....never really got off the ground.
When I arrived at Conder Green I hadn't realised it was about 30 minutes from a very high 10m + tide and also what I hadn't realised was that being stood on the viewing platform overlooking Conder Pool I needed to move myself or I was about to get stranded there for quite some time. It was quite a revelation to see the tide spilling on to the road, coming up and from underneath the road - yes it does - and coming out of the gutters on the opposite side of the road from the River Conder....talk about time and tide waits for no man. So I abandoned any thoughts of birding in this area - the Lune estuary would be entirely under water.
OK so nothing went right today but above is an excellent study of one of Knott Ends resident Twite from one of the Fyldes resident birder/ringer Phil Slade....thanks Phil.
Before my escape from Conder Green I had managed to note the Spotted Redshank, a Little Grebe, and up to 160 Redshank were high tide roosting on Conder Pool. So I got to Jeremy Lane to try to get my four hours Monday birding allowance off the ground but wait a minute its all going wrong again as Mr Farmer is checking out his sheep and lambs on his 'four wheeler' and disturbing all the swans in the process but I did manage to count 6 Bewick's Swans and 17 Whooper Swans before they departed and flew off into the great unknown. From an undisturbed Moss Lane I counted another 12 Whooper Swans.
Though I never thought it a good idea I went off to Cockersands just to prove it and noted the Little Egret in its favourite ditch, 3 Meadow Pipits on the tide wrack at the caravan park end, 7 Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were in the Banks Houses horse paddock. Plover Scar had completely disappeared under the sea and that was my lot despite the 1.5 hour circuit....shouldn't I be doing something else?
A drive to Fluke Hall Lane in the hope the waders would have taken to the stubble fields here on this high tide turned out to have been another bad idea but I noted circa 1,800 Lapwing, 900 Dunlin, and 420 Golden Plover....I give in!
White-throated Toucan. Venezuela February 2010. Colin Bushell.
Worth an edit if only to add a little colour to an otherwise relatively dull post....Thanks Colin.
Not a dull post at all, the vast majority of the species you recorded today would have me jumping up and down if seen on my patch!
ReplyDeleteJust shows the difference of where you are in the country and the birds you have/don't have in the area Warren.
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy birding at the mo Pete. Give it a week or so and we'll be rocking.
ReplyDeleteSpot on there Phil, the last two days have been flogging the proverbial 'dead horse' for me, but the good thing is I never loose interest.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm never going to know when you passed me - or I passed you for that matter - until I find you parked up somewhere!