Pond Dipping

Very little chance for birding this week as I devoted most of my time to securing a job in Lancashire - with the help of one of the adjacent comment posters. Thanks, Paul.

One of the few chances I had was early on Thursday morning when I found myself wandering around Greenfield Valley in the pitch black with a couple of Springers in tow.

I had hoped to catch a glimpse of a Tawny Owl, but the woodland was largely devoid of both sight and sound of wildlife save a couple of mournful Robins.

With the light improving as I returned towards the car park where I decided to check the lower pool for wildfowl.

It was here I had a wonderful surprise: a pair of Dippers perched on a metal platform over the water with the male bird singing and displaying to his mate!

I had never seen Dipper at Greenfield before and it is the first time I have listened to their song. Unfortuntely both birds soon clocked me and shot off to the far side of the lake.

On a sadder note, I am sure I am not alone in being shocked at the unedifying scrum over at Leasowe cockle beds.

Sometimes - in my more naive moments - I think as a race we are becoming more enlightened in terms of our relationship with the environment, but the egregious spectacle - shamefully sanctioned by North West 'Fisheries' - on the north Wirral coast is a sobering reminder of how far we still have to go.

It made me delve deep into my past to a track by the New York group the Wu-tang Clan who ironically sang a track called C.R.E.A.M: Cash Rules Everything Around Me.

Until later.