Parkgate was quite busy today for the high tide in the Dee Estuary, with at least 200 onlookers with all the usual gear; tripods, scopes and bins. Actually, it was a bit of a washout (no, that's the one thing it wasn't: the tide didn't get nearer than about 100 yards from The Parade promenade) but I expect the voles and other small wildlife on the marshes were grateful for their reprieve, which may have only been a temporary one because it all happens again tomorrow and Tuesday, so they may still have to run the gauntlet. If it happens, it's a sight to see, tiny bedraggled creatures scurrying for dear life as the birds scream and dive on their prey: nature in all its stark cruelty. The RSPB chaps were there as usual, which was just as well because they're so expert at finding and identifying birds, which I'm not, so the trick is to stay within earshot of one of them, and then you discover that distant thing on the wing out there really is a Buzzard (or whatever). If it had been an aeroplane, I'd have had no trouble identifying it, but my memory doesn't seem to work when it comes to recognising birds. However, I did correctly locate a few Egrets, and then kept popping over to the RSPB blackboard to check out the latest sightings. The tide is forecast to be a little higher tomorrow, so there's still a chance to maybe witness a grand exodus of little critters from the Dee...