Pleasantries Around The Estuary.

A nice little trio of waders at Conder Green on Monday were seen as the rapidly transforming Spotted Redshank in the creeks. On Conder Pool, an adult male Ruff is also transforming into breeding plumage, also present 2 Little Ringed Plover, with 2 Black-tailed Godwit. up to 10 Avocet were the only ones in view.

The Ruff was a little distant for footage of any quality, but there was entertainment provided by a male Redshank pursuing the female with no sign of any letup in the chase for several minutes.

At Cockersand, there was no sign of any Whooper Swan, but up to 2,500 Pink-footed Geese were distant in fields on the north side of Bank End Farm. A Raven was high over head, probably the highest I have ever seen a soaring Raven, a count of 52 Eider were on the estuary between Plover Scar and Crook Farm.

At Bank House I saw 2 Tree Sparrow, these were the first I have recorded at Cockersand since I saw 16 on 10 October 2023, they were in company with half a dozen House Sparrow. I don't recall ever seeing the two species literally side by side. Hybrids between the two are rare, the only record I know of, is that of a bird in Somerset probably 40 years ago, which showed mixed characters obviously intermediate between the two.

Do Not Disturb.

Four bodies with seven mutts decided a visit to the seaside was a good idea.

I'm really hoping this is going to be the only time they decide to trespass out on to Plover Scar. This is a known breeding site for the Ringed Plover, and today there was no chance of me seeing the odd Sandwich Tern plunge diving off here, which I did in early May 2018.

It's important to know, Plover Scar is an essential high tide roost for waders, and is within a SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

Well At Least My Species Count Looked Slightly Healthier This Time!

It was good to find a female Stonechat at the east corner of Conder Pool. In truth the chat added a bit of brightness to an otherwise dull visit, with just two other species present, being 5 Wigeon and 3 Little Grebe.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 2,500 Lapwing were to note, with 350 Wigeon, a Snipe and just 2 Golden Plover looking forlorn, and by way of a change close in on the south shore below the bowling green, it would have been more expected to have seen up to 1,000 Golden Plover across on the north side below Colloway Marsh.

Off Moss Lane, 26 Whooper Swan were the first at Cockersand since I found 13 on 10 October, these were a one day wonder, didn't settle here and moved on. Todays Whooper Swan were accompanied in the field at Clarkson's Farm by up to 200 Greylag.

The Greylag were a bit of a mixed bunch as can be seen in my header image, including an odd one with three juvenile birds.

As I set off for my Cockersand circuit, the Hawthorns are stacked with berries, a larder waiting for the winter thrushes to arrive. 

A few hundred Lapwing, Curlew, and Starling were put to flight by a 'brown' Merlin whizzing over the field, then hedge hopped to disappear from view. Also 25 Black-tailed Godwit flew south, soon followed by 16 Pink-footed Geese over the sea from the west, and inland to soon turn south towards Pilling.

On the way round, I saw 3 Skylark drop into stubble, up to 200 Canada Geese and 125 Wigeon were in and around a flood by Slack Lane, from where 8 Long-tailed Tit were seen. Off Plover Scar, 5 Eider, and when I returned to Bank Houses, 22 House Sparrow were accompanied by 3 Greenfinch.

There are 2 Kestrel to be seen daily at Cockersand this winter, one in the area around Lighthouse Cottage, and one in the Caravan Park area showing its mastery of hovering. 

Tree Sparrow.

It's over 12 months since I last saw Tree Sparrow at Cockersand where they could been seen regularly, 16 were at Bank Houses on 10 October 2023. Before this, it was 12 months since my previous record of one Tree Sparrow on 1 December 2022, and before this it was another 12 months since my last record of 3 Tree Sparrow on 14 December 2021....The Tree Sparrow is absent from Cockersand!

Whooper Swan.

The species is slow to be seen at Cockersand this winter, 26 Whooper Swan is my best of two counts to date. Last year I recorded 245 Whooper Swan here on 24 November 2023.    

Seventeen Days Later!

When I finally got out on Friday, it had been 17 days since my last wander around the ranch....That's depressing. What started as a snail trail, slowly built into a bit of a crescendo which culminated in another one of my successful return visits to a site covered earlier in the day.

If I was going to get the ball rolling five days late into the New Year, I had to note the routine stuff on Conder Pool to get something in the book. There was a up to 90 Mallard, 42 Teal, 9 Tufted Duck, 8 Little Grebe, a lone drake Wigeon, a Snipe and a Little Egret....Stock taking complete.

