A Little Hard Going.

A bright but windy day on Thursday, it was little hard going at times with a few blank spells, but n'er mind....onward Christian soldiers and all that!

Little Grebe. Pete Woodruff.

Conder Pool was virtually deserted, though I counted 11 Little Grebe including these six together bobbing up and down on the choppy pool. Up to 70 Teal were in the creeks, and c.60 Goldfinch were flighty over the marsh.

Plover Scar at high tide held little more than 900 waders, estimated as 450 Oystercatcher, 350 Dunlin, 90 Turnstone, 5 Ringed Plover, 4 Redshank, 2 Knot, and a solitary Golden Plover. Five Snipe came off the marsh as I walked between Crook Cottage and Lighthouse Cottage, 3 Wheatear seen, with 35 Linnet around the cover crops off Slack Lane, and 10 Meadow Pipit in Bank Houses horse paddock.

Wigeon. Pete Woodruff.

I saw up to 300 Wigeon off the headland, and as an all year round vegetarian, they began to come to the shore as the tide dropped and started to feed.

Thanks to Marc Heath for the header of the Reculver Baird's Sandpiper....Brilliant image of a brilliant bird Marc.

Butterflies seen at Cockersand, a Painted Lady, 4 Red Admiral, and 2 Silver Y moths.

 

Red Admiral. Pete Woodruff.

Not easy photographing anything on a glaring white background, but I was pleased with the outcome in this shot of the Red Admiral and it's shadow basking on the whitewashed wall at Lighthouse Cottage.

Cockersand Lighthouse. 

Following the damage in a collision in March this year by a passing cargo ship with a gross tonnage of 674 tons, the task of dismantling then rebuilding of Cockersand Lighthouse is in full swing.

It's strange seeing the top section having been lifted off and now on dry land, and being able to see up close something which has stood out in the Lune Estuary for almost 170 years.