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

Saturday 11 January 2014

Day Of The Duck!

On Wednesday I managed only my second 'outing' in 2014, but it was a decent day by recent standards and some bonus birding if only for some excellent wildfowl and a wader count/s. 


 
 Teal. Copy Permitted.

At Conder Green the combined count for Conder Pool - now more like a lake - and the creeks was of up to 300 Teal. On the pool, 135 Mallard, 15 Wigeon 5 Goldeneye, 3 Little Grebe, and the faithful winter Common Sandpiper. Along the coastal path, 8 Blackbird and 3 Robin. On the canal basin at Glasson Dock, 11 Goldeneye and a female Pochard. On the Lune Estuary, 6 Goldeneye, 3 Goosander, 2 Little Grebe, and a Red-breasted Merganser. Other counts estimated on the estuary, 2,500 Wigeon 2,000 Golden Plover, 500 Dunlin, 350 Black-tailed Godwit, and 300 Redshank


Pintail. John Darbyshire.

At Cockersands with no time for a circuit, I noted 85 Turnstone on Plover Scar with 3 Eider and a Great-crested Grebe off here. A Little Egret was off the Caravan Park with 16 Pintail in the Cocker Channel. A Peregrine Falcon was on the railings of the lighthouse and was still there when I returned and passed there two hours later. 

Excellent Counts. 

Bar-tailed Godwit Marc Heath

On the Lune Estuary, an estimated count of up to 1,000 Bar-tailed Godwit seen on the west side of Sunderland Point from Bodie Hill....


Wigeon Martin Jump 

...and at Cockersands between the lighthouse and the Cocker Estuary, an extraordinary count of at least 8,000 Wigeon and 1,500 Teal amongst which I found a Red-breasted Goose.

4 comments:

  1. Brilliant choice of pics, Pete!
    I finally managed to get very close to teals on the 9th of jan!
    The pics will come out tomorrow!
    I am amazed by the numbers of birds in the different species you have seen!
    I guess along the shores the outnumber easily those who winter far in land... like where I am!
    Enjoy your sunday and your sightings!

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  3. Many thanks for your visit and comments to Birds2blog Noushka.

    Your comments were posted twice and I have deleted the duplication above.

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