It was a day of large numbers of waders on the Lune Estuary, and in what was essentially a brief visit for me, I noted at least 1,500 Black-tailed Godwit, up to 100 Dunlin, and 120 Golden Plover. A male and female Wigeon hauled out together were marked with a green ring right leg, and metal left. Frustratingly too distant to read, they were my first ever ringed Wigeon.

I drove past Clarkson's Farm fields to see 4 Cattle Egret, almost certainly the same four I found along Slack Lane over two months ago on 25 October. As I set out on the circuit, a pair of Stonechat were on the marsh opposite the Caravan Park, they were the only two I saw on the day. In the hedge at Bank House, 15 House Sparrow, to be honest I don't recall the last time I saw this number of House Sparrow at Cockersand. Noted along Moss Lane, 9 Blackbird were within 20 metres of each other, 4 Goldfinch, a Reed Bunting and a Song Thrush.

In a field off Slack Lane, 138 Whooper Swan, were the only ones seen at or from Cockersand today.

On Plover Scar, I finally caught up with the Snow Bunting, amazingly camouflaged on the tidewrack. Arriving back at the Caravan Park, I briefly saw the Barn Owl in fields behind Bank House.

When I made what turned out to be a successful return to the Lune Estuary at Glasson, the tide was in flow and was pushing a good number of waders on to the shore. I eventually picked out a mid-distance bird with unmarked white underparts and clear cut white fore-supercilium. It was the Spotted Redshank ending my day nicely thank you very much!

More Pleasantries Around The Estuary.

Although I had to sit out a 30 minute downpour as I was about to set off on my traditional circuit of Conder Green following a check of Conder Pool, the pilgrimage around the Lune Estuary was rewarded by at least one decent wader, and a personal all time odonata record.

With 8 Greenshank seen on Conder Pool, it's obvious they are remaining faithful to the site, not unusual as they can be recorded here throughout the winter, whilst they wave goodbye to their brothers and sisters as they migrate west of Africa. Also on the pool, a Common Sandpiper, 13 Little Grebe, and a Collared Dove not being a regular here, 2 Raven were calling overhead.

My initial plan was Cockersand next, but with an ominous looking sky, that idea was quickly kicked into touch. So it was an hour spent at the bowling green, to watch the tide rise and push a nice juvenile Curlew Sandpiper into closer views, surrounded by good numbers of Redshank, Dunlin, Lapwing, and 5 Black-tailed Godwit. Also, in company with a few hundred gulls, I picked out an adult and 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull.

The day bucked up nicely, breezy and sunny, and a wander along the canal towpath Glasson Dock - Conder Green, rewarded me with another eleven hawkers including four pairs in cop. This count sent my record through the roof, to put a grand total of 206 Migrant Hawker seen since my first over the River Conder at Cragg Wood 8 August.

House Sparrow.

During the week, I watched four groups of up to 60 House Sparrow flying to disappear into a wild rose bush on Sandylands Promenade towards Heysham. 

Gone Fishing Part 2.

Enquires about the legality of fishing off Plover Scar are ongoing. Meanwhile, as an explanation as to why these two 'completely ruined my birding' and caused serious disturbance to the waders on the day. My header image and two others sent to me, clearly show the reason why this was the case.

Little Stint Plover Scar. Howard Stockdale.

Sanderling Plover Scar. Howard Stockdale.

The images show a Curlew Sandpiper in the header, a Little Stint, and my favourite wader the Sanderling, all three of which I was hoping I might connect with on the day, but was thwarted by the anglers. 

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for this trio of excellent images. 

An Estuary Dash!

Compared to more like the average six hours in winter, four around Conder Green and Cockersand is a dash in my book. 

Conder Pool continues to be almost void of birds recently, with no muddy edges and looking more like Conder Lake following the recent high tides, but I did note a pair of Goosander, 3 Little Grebe, 3 Greylag, and a 'few' Wigeon with probably more in hiding behind the islands. During an hour spent at Conder Green, I counted 16 Blackbird, 12 of which were counted in a few minutes from the viewing platform feeding on berries along the canal side.

Stonechat Fairhaven Dunes. Paul Ellis.

At Cockersand, the negatives first, there was no sign of the winter Wheatear or any Snow Buntings. The positives were, 2 Stonechat seen, one along Slack Lane, and another in the rough field behind Lower Bank House which is a favoured haunt annually of the wintering Cockersand chats. Can never resist the image of a Stonechat....Many Thanks to PE.

In the area around the Caravan Park, 16 Greenfinch were a count exceeding any I've made anywhere for some time, also a bouncing flyby of c.30 Twite destination Bank End it seemed. A lone Tree Sparrow was the first seen in 12 months when I saw 3 at Bank Houses on 14 December 2021, also here today, a lone Fieldfare was my first of the winter.

