The Bogey Bird!

The Snow Bunting seems to be a declining species, and isn't known to be recorded in any more than single figure numbers in Lancashire these days, though it's status is that of a fairly common winter visitor to summits and coasts. A single female spent the entire month of January in 2024 at Cockersand, and I caught up with it on the fifth of the month. But it's a different story for me this year.....

Snow Bunting Fylde Coast. Martin Jump.

Thursday was my sixth consecutive estuary wander in a row since 8 October, three of them being made since the Snow Bunting was found at Cockersand on 25 October. Despite it having been seen a few times by other birders - the latest one being yesterday Saturday 8 November - I still haven't had any success in finding this little critter....My bogey bird, well this years bogey anyway!

Conder Pool.

Some birds - but not that many to be honest - seen on my latest safari this week, another disappointing 17 birds to note on Conder Pool, 8 Little Grebe, 8 Canada Geese, and a lone Snipe hunkered down in the long grass. Up to 275 Teal and 2 Pink-footed Geese were in the creeks.

I did call back here early evening on my way to Lancaster, and just managed to see up to 32 Tufted Duck before making a hasty retreat as 24 birders complete with tour guide, were descending towards the viewing platform.

Cockersand.

The currently resident c.200 Whooper Swan herd had relocated to fields to the south of Moss lane and were strung out as far as Bank End Farm. 

With the exception of 120 Curlew by Abbey farm, the current high tides haven't driven the waders to take to the fields at Cockersand yet, and as I checked out the fraction of Plover Scar left above water, 9 Turnstone dropped in on a small patch as the tide ebbed.

A Rock Pipit and Skylark were the only other birds of note for the little black book, and I was leaving Cockersand disappointed not to have found a single Stonechat anywhere today, despite having seen 3 pairs here recently.

I decided to video the Grey Heron which had taken the place of the Merlin seen in the same field on 30 October. Until I reviewed the video full screen on the computer, I found I had also recorded a Stonechat which can be seen towards the end of the video as the Magpie takes off.

Dicranopalpus ramosus. Pete Woodruff.

The white-washed wall at Lighthouse Cottage has turned up a little interest recently with this Harvestman and it's amazing long legs, and the Wolf Spider seen this week.

Wolf Spider. Pete Woodruff.

The Header.

Note....Looking horizontally, the Grey Heron, the Magpie, and the Stonechat can be seen at the top right corner of the header image.

And Finally....An Owl At Cockersand.

It was good to find 2 Grey Wagtail on Conder Pool yesterday, they were collecting insects on the tern raft for several minutes, and according to another birder had been doing so earlier in the day when he called in. A rare sight, I don't recall the last time I saw Grey Wagtail on Conder Pool. Other notes from a stock taking exercise, 112 Mallard, 45 Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck, 5 Goosander, 10 Little Grebe, and a Grey Heron.

On the Lune Estuary, up to 2,000 Black-tailed Godwit, half the number disturbed and flying downstream, with a 'white' individual amongst them but not discernible in the video. An adult Mediterranean Gull was ringed on the left leg, unreadable at the distance, but looked white or possibly very pale green with a metal ring on the right leg, otherwise gull and wader numbers were low.

At Cockersand, despite the effort made for a circuit, there was little to report, and the 13 Whooper Swans of 10 October obviously decided to move on. However, I did manage to log 3 raptor species, with a Buzzard atop of a telegraph pole, a Kestrel which thought it was a Merlin zipping at a metre height over a stubble field before hovering, and a Sparrowhawk. As I left Cockersand, a Barn Owl flew across the road in front of the car and over the Bank Houses paddock.  

Little Owl.

In company with Andrew Cornall on Monday, Ian Mitchell had good views of the Little Owl in residence at Cockersand, and in the circumstances with poor light, achieved a decent image of the bird....Thanks for this Ian, it is much appreciated.

Little Owl. Ian Mitchell.

