: Sight for Sore eyes.

JULY is often considered the quietest month in the birdwatching year when keen birders catch up with their families and even do those odd jobs around the house and garden they have been putting off.

However, this month has seen no let up in great birdwatching in our region. No one would have predicted the big surprise of a drake canvasback at any time of the year let alone July. The canvasback, a vagrant North American duck, was discovered at Pennington Flash Country Park, Wirral.

News of this rarity was immediately phoned into Birdline and the country park prepared for an invasion of excited visitors. Luckily the canvasback was in no hurry and showed well to all comers.

Similar to our familiar pochard, this visitor from across the pond is a little larger and paler grey on the back and wings, but the main feature is the bill, shaped like a ski jump. Unlike our pochard the bill is completely black.

As is often the case when a large number of birdwatchers arrive to see one species of bird, so many pairs of eyes discover more sights and visitors to the canvasback also enjoyed a beautiful breeding plumaged black necked grebe, green sandpiper, Arctic tern and two willow tits, not bad for a quiet month.

Wader migration is already well under way, it may only be July and we have just had our first taste of summer weather recently but if you're a wading bird it is autumn. Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve is one of the best places to see a good selection of waders on the move. A wood sandpiper was the pick of the bunch seen from the Millers Bridge hide. Little ringed plover numbers are building up rapidly at Neumanns Flash near Northwich. This species of wader is seldom seen in flocks and this site is the only one in our region to attract this scarce bird in good numbers. Green sandpipers are also on the move with widespread reports of these Scandinavian breeders on their return migration. The first little stints of the autumn were discovered at Traeth Dulas, Anglesey.

The Dee Estuary has again proved a magnet for birds and birdwatchers alike, up to five spoonbills can be found commuting between Burton Marsh and nearby Inner Marsh Farm RSPB Reserve and five little egrets in the same area. A golden oriole was seen in poplar trees at the Point of Air where three yellow-legged gulls were found; another of these visitors from the Mediterranean showed well at Shotwick Reservoirs.

This weekend, all day Saturday and Sunday, sees a binocular and telescope demonstration at Conwy RSPB Reserve. Come along and enjoy some great birdwatching. Recent highlights have included little egrets, green sandpiper, black tailed godwits, greenshank and little ringed plovers.

The reserve has plenty of other wildlife - stoats, beautiful wild flowers, both six spot burnet and cinnabar moths on the wing, so see you there.

Latest news: Birdline - 09068-700249; report sightings: 0151-336 6188; web site www.uk-birding.co.uk Alan Davies

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WADING OUT: There are plenty of wading birds waiting to be spotted