object of my visit, and neither was a woodlark that put in a brief appearance. I only had to wait 30 mins before the first stoat came out to hunt the large numbers of rabbits present. It was a little distant and there was some heat haze but I got a few record shots, it was amusing watching the rabbits actually chase it. It showed well off and on until one excursion it was joined by a second stoat and they played together for a while. The stone curlew reappeared for a while and flyover hobby and buzzard were of interest.
16th June
I was working late so decided to head to Eldernell, a brief stop for ice cream before I wandered along the river. I quickly heard a corncrake across the river and as I wandered another. A few sedge warblers showed nicely with beaks full of insects. A cuckoo flew over and I wandered into a heard of young cows, which decided to follow me back towards the car. They inturn attracted attention from the cows across the river which alldecided to approach and flushed a corncrake the first I have seen in England and totally unexpected but too quick for the camera. A bittern also flushed decided to fly rather than run and allowed me to rattle off a couple of shots, a crane was calling but did not show itself. Time to move on and a muntjac on the access road. I arrived at Welches dam and took a wander, a barn owl was the highlight. I eventually heard my target another crake, this one spotted and it did not show, I only heard one but there are apparently more. A couple of bats were near the pub and when checked with the detector they were found to be soprano pipistrelles, and I got a badger crossing the road near home rounded off a really different evening.
15th June
Obviously the drake blue winged teal at Fen Drayton could not be avoided as I pass it on my commute to and from work. It was showing on my arrival although a little distant and it kept hiding behind vegitation. It got spooked and flew off with some teal which was my cue to go head for home.
13th June
One of my neighbours reported to me a spotted flycatcher nesting in their garden, so after work I paid them a visit and sure enough they were there. I spent 10 mins watching the male feeding before leaving with a few photos. I will keep tabs on them over the next couple of weeks.
A leisurely start saw me heading to one of the Broad reserves where the warden was leading a walk to see Fen Orchids and indeed we saw some (please go with the warden on an organised visit to avoid damage to the site). A couple of swallowtails and a painted lady the butterfly highlights. There was a good selection of dragonfly's present which were being chased by a hobby. I headed over to Strumpshaw Fen for better views of swallowtails which did perform during the lulls in the wind. A couple of Norfolk hawkers were found but whizzed past quickly in the wind, I stopped in the Fen hide for a while and within a few minutes an otter had briefly shown but after the initial sighting kept its head underwater producing rubbish photos.
11th June
After work with the lovely weather I headed to a Bedfordshire for orchids, a lesser whitethroat was a long overdue addition to the yearlist on the walk to the site. About 20 burnt orchids were present at the site along with some pyramidal orchids. The warm weather had brought out loads of butterflies and bees which made the walk back pretty good. I headed home via the quail site, as I pulled up a weasel was running up the road but had gone by the time I got to the camera. I could hear a quail almost straight away but did not see it and after about 20 mins I was about to leave when a cyclist cycled down the track and flushed the quail which flew 20m or so into the field. A couple of brown hares were also present but a little distant. Coming home just east of Royston, I narrowly avoided yobs throwing stones at cars, two others were hit with broken windscreens, I phoned the police but even if they get caught they will probably get a trip to Disneyland or some other such punishment!
10th June
I drove to South Essex for an evening of Badger watching with Don Hunford at his garden hide, I have been before and the views of badgers are amazing and tonight was just as good. The oldest (13) and rather frail badger arrived first to get a free feed and slowly over the next hour and a half almost all the badger family 10 adults and a cub put in an appearance for some food. A couple of cubs stayed away and were probably babysat by an adult. A wood mouse zoomed around nicking bits of food and a fox wanded through looking to steal an easy meal. After couple of hours and a few photos later it was time to head home after a cracking evening.
7th June
Although still exhausted from the holiday, I had a couple of things that warranted a visit on the way home from work, first stop was the white helleborines that the Graeme smith of the Stortford Crew had found last year and again this. I had never managed to visit before but found the site and quickly had several plants in different stages of flower a long overdue tick. A few spots of rain prompted my departure to Long Melford, where after a short wait the marsh warbler was seen and gave a brief song from the bushes. The views were OK but not stunning as can be the case with these birds, but a good local bird. Two turtle doves were present nice to see.