According to my records, this is the first record of Little Owl at Cockersand for 10 years, with one last seen at Bank Houses 10 November 2014. I also found a Little Owl at Abbey Farm on 31 October 2014, at the time I thought this was the Bank Houses bird having a day out as I had never found one at the farm ever before or since.

Little Owl 10 July 2020. Pete Woodruff.

This Little Owl was a surprise find at the junction of Green Lane and the Kirkby Lonsdale Road 4 years ago. I managed this grab shot from my car with traffic behind me....I've not seen a Little Owl anywhere else since.

Owtabout!

Well there certainly wasn't as much about on Conder Pool as my last visit which was three weeks ago on 9 August when there was up to 2,500 birds there, with at least 2,200 Redshank present in a now established unprecedented record.

In stark contrast today, the number on Conder Pool amounted to a little under 100 birds of no more than 12 species noted, being 65 Lapwing, 8 Little Grebe, 6 Black-headed Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull including 4 immature, 5 Mallard, 3 Pied Wagtail, 3 Carrion Crow, 2 Greenshank, a Grey Heron, Little Egret, and a Swallow which scooped up a drink as it flew through.

But a return visit to Conder Pool in the afternoon paid off as it often does with me. As I scanned the area, I thought a nice Yellow Wagtail might be a good one to end the day, but hey'up, there's not one but 2 Green Sandpiper roosting in the channel.

Green Sandpiper Conder Pool 29 August

Not very obliging, asleep and too distant for a decent photograph, but the video footage is good enough for the record.

A look over the Lune Estuary at Glasson gave me sightings of 3 Mediterranean Gull, a Greenshank, a few Golden Plover, with probably more as they dropped out of sight below the mud bank which falls steeply as the tide ebbs, and 22 Little Egret counted.

At Saltcote Pond, a Brown Hawker was seen off by a Migrant Hawker every time it entered its air space. Also, 3 Large Red Damselfly included a pair in cop, and a Common Blue Damselfly.

Coastal Path. Pete Woodruff.

 

As I walked back to Glasson Dock, up to 6 Migrant Hawker were seen patrolling the hedgerow along the coastal path. 

Urban Dragonflies.

I've seen two urban dragonflies in Lancaster in the past week, a female Common Darter by the Chip Shop on Coulston Road before flying off, and a Migrant Hawker buzzing over our garden for several minutes yesterday.    

Bring On The Hawkers.

By way of a change, a ride on the bus to Conder Green, and a quick look over the creeks had me find an Avocet still there, with a Common Sandpiper and 2 Black-tailed Godwit. Then on to the canal towpath at The Mill to walk about 3 miles to Galgate to find 58 Migrant Hawker, an excellent count which exceeded the one I made on this stretch of the canal around the same date of 20 September 2021 when I found 47.

Migrant Hawkers. Pete Woodruff.

I had close encounters with some of these dragonflies including this pair, with 4 pairs in aerial mating circles, and a female seen ovipositing in the canal side vegetation. I also observed some interesting behaviour not picked up by me before, when a Migrant Hawker was seen continuously drooping and raising its abdomen in flight. 

Also seen, 10 Common Darter all males, and a stunning black/blue male Common Hawker. Bird notes were, 5 Grey Wagtail seen as two pairs and a singleton, also a mewing Buzzard overhead. Butterflies seen where just 3 Large White and a Green-veined White.

When I got to the canal junction at Galgate, a Grey Heron was preening on the railings....King of the castle lock!

Caddisfly. Pete Woodruff.

With 199 species of Caddisfly in the UK, some difficult to ID. Closely related to Lepidoptera, this individual doesn't go beyond Limnephilus sp in my book....Now I'm catching a bus back to Lancaster.

The winter thrushes are here already, with 6 Redwing reported at Gletsdale, Cumbria, 19 September. 

And Finally....How About This Then

Riverine Bonanza.

The day started with Steve guiding me to one of his favourite haunts in Halton, to view the River Lune below Forgebank where we enjoyed stunning scenery and marvel at an extraordinary riverine bonanza. 

