'Dipper' at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB

It was another classic 'you should have been here yesterday' or 'I'll go tomorrow' incident for me today. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been showing at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands over the last few days and intended to for it yesterday, but after discussing a day out in our old motorhome with my wife Sarah, we mutually agreed to leave it for a day (well, she told me we agreed).  Bad decision!

As soon as we arrived I was asking about sightings only to be told that it had been chased off by a Peregrine last evening and hadn't been seen again today.  Oh well, it might return during the day I thought, but unfortunately it never did - hence the title of this post.

So we had to be satisfied with a Great White Egret and a few Black-tailed Godwits, which was nice to see but not what I was really looking for.  It's a mistake I've made a few times to my cost and I should have learnt by now that if you have any chance at all of going you should take it, as birds can fly you know!

We did actually have a very nice day out however as we took our bikes in the motorhome and I fulfilled a long term ambition to cycle along part of the Chester Cycleway from Denhall Lane to the Harp Inn at Neston, where we had a pint sitting outside in glorious sunshine whilst overlooking the saltmarsh.

We then finished off the day by cycling back to Burton Point where I picked up a pair of Stonechats (always very reliable for good photos here) before cycling back up the hill to the RSPB car park. So although we dipped on the target bird, we had a good day out.