Tempted by the Blue winged teal I headed to Leicester stopping off on the way to see Sword Leaved Helleborine. On arrival at Groby Pool the female Blue winged teal was consorting with a drake shoveler. As to its credentials, if an american duck was on the Western Isles or Western Scotland then it have a good chance, but this one less so but who knows.
25nd May
A quick and productive visit once again to Rutland Water, where the two white winged black terns were quickly located but not very close. A quick look on Lagoon IV produced a temminck's Stint and a few blue tailed damselflies on the walk back.
22nd May
Getting up early to get to Kent for a dormouse box check. On arrival it was grey and misty and it stayed so for the whole morning. Most of the dormice boxes were occupied by blue and great tits butn one box we had three very torpid dormice which barely stirred during the weighing and photography. Onward to Dungness to see the purple herons resident there, after a short wait they became quite active and although a little distant record shots only. After an ice cream on the beach I headed to Beckley for a wander around the woods, a couple of fallow deer and a few butterflies but not much else, but I was checking for boar signs, there were a few. I met Simon West for an evening looking for wild boar but we struck out. A pipistrelle bat and a red fox at our stakeout. We walked a couple of tracks encountering a badger and a quick drive round produced nothing.
21st May
A brief stop on the way home at Berry Fen RSPB a continuing my exploration of local reserves. Nothing birdwise of any real note but insect wise it was quite busy with a cracking scarce chaser the pick.
18th May
An after work jaunt to Rutland water which aftea brief walk I found the buff breasted sandpiper but distantly with a couple of summer plumaged sanderling. A ruddy shelduck was on one of the islands but there was no sign of any osprey. I wandered to another hide much closer to hte sandpiper and got a few photos before returning to the visitor centre feeding station. Here a couple of tree sparrows were coming to the feeders along with mallard, brown rat, grey squirrel and a few assorted finches and tits.
16th May
Mike joined me at my house and we headed north to see some midwife toads these had been caught the night before so were a little easy. The tadpoles in the pond were a little harder but Mike caught one for photos. We dropped the toads of at mine so a few other people could see them and we headed off to see the Iberian chiff chaff it was a much colder afternoon and it only showed briefly. We tried our luck at Dungeness for the Purple Heron but in what was a very strong wind we stood little chance. We headed to the boar site to find little of the bait had been taken and again we waited in vain the rain stopping our fruitless wait. A drive round in the pouring rain was not very productive with wood mouse and common frog that had to be avoided with the car.
15th May
Mike Richardson was coming down intime for some evening boar watching so lunchtime I popped down to Walderslade and quickly caught up with the Iberian Chiff chaff, it showed well in the small clearing. A spotted flycatcher was an added bonus. I headed to Rainham for a wander round before meeting Mike. There was nothing or real note but plenty of warblers and a few marsh frogs. I managed to get an ice cream from a van in the estate before meeting up with MIke. We headed to the site and found some fresh signs, baited these and waited. It did not take long for our first mammal a rabbit followed by a feral ferrett and a fallow deer a nightingale tried its best but was only half hearted in its choral attempts. A fox was the next mammal followed by a pipistrelle bat but no sign or sound of the wild boar we had a drive round but saw nothing else until north of the Dartford crossing when we had a fox we parted company and I drove home, I had a fox cub near home before crawling into bed.
10th May
Work being quiet I popped out at lunchtime to Summerleys NR for a brief visit a black tern was roosting on a small island and a turnstone was busy turningstones, common sandpiper also dropped in for a visit. The wind was bitterly cold and I was underdressed for the conditions so after a look at the two drake garganey present I headed back to work. The news that the oriental pranticole was still present in Lincs was welcome and I finished work early and headed off, I arrived in good time this time wearing more appropriate cloting for the conditions. After a 15 min walk the oriental pratincole was seen hiding behind a patch of dock. But it was soon active moving round a little doing some small flights and eventually landing just infront of the small crowd allowing a few pics to be taken. I headed to the 360° hide where three curlew sandpipers were feeding a couple of dunlin were also present. Right infront of the hide were ringed and little ringed plovers several wheatear a small flock of yellow wagtails and some linnets. All really photogenic, they were joined by several ruff but all the gaudy males were more distant but still very impressive. Eventually with frostbite setting in I left for home.
