A relatively quiet weekend!

Considering the mega alert went off twice I had a relatively quiet weekend. A Baillon's Crake did indeed turn up but infortunately about as far away from Cheshire and in the worst direction it could possibly be! Rainham Marshes - a trip involving the M25 and not one for a Sunday. The other bird is a long awaited Semi-palmated Plover on South Uist. Another long journey but a rarer bird and an infinitely more attractive journey than Rainham.......

A great day on Hilbre Saturday with beautiful sunny weather but few birds. The first Brent Geese have arrived back around three weeks earlier than the previous earliest date and a couple of Chiffchaff's and a single Wheatear completed the migrant activity. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was picked out amongst the roosting gulls but was lost to view when a marauding Peregrine frightened the proverbials out of everything.

 The Wheatear spent most of its time in the cottage gardens and seemed to be finding plenty of grubs in the short grass to eat.

Sunday was spent tidying up in the garden and trimming hedges and just as I'd finished and was about to sit down the phone went with a message telling me about a possible Purple Heron at Parkgate so  I drove the 15 minute trip and joined a few other desperados for a fruitless 3 hour vigil. We did notch up both Hen and Marsh Harrier though and a couple of Greenshank occasionally gave a distant fly  around but were mainly heard calling. No sign of the Purple Heron but a dark Juvenile Grey Heron gave us all a momentary scare. Here's hoping it gets refound!

Meanwhile back to the Semi-palmated Plover............................