sid ashton wrote:

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I suppose the M62 towards Liverpool and then the Knowsley Expressway A5300 would be a way to avoid Runcorn/Widnes,

a bit further but hopefully less time on the road.  It seems a shame to be put off going to the pools by traffic congestion. 

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 Good tip, Sid, I agree that would probably be a way to avoid the congestion bottleneck. Hope others wanting to go take note of these posts

sid ashton wrote:

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Had a couple of hours at the pools today hoping to see the reported Channel Wagtail. No luck there but a nice variety of other species including Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin on the pools with a female Marsh Harrier over the wood. Horrendous journeys both ways, 3.5 hours for the round trip in the car was not good 

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 Getting over to the pools is not much fun these days, the traffic has become a real pain on that section, don't really know  a way around it, Sid, sorry to hear about your experience, not much fun Those hybrid wagtails are almost annual at Marbury nowadays, I will put news on here if one turns up again this year, possibly a bit late but may still be time. It is great you bring it up as I was discussing with another forum member why so many hybrids like the two Hale birds turn up these days, we used to get a few Blue-headed Wagtails in the Uk, especially at Frodsham in the NW. If each paired up with a UK Yellow then it may produce between 4 and 10 hybrid 'Channel Wagtails' per year, hence the large numbers now reported.

09:45hrs: Greenshank, 2 Swift

PM
1 F Marsh Harrier hawking over the small reed bed at back of pools.

A pair of Whinchats with Wheatear in poolside fields viewable from Carr Lane. Active.

2 M Ruff coming into summer plumage

Having an afternoon free I braved the Runcorn Bridge roadworks and headed to Carr Lane Pools. A lengthy search of the main site revealed 2 Wheatears, about 7 Redshanks. On the opposite side of the road three Little Egrets pranced around in display and nearby a Greenshank was feeding. Despite an extensive search I could not find the reported Wood Sandpiper. But luck was on my side when a mate turned up to direct me to another pool, not really part of the main complex. This one is a small, well vegetated pool on the west side of Carr Lane near the bridge over the stream, so not viewing from Town Lane where the 'gate viewpoint' is, and where we usually view from. Straight away as I lifted my bins there was the Wood Sandpiper at the back of the pool amongst emergent vegetation and being quite skulky, but giving excellent scope views. I rang RBA with the corrected directions, as another birder I know who joined us confirmed this to be its favoured pool and where it has been 99.9% of the time in spite of info service messages giving a different impression.

Another good day here yesterday.

female Redstart, in same hedge as the male reported by Steven below

female Pied Flycatcher, in willows by the red gate near the bridge on Carr Lane. At least 2 Sedge Warblers in the reedbed across the road from here too

On and around the pools themselves were 2 Whimbrel (unusual to see them on the pools rather than on Hale Marsh), 4 Yellow Wagtail, but, no sign of the recent 'Channel' Wagtail. Plenty of White Wagtail here still and some Swift coming through as well.

Earlier, a Red Kite had been reported too.