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

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Breeders?

....but little else to write home about.

The Conder Pool Avocets.


As I see it, the Avocets - which were on Conder Pool last Friday morning when I arrived there - look set to attempt to breed here, today is their fifth day on the pool.


Avocet. Conder Pool. May 23.


The Avocet is a bird generally silent outside the breeding season, but I watched them for twenty minutes yesterday during which time they called persistently....'kluit, kluit, kluit....'in response to anything that moved and appeared as an intruder entering or flying over a nesting area. When I returned later in the day, the bird on the right prodded and poked at the ground then eventually appeared to settle down there....Mmmmm!

It's difficult to know exactly what the 2 Common Tern on Conder Pool are up to, but a suspicion I have is that the female is now sat in a tray hidden behind vegetation on Tern Island which is where she's sat the past two years, the male just loafs around....Mmmmm! 

Also seen was the lone Black-tailed Godwit in the creeks, a Whitethroat and male Reed Bunting were the only rewards for my efforts at Conder Green.

High Tide Roosters. Ringed Plover/Dunlin.

Ringed Plover.

I visited only Plover Scar at Cockersands around the high tide to find waders in fewer number than my visit last Friday, today c.500 Dunlin and c.150 Ringed Plover were grilled a few times to find nought 'odd' amongst them.

An hour along the top track and return via the lower one at Aldcliffe had a lone Little Ringed Plover with the flood entirely to itself, with 3 Chiffchaff seen/heard.

Considering I was on the roam for six hours yesterday, I ended up with little to write home about....Birding can be hard work y'know!!

Today's pictures, your's truly.

7 comments:

  1. 6 hours out in the field. I wouldn't mind a bit of that Pete. Hope the Avocet successfully breed, a stunning bird to look at.

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  2. More to write home about than my patch Pete!! There again the grass is always greener..........

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  3. It was brilliant really Marc/Warren, birding of any kind always is for me, just a little below par today though, perhaps 'nothing to write home about' was a little over the top, but I like a good whinge now and again!!

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  4. The avocets looked like they were sitting - I was there a while last night. One would fly off to the creek while the other sat or just waited on the left hand section of Tern Island. The terns were both there, however they did both leave to fish on the canal/basin for a while.

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  5. Avocets definitely there for a purpose, not just passing through.

    Thanks for being in touch Simon.

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  6. Avocets potentially breeding sounds very exciting to me, Pete! Would that be a first for that location? I'd consider that 6 hours well spent!

    Best wishes - - Richard

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  7. Certainly a first for Conder Pool, fingers crossed, they'll need some luck, open to all manner of predation.

    Re the six hours with 'nothing to write home about' was definitely well spent and my comments not to be taken too seriously....I like to keep Birds2blog generally as light hearted as possible.

    Thanks for your contribution Richard.

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