Rock On!

Rock Pipit. Pete Woodruff.

There was a decent count of at least 10 Rock Pipit at Pilling Lane Ends on Friday, some obligingly coming to perch on the fence post giving me the chance to achieve some of my usual 2nd rate pictures. Also eventually dropping on to the fence posts were a flighty 7 Twite. A lone Whooper Swan was on the sea towards Fluke Hall, numbers of wildfowl were unremarkable, though several hundred Shelduck were spread out the length from Fluke Hall to Bank End, and it's always good to see the Pintail here. Fifteen Pink-footed Geese were on the sea, then drifted in to start grazing on the embankment.

At Wrampool, up to 200 Linnet were flighty and eventually flew off, a Snipe came abruptly up out of the set-aside with it's characteristic scraping 'catch' call. I've driven past the flood at Braides recently, but calling in today I noted Wigeon and Teal present, but most notable was 5 Shoveler.

A Grey Wagtail was at Bamber's Farm as I drove down Moss Lane to find 110 swans in a field just west of the A588, amongst which I found 7 Bewick's Swan, with 10 Whooper Swan and 93 Mute Swan, all being disturbed by activities in the field when I called back there later in the day to see if anything had changed....necessary farming activities you understand.

Curlew. Pete Woodruff.

On the canal basin at Glasson Dock, 6 Goldeneye were there again as Monday, and on Conder Pool, I could find only 3 Little Grebe, 23 Curlew, and the Common Sandpiper which flew in off the marsh. I note I've had no sign of the faithful Spotted Redshank at Conder Green since 5 December.

The Bewick's Swan.  

I was made up when I found the first Bewick's Swans in our area this winter off Moss Lane on Friday, and only the second record in Lancashire with two at Hundred End in West Lancashire on 23 November. 

I'm not up to date on the current status of Bewick's Swans in the UK, but in early November there was only c.400 at the Ouse Washes and at Slimbridge, whilst at that time c.4,000 were in Holland, which is actually just under 400 short of the total population in Britain and Ireland in 2015.

Many thanks to Ana for the Woodlark header.