In the space of 45 minutes and in no more than 100 metres along the riverside from one viewpoint, we saw up to 20 Grey Wagtail, 4 Kingfisher, and 3 Dipper. Also 3 Grey Heron, a Goosander, and a juvenile Shelduck which seemed a little out of context to us both. 

It was always going to be a shot in the dark when we paid a visit to Lord's Lot, and it certainly did end up 'in the dark'. But it was at least to be a recce for future reference for where the bog is here. During our search at Lord's Lot Wood, we recorded at least 12 Speckled Wood, 2 Nuthatch, and a Buzzard and Raven overhead.

So now, it's back to the drawing board in our quest to find Lord's Lot Bog.....Meanwhile, on my way back to Lancaster, I decided to take a look in at another bog, perhaps I might get lucky and find a September Golden-ringed Dragonfly at Birk Bank....Wishful thinking!

View Full Screen

But there was a bit of activity on the bog again, which resulted in one of my now becoming repetitive dragonfly video's, with up to 14 Common Darter, including pairs coupled and ovipositing, also 2 Black Darter seen. Bringing up the rear, a Common Lizard, a Jay, and a flock of around 20 Goldfinch in flight between the treetops.

Excellent Day At The Office!

I was quite surprised to find in my records, it is over 7 months since I last visited Harrisend on 27 June last year when I found 5 Stonechat, and that it was over 3 months since I checked out Hawthornthwaite, and found 3 possibly 4 Stonechat there on 24 October.

1st Winter Male Stonechat. Steve Gantlett. Clik the pik

Having missed out Thursday on a good calm and sunny day for some winter Stonechat'ing in Bowland, I was determined to get out on Friday on another good day, and succeeded in finding 4 Stonechat on Harrisend, they were seen as a pair, an adult male, and a 1st winter male. Also noted, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Wren, and a Red Grouse.

On Hawthornthwaite I found a pair of Stonechat, with a possible third bird briefly in flight but not relocated, also 10 Red Grouse, and a Grey Heron seen in flight skirting the lower slope of the fell.

Of interest, I have noted January records of 18 Stonechat wintering on the Fylde, including 8 seen at one sighting as an excellent record at Lytham Moss on 18 January. Also the report of a Stonechat at Roeburndale 4 January, and a pair reported at Kent Estuary 12 January. 

And finally, AC was in touch to say he'd seen the Cockersand male Stonechat yesterday. Iv'e not seen this bird since 21 January, despite two visits here.  

I was in touch with Steve Gantlett, and was grateful for the use of his Stonechat at Cley in Norfolk, and for his Caspian Gull at Sheringham in Norfolk. I'm not known as a gull birder, but thought I'd break the mould with this one as the new header. Steve currently has some brilliant images of a species many a birder would give his right arm to see....The stunning Goshawk Here 

Thursday Rewind!

The new header is appropriate enough to remind us that the summer days are on their way. 

It didn't take long to check out Conder Green, still a little on the quiet side, until the geese went over later, 15 Curlew were on Conder Pool until a Grey Heron flew in and sent them packing, also a Little Egret, and a female Goosander which thought it was one of the 38 Wigeon it was in company with. In the creeks, c.150 Teal seems to be an average count lately, 18 Redshank and 2 Little Grebe one of which was down the channel towards the Conder mouth. 

As I was about to leave Conder Green, I could hear geese calling, eventually up to 2,500 Pink-footed Geese appeared from the east and arced over Conder Pool south toward Jeremy Lane. On the canal basin, the male Pochard seen again but no sign of Mondays female.

On the Lune Estuary at low tide, there was large numbers of waders, wildfowl and gulls. Most notable was a similar number of at least Mondays 2,000 godwit, probably looking more like 1,875 Black-tailed Godwit, and 625 Bar-tailed Godwit today, also up to 2,000 Golden Plover, with a large proportion on the south side of the river, unusual as they invariably stick to the north shore here, c.50 Knot, with Dunlin and Redshank, 3 Goldeneye and 4 Goosander also noted. 

