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

Thursday 11 October 2012

Seeing Double!

I got a double in on Tuesday with two days birding in succession.... what's the world coming to!


With the weather as good as it was it was essential I got myself out again if only to give the area a repeat looking over, and as on Monday it was 11.00am by the time I got to Conder Green where I took note of the Common Sandpiper again, but could only count 7 Little Grebe today despite a multi count, a Kingfisher was in the creeks quietly on the sand bank.

The adult female Scaup gave excellent views close in and allowing the opportunity to get some good detail of this bird on the canal basin at Glasson Dock. On the Lune Estuary, 2 Spotted  Redshank, c.90 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Little Egret, and the 'August' Whooper Swan which was in the very same area of Colloway Marsh as it has been the last three sightings, I'm beginning to wonder if this bird is as well as it appears to be. Talking of which, a Mute Swan on the river opposite the bowling green was frantically preening which - on close inspection through the telescope - revealed it to be injured and bleeding, it appeared to have an injury to its right wing, or maybe in the area of its right wing.

I gave Cockersands little time today, too many people, too many dogs, but noted a Little Egret on Plover Scar before the dogs did, and a bird glimpsed in flight was almost certainly a Jack Snipe. On Pilling Marsh off Lane Ends, 4 Barnacle Geese were distant with c.2,000 Pink-footed Geese and a Little Egret.

Weatherwise the day was brilliant and some legwork from Fluke Hall to Cockers Dyke was a joy, though it turned up nothing of note in either direction, but was rewarded at the dyke with a Curlew Sandpiper and 4 Little Egret.

Note....An interesting sighting - albeit distant and in poor light late afternoon - on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, was of a godwit sp - thought to be Bar-tailed Godwit - which had very unusual pale upperparts, and a pure white head, neck, and underparts, worth looking for if you're planning a visit here or elsewhere if it moves on. 

And the photography....


Redwing. Marc Heath.

The Redwings are coming....in fact they've already arrived in Kent where Marc took this photograph yesterday. 

Brown Hawker. Marc Heath.

Dragonflies in our area this summer have been in short supply, but in the south its probably been a different story....Thanks to Marc Heath who has posted numerous photographs of dragonflies recently, for the Brown Hawker on blackberries.

Black Darter Cliff Raby 

And thanks to Cliff for this photograph of the Black Darter....

Ichneumon Wasp Cliff Raby  


....and the excellent macro image of this wasp. All four photographs have helped to put some much needed colour and interest into Birds2blog.

No more birding for me I'm afraid until next Monday at the earliest.... what's the world coming to!

7 comments:

  1. I think we have all been busy making the most of our summer (three days without rain!); glad you've been out and about and always pleased to hear what's on 'up north'. Too much happening darn sarf at the moment but one day 'I'll be back'. Thanks for looking in and you comment Pete, greatly appreciated. Best w
    g

    I'll kep an eye out for the Godwit

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  2. Perfect then .. I think very well .. :-))) You picked some beautiful pictures. . Congratulations and kind regards ..

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  3. I'm pleased for you, being able to do back to back birding Pete, lots seen today that I am well envious of, most of which would be real mega birds at my mainly waterless patch :-)

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  4. I've missed out on all the lovely weather - gggrrrrrr - very frustrating! Glad you got to get out though - happy birding!

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  5. Geoff/Ana/Warren/Sharon....Always good to see your comments, much appreciated.

    Sharing our mutual passions.

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  6. 1100hrs. Thats a real shame at this time of year Pete. Missing all the proper action e.g. irruptive Coal Tits. Unfortunately the daily transient stuff which makes each day subtely different passes through usually between dawn and about 1030hrs. After then you have to make do with the same old stuff 'in situ' and this doesnt do justice to the individual 'character' of each day. In other words, one of the great things about this time of year is the subtle difference between the migratory occurrences each morning as determined by sometimes just slightly different weather conditions - not necessarily rare stuff e.g. working out whether there been a Wren passage or an influx of Robins this morning of not?

    PS tomorrow's a lie-in. North-westerly rubbish!!

    Hope you can get some early morning birding time in the near future

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  7. Thanks for this Pete, much appreciated as ever.

    I need to learn a little more about this current Coal Tit irruption, I'm intrigued.

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