10th June 2011

A very light south-westerly breeze and sunshine greeted observers making their way out as the tide ebbed first thing this morning. A few nice waders were present on the tide edge including 3 summer plumaged Sanderling, 2 Grey Plover and at least 17 Ringed Plover plus 28 Dunlin (see right).

Two Little Egrets (left) were present on the reef and up to 3 Grey Herons hunted the shallows including a colour-ringed bird (presumably the one that has been seen around the islands for the last three years - its ring now faded - was ringed in Cheshire as a nestling several years ago).

Attention was drawn away from ornithology with a couple of sightings of Rabbit - even providing rare photographic opportunities (top 'in flight' and left nibbling on the Hilbre grass ... it seems that there may now be two of these rare Hilbre mammals. A Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (below )was present in the paddocks where two juvenile Meadow Pipits were trapped and ringed.

A visit by West Kirby Primary School was lead by the Ranger Service (including a history tour of the island by Matt the Ranger and rock pooling) and the Bird Observatory was able to show them one of the juvenile Meadow Pipits trapped and ringed today.

(DB, SRW et al) [617-39] Photos by SRW