Pennington Flash

A quick trip to Pennington Flash brought me nice and close to some of our regular birds. Often overlooked in the field when looking for something a little more exotic, or something new for the year list, these more common birds reminded me that they still hold a lot of natural beauty. You just have to give them the time to realise it.
The Blue Tit is possibly my favourite garden bird, and it is always good to see. More often than not it is a fleeting glimpse as it forages through bushes and trees or sits at a feeder. The beauty of having binoculars or a camera is that you get to see everything a lot closer up. Feather patterns, colours and detail are really highlighted. 

Blue Tit

Nuthatch doing what a Nuthatch does best.

Willow Tit do very well in this part of the North West.

Greenfinch

Out on the flash itself, among many waterfowl and waders was this pristine Grey Heron. In fact I counted seven on the spit from Horrocks hide. Once again, it was nice to be able to observe it for some time and appreciate it's majesty.

Little Egret

While there have been a few Great White Egrets around locally recently (that I have failed to see) you can pretty much guarantee seeing the smaller Little Egret on the coast and even some reservoirs and lakes. On the Wirral coast I came across quite a few. Some were quite obliging too and flew and landed close by, just as this particular individual.

A Black-headed Gull in the background for size comparison.

Spoonbills - Burton Mere

I was sat in the hide at Inner Marsh Farm watching all sorts of waders in front of me, when I spotted two large white birds in flight in the distance. I put the binoculars up and quickly focused on a pair of Spoonbills. I put the word out in the hide and there were lots of happy people as the pair circled and eventually landed on the pool in front of us.
These birds for me are usually seen on the North Norfolk coast, but they are becoming more of an annual visitor to the Dee Estuary now. That said, this was a pure chance encounter. They didn't hang around long and were soon off. I enjoyed the short time that they were there. A real bonus.

A short 10 minute stay and they were off again.

Sanderling - Hoylake

Waders are my thing. You know where they will be (most of the time). There are no twigs, branches, foliage or fences in the way (if you are on the beach). Plus if you wait patiently they will eventually head towards you. 

This is exactly what happened when I went looking for Sanderling at Hoylake on the Wirral. I realised that I had not ticked these off for my year list and they are one of my favourite waders. They are great fun to watch as they scurry around the shoreline that appears to be chasing them. Definitely not the biggest of birds, but a real joy to see at any time. In good sunlight, it's even better.