Nothing......

......to write home about, but JB and I had a good look along the coastal strip from Conder Green to knott End but there's no getting away from it birding days do have ratings and this one didn't do all that well in them. Despite scanning - I mean seriously scanning - three excellent 'gull' roosts I could find not a solitary Med Gull let alone an Ivory Gull.

Conder Green stood up well again today with 7 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 7 Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, and a Snipe. The Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock played host to a big disappointment for me in that despite another one of today's serious scans through c.2,700 close range waders - not all mentioned here - the Curlew Sandpiper - here since last Friday - was not seen, but noted were circa numbers of 800 Redshank, 1,500 Lapwing, and 100 Dunlin. Now I launch into another whinge because, when we arrive at Cockersands two numpties in a microlight fly about 2 mtrs above water the full length from Crook Farm to out of sight heading towards Bank End achieving nothing on our account save to prove that on Plover Scar were c.230 Oystercatcher and 50 Dunlin all now heading towards Sunderland Point, but what about the Bairds Sandpiper that flew off with them, I would'nt have minded if the Sparrowhawk - which actually took the very same fight path - had flushed the waders but......I give in......again!

A run to Knott End to find the first of the days gull roost's achieved little other than 3 Sandwich Terns with them and a Med Gull at high tide (RBA) but this was after we left at the sight of two more numpties with two dogs putting the gulls to flight......you could'nt make it up could you! At Cockers Dyke another excellent gull roost didn't produce anything and I confess to failing miserably at taking notes on anything else here. At Fluke Hall 2 Wheatear, always a smart bird to feast your eyes on and probably the first and last summer visitor to enter any birders note's. And at Bank End the third roost of the day again produced nothing other than c.250 Black - headed Gull's, but 2 Greenshank ended the day on a high'ish note.

Footnote. I've often thought, if the first Wheatear to arrive in the UK on a very early date was the last to leave the UK on a very late date it could have been in the country at least 8 month's.

I think JB's image of the Wheatear is excellent in that it has turned out to appear to be an oil painting for some strange reason which would grace any wall in your house......Thanks John.