9th May
I got off the ferry at Dover early evening and headed to Samphire Ho just outside Dover where within 10 mins I had located 30 or so Early Spider Orchids, but I could not stay long as I had to get home.
29th April
With the weather about to deteriorate and the bluethroat still present at Welney headed there for better views, and it obliged. It was a cracking morning and the bluethroat sang in view did some aerial displays in front of a small group of birdwatchers along with lots of reed and sedge warblers. Avocets, summer plumaged black tailed godwits and a fly through sparrowhawk kept us entertained as well. At least a dozen whooper swans were also present.
28th April
I went home via Paxton Pits and was hopeful of photographing nightingale, the nightingales thought differently. They were abundant heard my first from the car park and even had brief views but could not get a view of the dozen or so I saw on my wander. Equally as unhelpful was the grasshopper warbler which buzzed away showing only in brief flights during which its invisibility cloak had to be turned off. A pair of red crested pochards was present and I could not be bothered to walk any further to see black terns etc. A brief stop at the feeders allowed me to use the camera on some grey squirrels and some common bird species. I headed for home via Duxford for the ring ouzel that was there. I could not find it but it was getting dark. The river held plenty of fish including a couple of pike spawning, I got a few record shots and although I had a polarising filter I did not have the lens it fits on doh!
27th April
The first house martins of the year on the way to work. Another fine evening saw me out and about first stop was Grafham water where a brief look from Mander Car Park was all that was needed to locate the black tern reported earlier in the day. I left before I could be locked in! Fen Drayton Lakes in the hope of some more migrants with a few reported this morning. No sign of the tree pipit but I did see a fox in a field by the access road and it showed very well for 45 mins down to 15 feet and I absolutely nailed it 20gbs worth before I left him to his hunting - a cracking encounter. A garden warbler and plenty of whitethroats in the hedge. A wander around Ferry Lagoon and my first cuckoo appeared. It was pleasant but nothing really about of note apart from a hobby. Time for home and the fox was still in his field and I watched for a while longer before leaving, a cracking Greenland wheatear on the road as I left.
26th April
First Bats of the season with three common pipistrelles over the house this evening.
25th April
A quiet weekend, I did some trapping a flying monster yellow necked mouse as it lept from the bag eluding my grasp the highlight.
23rd April
Obviously Welney an obvious diversion on my way home, the bluethroat was still present and offered poor views over the few hours I was there. A short flight view the best but no photo ops. Drumming snipe was a delight to watch and a couple of whoopers were still present perhaps put off by the volcanic ash no fly zone.
21st April
Another evening of great weather so I popped over to Grafham Water on my way home, a distant little gull from the mander car park and an artic tern but little else apart from the dodgy geese. Moving on to the Plummer car park I quickly found a few common terns and then got onto some loafing gulls a little gull amongst them but not particularly close. Wandering to the dam encountering a showy willow warbler on the way. The dam was plagued by insects which the flock of wagtails were enjoying more the I. A white wagtail was present amongst the pied but it evaded my half hearted attempts at photography. The little ringed plover was more accommodating. The yellow wagtails were nearer the tower at least 25. One female blue headed wagtail stood out amongst them a few record shots of her and some of the yellow wags as they were very flighty. Back at the car to find I was locked in a full 30 mins before the car park closed, I was slightly annoyed as this happened before last year and a fisherman who had a key let me out. Tonight I was alone and there is no details how to contact the people responsible. The police were very helpful and 20 mins later the Anglian water rep arrived to let me out rather apologetic they thought I was a fisherman with a key, despite my permit showing otherwise. How hard is it to shut the car park at the advertised time of 7.30 rather than 7.00 particularly when someone is still in it, took the gloss of a nice evening.
20th April
I promised myself last year to visit local nature reserves so tonight I took a walk around the closest reserve to me Lower Wood CWT. A nice small wood but on a lovely evening worth a wander round. But the highlights came on the way to the wood. A red kite over the road and a redstart briefly in a hedge as I stopped to check the map. The wood had all the expected birds a willow warbler was the highlight, but a nice display of flowers made the walk. Three hares on the walk back to the car added some mammal interest.
