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

Friday 12 April 2013

Jack The Snipe....

....and some other birds.

Jack Snipe. Conder Pool. Copy Permitted.

One week later I found the Conder Pool Jack Snipe again on Wednesday. It gave excellent views as it fed and displayed its constant full body bobbing, a behaviour which fascinates me about this bird, you have to ask yourself....why on earth does it do this. 


Greenshank Antonio Puigg

Also at Conder Green, 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Greenshank were in the creeks, with 2 Snipe and a drake Goosander on the pool, a Dunnock was by the viewing platform. But the best bird of the day put in a brief appearance in the form of my first Swallow of the year which went quickly through.  

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was again absent of anything of note save 16 Black-tailed Godwit and 12 Goldeneye, 3 Eider here are not particularly regular on this section of the river. 

At Cockersands....I'll spare you a launch into one of my tirades about bird disturbance, but Plover Scar was void of birds due to human activity at the best time of the day on the high tide, 3 Eider off here were all there was to note. A Wheatear was present on the abbey ruins, a sight I'm more acquainted with on autumn passage. I saw just 5 Tree Sparrow and am at a loss as to the current status of the species at Cockersands these days. A Reed Bunting, Dunnock, and at least 3 Skylark in full flight song, 35 Golden Plover were in an Abbey Farm field, and 13 Black-tailed Godwit flew by Crook Cottage in search of terra firma on the ebbing tide and landed on the marsh. The 'Cockersands' Little Egret was again by an inland ditch, and I saw one Brown Hare.

The lives of the breeding Lapwing at Cockersands are already in shreds once again this year as three large fields have been 'turned over' since my last visit here and several birds looking lost in the wilderness of soil. 

In 1.5 hours on the coastal path between Fluke Hall and Cockers Dyke at least 300 Meadow Pipit went north-east following the coastline. 

Coming Soon.      


Whinchat  
Whinchat David Cookson  


Hopefully coming soon....The bird which runs a close second to my favourite of all birds the Stonechat, is its cousin the Whinchat. I know at least one area in Bowland where I can find a double figure of adult Whinchat and sincerely hope this is going to be the case again in 2013. Sadly there aren't enough places where double figures of Whinchat can be found today, but here's hoping. 


One on a post 
Spotted Flycatcher Brian Rafferty  


Another summer visitor I'm looking forward to seeing is the Spotted Flycatcher, but - like the Whinchat - to find it in number might also be a challenge, but here's hoping.


Pied Flycatcher Ana Minguez  

And definitely looking forward to seeing the Pied Flycatcher again....Mouth watering stuff!

Thanks to AP/DC/BR/AM for the images....brilliant once again.

3 comments:

  1. All we need is some insects Pete, and for those we need some decent weather :-)

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  2. Geeeezzz, I am late here too!
    I have surfed your latest posts, well done and great choice of pictures!
    I will be back soon!
    Cheers, Pete

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ohhh lovely birds.. Congrats.. Have a nice weekend my friend.. :-)))

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