No Stonechat found at the Lighthouse Cottage or Caravan Park at Cockersand, but c.95 Fieldfare seen in the field to the south of the abbey. 

In our garden this Sunday morning, a Goldcrest, the last one here was 18 November 2017.  

With a Blogger limit of 100mb for downloading videos, here is a trimmed 50 sec taste of a fraction of the c.2,000 Golden Plover & Co on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock.

VIEW FULL SCREEN

A Little Pre Christmas Routine.

Definitely not routine in a boring way, but a wander on Monday around the Lune Estuary before Christmas, started by finding Conder Pool having just five birds present, 2 Magpie, a Goosander, a Grey Heron, and the semi-resident Lesser Black-backed Gull. Oh yes, and a lone Redwing on the berries. In the creeks, 7 Little Grebe included five down the channel almost out of sight towards the Conder mouth, 82 Mallard and up to 120 Teal were also noted in the creeks.

At Glasson Dock, estimates on the Lune Estuary, 2,500 Golden Plover, 850 Black-tailed Godwit, 550 Common Gull, 350 Dunlin, 120 Redshank, 75 Curlew, and the lone Bar-tailed Godwit seen last Thursday.

The sole purpose of a brief visit to Cockersand on Monday, was to find the Stonechats either at the Caravan Park/Lighthouse Cottage or both, which unfortunately ended in failure, but it was interesting to see the report of a pair of Stonechat on Monday in the field by the church at Cockerham, per Fylde Bird Club.

At least 350 Curlew seen at the Cocker Estuary, and c.150 Whooper Swan in the field to the north behind the Caravan Park were seen as a number which looked reduced by something like 100 here for several weeks. At Clarkson's Farm, 3 Bewick's Swan were with 28 Whooper Swan.

Still at it at Cockersand, seven at a time. Clik the pik and see. 

Cockersand....The Rebirth.

I made a comment to a birder just the other day, that Cockersand seems to have died a death, I've been putting far too much time in recently, and walked many a mile in the process for poor reward. But fear not, Cockersand has renewed its claim once again, of being at the forefront of local birding with 'goodies' seen in recent days. 

On Sunday an adult male Red-backed Shrike was found in the set aside area, the last one in our area was a juvenile at Sunderland Point on 2 September 2015.

Corn Bunting Simon Hawtin

Fifteen Corn Bunting found at Cockersand last Thursday, can't go recorded without a comment on the significance of the sighting. An excellent record, unprecedented in a double figure in our recording area. A species extinct as a breeding bird, at best an irregular summer visitor, and certainly not usually this far in the north of the area. I found just one Corn Bunting in all my Cockersand wanderings on 30 May 2015, and not since....Thanks for the image Simon.

Image. Martin Jump.

In this perfectly timed photograph, the trio of Lapwing in pursuit of the Grey Heron, being a serious threat to any young they might have had with them, appear to be in the path of a direct hit from the rear gunner....'clik the pik' for the full effect.

There are thoughts by some - including me - that this might well be an attack/defence strategy by the Grey Heron as opposed to pure coincidence that the Lapwings were in the wrong place at the wrong time. One birder who has seen this picture has claimed to have observed this behaviour before, to fend of the Lapwing attack on the bird.

A perfectly timed photograph, the thoughts that this looks like intended behaviour by the Grey Heron seems plausible to me....Thanks for the image Martin. 

Chat Finale.

Grey Heron Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

A Grey Heron and 16 Mallard were the only birds present on Conder Pool on Thursday, and noted on the circuit, a Grey Wagtail in the creeks, and a male Sparrowhawk seen flap-flap-gliding across the marsh. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, with the exception of several hundred Lapwing, there was no other three figure counts of Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Wigeon, Common Gull, or Black-headed Gull, but 8 Goldeneye were my best count to date here this winter, and a drake Goosander was noted.

