The Dee and Thereabouts

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Water at Big Pool Wood

(Sunday 6^th September, 2026)

A couple of changes at Big Pool Wood in Gronant, Flintshire, since we were last here only a month ago. First, there were several inches of water at the bottom of the pool – not much, considering all the rainfall we’ve had recently, but an improvement on last time, when the long dry spell had left just patches of mud. Second, sections of reeds had been cut back around the reserve. This work is carried out by the North Wales Wildlife Trust volunteers and is an essential part of maintaining the site.

    It was a nice 22°C when we arrived with a light south-easterly breeze blowing, though this was barely noticeable in the shelter of the woods. There was the odd shower at first, but the sun came out mid-morning and it became quite hot. Being the rock’n’roll rebels that we are, we went round anti-clockwise this time – well, all right, we just fancied a change!

Top: An immaculate Robin and, bottom: a less than tidy Wren

    From the first hide, we watched a Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) creeping about a holly tree. It looked a little unkempt, unless it was still moulting. By comparison, the Robin (Erithacus rubecula) was immaculate in its new feathers – clearly dressed to impress!

    Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great tits (Parus major) zipped in from the surrounding trees and help themselves from the feeders.

Top: Blue tits (‘who are you looking at?’); bottom: Great tit

And we saw a family of Dunnocks (Prunella modularis) exploring the undergrowth. Initially, there was just the one adult bird, which was difficult to see: the Dunnock’s dull, streaky brown back feathers and grey chest and head were ideal camouflage against the backdrop of the reeds. But this bird became bolder later, encouraging the other three family members to come out from cover. This was an unusual sight – I don’t think we’ve ever seen more than one Dunnock at a time. A lovely bird.

Top: Dunnock blending in with the reeds and; bottom: becoming a little bolder

    There were creatures other than birds about, including a Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) which tentatively approached the area of ground underneath the feeders, seeking spilled nuts and seeds. It retreated into the undergrowth as a Robin flew in, the sudden movement startling it. It soon returned though and even managed to pose for a photograph!

Grey squirrel showing its best side for the camera

    Once the squirrel had finally gone, a Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) showed its face from a small hollow at the base of a nearby tree. The rat stayed there for quite some time sniffing the air, before eventually moving out along the ground. It shot back to its hidey-hole as the Robin suddenly returned. After the Robin had flown away again, the rat came out and moved across the ground once more, hurrying for a short distance to a sort of jetty – I think it was just a long-submerged plank of wood at the base of the pool. We’d both been thinking that the rat was after food dropped from the feeders but were surprised to see it head straight for the water and start drinking. It must have been very thirsty as it drank for several minutes.

Brown rat tentatively checking its surroundings before venturing out for a drink of water

    It’s an obvious observation, I suppose, but a water source does attract animals of all kinds. We saw several dragonflies flying around a different section of the pool (we were at a different hide now). One dragonfly in particular seemed to be zipping around chasing off other, smaller, dragonflies. Judging by its huge size and its vivid blue colour, this one was an Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator). The others seemed to be Common darters (Sympetrum striolatum), which are reddish-orange dragonflies with narrow bodies. These were just as fast as the Emperor and it was incredible how they seemed to race around and then just come to a complete halt, mid-air! Some of the Common darters were linking head-to-tail, presumably a prelude to mating.

Common darter

    On our way back to the car, we heard lots of honking from over the fields. There was a large, mixed flock of Greylag (Anser anser) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) gathered across a couple of nearby fields.

A mixed flock of Greylag and Canada Geese

These fields are very close to the Dee Estuary and provide fertile ground on which to forage, hence the presence of so many birds. Small groups of geese flew off as others landed and there were actually many more birds in the fields than the photograph indicates.

Top: Alder leaves uniformly fragmenting; bottom: unknown fungus

The important stuff

We called in at the Abakhan café in Mostyn for refreshments. Col had a White Chocolate and Cranberry slice with his cappuccino, while Stu opted for a slice of Lime and Coconut Cake with his. Very nice!

