Look North West

This morning was spent at the criminally under-watched Connah's Quay Reserve on the welsh side of the Dee Estuary. By my reckoning - especially since the razing of the hide at the Point of Ayr - the west hide is the best place to watch wading birds on a rising tide on the entire estuary.

Of particular interest is a flock of Black-tailed Godwits. On a good day numbers can run into the thousands, many of which feed directly below the hide as the tide pushes them onto the adjacent Oakenholt Marsh. These elegant and charismatic shorebirds can look spectacular - especially in flight.

I arrived at the hide at 9:00am this morning, equipped with additional clothing. The coldest winter's day I have ever experienced was a summer's day at the west hide on this reserve. Sure enough, when I opened the shutter facing the Ash Pool I was hit with a perishing wind.

Interestingly, most of the godwits were roosting around the pool - about 650 birds in total. Given that so many birds were still in winter plummage, I imagine most are non-breeding birds over-summering on the estuary. Migrants were represented with the presence of five Wheatears perched intermittently along the fence posts.

Oakenholt Marsh was fairly quiet. A perfunctory scan with the telescope revealed nothing more than a Little Egret, a pair of Oystercatchers and a handful of Canada Goose. However, just at the edge of the marsh - newly arrived from the considerably more clement West Africa - were eighty or so Common Terns fishing in the river channel.

Looking out further over the sandbanks I located a Brent Goose standing Canute-like in the face of the advancing tide. I have never seen one this far down the estuary, nor one so late in spring either. Of the pale-bellied race this individual should now be in or en route to Greenland or Canada. Perhaps it was hanging-on for a springwatch producer to attach a radio transmitter to its back and give it a daft name! Quick, on your bike!

Until later.