At Cockersand, I estimate the 245 Whooper Swan still in fields here, and in other fields checked, probably in excess of 2,500 waders of which were 1,750 Golden Plover, 250 Curlew, with good numbers of Lapwing, Redshank and Dunlin. Finches seen, up to 40 Twite in a mix with a few Linnet in the rough field behind Bank House Cottage, with 12 Goldfinch and 3 Greenfinch seen. I saw a total of 9 Brown Hare, eight of which were together in the same field not 50 metres apart.

Chat Finale....

My last birding day in 2017 on Thursday ended nicely for me with the 1st winter male Stonechat seen again off the Caravan Park, though no sign of the female seen with this male on 22 December. Hopefully the New Year will start with a Stonechat, that would be good enough for me if it did.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

Birdwatching Walks In Bowland!!

WELL I'LL BE FUCKED....THE PLACE IS CRAWLING WITH SHITHEADS!

Ian had wanted to join me on Wednesday, not a birder but interested in what we might see and any questions he might have about them. So on my suggestion we went into Bowland and did the Langden Brook walk, from my point of view an opportunity to see if any Stonechat might be wintering up there. 

But on arrival at the car park, although not a soul in sight, with the type and number of vehicles parked up, it was blatantly obvious to me that a shoot was taking place up the valley. By the time we reached the pump house 10 minutes later, at least 30 shitheads were taking a slurp between shoots....I put on a pair of blinkers, looked ahead to avoid eye contact and save myself from becoming embroiled in abuse and violent disorder, and off we went on our walk.

All this triggered me to remember how outdated a book published in 2005 had become. On this walk, the book suggests lingering an hour or two at Langden Castle - nothing more than a barn with a pretentious-sounding name - to enjoy raptor watching....Now there's a joke, unintended, but a joke all the same, and although the book isn't pointing at the month of December when it makes the claim for enjoying a raptor watch, the time of year doesn't matter anymore in Bowland, the opportunity to see Merlin, Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, and - wait for it - Hen Harrier, from this or any other watchpoint, simply doesn't exist anymore, and in the 5 hours Ian and I spent in Bowland today, we saw not a single raptor.

The birds seen on this particular walk in this stunning part of Bowland amounted to nine birds in 2.5 hours. In order of seeing, a Grey Heron, a Red Grouse, a Cormorant, and 5 Carrion Crow, all in flight, and a Mallard on Langden Brook....Depressing.

On the west side of Hawthornthwaite Fell, it was excellent to find 2 Stonechat, my seventh in 17 days since the two at Heysham on 10 December, makes good reading in my records, also here, a minimum of 40 Red Grouse including two flights of 15/8.

WELCOME TO THE FOREST OF BOWLAND.

Peregrine Falcon trapped in a Pole Trap banned in the UK for over a century.

Make no mistake about it, this kind of wildlife crime has a link to the people I have highlighted in this post. 

My New Year wish is that the killing of protected birds of prey on Red Grouse moors is soon brought to an end....it won't be....and that those responsible be brought to justice in the courts....they won't be.

So let's try to get all Driven Grouse Shooting banned - the RSPB won't - as I see it it's the only other road we can go down, our only other option.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION

Briefly Around The Lune.

Briefly birding again on Monday, and with at least fifty more sheep than birds on Conder Pool, where there was a grand total of 5 Little Grebe, 3 Black-headed Gull, a Little Egret, and a Grey Heron. A circuit of Conder Green produced a similar level of excitement, with 12 House Martin still around River Winds and Cafe d' Lune, and a Common Sandpiper in the channel, which is becoming more likely to be this years wintering bird here with every passing day.

Golden Plover at Glasson 4 September. Pete Woodruff.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, 2 Mediterranean Gull were both adult, a Greenshank, c.500 Redshank and a few Dunlin, with a lone Golden Plover seen close from the bowling green, and of 17 Little Egret counted, twelve were together in a tidal pool up stream from the Conder mouth.

