As always, click on a photo to see in slide format, or scroll down for normal view.

My first birding outing back in the UK was to Martin Mere, near Southport. I suppose the plat du jour was the recently hatched Grey-crown Crane:

Here’s a reminder of what mother crane looked like, with a close up below of the colourful plumage.

Here’s a Northern Pintail – looking crisp as the weather I experienced on this visit …

… and a few friends from Argentina, first the Southern Screamer …

and below, the Chilean Flamingo …..

… and finally some Muscovy Ducks.

Moving outside the collections area, I didn’t stay very long on this visit as I mistimed train connections, but I did attend feeding time for the Whooper Swans, a main feature of Martin Mere. Below a close-up.

Other wild birds I saw included a snipe  about his business …

A glorious robin singing his heart out ….

A shelduck …

A greenfinch …

Quite a few reed buntings

And, back on the shoreside, a lapwing

A grey Heron …

And a ruff, sadly not in breeding plumage but I’ll be back!