18th April
Time for more Bird Atlas with two squares of particularly uninviting arable farmland which I was not really looking forward to, I was due to do it the previous day but I could not muster the enthusiasm. But today with a little more effort I started, an active rookery was near where I parked the car and I shortly encountered a small patch of woodland with the usual woodland species, but mainly it was farmland and the odd village. A few butterflies were spotted good numbers of peacock, small tortoiseshell and a green veined white. A couple of brimstomes and a single male orange tip were the real pick. I was alerted to a large pond by some dog walkers which held breeding canada geese and coot something very scarce in TL64, the best bird was a singing sedge warbler very unexpected. I found a pink mobile phone (not really my colour) during my walk which I would try to find the owner later. There was nothing of real note a few blackcaps, swallows, chiffchaffs and singles of whitethroat and willow warbler were the only migrants. I neared the car and came upon two red deer something I have never seen locally this was the real highlight of the day, checking the map it was actually in Essex and not Cambs but still a good local record. I got home out of the heat and tried to sort the mobile phone out but it was a super hi tech one and I eventually turned it on, I managed to read a text from the owner with their phone number in the hope someone had found it, I rang them and they happily came to collect it thanking me with a bottle of wine (pity I drink beer but something for the wife), they had assumed it would not be returned, my good deed for the day.
17th April
A very early start to meet Mike Harris - Stortford Crew for a general wander round some local woods, nothing spectacular but a healthy coal tit population and good numbers of singing blackcap, a redpoll and my first willow warbler of the year. A few muntjac and a chinese water deer added some mammal interest. I finished a few days mammal trapping in a local hedgerow which has produced 3 bank voles and loads of wood mice including some serial freeloaders, but nothing else, time to move the traps and try elsewhere as I still have not got yellow necked mouse or field vole. The afternoon I spent watching stuff in my garden instead of gardening itself.
14th April
Plenty of local hares and managed a few photos this morning.
10th April
A day out with the Stortford Crew and with the premature departure of the black winged stilt we we at a bit of a loss what to do, Dungness is where we ended up. First the ARC pit where the first migrants appeared swallows and whitethroats but things kind of slowed from there on. The reserve was very quiet apart from sedge warblers who had made it in force, but the strong NE had kept the other migrants at bay. We did manage to find three slav grebes almost in summer plumage which were the highlight during the full tour run close by the marsh frogs. Tree sparrows on the feeders were a bonus so energy renewed we headed for the Beach. I have never seen the patch so quiet only a few gulls and a couple of sandwich terns, three harbour porpoises made up for the disapointment. Further down the beach we had a few very distant wheatears but little else, and the moat was also hard going with a chiff chaff the only bird there at all. A few wheatears were found in the general area. Time for a change so we headed back homeward via Cliffe Pools for the ring ouzels and Garganey that were present. We eventually located the ring ouzels but no sign of garganey but a couple of greenshank. What a tough day in the field but by the looks of it everyone else had a tough day as well.
A quick dash to Suffolk where the Lesser Kestrel showed for a few mins between the showers but a little distant and very different to the views in Spain from last week. The great grey shrike was still present. I dashed off the Kessingland and quickly got onto the pallid swift before missing the alpine swift at Lowestoft, but a firecrest in the coastal scrub was worth the diversion, some chips and back home from a good but brief trip.
29th March
After an apointment I managed to get to Westleton for a couple of hours, the weather was shocking high winds and heavy rain, not surprisingly the lesser Kestrel did not show. The great grey shrike was more helpful and a herd of red deer and a lone muntjac kept me entertained during the wait.
17th March
With the toad crossing now starting in earnest I took the opportunity to take a few photos and survey the local ponds, a few common newts were picked from the road and one proved photogenic. But the prize were two great crested newts leaving a pond, frogs and toads also obliged.
15th March
At dawn I joined Peter Oakenfull at Lemsford Springs nature reserve where he had started trapping water shrews for a BBC filming event to be followed by an event for some of my friends at the weekend. Peter had already caught 1 water shrew which he brought along for me to see but we need at least 3, 2 for the BBC and one for us, a beautiful morning had us checking the 40 or so traps, a pygmy shrew was found in one of the first few followed by a wood mouse and then a common shrew. A flyover kingfisher was my first of the year, then we had the prize a cracking water shrew and we had another common shrew and wood mouse to finish. We set some additional traps to hopefully catch that final water shrew. A flyover sparrowhawk as I left for work rounded off the morning nicely.
