The Redshank Redemption

I am always surprised how few people can be found at Connah’s Quay west hide during a decent high tide. A fiesta of waders is pretty much guaranteed – the huge, colourful flock of Black-tailed Godwits alone are worth the trip.

This morning, as per usual, I got my timing slightly wrong and arrived at the point when most of the waders had been pushed towards Flint. Depending on the level of the tide, there is a normally a window of about 15-20 minutes when most of the waders are clustered onto an ever shrinking area of mud in front of the double-decker hide before they are eventually forced on to the saltmarsh to roost.

Nevertheless, hundreds of Blackwits, Redshank, Knot and Dunlin were still trying to ignore the advancing tide and grab a last tasty morsel before the flats become submerged. The numbers of Redshank in particular are pretty impressive this year – possibly up to 2,500; traditionally the highest concentrations are at Heswall, but Oakenholt seems to be an increasingly popular choice.

Eventually, the remaining birds joined the mass ranks of Oystercatcher further up the shore and I headed over to the bunded pools, but not before I had cracking views of a Kingfisher perched next to the stream.

The Kingfisher may have followed me, as when I opened the hide shutter one was busy demolishing a small fish from a cunningly placed perch. The pools were teeming with more Redshank, and after a painstaking search with the ‘scope I managed to winkle-out 10 Greenshank and 8 Spotted Redshank. There may well have been more ‘shanks but the vegetation was fairly high and a Grey Heron and a Buzzard took turns in spooking the birds.

Until later.