The only notable reward for a circuit trundle was up to 500 Black-tailed Godwit off Crook Farm, and I saw an egret seeing off another which looked a bigger bird, probably the Great White Egret I saw on the estuary 14 November. I took my eyes off them for a moment, but noticed one made a U turn and went down to a pool off Plover Scar. I thought this was the larger bird, but the video proves me wrong....again!!

Garden Birds.

We had 10 Goldfinch in a flock visiting the feeders yesterday. We also have a healthy resident flock of House Sparrow this year. There are up to 30 in the video....Watch 'em disappear in sync at the end...Sparrowhawk around perhaps.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the record image of 9 White-fronted Geese in the header, present at Aldcliffe on Wednesday 30 September.

And Finally.

I wanted to end the post to feature this photograph of a Grey Wagtail. 

Grey Wagtail. Martin Jump.

Firmly in the stunning category, with thanks to Martin Jump.

Weather Permitting!

I've not had a days birding since Thursday 5 May, and it hurts for me to have to say that I'm in danger of suffering from a bout of depression. 

But hey....Wildlife always has something to interest, and one of a few events this week for me, was a couple of visits to check out the cemetery Nuthatch nesting in the Cypress tree. The video shows, first the female enters the nest hole, and doesn't emerge, the male then visits the hole, it doesn't appear to have food to offer the female, but something white shows at the nest hole, there's no exchange, and the object in the females bill disappears back into the hole with what appears to be a fecal sac....See for yourself. 

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Lancaster Swifts.

I saw my first 2 Swift yesterday 14 May high over our Bowerham garden. At least 8 Swift were in the Fairfield area where they breed annually, and I spotted 2 Swift from a moving car over Ashton Road.

Garstang House Martins.

To follow finding Tree Sparrows nesting on 9 April, there was another pleasant surprise for me at Garstang yesterday, when I found 6 House Martins with nests and one under construction, under the eaves of business property behind Booths in the town centre. 

Garden Bees.

Common Carder Bee in the garden performing acrobatic skills on Water Avens.

White-Tailed Bumblebee performing and briefly dangling from Aquilegia in the garden.

The next few days may see me avoiding any depression from lack of birding....Weather permitting.

Edit.

Not wanting to hide behind my errors....I was grateful to an admin at BWARS for the correction to the bottom video in the post, which I claimed to be White-Tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum which is how I have decided to leave it in the title above. It is in fact a Small Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum.

Shrike It Lucky....The Sequel.

I was grateful for an e-mail and photo attachment informing me of a quite amazing coincidence. Following on from my post about the Woodchat Shrike at Aldcliffe 8 May 2014, the message was to tell me of a Red Backed Shrike found yesterday again at Aldcliffe. 

Bank Pool From Dawson's Bank. Pete Woodruff.

Not only is this an amazing coincidence by location and date, but this bird sounds like it was probably in the very same Hawthorn as the one found 6 years ago in 2014.

Thanks to Dan for the heads up and header image.

Garden Highlights.

A male Blackbird seen feeding two young, also saw my first young House Sparrow with quivering wings and being fed by the parent bird. The Blue Tits are back and forth to the nest box, 3 Swift seen over Bowerham, and I saw a male Sparrowhawk take out a Starling. A Red Admiral was the first to be seen this year in the garden.

Juvenile Blackbird gets interrupted from it's apple a day by two Starlings.

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I'm kept entertained in our garden, though certainly not content....I'd Sooner Be Birding.  

The Bullfinch Has It.

Whilst some decent weather lasted, on Thursday I decided on the walk from Aldcliffe to Glasson Dock to note 33 species including, walking by Freeman's Wood I found 5 Goldcrest, a Treecreeper, and a Jay. At Freeman's Pools, 6 Goldeneye were my first this winter with a few Gadwall seen. In the Frog Pond field, a mix of up to 900 Greylag and Canada Geese were at around 60/40%. The only bird of note on the Wildfolwer's Pools was a drake Shoveler.

In the Stodday area, a pair of Bullfinch in the cutting was excellent, also a Song Thrush, and 7 Little Egret together on the marsh. Along the way, 12 Blackbird, 6 Long-tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, and Wren. On the canal basin, 11 Tufted Duck were all female, and at least 50 House Sparrow were around the bowling green bushes.

The Bullfinch.

Male Bullfinch. Richard Pegler.

