Three Circulars.

As it stands today we are having the third year in a row void of anything like spring weather and today followed the same pattern of late though the wind had eased somewhat.

On the first of the days circulars at Aldcliffe this morning I struggled to discover anything of note and in fact it took me the best part of two hours to find a Whitethroat soon followed by a brief Lesser Whitethroat which I heard only. A Little Egret was on the marsh and Freemans Pools held just a pair of Gadwall, a pair of Little Grebe, and I was fortunate to just about make out the head of a Little - ringed Plover on the far side of the island. A Green - veined White and Orange Tip were the only butterflies - other than a few 'whites' - seen in the entire day....no surprise there.

At Conder Green two pair of House Martin are nest building at River Winds, c.30 Black - tailed Godwit were in the creeks again, and just one Little - ringed Plover was seen on Conder Pool. Things were so desperate on the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock that I counted the Mute Swan's and found there was 175 of them, as I was about to throw in the towel here I spotted 4 Eider almost out of sight beyond Waterloo Cottage.

At Cockersands from the lighthouse car park I thoroughly grilled c.620 Dunlin for 30 minutes or more and every single bird was black bellied. I reasonably estimated 350 Ringed Plover here today which represents by far the highest count of the species I ever encountered anywhere within the LDBWS recording area, two 'terns' were far too distant for my skills to ID and have reluctantly gone into my records book as Commic Tern's, 9 Whimbrel were also seen from here. On the road section of the circuit I saw/heard 4 Sedge Warbler, noted 6 Swift over, and heard one Skylark in song......well as far as the weather was concerned I certainly didn't feel like singing today.

The Little Egret was on Aldcliffe Marsh today pictured along with the backside (it does go under a few other descriptions) of a sheep.