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

Tuesday 25 February 2014

....And I Got A Soaking!

Sparrowhawk. Howard Stockdale.

The Sparrowhawk has made good use of the huge section of this felled tree as its lookout post, carried and dumped at Conder Green by the recent storm driven high tide.

Goosander Warren Baker

Yesterday on Conder Pool, 3 Goosander, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Redshank, 4 Goldeneye, and at least 10 Little Grebe still here but maybe not for much longer, 2 Spotted Redshank were in the creeks. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, the winter wader numbers are falling now, but noted were c.250 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.250 Redshank, minimal number of Lapwing, pair Red-breasted Merganser, and 30 Goldeneye. A Peregrine Falcon was distant on Colloway Marsh, and 65 Pink-footed Geese were over going south. On the canal basin, 5 Goldeneye and a drake Red-breasted Merganser

Off Moss Lane, the Whooper Swans have move further inland and away from view, but I've no reason to suspect anything less than the 275 still present and counted last Tuesday 18 February. I saw 4 Bar-tailed Godwit off Crook Cottage....set off to do the 'rounds'....turned and went off hot-foot back to the motor to escape a downpour heading my way over the bay, which I failed to do and got a soaking, at which point I threw in the towel. 

Thanks for the images Howard/Warren....Excellent and appreciated.

The Petition.


Fearnan. Keith Brockie.


This is Fearnan, the satellite tagged Golden Eagle whose life had barely taken off before it was found dead by poisoning in 2013. Murdered on an Angus grouse moor at the hands of an industry incapable and unwilling to move out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st century. There are numerous accounts of this sad story and a short illustrated one can be seen Here  

The image above is currently at the top of my sidebar as a link to a petition calling for the UK government to introduce a system of operating licences for upland grouse shoots.

Would you urgently consider signing this petition please as it closes this Thursday 27 February but has already attracted in excess of 10,300 signatures which will now trigger a response by the government.

4 comments:

  1. I got wet today as well pete :-(

    Bloody disgraceful all this raptor persecution, is any progress to stop it being made I wonder :-(

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  2. Saw your 3 nlackwits fly in at lunchtime but didn't see any goosanders there, maybe I didn't look hard enough.
    2 Bewick's were at the back of the herd found after nearly an hour stood on the footbridge!
    Enjoyed my venture into your realm.

    Cheers

    DaveyMan

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  3. Hi Pete!
    Your comment made me smile!!
    Boy I hate to see this picture of the Golden eagle dead.
    I will sign the petition, naturally.
    Warren's Goosander is superb, a duck I have never seen.
    Keep well!

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  4. Warren....Fed up to the back teeth I'm sitting it out at home yet again today.

    DavyMan....Thanks for letting me know there are some Bewick's Swans with the Whooper's, and glad you enjoyed the venture into the realm.

    Noushka....Please about the smile, and many thanks for signing the petition.

    ReplyDelete