Northwich flashes

Ashton's Flash

Another attempt to see the Siberian stonechat at Ashton's Flash. No joy after an hour so I completed the lap round the flash and was about to go home when a dog-walker told me he'd just been speaking to a couple of blokes who'd just seen it. I wasn't lucky third time round, either.

It wasn't a dead loss: it's a nice walk and there were plenty of ducks on the flashes again. It was also interesting to see how the history of soda ash production on the flashes has affected the chemistry of the clays in the mud. This is particularly obvious in the quiet bits of water by the hides on Neumann's Flash.

Neumann's Flash

On the way back into Northwich the teal on Witton Brook were getting very frisky.

Teal, Witton Brook