Frank Lake part 2

unlike the vast majority of hides in the UK which are often a long way from the water's edge, that at Frank Lake is surrounded by water and marsh vegetation so the birds are literally all around the hide providing excellent observational and photographic opportunities when its not raining so heavily! even so fighting Muskrats, White-faced Ibis at close quarters, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, 100's of Black-necked Grebes, Western Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coots, Forster's Terns and 100's of summer plumage Franklin's Gulls made for a real spectacle -- two whinnying Sora's were outside the hide and even though one ran over the top of some tall vegetation I managed to avoid it with the camera. Six Black-crowned Night Herons often tried to land in the gull colony and caused total mayhem amongst the gulls -- whether they were predating the nests I could not see -- Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals offered in flight comparisons and a few Wilson's Phalaropes wrapped up a pretty impressive couple of hours despite the constant rain