Aqualate Mere

When we saw the weather was so good Saturday, the question was where to go?

I was going to Upton Sunday, so having seen that Aqualate Mere had had a few rarities and it's a nice walk we headed up the M6/M54, we got there about 1:30 and set off through the mud to the hide, but disaster! The water was above boot height on the boardwalk to the hide and we hadn't brought our wellies! We did try but it was no good. Unfortunately from the limited views to be had, only  Coot, Mallard, Tufties and Mute Swan were revealed. This is the one drawback with Aqualate if you can't get in the hide there is no where else with views onto the water or shores.Unless of course you know the owner of the private estate!

So we went for a walk through the woods, seeing.......... nothing apart from a couple of Robins.

We returned and sat on the only bench for a snack and coffee and waited.. We were rewarded with some Fieldfare foraging amongst the trees some distance behind us, a perched Buzzard,

a spectacular sunset:

A large flock of Long-tailed Tits visited in the trees right behind us and some Canada Geese did a fly by:

We waited as Aqualate is known for murmarations, but had anyone told the starlings. Well kind of! They arrived in their thousands but didn't display the just went straight over the trees and into the reeds.

Still amazing!

So if you go to Aqualate.... take your wellies!