It took me a couple of hours to find anything to inspire me to get out the little black book on Thursday.
Conder Pool.
Whilst in the process of finding just 7 Redshank and a similar number of Wigeon, Conder Pool was otherwise deserted. But I was encouraged by finding in excess of 100 Teal in the creeks, the duck being noticeably absent in decent number here since the onset of autumn into winter.
Plover Scar.
The message via WhatsApp...'male Snow Bunting Plover Scar 13.12pm'....had me donning my twitchers hat and heading of to Cockersand to spend the next 45 minutes searching for the bunting that wasn't.
Snow Bunting Cockersand 30 October. Ian Hartley.
Despite my being told by the finder, that the Snow Bunting was at Plover Scar when I arrived at the car park, I set off on what turned out to be a search with a disappointing 'dip', but Ian Hartley found the bird the following day....Ah'well can't win'em all!
Cockersand.
At Cockersand CP, things took a turn for the good and lifted me out of what was looking like an afternoon of gloom. On the marsh a pair of Stonechat are always my best fix, also three small flights>south amounted to 120 Golden Plover, and by the time I left Cockersand I had noted 61 Whooper Swan.
Six Whooper Swan, 2xadult/4x2nd winter, were in a field at the junction of Moss/Slack Lane, 13 in field behind C'sand CP, and 42 in field by the junction of Moss Lane/A588.
The Nearly Wasn't Day, which in the end, was no less interesting for me than any other day.
Black-headed Gull.
The Black-headed Gull seen on the Lune Estuary 22 October was on Conder Pool a week later. This bird has also seen last week by Ian Hartley who called it an 'interesting bird' when I contacted him about the confusion it has caused me.
What's going on with this bird then, has it ever moulted this year, has it moulted out of summer plumage and into another summer plumage, or has it moulted but not its hood. I am left with no answers as to why in November, a Black-headed Gull is in breeding plumage....Anyone!
Garden Birds.
An excellent result of 17 birds of 9 species from a 30 minute watch from the patio window....
Robin
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Wren
Starling
Swallow-tailed Moth.
Ian Mitchell kindly sent me a set of images of the Swallow-tailed Moth found in his trap yesterday.
This moth is large and spectacular, and in good conditions can have a second brood, this one being clear evidence of that.
Thanks for this Ian, I would have been as chuffed to find this one as I know you was....Excellent.
A quite spectacular sunset at 6.00pm Friday 30 October over Morecambe Bay from our west facing bedroom window.
