Designer Stubble

I had a walk around Greenfield today, starting from the quaint little harbour and then up to the abandoned rust bucket, before doubling back.

With it being at the weak point of the tidal cycle, the water was up against the sea wall despite it being low tide. The usual crowd were roosting on the rocks: Redshank, Curlew, Turnstone and a few Oystercatchers whose discarded mussel and cockle shells crunched under my feet.

The flooded pastures had attracted a good herd of local curlew with around ninety birds feeding in the field next to the rather pungent sewage works. A flock of around five hundred Starlings busied around their feet, whilst a pair of aerodynamically savvy Grey Herons sat squat in the corner of the field monitoring the proceedings.

Just before I made a run for the car to avoid the rain, I had a quick scan of a small stubble field adjacent to the sewage treatment plant. Two Pied Wags were all I could see initially, but they were soon joined by four small passerines – Twite! Great to see an actual flock – albeit modest - rather than the singles I have been fed so far this autumn.

There was just time to nip over the fence at the rifle range embankment on my way back to Chester, but the weather was getting quite grim really and a female Peregrine going hell for leather in pursuit of a Woodpigeon was the best I could manage, plus three Goldeneye and a Pochard on the pool.

Until later.