Out this afternoon from Ince Berth and around No.4 and 6 tank. Several species of butterfly were noted during my walk with Meadow Brown, Comma, Tortoiseshell and a single Painted Lady on the Manchester Ship Canal path. A Little Egret was keeping company with a Grey Heron and they both left the canal bank to land on the Frodsham Score and they carried on feeding there.
The Canal Pools were very quiet with just a handful of Mallard and Coot on the water where the smaller pools were a mass of yellow water lilies.
A Peregrine made a couple of stoops at a Common Buzzard and then turned its attention to a feral pigeon and both were lost to my sight.
On the mitigation pools a flock of Lapwing, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and a Ruff still in summer plumage was with them. On No.6 tank the flock of Black-tailed Godwit and 30 Curlew were roosting in the shallows. I didn’t notice any Avocet with them. the duck numbers were down compared to recent visits and a Little Egret dropped in to feed. There were two Kestrel hunting the bank and the Swift flock were putting on a show whizzing past at head height . At least 3 Chiffchaff were still calling during the walk but the Reed and Sedge Warbler have stopped singing.
A Sparrowhawk was hunting along the bank on No.4 and another Kestrel was over the Growhow works while the female Marsh Harrier was over the Hoolpool Gutter.
Observer: Paul Ralston (2-5).
Images 1 & 6-7 by WSM.
