Green For Go Part 2.

As I said in Wednesdays post, the report from Conder Pool will have to wait a few days. This was because of the chance finding of the spectacular Willow Emerald Damselfly on the Glasson Branch of the Lancaster Canal. So here it is....

Conder Pool/Green.

Five species in the creek, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Lapwing, Teal, and Goosander. 

Curlew Sandpiper Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

There was 3 Curlew Sandpiper on this visit, and frustratingly I find in a still from the video, that one bears a ring on its left leg. 

Not viewing the bird through a telescope whilst making a video, and I failed to spot the ring....Shucks!

I achieved a count of 31 Greenshank on Conder Pool as a personal first and best, but this is four under an earlier count of 35 Greenshank by another observer. Also, 4 Spotted Redshank, 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Ruff. Also, 2 Gadwall were almost certainly the breeding pair, and the Kingfisher put in an appearance. 

In the creeks at high tide, 2 Mediterranean Gull, a Marsh Harrier was drifting over, and at least 150 Pink-footed Geese >south.

  A Cormorant makes short work of an Eel for lunch on Conder Pool.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Martin Jump.

A Humming bird Hawk-moth has visited our garden 18 times in the past weeks, since I saw the first one in late July.

Salvia. Pete Woodruff.

Over the last 8 sightings, the HBHM has consistently visited the Salvia in our garden, a pattern of behaviour which I mentioned in my last post. Since then I did some research to discover the Hummingbird Hawk-moth is a species known to engage in traplining, this involves traversing a specific route in which the insect checks specified plants that hold nectar, it does so repeatedly and in the same order.....Amazing!

Thanks to Martin for another of his excellent set of images of the Hummingbird Hawk-moth.   

Willow Emerald Damselfly.

Willow Emerald Damselfly. Marc Heath.

I found just 8 records of Willow Emerald Damselfly in West Lancashire 2025/26....

2025

09 Sept Brockholes NR

25 Sept Brockholes NR

31 Aug Hest Bank

2026

15 July Lancaster

24 Aug Brockholes NR

07 Sept Lancaster Canal

14 Sept Lancaster Canal

17 Sept Catforth

Thanks to Marc for his excellent image of the male Willow Emerald Damselfly. 

Green For Go!

Conder Pool produced the goods with some big numbers again on Monday, but that excitement for me was overshadowed later by something even more exciting, and the report from Conder Pool on Birds2blog will have to wait a day or two.

Tales Of The Unexpected.

On ending a most enjoyable and fruitful session at Conder Pool on Monday, I decided to go look in on Saltcote Pond to see if perhaps the Common Hawker was still lingering since I had first found it there on 19 August, and had seen it here previously three times. The Common Hawker wasn't seen this time, but 2 Migrant Hawker and 2 Common Darter were. I also spied a Clouded Yellow butterfly here, but it moved on before I could get out the camera.

By now there was a shift in the weather, some nice blue sky, sunny spells, and a rise in the temperature. And so I changed my plan to retreat and go home, and decided to check the canal for a while, then maybe pay an unexpected return to Birk Bank to end the day.

Common Darter. Pete Woodruff.

As I walked down the path off the bridge and onto the canal, an old female Common Darter posed for me on the handrail.

No sooner had I set foot on the towpath to find 2 Migrant Hawker, than a damselfly came to settle in front of me. Not even time to wonder what it was, it was immediately recognised to be green....emerald green in fact! 

Willow Emerald Dragonfly Lancaster Canal 14 September. Pete Woodruff.

It took me no more than a few seconds to realise I had stumbled upon a Willow Emerald Damselfly. It was a male, complete with pale wing spots and a long abdomen, longer than any other Lestes, and  up to 38mm as notable ID features for me....Thereon, my plan to return to Birk Bank was canceled. 

Willow Emerald Damselfly. Martin Jump.

There's no better way to end a post like this than with another image, this one of a pair in tandem...Thanks for this image and the header to Martin Jump.

Tuned In And Turned On!

A good turn out in the week at and around Conder Pool, when I was joined by Ian Hartley who added an extra pair of eyes and expertise to a mini bird-fest which developed there. 

A Curlew Sandpiper juvenile was the star of the show, it was roosting at high tide in the creeks, off passage and enroute to it's African wintering grounds, it eventually moved on to Conder Pool, where it obliged close in for some footage, and to feed a while.