11.09.2026
A Walk with Friends

(Sunday 30^th August, 2026)

Over to Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire this morning, where we met up with our friends – Sue, Tanya and Claire. It was a pleasant 19°C with a barely noticeable southerly wind and it stayed sunny for most of the morning.

    The last time that Stu and I had been here, in late July, the River Alyn came to an abrupt halt not far beyond the stone bridge that crosses onto the Leete path. As the area has had some rain since then, we were expecting the river to have risen a little, but the water is still quite low, petering out just a little bit further than it did during the drought. The Alyn does flow underground into various swallow holes and caves so this may account for the water levels taking some time to recover.

While the bed of the River Alyn is still very dry, the trees and undergrowth look more vibrant than they did during the recent drought

    Sue and I were scanning the river for Dippers but had been unsuccessful. Stu pointed out one he’d spotted, which had concealed itself behind some overhanging branches of a sycamore tree on the far bank. We could just make it out behind the bunched leaves, but this particular bird wasn’t in the mood for posing for the camera today!

    Further along the Leete path, we spotted three Grey wagtails which appeared out of nowhere to land on the dry riverbed and began scouring it for insects to feed on. They then all zoomed off upstream. We noticed that an adult bird was aggravating another bird – a juvenile by the looks of it. We suspected that the adult was trying to encourage the younger bird to find its own territory. These might have been the same three birds that we’d seen last month – two adults and their fledgling. And while the adult birds will continue to feed their offspring after they’ve fledged there’s a limit to how long that they’re prepared to do this. While we saw quite a few insects flying around – testament to the little bit of rain that’s recently fallen – food resources are still somewhat limited due to the overall low water level.

The riverbed by the wooden bridge is completely dry

    There were other birds in the woods today including Crows and Robins, and a Goldcrest also made a fleeting appearance.

Top: Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and bottom: Carrion crow (Corvus corone)

The light dappling through the tree canopy was something that you’re subconsciously aware of, I suppose, and it was this light that attracted our eyes to the glistening strands of a spider’s web. It was suspended from a hazel tree on the opposite side of the river. In the photograph, you can just make out the spider in the centre!

Spider in its web

    While we were all generally aware of our surroundings, I have to confess that we spent a good deal of our time just talking to one another – hardly surprising since we hadn’t seen each other since earlier in the year. We all lead busy lives, of course, but it’s always good to spend time with your friends and share moments like these whenever you can.

The important stuff

Claire and Tanya had to get off early, so it was just the remaining three of us that went to the café. Stu had a Mars bar rice-krispi cake with his cappuccino, and Col had a Lemon curd blondie with his. Sue stayed away from the cakes and just had a black coffee, donating her bonus biscuit to a very good cause (yes, Col had it!).

04.09.2026
By Flint Castle

(Sunday 16^th August, 2026)

This morning, we were at the Dee Estuary over by Flint Castle, arriving just after low tide. In Flintshire this week, the mercury reached the mid-thirties so today’s low temperature of just 16°C made a nice change, especially with the barely perceptible wind from the north-west.

Flint Castle

    My knowledge of Flint Castle is very limited, which is a bit embarrassing considering that I live only a few miles away. However, I do know it’s where King Richard II surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke, who would later become King Henry IV. (Oddly, I first learnt about this when studying William Shakespeare’s Richard II in school, which was er…one or two years ago now!)

    Visibility was fair but the poor light seemed to project an atmospheric gloominess onto the castle and its surroundings. The castle does offer a wonderfully scenic backdrop to the estuary, though you’ll also find more modern edifices in the vicinity – the Flintshire Bridge which spans the Dee and the four distinctive chimneys of Connah’s Quay Power Station, for example. So, a marked combination of the old and the new!

The Flintshire Bridge and the four chimneys of Connah’s Quay Power Station

    There was a flock of Swallows (Hirundo rustica) flying low along a water channel on the marsh. (Though it’s difficult to pinpoint these channels accurately from the ground, you can follow their rising and falling contours along the marsh – possibly you’d have a much clearer view up on the ramparts of the castle, though I’m only guessing).The Swallows were evidently feeding on the wing and every now and then they would land on the ground to re-energise before taking to the air once again. They were quite far away from us – and very fast – so there’s not much detail in the photograph, but it was great to watch them.

