Friday......

......is BT day and our first port of call....yes you got it right....Aldcliffe where the four ex Carnforth Marsh Snow Geese were on the marsh but distant and would have given excellent views from the Golden Ball, also on the marsh, circa 390 Greylag and 70 Canada Geese, 3 Little Egret, a minimum of 2,000 Lapwing but just not possible for any accuracy, a Water Rail was briefly below the fence on the flood which is more appropriate to call a lake now.

From the picnic area at Conder Green a female Merlin perched obligingly on a post, also of note from here, a Little Grebe, 4 Goosander, 4 Grey Plover, a Spotted Redshank, and 7 Snipe in the air. Best from here on the River Lune drifting upstream on the incoming tide were at least 135 Goldeneye which - short of checking past records at the time of writing - I'd claim was an all time record of many years at this location. Noted on Conder Pool, 7 Little Grebe, a pair of Wigeon, 2 Goldeneye, and 8 Snipe.

            

By now the Lune Estuary was just a vast expanse of water and on the canal basin at Glasson Dock I counted 138 Tufted Duck and 3 drake Pochard. The Great-crested Grebe above was also on the canal basin but as the plumage will indicated not today, photo courtesy of PW. From Bodie Hill where Glasson Marsh was also virtually under water a Little Egret and 2 Reed Bunting were to note. On Jeremy Lane the c.20 Fieldfare I keep seeing in this area were in one of the fields. At Cockersands just 8 Eider were on the river by the lighthouse today, also noted 3 Goldeneye, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser, and a Great-crested Grebe. At the caravan park end, a Little Egret, 4 Meadow Pipit, and 6 Tree Sparrow.

I was a little surprised to find BT heading off towards Pilling now, though it was only about 2.30 the light was rapidly beginning to fade and last week at this time we were heading home towards Lancaster......not a complaint you understand, just facts. A detour round Gulf Lane produced the Little Owl perched in its usual tree staring at us like it does with that 'oh no not them two again' look. On Pilling Marsh at least 24 Whooper Swans were distant and 3 Little Egret present also......now we were heading back to Lancaster.

          

I was amazed to find something like 470 photographs have been posted on Birds2blog in just over a year and can't help thinking, if the next year can produce another 470 the likes of these then I'm really looking forward to seeing them and I know of one person who allows me to copy his images on to Birds2blog and who has just returned from some exotic land with a memory card full and I'm off to take a look at them right now. Of course with so many pics posted there's always the possibility that some have been seen twice like the stunning picture of the Kingfisher above courtesy of David Cookson and who wouldn't want a second look at this......Thanks David.