After watching a Whitethroat in the car-park, we crossed to the first hides on #3 bed. These overlook the southern end of the flash where the reedbed formation creates a very picturesque, almost figure 8 shaped pool. Tranquil though, it was not. Black Headed Gulls were everywhere, some building nests, some on nests, but most flying around and making lots of noise in the typical organised chaos of their breeding season. Funny how noise dissipates when you find something else to focus on, and today it was a Little Grebe diving close by, followed by a Kestrel hovering over the reedbed to the west.
On the walk up to the east facing hides we saw a few Peacock butterflies and one Speckled Wood. The hides produced more Black Headed Gulls, 3 Cormorant, a few Greylags, Coot with young (they are aliens), Great Crested Grebes and our first Black Necked Grebes.
We ended the day with a walk between #2 and #3 Beds along the Mersey, and saw Tufted Ducks, Heron and Pochard. We also saw a newly hatched Great Crested Grebe chick leave the nest for a swim but it dived and disappeared. The male adult went off searching and hearing the alarm call, the female followed leaving 2 eggs on the nest. We assumed the chick had been taken by a pike and the remaining eggs were certainly had by a gull. Later that evening when I processed the days photographs, I spotted the small striped head of a new-born tucked away safely on the back of the male adult. PK cheered when I told her the good news but on reflection, I think that chick was probably there all along!
Great day - sad end, but that's nature.
A magnificent Peacock at the Eyes
Black Headed Gull nesting on #3 Bed
Coot feeding its young alien!
Footnote: This reserve is one in a line of reserves and SSSI's that run north-easterly from Merseyside through Cheshire, starting from the Mersey Estuary and either sandwiched between or adjacent to the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal:-
Frodsham Marshes - Hale - Pickering's Pasture - Wigg Island - Moore - Woolston Eyes - Risley Moss
They are unique and diverse, and all worth a visit.
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