BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND......................................................MEDITTERANEAN GULLS CONDER POOL PETE WOODRUFF

Thursday 20 January 2011

The Bay Day.


An excellent decision to give Morecambe Bay along the promenade a good going over on foot from the Stone Jetty to Teal Bay either side of the high tide on what was a nicer sunny winters day you could not have wished for, and a day aesthetically charged though not the 'busiest' of bays in the world bird wise and only ten species got into my note book in the four hours spent here. Be warned I became rather enthusiastic with my little pocket digi camera and the grand total of seven pics follows....and only two are of birds!

Scaup. Scalestones Point.

The 6 Scaup been present here recently were seen east of Broadway where an adult Mediterranean Gull was also found. I didn't pay too much attention to counting waders though there was very few to count, but did note c.250 Dunlin on the groyne at Broadway, 5 Goldeneye were also of note off here.

Pintail. Teal Bay.

At Teal Bay the 6 Pintail in the pic above, and 9 Wigeon seen. I have no idea of the history, but neither of these species are ever seen in number off the promenade at Morecambe. I saw no more than 25 Eider, 12 Great-crested Grebe, and noted just a lone drake Red-breasted Merganser in four hours along the promenade. Bird of the day had to go to the Purple Sandpiper which I picked out of four small waders in flight and which landed on the slipway by the Lifeboat Station at the Stone Jetty. 


I'm never able to appreciate this 'piece' of art, but it - if it has a name I'm not aware of it - is mid-way between Happy Mount Park and Teal bay at the east end of the promenade.


There was some excellent photo opportunities today for anyone with a real interest in the art and even I couldn't resist a photograph of the well worn LR66.


I'm not sure how this person was coping with the weather sat at the end of the Stone Jetty this afternoon whilst I surveyed any birds around, but by now I was bloody cold as the sun enjoyed earlier had disappeared and....


....a fog was beginning to form in the west and actually became quite thick and freezing about an hour later.


So by 3.00pm I was heading for home, but not before witnessing the beginning of the end of the Super Dome, and theres a bit of a laugh in this pic in that, if you look closely to the right of the small four wheeled machine you can just about pick out the seven - and I'll be truly polite here - 'pee pots' in the gents.

The JB/BT birding run tomorrow....looking forward to that. 

3 comments:

  1. "An excellent decision to give Morecambe Bay along the promenade a good going over on foot from the Stone Jetty to Teal Bay either side of the high tide on what was a nicer sunny winters day you could not have wished for".....where you on the same planet Pete? Couldn't see my hand in front of my face all day today...AND you got four 'year birds' I'd have liked.
    Used to drive Bobcats...the little truck in front of the gents...great fun until you tipped them over!!!

    Cheers

    Dave

    ReplyDelete
  2. 'Twas a truly beautiful day as described in the post.

    Bobcat....thats the name I couldn't remember and had to call it a 'small four wheeled machine'.

    Thanks for looking in Dave.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pete. Enjoyed this one.. A very nice mix of pix. I particularly like LR66. Glad you enjoyed super weather.

    I have been stuck in fog on a couple of my trips but did enjoy a couple of sunny afternoons at Martin Mere. Take care.

    ReplyDelete