Two Ruff were nice off the Lighthouse Cottage, they were a juvenile male and female feeding with a few hundred Dunlin and fewer Ringed Plover, a Wheatear was by Abbey Farm which was as far as I got today at Cockersand.

Adding a bit of gloss and quality to Birds2blog....

Purple Heron Brian Rafferty

The Purple Heron found 18 August, remains at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve, and can still be seen today mainly from the Grisedale Hide, but occasionally from Tim Jackson Hide....Thanks for the excellent image Brian.

The Usual Suspects.

Little Grebe. Pete Woodruff.

There was the sum total of 26 birds on Conder Pool on Thursday, of which were 9 Little Grebe, 7 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, a Grey Heron, and a Mallard. A closer look around the edges produced a Wheatear on the far bank, and in the creeks 2 Common Sandpiper. 

I was wrong to include all six Tufted Duck chicks in my list of twenty four presumed predated young birds on Conder Pool this year, despite four visits since I first saw them 8 August I had no further sightings until today when I saw the female accompanied by four of the initial six diving merrily, thus reducing my 'jumping the gun' figure to twenty two. 

On the last remaining mud on the Lune Estuary before the tide took over, c.450 Redshank, barely a double figure of Dunlin, a Greenshank by the Conder mouth, and an adult Mediterranean Gull on the far side. On Jeremy Lane, a Wheatear seen in a ploughed field.

Ringed Plover. Pete Woodruff.

The scenery had changed considerably at Plover Scar near high tide, with just 250 Dunlin and 6 Ringed Plover seen today. I hung around to see if anything else would turn up pushed off elsewhere by the tide, but to no avail. On fence posts running from Abbey Farm, 8 Wheatear and 3 Meadow Pipit were on the lookout.

Four Buzzard were soaring high together above Bowerham, Lancaster on Saturday morning.

Whooper Swans.

I've been watching two Whooper Swans all summer in the 'Lapland Bunting' field at Cockersand until 26 June, after which I only saw one bird until 4 August, since when it too has been nowhere to be found, just a lone Mute Swan and Greylag today.

But as I drove away from Cockersand along Moss Lane, I noticed a white mound in the field. Parking up I went into the field to have my suspicion proved right and found a dead Whooper Swan.

Wave Moth.

Satin Wave. Pete Woodruff.

Not a very good image, but one of the Satin Wave seen at Cockersand. A moth with markings no more obvious than the faint grey cross-lines, fairly common in the south of England, it becomes scarcer further north, but with four reported at Fairhaven dunes 20 August, this is at least a decent moth for Cockersand.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the excellent Leighton Moss Purple Heron header. 

Erratum 29 August.

With thanks to a contact, the moth ID has to be corrected to read Udea lutealis.

The Rewind.

I was back on Plover Scar an hour before the high tide on Tuesday, for a re-run of Mondays birding, and pleased to find the count looking more like 3,000 Dunlin today - though not pleased to find no hangers on with them - with up to 150 Ringed Plover, 5 Oystercatcher and 3 Grey Heron. On my way to the scar I saw 4 Wheatear.

The Sanderling.

Sanderling with Dunlin on Plover Scar 22 August. Pete Woodruff.

Best bird on Plover Scar was the lone Sanderling. You can't find a Sanderling on Plover Scar and take it for granted, it's a uncommon passage migrant anywhere in our area in both spring and autumn, and another declining wader species at that, though a truly amazing 152 on the scar 17 April 2015 might appear to contradict that, but it's at best scarce here. 

You can get more out of the sight of one of these little gems as I do, if you consider this small shorebird is returning from the High Arctic, stopped off briefly on Plover Scar, to continue probably just a few miles down the coast, to winter on the Fylde....This bird made my day. 

A wander to Bank End from Cockerham Marsh was rewarded by 3 Yellow Wagtail juvenile with a slight risk of duplication on one of the sightings. The area is the best place to find them in autumn anywhere in our recording area and beyond as AC will testify.

Butterflies.

