Cup Final Birding with Mr C.

After the tragic events in Manchester this week football is unimportant, but nevertheless the mighty reds of Manchester were playing Ajax in the final of the Europa League, so my attention was diverted to Stockholm (via the pub with Mr Carroll, of course) and a fine night it was!

2-0, another European trophy and back in the Champion's League again. 'av it!

Next morning Andy and I dragged our hungover selves out of bed and, for once, set of for a great day of birding in Cheshire and North Wales on a baking hot day.

First stop Hatchmere, where we spent a lot of time faffing for breeding Mediterranean gulls. Why?

Next up, Burton Mere wetlands for a smorgasbord of waders and waterbirds; great white egret, Med gulls (again), godwits, avocets, little egrets and so on (but we missed the breeding cattle egrets as they hid from view).

Cemlyn Lagoon on Anglesey is always a pleasure, with Arctic, Sandwich and common terns zooming by at close range as they commute to the breeding islands. Yet another Med gull (yet again)on a nest, plus a couple of little egrets and red-breasted mergansers.

South Stack is another favourite - a scenic seabird city with it's rows of guillemots and razorbills. Eventually we found a couple of puffins too (apparently there are a mere 10 pairs here). Kittiwakes were noticeably rare, but it was a pleasure to watch the local chough acrobatically flying into a breeding cave. Stonechats were in evidence, and a posy of 5 wheatears seemed to be very late migrants.

South Stack lighthouse, I remember coming here with my parents at a kid. Unchanged, as it should be!

Heading back to Cheshire, Woolston Eyes No 3 bed produced sumptuous black-necked grebes with chicks (the largest colony in the UK of this rare breeder), 2 male ruddy ducks (soon to be an extinct UK bird - the last of the Mohicans!), broods of pochard and lots of other waterbirds. It's just down the road yet never fails to impress me, imagine what it can become now the RSPB are involved.

Warrington's hidden wetland wonderland, Woolston Eyes

Finally, just time to call in to the patch for the breeding lesser spotted woodpeckers, with the female helpfully appearing at the hole a couple of times. I'm delighted this species has reappeared, there is hope yet! Tom's video below, taken last weekend, is ace.