Ian picked up a Marsh Harrier high over the estuary, then later briefly over fields behind Conder Green Farm. Back on Conder Pool, two soon became 3 Spotted Redshank at the back of the pool, where I found 2 Common Sandpiper, a Snipe, and two eventually became 5 Ruff. I'm convinced there were more than the 12 Little Grebe I recorded, they were scattered all over the pool and diving constantly, 

A Wheatear was briefly on the edge of an island, 6 Wigeon seen, and a pair of Shoveler that I had seen here last week. Away from the pool again, a skein of up to 130 Pink-footed Geese were overhead >south, were the first of the winter, and a flock of c.50 Goldfinch came down on to the marsh thistles. I've seen flocks reaching three figures of Goldfinch here in the past.

I was grateful to Ian Hartley, not only for his company during a good session of birding, but also for passing on the figures that the Conder Pool Common Tern colony had 21 young fledged this year. In addition to that good news, a pair of Gadwall had 6 young to successfully fledge, another first record for Conder Pool .

 

Black-necked Grebe Juvenile. Copy Permitted.

Both these excellent records join a long line for Conder Pool, and brings to remember my own earlier record of a Black-necked Grebe which I found 18 years ago on 1 September 2008, it was a juvenile and hung around for 17 days last seen 18 September. 

Saltcote Pond.

The Common Hawker I found here on 24 August was probably the same one I saw again today, also 5 Common Darter including a pair egg laying, and a Speckled Wood butterfly. On the canal towpath, 5 Migrant Hawker seen.

Birk Bank.

Birk Bank Bog 9 September. Pete Woodruff.

The bog is looking good again after the drought, with water draining out and into the ditch.

Black Darter Birk Bank 9 September. Pete Woodruff.

A little activity today, with 6 Black Darter including a pair egg laying.

I had no idea they had separated until I processed the film....

Seven Common Darter, were all male, and I was pleased to have seen another Common Lizard again today. A Buzzard was overhead, and 2 Speckled Wood seen.

Jump To It!

Hot on the heels of his finding a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, and actually achieving an amazing image of the moth egg laying, Martin Jump struck gold again - green actually but doesn't sound as good as gold - when he discovered a first for Haslam Park in Preston on 5 September.

Willow Emerald Damselfly. Copyright Martin Jump.

Thanks for keeping me up to date on this one, and for the image for publication on B2B....Much appreciated and congratulations Martin.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth visited the garden again this morning, it is the 10th moth to do so in the past few weeks. Todays moth visited the Salvia in our garden for the third consecutive day, clearly showing evidence of traplining.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Martin Jump.

The Hummingbird Hawk-moth is a species that is known to engage in traplining, this involves traversing a specific route in which the insect checks specified plants that hold nectar, it does so repeatedly and in the same order. This behaviour by the moth is also shared by bees and butterflies. 

Think It's Called Twitching!

My latest visit to Conder Pool was rewarded by another first, when at least 2,500 Redshank were  present, including up to 100 in the creeks. This record puts an end to the 2,000 Redshank seen here on 7 August. 

Also, 14 Ruff, 6 Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Dunlin, 2 Snipe. and 15 Little Grebe. A pair of Shoveler always create some interest on Conder Pool for their scarcity, and 4 Wigeon are the early winter returners.

Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

At Saltcote Pond, it was a surprise to find a Common Hawker again, it was patrolling in a cool, windy and gloomy 18 °C    flying low and investigating the pool. The male is known to be very active, even in overcast conditions.

The Cockersand Dip!

At Cockersand, I failed to find a couple of target species - I think it's called twitching - but noted up to 450 Dunlin and 12o Ringed Plover, also 4 Turnstone one of which retained some of its smart breeding plumage.

Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 25 June 2025. Pete Woodruff.

Checking a group of 12 Black-headed Gull off Lighthouse Cottage, I found 4 Mediterranean Gull with them, they were all males in winter garb, and nothing like as smart as the black-hooded ones I saw on Conder Pool 25 June 2025. Also off here, 4 Eider.

Interest In The Garden.

There was interest in the garden yesterday, when I found a Garden Spider with prey. 

I think what we see is a Sphaerophoria sp of hoverfly, of which there are 11 confirmed species in Britain, and not easy to ID. 

Todays unfortunate find was in the jaws of a Garden Spider.

Garden Spider With Prey. Pete Woodruff.

Eventually the head was separated from its body which hung from a thread of the spiders web.

Another interest was in the form of the 8th Hummingbird-hawkmoth in as many weeks in the garden.

The moth performed perfectly for several minutes, nectaring on Salvia in the garden.

Green Shieldbug. Pete Woodruff.

And finally another first for me, an appropriately named nymph Green Shieldbug.