Around The Lune Estuary.

A look in on Conder Pool yesterday produced the kind of interest you come to expect here. Thirteen Common Tern seen, heading toward the climax of their breeding season, with eight adult and five young seen, four of which have yet to fledge, though I'd be surprised if they didn't do so soon after I left, with wing flapping lifting the birds a metre off the pontoon at times. 

One of the adult Common Tern has a metal ring on the lower right leg, it is one of three around at the moment, and one having been read was ringed as a chick at Shotton, Flintshire in 2017.

Common Tern 10 Aug 2021

 

I'm grateful to Ian Hartley for his help regarding info about ringed Common Terns at Conder Green.

Conder Pool held a decent count of 11 Greenshank, with 3 Avocet seen as an adult with two juvenile. Also 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Little Grebe, and a Swift seen as it zoomed over the old iron railway bridge, might well be my last of the year. On a circuit to Glasson, an Emperor Dragonfly was on Saltcote Pond, with 2 Common Darter and Blue-tailed Damselfly, also a Sparrowhawk over. 

Common Blue Male & Female

On a walk along the marsh edge to Glasson Dock, the butterflies put on a bit of a show for me at last, all nectaring on Sea Lavender, with 12 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Common Blue, 2 Green-veined White, a Gatekeeper, Comma, and Meadow Brown. 

In the last 15 minutes of exposed mud on the Lune Estuary as the tide flowed in, c.400 Redshank and 48 Dunlin, 18 Little Egret were on the southern tip of Colloway Marsh. Up to 30 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin were hawking over the canal basin.

Thanks to Howard for the Knot header image. Howard has news of up to 3,000 Knot arriving in the Netherlands, and is looking forward to a similar arrival here in the UK soon.