Billy No Mates

The fog seemed to follow the tide in at Connah’s Quay this afternoon. Thick it was too – the sort that would have a salty old sea-dog of a captain quivering in his timbers at the prospect of his vessel being dashed on the rocks.

Not much goings-on from the west hide as a fairly low high tide meant that the majority of the waders and wildfowl were spread far and wide across the sand and mud flats.

The bunded pool viewed from the middle hide was better – two Spotted Redshanks flew in, a ringtail Hen Harrier quartered over the Dee embankment and a Kingfisher delighted in dive-bombing three Little Grebes. This behaviour seemed a little odd at first, but I suppose they are rivals for the same food source.

I must say that the repairs made to the sluice this year have definitely assisted in the retention of much more water on the bunded pools, with the consequent benefits for the birds.

Just as I was about to leave a small finch dropped onto the grass next to a handful of Starlings. A yellow bill and darkly streaked back revealed it to be a Twite. It also had that classic colouring on the face and underside that bird books describe as ‘mustard-yellow’ or ‘buff’.

For my penny’s worth they are wrong. Twite look like they have just had their beaks buried in a chicken tikka masala or a lamb bhuna. Curry-coloured it should say, but then again this description may go over the heads of our Collins reading vindaloo-dodging continental neighbours!

It's also strange to see a single Twite - like teenagers, these small finches tend to bounce around in large groups making lots of noise and generally not able to keep still for longer than three seconds.

Until later.