The low-flying Swallows (top) went unnoticed by this chap (bottom)

    While we were watching this display, a Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) alighted on a nearby Hawthorn bush. The orange breast, white collar and black head on the bird identified it as male. He stayed there for a moment or two before exploring the marshland a bit further out.

Stonechat

    Further inland from the estuary, we watched a Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) as it scoured the short grass for spiders and insects, its tail bobbing up and down characteristically. As its name implies, the Pied wagtail’s markings are black, white and grey and it really is quite a lovely bird. This one was later joined by its mate.

Pied wagtail

    As we made our way back through the castle grounds, a Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) landed on a leaf in front of us and paused to take a breather. It opened its wings to allow us a decent view, although I suppose it was really trying to warm up in the weak sunlight! Speckled woods have lovely cream-coloured spots which contrast with their otherwise dark brown colour. You can see the ‘eyes’ on the wings in the photograph – one on each forewing and three on each hindwing. These butterflies like damp areas and you’ll often see them in woods – they’re particularly noticeable along dappled areas where the sun peeps through, claiming shafts of sunlight as their ‘territory’.

Speckled wood

The important stuff

On the return journey, we called in at the café in Daleside Garden Centre, Hawarden, for a slice of Bakewell (Col) and Coffee and Walnut cake (Stu) with our cappuccinos. Marvellous!

21.08.2026
Big Pool Wood

(Sunday 9^th August, 2026)

Over to Big Pool Wood in Gronant, Flintshire this morning. This was our first time here and what a little gem of a place it is! The site is a woodland and reed bed nature reserve that lies adjacent to the Bridlewood Equestrian Centre.

   The reserve is small, comprising just four hectares (roughly 5 football pitches) but this smallness offers an intimacy not often experienced at larger sites and the reserve’s three hides provide close observation at different points of the reed bed. (The hides also have bird identification books inside if you don’t have your own).

Long-tailed tit

    The whole reserve, which is overseen by the North Wales Wildlife Trust, has been well thought out. The site is well-maintained and has a circular walk with wooden boardwalks interspersed with hard surface paths making it accessible for wheelchair users. The feeders in front of the hides must have been recently stocked when we got there as several birds were greedily feasting!

Above: These Blue-tits are juveniles – note the yellow cheeks rather than the white of the adults and the crowns that are more grey than blue

    We saw Blue tits, Long-tailed tits, Great tits, Greenfinches, Chaffinches and several Reed warblers. We also caught a brief glimpse of a Moorhen before it quickly disappeared into the undergrowth. Further around the main pathway, we followed a side path that led into the reed bed. While we paused to look out we saw the tops of the reeds moving, disturbed by whatever bird or animal was stealthily creeping below! It might have been the Moorhen.

Reed warbler

    There was activity on the opposite side to the reed bed too: ringing the outside of the main path is a small woodland where we were entertained by show-off squirrels and where much more timid Wrens made fleeting appearances. We also saw a small, mixed flock of Greenfinches and Chaffinches scooting from one tree to another.

Top: Show-off squirrels were quite a common sight; bottom: unlike the much shyer Wren

Actually, we were grateful for the shelter of the woods as, although the temperature was just 22°C, which should have been quite comfortable, the lack of wind and humidity was noticeable out in the open stretches.

    There were a couple more Greenfinches at the feeders, separate from those in the mixed flock. We’ve seen increasing amounts of these birds in several different areas on both the English and Welsh side of the Dee this year. Greenfinches were particularly afflicted by the trichomoniasis disease and hopefully they’ve come through the worst of it. It’s probably too early to say yet, I suppose, but the signs are encouraging.

Greenfinch

    The pool itself was virtually dry with just a little layer of mud at the base of the reeds, although there were lots of alder and willow on the fringes. Both species of tree favour saturated land and actually thrive in water, which is a sign of how wet this area can be. However, it seems that nowhere has escaped the recent prolonged dry spell.