14th March
Off to Hebden bridge first thing where we easily found two dippers at the same spot as the previous evening, but they eluded the camera apart from a record shot. The journey home was broken by a stop at Anglers CP, where we quickly found the ring necked duck which kept distant during our visit. There were a good number of goosander well over 20 birds and some had started to display - a sign of spring perhaps!
13th March
A quick look at Long gutter edge as I was passing did eventually yield a mountain hare crossing a snowfield but that was the only brief sighting in well over an hours wait. A couple of red grouse were also present. A brief view of a dipper in Hebden bridge was to be followed up the next day.
12th March
We reached Lound CP mid afternoon on our journey to Hebden Bridge for the weekend not wildlife related but I got a few goodies in anyway. In between the brief showers we had excellent views down to a few feet of the long staying red necked grebe, what an excellent encounter and well worth the detour, after some food at the cafe we headed off to our next stop. It was an unusual one in Cottingham near Hull, here we found the two long staying orange winged amazons which were untroubled by my presence, perhaps their origins expains this.
7th March
After some important stuff in the morning I was able to get out again, this time I zipped up to Sculthorpe Moor (note they will be charging for entrance from 1st April) I managed to catch the tail end of the goshawk display, a nice treecreeper posed for photos as did two bank voles from the main hide. Bullfinches and both marsh and willow tits put in an appearance, but the golden pheasant was more elusive hiding in the holly as I left. I headed up to Titchwell with a couple of grey partridges on the way. The woodcock was showing near the car park, but I could not locate the common redpoll and there was not a great deal out of the ordinary on the reserve or on the sea. A young grey seal on the wildfowlers marsh was of interest with the RSPCA in attandance but he was fine. A water rail under the feeders but no sign of the redpoll. I gave up and headed home stopping for some hares in a field which were of interest as were two roe deer in the adjacent field. A muntjac wrapped up the day.
6th March
After a stressfull week at work and with another to come I was keen to get out, I kept it localish but miss timed the tide at Southend, but Rossi the long staying ring billed gull was present but a bit distant on a sandbank, a grey seal was also present. Most of the gulls were distant and it took me a while to pick out a couple of med gulls and a cracking adult caspian gull. Next stop was Rainham which was full of non birders and kids which made it a bit hard as the water vole I spotted was cery easily spooked, but I got a couple of pics. With little else on the reserve I headed to the tip to check out the gulls. A iceland gull was on one of the pools but no sign of the glauc. I headed to the beach where a large number of gulls were roosting and the glaucous gull was easily picked out of the mele. Onto the stone barges but no water pipits so I moved on to Connaught water which was even worse than Rainham and held no mandarin ducks, but the long staying drake red crested pochard was present and a couple of other dodgier individuals. I visited another one of the ponds in the area which held 3 pairs of Mandarin ducks. Final stop was East Hyde where a random bit of river has been holding some jack snipe and three were present on my arrival, showing well. A short walk away a little owl was also showing well finishing off the day.
1st March
With a few things to do in the Manchester area I hastily arranged to go up today to co-inside with the Parkgate high tide which with the wind direction and low pressure system hopefully would be a good one. I hit Worlds end for dawn and quickly found 4 male black grouse lekking, but they were distant, a few poor record shots mainly due to the heat haze despite it being a few degrees below was troublesome. I then headed for Chester and my first non wildlife stop before getting to Parkgate about 10ish. Things were slow and some photographers were not confident about the tide. A peregrine sat on a tree stump the whole time I was there but was alive. Two ringtail hen harriers passed and were about for a good deal of the time and two short eared owls were present but distant. The spoonbill flew over being pushed off the marsh by the rising tide, which started to come in very quickly. The herons and crows were picking off the small mammals, several voles sp and shrew sp went this way and a harvest mouse, eventually the water reached the bank and a few bank voles who escaped the onslaught found refuge, the water vole found it easier going. No terrestrial predators which was a shame but not a bad show. I headed to Manchester and after I had a hour before dusk so headed for the moors but only found a few red grouse
