Goldfinches, Wood pigeons and REAL RAIN

Although the sky is very silent for the most part, Goldfinches and Wood Pigeons seem to ignore the norm and carry on calling and singing throughout, even this  horrible hot  summer.  The robin in the silence with extra concentration on our part,  can be heard practising his song for the Autumn in whispers from the depths of the hydrangea at the bottom of the garden.

OH  JOY........it has rained properly at last .  Slugs and snails come out to play with the persistant really wet rain and the worms seem to  be rising much to the enjoyment of the blackbirds after this long long spell of heat.  Even  wasps  are drinking daily from the little bird bath.  One wonders how all the juvenile birds fared in this extensive heat and if it will drastically affect number of survivals which are stressed at the best of times.

Drying out ponds at Parkgate

One of the most enjoyable events of visiting Parkgate, apart from gazing out over the marshes and the Dee Estuary,  is watching the weather form over the welsh Hills.  If the prevailing wind is westerly then you know it will be heading towards you.  Sometimes it heads up the coast bypassing the peninsula altogether or it lands solidly on the spot you are on.  Many a time I have underestimated the speed at which the cloud cover actually  moves and so I did today.   The result was spending a very enjoyable 20mins sheltering under a dense oak with a Blackbird.  How lovely was that rain.

The amazing saltmarsh at Parkgate is taken for granted by those who live on the Wirral, but visitors come far and wide come  to view this world renown estuary.  As a result I thought it time to read up in more detail about the ecology and biodiversity of this outstanding place.

One of the first facts I read stated that saltmarshes are short on flora.  I have to contest this with observations on the Dee.  With its combination of fresh and saltwater lagoons the flora is considerable.  Admittedly difficult to see, but with any cheap binoculars individual plants and resident butterflies can be recorded.