   The nature reserve is in a lovely setting and is quiet and tranquil (we saw only five other people all morning). Well worth a visit.

The important stuff

There’s no café at Big Pool Wood but not to worry: one thing we are both confident of is our refreshment-spot expertise, which we’ve amassed over many years’ experience! So we called in at the café at Abakhan on our way back. We accompanied our cappuccinos with White Chocolate and Cranberry (Col) and Caramel Biscoff (Stu) – at least I can claim mine constitutes one of my ‘five-a-day’ fruits!

14.08.2026
Parkgate Again

(Thursday 6^th August, 2026)

Today, I was over in Parkgate on the Wirral Peninsula – for the second time this week. On this occasion I was accompanied by my mother, my brother, Michael, and my niece, Sophie. Regular readers will know that our chief cameraman is Stu but he had to go to work today and help keep the British economy ticking over, so all photographs were taken by Sophie today. Thanks very much Sophie!

Goats near the Old Baths carpark

    Parkgate village lies on the English side of the Dee Estuary and is a great place to visit for birdwatching. The expansive salt marsh is 100 square kilometres and all sorts of bird species can be found here: it’s home to waders, wildfowl, herons and egrets, birds of prey, warblers…the list goes on. During today’s visit, for example, we saw several people excitedly watching a group of Spoonbills out on one of the flashes (shallow ponds). There was also a Marsh harrier patrolling low over the marsh and, later, a Kestrel hovered, facing into the wind, eyeing the ground below.

Looking southwards along The Parade

Female Pheasant

    However, Parkgate is more than a destination for birders and wildlife-lovers and I was reminded of this as I went through Sophie’s photos later. Often, when we visit places, we can be so intent on a particular purpose that we overlook other aspects that might be just as interesting – both to others as well as to ourselves. So it was refreshing to see Parkgate through a different perspective.

    For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with Parkgate and might be considering a visit, here’s a little bit of information about its history.

Above: School Lane (St. Thomas’ Church is on the left); below: Girl with traffic cone on lead

    Lady Emma Hamilton (originally Amy Lyon) was born in the nearby village of Ness – and raised in Hawarden in Flintshire – and composer George Frideric Handel sailed back from Ireland via Parkgate which, at the time, in 1742, was a busy port. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the accumulating silt on the River Dee meant that Parkgate could no longer function as a port and was supplanted by the port of Liverpool on the River Mersey.

View from the Donkey Stand

    Parkgate then switched to being a seaside resort and successfully drew people in to take the fashionable salt waters. Open-air baths were built during the 1920s which became very popular and helped Parkgate maintain its status as a resort right up until the late 1930s. Sadly, not a lot remains of the baths now except the odd section of wall at the Old Baths carpark which lies beyond the Boathouse pub.

Looking northwards along The Parade

    Parkgate is well worth a visit and you don’t have to be a birder to enjoy it either.

11.08.2026
Low Tide at Parkgate

(Sunday 2^nd August, 2026)

Over to Parkgate on the Wirral Peninsula this morning where it was a sunny 21°C with just a faint breeze (ESE). Visibility was very good and we had panoramic views of the Dee Estuary: Moel Famau and the other hills on the Clwydian Range stood out sharply to the south of us and, in the opposite direction at the estuary’s mouth, we made out the many wind turbines that stretch across Liverpool Bay.

    The trees and bushes near the Old Baths have clearly been stressed by the current drought, their leaves browning and crisping before dropping early. Conversely, Dandelions, bindweed, knapweed and thistles out on the marsh seem to be thriving – all obviously more able to cope. A welcome consequence of this hardiness is the variety of insects that visit them. We spotted ladybirds, White-tailed bumblebees and several white butterflies – mostly Small whites, although we did see one Green-veined butterfly too.

Top: White-tailed bumblebee; middle: Seven-spot ladybird; bottom: Small white butterfly

    We were intrigued by several hoverflies which seemed to be especially partial to thistle flowers. These are Pellucid hoverflies (also known as Pellucid flies). They are mostly black except for a distinctive white band around their abdomens and they have very large, reddish-brown eyes, which provide them with a wide field of vision. As with other hoverflies, Pellucid hoverflies have evolved to mimic bees or wasps and this mimicry acts as a visual deterrent to predators such as birds, amphibians or spiders that might ordinarily prey on them but will hesitate if they believe they might get stung!

