BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND..................................................SPOTTED REDSHANK RIVER CONDER HOWARD STOCKDALE

Saturday 3 September 2011

Missing the Migrants.


On the JB/BT day yesterday (Friday) we missed the migrants - Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stint - on the Lune Estuary, but thanks to a very reliable and obliging contact at least I knew they were there and where.


With no appropriate pics again for today's post I thought I'd put up a couple of my miserable attempts at photographic skills with two 'Coming Soon' shots of the Pink-footed Geese.

And....


The Whooper Swans....both species will be in an area near you soon, even in maybe 5-6 weeks time.

Yes you guessed it, we started at Freeman's Pools where I noted up to 6 Little Grebe, as always JB will have comprehensively noted much more both here and elsewhere HERE. Conder Green - including Conder Pool - was a depressing deserted place today and we soon moved on to Glasson Dock where I left the finer details to JB but noted myself,  3 adult Mediterranean Gulls and c.110 Golden Plover. From Bodie Hill 2 Little Egret seen.

What turned out to be at the minimum 2,500 birds in a field off Moss Lane were estimated as 900 Black-headed Gull, 950 Lapwing, and 600 Golden Plover. At Cockersands on Plover Scar I made notes of 980 Oystercatcher, 55 Ringed Plover, 55 Dunlin, and 4 Turnstone, 21 Eider were off here, c.20 Goldfinch were seen near Bank Houses, and a Sparrowhawk dashed through, at least 22 Small Tortoiseshell were on nettles in pristine freshly emerged condition, with a Common Blue noted.

The routine tour along Gulf Lane produced a solitary Grey Partridge, and at Pilling Lane Ends where the 10m + tide was at its height there was little inspiration save a Little Egret, 5 Great-crested Grebe and 3 Red-breasted Merganser, a solitary Wall Brown and 2 Speckled Wood rounded the session off.

Note. 

On Thursday at Glasson Dock I observed an Oystercatcher with a bill deformity in that it was the same size and shape as that of a Curlew. I had thought at the time this creature was unable to preen in order to keep its plumage in good healthy condition, were the Curlew has the advantage of a long neck. However, the Oystercatcher definitely appeared generally uncomfortable about the predicament it was permanently in for life and I felt its chances of survival was limited....An amazing sight if unpleasant for the unfortunate bird. 

2 comments:

  1. Nice lighting in the first photo Pete.

    Good to see you have lots of Lapwing there, I hope to find one myself this month :-)

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  2. 3,200 Lapwing on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock today in a report I just read....how many should I send to Kent - buy one get one free - for you Warren?

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