Another hot and sultry day birding the hotbed of Frodsham Marsh. A walk out to view the evaporating waters of No.6 tank sludge tank and to see the emerging old decaying hedgerow boundary to the long gone fields that once existed before the tank was constructed.
A scattered flock of 462 Black-tailed Godwit were either wading through the shallow waters or catching up with a snooze in the siesta sunshine. A lone ‘white-headed’ summer Ruff didn’t take to well to the company and soon departed while a pair of Ringed and a single Little Ringed Plover were tripping over the damp patches. Two family parties of Avocet included 2 adults and 3 juvenile & 2 adult and 2 juvenile birds.
Ducks are always a feature no matter what season and the increasing Common Teal flock reached 82 birds, while 34 Common Shelduck and an assortment or scruffy looking drake Mallard were loitering about.
A flock of Black-headed Gull included 4 juvenile birds and a handsome adult summer Mediterranean Gull shimmering in the heat haze.
A couple of Marsh Harrier were drifting widely over the golden fields while Common Buzzard lazily soared on the warm air currents high above the marshes.
What was left of the waters on No.3 tank only attracted a pair of feral Barnacle Goose but not a lot of anything else and the ‘shitigation’ lives on.
The Marsh Farm track (Alder Lane) was full of Sand Martins dust bathing while others were sat on the wires above.
Again plenty of butterflies about with more sightings of Comma today.
Observers: Paul Crawley (5-7), WSM (images 1-4).