Pellucid Hoverfly

    A pair of small birds scooted low in front of us. They were very quick but Stu managed to take a snap of one of them clinging to a reed, before it swiftly departed again. This looks like it’s a juvenile Stonechat. Even without the more defined red-orange breast of the adult, it’s still a striking-looking bird.

Juvenile Stonechat

   Down at the Donkey Stand, we looked over the other side of the wall and watched an adult Moorhen as it ferried its chick back through the reeds to shelter.

Moorhen encouraging its chick to seek shelter

Further out. the ‘flash’ looked bone-dry apart from one small section of water in the far corner where a Grey heron stood forlornly hoping for the best. We were there just after low tide although I believe the flash (or shallow pond) relies on rainwater as much as water from the river and – like everywhere else – Parkgate hasn’t had much rainfall recently.

Heron and gull lamenting the absence of water.

On the nearer side of the flash were several Lapwings and Black-headed gulls, most of which were sprawled on the ground and making the most of the sun. They didn’t stir, even when a Marsh harrier flew low nearby. Talk about lethargic!

Marsh harrier

    To be fair, the harrier seemed to be concentrating on a long stretch of the marsh that it was patrolling and that was mostly obscured form our view. Flying characteristically low, the bird would every now and then twist and drop down, feet first. This is how the Marsh harrier grabs the small mammals, amphibians and fish that make up much of their diet, although Marsh harriers are opportunistic predators that will also take small waterbirds like Moorhens, too. This Marsh harrier was a male and, though the male is smaller than female – well, less bulky – it’s still a large bird and surprisingly agile. Fascinating to watch.

    There was a scattering of House martins that seemed to be darting between the marsh and the rooves of the buildings along The Parade, where they presumably have nests: an ideal vantage point. As we turned to go, we glimpsed a pair of Common buzzards further out, leisurely rising as the thermals carried them both skywards.

Moel Famau from Parkgate

The important stuff

We called in at Daleside in Hawarden on the return journey where we each had a Vanilla slice with our customary cappuccinos. Very gooey!

07.08.2026
A Trickle of Water

(Sunday 26^th July)

Over to Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire this morning. A westerly wind blowed the odd gust but, as ever, we were pretty much sheltered down in the woods. The 16°C temperature was much cooler than it had been in the last few days, but there hadn’t been any rainfall for quite some time – in fact, North Wales had officially been declared as being in a drought only days earlier.

    The pond just beyond the old sluice gate was completely dried up and the exposed earth resembled crazy paving. Admittedly, this is just a shallow area of water – a ‘spillover’ if you like – and we quite often see insects such as dragonflies and damselflies roaming over it and, on occasion, a solitary Heron. But not today.

    Halfway across the stone bridge leading into the woods, we paused to look upstream: the River Alyn was still flowing reasonably well, but when we looked downstream, after just twenty or so metres, the river became a mere trickle of water before disappearing altogether. I should point out that the Alyn does naturally disappear underground at Loggerheads into the limestone swallow holes and caves before the river reappears further downstream, a phenomenon that is more noticeable during prolonged spells of dry weather in the summer months. But even taking this into account, this was the lowest we’d ever seen the Alyn at Loggerheads.

    We weren’t expecting to see much in the way of birds or wildlife at all, given the lowness of the river, to be honest. However, we often see White-throated dippers along this stretch of the river and we know they don’t tend to stray far from their habitat, so we crossed our fingers. We were in luck – before long we saw, perched on a rock mid-stream, a Dipper perform the familiar bobbing action that gives the bird its name. We watched for a while as the Dipper submerged itself in the water searching for food before it eventually flew off upstream.