Red Admiral Cockersand 22 August. Pete Woodruff.

It was a good day for butterflies on Tuesday, if only that I found 44 Large White, but a more interesting 17 Red Admiral, with 6 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Peacock, a Common Blue, and my eleventh Painted Lady.

Strangers in the night....Crept in, crept up, and crept out again.

Someone's been and taken the cork out of Conder Pool and drained off a few gallon of water to leave some nice muddy edges....what a good idea. But whether or not that's the sole purpose for this exercise is anybody's guess, I'd say probably not. 

Perhaps planning permission has been submitted for student accommodation to be built there!! 

No Title....

....well that's pathetic.

Dunlin Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff.

Cloudy but dry yesterday until later in the afternoon, I was on Plover Scar just after high tide to find an impressive 2,500 Dunlin at least, with c.190 Ringed Plover, a single Whimbrel, a Knot, and 3 Grey Heron. When I returned to the Lighthouse Cottage 2 hours later, the Dunlin and other waders were strung out and feeding from Plover Scar to Crook Farm with nothing 'odd' with them.

There was a good movement of Swallow in my two hours in the Cockersand area, generally moving south, but some lingering over the fields, also a number of Sand Martin and a few House Martin, 10 Wheatear were close together on a line of 30 fence posts by Cockersand Abbey, and off the headland, just into double figures of Pied Wagtail and similar Meadow Pipit, a Common Sandpiper on the shingle off Bank Houses was the surprise of the day. 

Returning via the road, with the ditches cleared out and the hedgerows trimmed pretty, 45 Wood Pigeon and 15 Goldfinch noted. Two Mute Swan and a lone Greylag were in the field with no sign of the one left from the two long staying Whooper Swans, 2 Red Admiral were the only butterflies seen.

It was raining now, but 3 Mediterranean Gull adult and a Greenshank were picked out on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, but being the coward I am when it's raining and I'm out birding, I'm off home....you can suit yourself!

Some You Win, Some You Lose.

Hard to believe, but 10 years ago to the day on 31 May 2007, I found an excellent 130 Sanderling on Plover Scar, a record not yet repeated, and to be honest I'm not holding my breath. 

I never fail to get myself to Plover Scar around this time of the year to see if I can connect with the migrant Sanderling, and that's why I found myself on the there an hour before high tide yesterday. But as if to show just how unpredictable birds can be, I had the place to myself right up to leaving at high tide with not a wader in sight.

But there's time yet for the Sanderling to turn up on Plover Scar early June, so I'll need to try to get there maybe a couple more times before I give up for another spring on the Sanderling stopping off on Plover Scar for a breather as they move north to their High Arctic breeding grounds.

Sanderling/Dunlin. Howard Stockdale.

Howard had 11 Sanderling on Plover Scar Saturday. Thanks for the images Howard, I was three days too late yesterday....but I did see c.175 Ringed Plover and 32 Dunlin hunkered down on a bare patch in the field behind Lighthouse Cottage, 3 Great-crested Grebe and 4 Eider off Crook Farm, and the summering 3 Whooper Swan still in their chosen field, with 5 Skylark, a Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat seen around the junction.

The Conder Pool Avocet.

I could only allow myself a couple of hours birding, and I'd called at Conder Green on my way to Cockersand, but returned later to find 8 Avocet on Conder Pool, with two birds still sitting, another two with chick/s, and a fourth pair looking like they intend to set up camp, in fact I reckon they may well nest on the front edge of the 'boxed' island straight out from the viewing platform. 

An unwelcome visitor dropped by in the form of a Grey Heron, which was instantly mobbed by all eight Avocet, 2 Common Tern, and a few Black-headed Gull. I left before seeing any result from the mob which weren't making any impression on having the Heron get the message it wasn't welcome. 

Two Stock Dove, a Little Grebe, a Great-crested Grebe, and 96 Black-tailed Godwit on the back terrace were also of note on Conder Pool. 

The B5290 Oystercatcher.

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