On returning from holiday I find the warden reports that drought conditions have left most of Rimmer's Marsh dry and consequently very few birds are visible from Nel's Hide so the hide will be locked until 1 September. This will be reviewed constantly and if the marsh floods or a rare bird appears, the reopening date will be brought forward.
Other viewing areas are available including the public footpath at the rear of the reserve, Sandgrounders' Hide and the Haul Road.
The fact that the marsh dries is actually good; it's just dried out earlier than normal this year. Huge amounts of sedge and grass seed, that feed our internationally important numbers of wintering birds, are produced when the marsh dries . Also large predatory aquatic invertebrates are killed off, meaning a glut of smaller aquatic invertebrate next spring - food for wader chicks!
There are still plenty of birds on Rainford's Lagoon - 60 Redshank and 56 Dunlin last Monday and there were still two Avocet chicks and two chunky looking Black-headed Gull chicks. The Swallow brood on the back of Sandgrounders' Hide numbered at least five chicks. There are small flocks of Goldfinch and Linnet around and a decent sized starling flock were doing some aerial acrobatics in front of the hide as well as a few Meadow-pipits, Pied Wagtails and two Sedge Warblers.
In the absence of birds, Bee Orchids are worth looking out for. There are quiet a few amongst the Marsh Orchids on Sutton's marsh.