White-throated Dipper

    Moments later, we were surprised to see three Grey wagtails – two adults with a much duller-coloured juvenile. When we were last here at Loggerheads six or seven weeks ago, there was the same family set-up – that is, two adults and one juvenile. Although Grey wagtails will carry on feeding their young and staying close by them after they leave the nest – monitoring their progress, if you like – this is typically for about two weeks. So, the juvenile that we saw back then should already have become independent and have had to find its own territory, which means that the juvenile we saw today is probably from the adults’ second brood.

Grey wagtail

    We carried on along the Leete path beyond the wooden ‘bat’ bridge (the bridge has a carving of a bat suspended above the centre of it). Looking down at where the river usually flows, we could see only the dry rock of the riverbed.

    There was a distinct absence of birdsong too, everywhere eerily quiet. This is probably due to many of the birds not wanting to draw the attention of predators as they go through their summer moult: replacing feathers compromises the birds’ ability to fly well, leaving them vulnerable. (Some birds, such as ducks, shed all their flight feathers at once, leaving them completely flightless for the three or four weeks it takes for them to be replaced).

The dried up River Alyn by the ‘bat’ bridge

    Besides the Grey wagtails and the Dipper, there were still one or two birds about today. We saw a couple of scruffy-looking Robins skipping through the undergrowth and we watched several Nuthatches darting from tree to tree. None of them made any noise though!

    The morning had remained largely overcast although under the protection of the trees this didn’t really matter. But now it started to rain. Well, it wasn’t really rain, which would have been very welcome, but more a thin spray of the faintest vapour which disappeared almost immediately.

The important stuff

Over to Tŷ’r Felin (The Mill House café) which has moved from the small room right next to the mill and now sits in the much larger area in one of the main buildings at the entrance to the park. We sat outside under the tree sipping our Cappuccinos and savouring the delights of a slice of Bara Brith, with full butter of course (Col), and a slice of Cherry Cake (Stu). Marvellous!

31.07.2026
Butterfly Highway

(Monday 6^th July – Friday 10^th July)

The UK once again recorded very high temperatures during this latest heatwave although it’s been even warmer in the rest of Europe. With Chief Photographer Stu currently away on holiday, this week’s blog is just a record of the butterflies and one or two other insects that have visited the garden.

Above: Peacock butterflies

    I’ve spent a lot of time venturing no further than the garden in this hot weather and this has turned out to be a good thing as I managed to photograph quite a variety of butterflies during the course of the week. In fact, there were a further two species of butterfly that appeared but which I was unable to get a decent photograph of – a Gatekeeper and several Green-veined Whites. But it certainly is encouraging to see such a diverse range.

Top and middle: Red admiral with wings open; bottom: Red admiral showing underwing

    Undoubtedly the Buddleia bush (also known as the Butterfly bush for good reason) at the bottom of the garden has been helpful in attracting the various butterflies. The Red admirals and Peacocks appear to be the biggest fans of the flowers, although Small tortoiseshells, Small whites and Green-veined whites have also been drawn to the bush, though in lesser numbers. The flowers have a lovely scent which seems more pronounced as the evening draws in so presumably the plant attracts night-time pollinators too.

Top: Small white; middle: Large white (underwing); bottom: Small tortoiseshell

    The other benefit of the Buddleia is that the butterflies tend to dawdle on the flowers and spread their wings, so can be motionless for at least a few moments which was ideal for getting the odd photograph!

    Not all butterfly species are drawn to Buddleias though: when the Commas (there are two of them) are not whizzing maniacally up and down the garden, they usually prefer to rest on the Hazel leaves – as do the Large whites. But the butterflies that I see more than any others here are the Holly blues, although they rarely stay in one place for very long.

Top: Comma; bottom: Holly blue

    Besides the butterflies, both Buff-tailed and White-tailed Bumblebees are regular visitors: I’d just been snapping away and still had the camera at hand when I caught sight of an insect that I don’t ever recall seeing before, though I believe they are increasingly common in the UK. This is the Hornet hoverfly, sometimes referred to as the Hornet mimic hoverfly. As its name might suggest, it is similar in size and appearance to the European hornet and imitates its buzzing flight, chiefly to deter predators from approaching it when it visits flowers. Unlike the four-winged European hornet, however, the hoverfly– like all true flies – only has two wings. It also lacks a sting.

