Highlights Around The Estuary.

Highlights started with a visit to Conder Pool on Friday, where 16 Avocet have now pitched up, and are equivalent in number to the eight breeding pairs in 2021. Also there, the Short-eared Owl performed, and gave excellent views on the ground and hunting around the edges of the pool. 

In perfect light conditions, I couldn't resist another attempt at some more footage of this brilliant owl that has entertained droves of happy birders and photographers for three weeks on Conder Pool now.

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The other highlight was that of up to 400 Black-tailed Godwit, most of which were at rest on the island, whilst others were feeding along the back terrace. Two male and a female Shoveler were also excellent, not a particularly common sight here, also 5 Snipe and a Little Egret completed a decent short list for Conder Pool.

At Cockersand, I was pleased to find my first 2 Wheatear, the first of which was on Plover Scar....Well, where else would I find my first Wheatear other than on Plover Scar. The c.250 Whooper Swan I saw from a moving vehicle, were concentrated in the fields off Moss Lane to the south of Gardners Farm.

At least 2,000 Golden Plover were in the air again as they had been on my last visit to Cockersand. The Skylark were singing their seemingly never ending flight song, with one fluttering over my head, also 3 Stock Dove noted, 6 Linnet in stubble, and around 20 birds distant in the air in the same field, were probably the same, but unable to rule out Twite.

Miscellany.

My daughter has a stunning male Reed Bunting visiting over the past few days in Brookhouse. An urban Reed Bunting on garden feeders is a first for Lynn, and certainly is for me.

I saw my first butterfly, with a Small Tortoiseshell at Cockersand on Friday, and one in the garden yesterday. Also in the garden, a Tree Bumblebee, a 'social bee' known to be less represented in up to four areas of Lancashire, including my home town of Lancaster. A large bee escaped through the greenhouse window before I could get very much detail on it, but from what I did see, I thought it was a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee which emerge in early spring from February onwards, as one of the most familiar of banded bumblebees.