Next Please!

Yesterday at Conder Green, there wasn't much to put enthusiasm into orbit for a bit of birding, though a lone Pink-footed Goose was a novel first for Conder Pool, it was accompanied by the lone Wigeon I saw last week, a Common Sandpiper was in the creeks, and 35 Goldfinch were seen from the coastal path.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon. Jan Larsson @ Vingspann

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, a few thousand waders went into the air en-mass, this time I got lucky and locked on to the culprit, a Peregrine Falcon which gave an excellent aerial display for several minutes, during which time it picked out three loose waders and made a strike with none of them, but easily touched 80 mph on the three short spectacular dives.

Last Fridays c.1,000 Golden Plover were present here again, and a good peak count for my book was 4 Great-crested Grebe. Along with the Redshank and Lapwing 'locals' I saw just 8 Snipe and 5 Dunlin, 4 Goosander were hauled out below Colloway Marsh where I saw the Merlin again, this time giving good views perched up at the south end of the marsh. A screeching gull flying towards me was a Black-headed Gull in pursuit of a Sparrowhawk.

At Cockersand, Plover Scar was void of waders, though up to 250 Dunlin flew south past here, ignoring the refuge there from the high tide, but 9 Twite livened up the inner edge of the scar with a Wheatear and Meadow Pipit seen. 

Rock Pipit Cockersand 9 October. Pete Woodruff.

On the shingle north west of the caravan park, 3 Rock Pipit, with a few Tree Sparrow and a Reed Bunting around Bank Houses, and 75 Curlew in a field off Slack Lane. An adult Mediterranean Gull was with at least 2,500 Black-headed Gull off Moss Lane.

What keeps birding buzzin' is that you never know where or when the next surprise is going to be....Next Please.

On the shingle at Cockersand yesterday. A Harbour Porpoise, Europe's smallest cetacean.