Top: White-tailed Bumblebee; middle and bottom: (Mimic) Hornet hoverfly (apologies for the blurred picture)

The important stuff

From the garden I went all the way to Café Chez Col where I had a lovely cup of tea, which tasted almost as if I’d made it myself, and an Almond slice made by some bloke who makes “exceedingly good cakes”. Very nice!

13.07.2026
Egrets and Ditches

(Sunday 28^th June, 2026)

We were at Mostyn this morning where the 21°C temperature offered a pleasant change from the recent heatwave that we endured in the UK earlier this week. The breeze (WSW) was barely noticeable as we made our way from the path behind Abakhan and headed towards the shore at Mostyn.

    Several Housemartins flew over the cornfield to our left, gathering insects on the wing. Bare only a matter of weeks ago, this field now has an impressive crop of corn flourishing in it.

    Encouragingly, we saw an abundance of butterflies during the walk. Primarily, these were Small whites and Green-veined whites, although there were other species making an occasional appearance such as Small tortoiseshells and Gatekeepers. We weren’t sure if the large number was a consequence of the recent hot weather or if this just happens to be a particularly good place for butterflies. Certainly the area does appear to be flourishing at the moment with trees, hedges and undergrowth all looking verdantly leafy, although some rain might be welcome.

Top: Small tortoiseshell; middle: Gatekeeper (underwing); bottom: Small white butterfly

    There were several Goldfinches merrily chirruping away as they stop-started along the treetops. One of them strayed from the rabble and tooted out a tune from its perch on a telephone wire.

Goldfinch

    A male Blackbird was perched on a post with something in its beak, though we couldn’t quite make out what this was (we were a bit confused by the long branch but this is actually behind the bird). The bird’s feathers looked a little bit bedraggled and, as it’s a little bit too early for the annual moult, I think this can be put down to two things. Adult Blackbirds that are rearing young chicks can have a ragged or even bald appearance as they can be susceptible to parasites that might have infested their nests. Also their feathers are probably not being preened as often as they perhaps ought to be either: parent birds can easily neglect to carry out their regular self-care due to the need to find and deliver food for their offspring.

Male Blackbird looking a bit bedraggled

    A little further along from the Blackbird, we saw a Greenfinch contentedly sitting low on a branch, seemingly just letting the world go by. This one is male as you can see from the olive green feathers on his back – the females and juveniles tend to be much more muted in colour overall.

Male Greenfinch

    As we came to the end of the path, we scanned the irrigation ditch which lies parallel to the estuary shore. We were looking for the Kingfisher that we’d seen the last time we were here, a month ago but we didn’t manage to see it this time.

    What we did see, though, were two Little egrets. Each bird was in a different stretch of the water and each of them seemed to be staying within its own particular territory, although I suspect that they were only adapting temporarily while they waited for the tide of the nearby Dee Estuary to recede once again, at which point they would migrate to the mud and sand to feast on what the water uncovered.

Little egret – note the two crest plumes and the chest feathers of the breeding plumage. You can also see the egret’s yellow feet

    Each of the Little egrets had long plumes at the back of their heads and on their chests. These are typically seen during the breeding season but, as both males and females grow breeding plumages, it’s very difficult to tell the sexes apart. The male is slightly larger in size but this is only a useful indicator if the two sexes are standing next to each other. Though we usually get a good look at the black bills and black legs of Little egrets, we don’t ordinarily get a decent view of their feet, as they’re usually submerged in water or otherwise difficult to see. However, this time we could clearly see their yellow feet which make a distinct contrast to their black legs.

We looked along the shore but, probably because the tide was high and almost reaching the boulder breakers, there were no sea birds to be seen at all today. Apart from one angler who was putting away his fishing gear as we were returning from the shore, we saw nobody else on the entire walk. A lovely spot.

