Purple Gallinule and Lesser Yellowlegs

All the way from the Middle East came UK lifer number 378 - a Purple Gallinule at Saltney, near Chester!! What a cracking bird, fantasic colours, highly charismatic and so prehistoric looking you could easily imagine it walking around the feet of a Tyranausaurus Rex. It's like a gigantic Moorhen with feet so huge it gives the impression that it could easily walk over water itself. A real birder's bird!

And don't tell me it's non-migratory, BWP clearly states "as marshes dry out in summer, gradual withdrawal to permanent coastal lagoons........... returning late autumn when marismas reflooded after rain. This movement is believed largely on foot, crossing open ground at night."

So with this being the grey headed eastern race, this bird obviously started walking from Turkey sometime in 2008, made it to the channel coast in spring of this year, swam across and then walked up the M6 to Chester. It's so obvious how it got here, yet guess what those suits at the BOU will never accept it :-( Typical!.............. Suppose I'd better leave it off my list for now though :-(

What a bird!

The right hand photo is for size comparison with a wimpy Moorhen.

Fortunately, being at Chester, we were in pole position when news broke of a Lesser Yellowlegs at Inner Marsh Farm (left), and we were therefore able to get there in good time to have great views of the bird in front of the hide for about 30 minutes, before it flew high away to the east and was not seen again. The butterfly (right) is Small Copper.

Also at IMF today, some spectacular views of a Hobby chasing dragonflies, and at Burton Marsh a reeling Grasshopper Warbler was seen well.