· Wirral ·
My customary walk along the edge of the Dee Marshes to Burton Point. After days of drizzle, the weather was finally seasonably bright, although the south-westerly breeze held a distinct chill.
The magnificent roadside display of cow parsley was on its way out, but the yellow flag irises, marsh mallows, and marsh orchids had come into their own on the marsh itself.
Rabbits in the sheep field. Linnets on the barbed-wire fence. Plenty of swifts screaming overhead, but very few swallows. I kept an eye out for wheatears, but no joy. Thousands of tiny purple flowers on the rocky outcrop at the Point. With the assistance of an online flower key, I later decided they must be small-flowered cranesbill.
From the Phragmites, reed mace, and last of the cow parsley, sedge warblers were still warbling as if it were about to go out of fashion. For once, one of them came sufficiently close for me to take a half-decent photo.
Leave a Reply