An old friend

The important stuff

We retraced our footsteps and went to the Café at Abakhan for a cappuccino each, which were accompanied by a Raspberry Bakewell slice (Col) and a Cranberry and white chocolate slice (Stu). Naturally, we were both very pleased to have achieved one of our ‘five a day’ healthy fruit portions!

03.07.2026
Treecreeper at Royden Park

(Sunday 21^st June, 2026)

Over to Royden Park on the Wirral Peninsula this morning. It was sunny with a very light north-easterly breeze, the temperature a comfortable 21°C, though it climbed higher after midday.

    We followed the path from the car park and cut through the woods to Roodee Mere. Here, there is a nesting platform in the water on which we often see a Grey heron perching while it surveys the mere for food. This time, however, the space was being shared by a Canada goose and a Moorhen. As you can see, each bird has a nest either side of the central box.

    Judging by the number of chicks present in and around the water, many of the Moorhens had already produced their first broods. Moorhens might have two or even three broods during the breeding season and chicks from the first brood will often help their parents with feeding the later broods. While this obviously helps the parent birds, it’s also useful practice for when these first-brood chicks go on to have their own offspring the following year.

Moorhen juveniles negotiating the lily-pads …

    Water-lilies were plentiful on one section of the mere and several young Moorhens took obvious delight in agilely skipping across the lily pads: they seemed to be doing this purely for the sake of it. The more responsible parents – who were probably too heavy now – simply swam through the pads, although this didn’t appear to be half as much fun!

…while the heavier adult has to swim

    A Herring gull circled above the mere and dropped down amongst the lily pads: at first, we were a little concerned in case it was after one of the chicks but it seemed to have spotted something under the water. The gull made a couple of attempts to retrieve whatever fish or amphibian it had seen but eventually gave up and flew off.

It wasn’t clear what drew the Herring gull to the water (above), although this mystery fish appeared soon after (below)

By coincidence, we did see a large fish that was swimming close to the surface – you can’t really tell what fish it is, though it’s size might indicate a carp. It’s possible that this was what had interested the Herring gull but we can’t say for sure. In turn, the fish might have been interested in one of the many dragonflies that were zipping around the mere today.

A four-spotted chaser dragonfly resting on a hazel leaf

    There were one or two Grey squirrels out and about, demonstrating their acrobatic skills. One in particular entertained us as it descended head-first from a nearby tree before jumping across the path in front of us and disappearing in the undergrowth. Moments later another squirrel appeared on the wooden jetty at the side of the mere, where it nibbled at some bird food that presumably had been left for the Moorhens.

Shameless squirrel

    While we were stood there watching this scrounging squirrel, a small bird flew across from the surrounding wood and landed low on a tree just in front of us. It was a Treecreeper and we watched as it scaled the tree then fluttered down to the second trunk of the same tree and climbed again before repeating this procedure for a third and final time, after which we lost sight of it.

    Although the Treecreeper is quite common throughout the United Kingdom, we were lucky to have seen it as its mottled brown back and wing feathers act as great camouflage against the bark of trees. It has a white underbelly that is generally hidden from view as it climbs, but we happened to catch a glimpse as it flew in front of us.

Treecreeper blending in against the lichen and bark

    The tree was a common alder with its distinctive round leaves and it looked like it had been coppiced at some point in the past, which would explain the three trunks radiating from it. As it climbs, the Treecreeper uses its long, curved beak to probe cracks in the bark for insects to feed on. I reckon we were lucky here too in that the Treecreeper didn’t fly off to another tree but simply dropped down, enabling us to keep sight of it.

    Treecreepers use their strong toes to grip the bark and they have very stiff tail feathers which offer extra support when pushed against the tree and this helps to reduce strain on their legs as they climb. Most references describe the Treecreeper as spiralling upwards around the trunk as it climbs and this is what I remember from the two previous occasions that I’ve seen them. However, this particular Treecreeper climbed vertically up the same side of the trunk without looping round until it was quite high up the tree. A fascinating little bird to see,

The important stuff

On to the Courtyard Café for cappuccinos and a slice each (or should I say ‘doorstop’ each) of Caramel biscoff cake (Stu) and Carrot cake (Col). Scrumptious!

26.06.2026