A feast of quality raptors, waders and wildfowl.... Hilbre Island produced Purple Sandpiper and Grey Seals as expected, while a couple of dozen pale-bellied Brent Geese and a drake Red-breasted Merganser were a nice bonus. With a sudden cloud storm, the return 'walk on water, with no horizons' was a surreal and memorable experience! Sunday brought dawn till dusk blue sky, a chorus of Skylarks and a frenzy of rapturous activity out on the marsh. Four Short-eared Owls shadowed a Fox, hoping for small mammals to be flushed out, a patrolling 'ring tail' Hen Harrier dodged mobbing Crows and a Peregrine looked on from its watch post, with Kestrel and Buzzard for good measure. After a pub lunch and ice creams, wildfowl and waders were the focal points with Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank plus Bewick's Swan, Pinkfeet, Goldeneye, Pintail and super drake Long-tailed Duck and Smew. A late Green Woodpecker brought the weekend total to an impressive 86 species.