Thursdays Bullfinch sighting was the best of the walk. Having only occasionally visited traditional sights in south-east Cumbria, Arnside and Silverdale, I've only ever made 15 records over 10 years, none of which were in Bowland. I think the surprise of these was 5 seen in Lancaster Cemetery on 30 October 2014, but 10 years earlier was the best of my records, when I found 4 Bullfinch at Birk Bank on 1 November 2004, this was followed by 4 here again on 22 November, then almost a month later I found 8 Bullfinch here on 18 December.

These are the only records of Bullfinch in Bowland in our recording area that I am aware of, but it is interesting to note that 2004 was the year of an invasion of continental Bullfinch into northern Britain around mid-October, when exceptional numbers were reported mainly in Scotland and along the east coast of England. No coincidence then, that these records of Bullfinch in Bowland occurred around this date in 2004, and that the distinctive 'toy horn' call of the Northern Bullfinch was noted in my records.

Thanks for the much appreciated Bullfinch Richard. 

This Isn't Birding!

On the last two visits I made to Cockersand I've made life easier and travelled light on foot, leaving my telescope behind in the boot with just a pair of binoculars round my neck. Every time I do this I vow never to again, fearing I might find - and sometimes do - some distant small thing unable to get to grips with what it really is I'm looking at. 

Yesterday was a repeat of the trip to Cockersand last Wednesday, when I decided then, that the fields here really are in serious need of a good thrashing, with waders all over the place. Two fields in particular are now excellent stubble holding a fair amount of water, one of these yesterday produced a Ruff a Grey Plover, and a good number of the c.300 Curlew I found at Cockersand today, also 450 Golden Plover and 54 Black-tailed Godwit, with Redshank, Lapwing, and at least 12 Skylark.

Other notes from the Cockersand circuit, c.50 House Sparrow and a few Tree Sparrow in the Bank Houses area, 7 Greenfinch, and 4 Goldfinch. The last birds I saw here today was 3 Chaffinch male and a Reed Bunting in the Slack Lane Willows.   

Low tide and low counts on the Lune Estuary at Glasson held up to 120 Curlew and similar Dunlin, with 38 Black-tailed Godwit, 28 Golden Plover, and 5 Bar-tailed Godwit. Two drake Pintail were the pick of the wildfowl, 60 Wigeon being a bit of an increase, with 2 Great-crested Grebe and a Goosander the runners up.

Long-tailed Tit. Noushka @ 1000-Pattes 

Along the coastal path, 16 Long-tailed Tit were in procession through the bushes, and 2 Robin. At Christ Church, Great Tit, Blue Tit, a few Long-tailed Tit, 2 Chaffinch male, and a Goldfinch was as good as it got there. 

Conder Pool was down to 4 Little Grebe, with 8 Wigeon having taken up here, the Common Sandpiper was down the creeks by the bridge which is having a face lift, being grit blasted, painted, and a new footpath across it I understand....should look good when it's finished I reckon.

The fields at Cockersand are still in need of a good thrash, and I reckon I've probably missed another Lapland Bunting or something better....This kind of behaviour by me isn't birding for real, it's only pretending to and I've downgraded myself! 

Five Days Later.

On Thursday, five days since my last visit to Conder Green, it seems the juvenile Common Tern have already dispersed, the whole party of two adult and three juvenile were all present on my last visit on Friday 14 July, but I've not found young anywhere here or on the Lune Estuary from Glasson to Cockersand. 

Two Common Tern adult were on Conder Pool, with a count of up to 150 Lapwing noted. I saw just 2 Little Grebe on the pool today, with a drop in number to 8 Common Sandpiper in the creeks with 2 Greenshank and 5 Little Egret.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, 3 Mediterranean Gull were seen as an adult and two 2nd summer, 2 Common Tern adult fishing here were probably the Conder birds. An estimated 350 Dunlin and 250 Redshank were feeding on the tideline from the bowling green to the Conder mouth, and I counted 17 Little Egret here.

At Cockersand, there was an interesting count of at least 90 House Sparrow, I don't recall the last time I saw anything like a flock of this size of the House Sparrow, they were feeding in a barley field north of Bank Houses where I saw a small group of Goldfinch five of which were juvenile, and a Whitethroat feeding a young bird, also a few Tree Sparrow seen. A Sparrowhawk was in flight below a hedgeline, with just one of the two summering Whooper Swan seen.

Thanks to Simon Hawtin for his brilliant GND header image.

Cover Crop.

The cover crop at Crook Farm Cockersand in the cross-column image below the header, is being maintained by this farming family who I respect and know well, and who I spoke with recently to be told of government subsidies having been withdrawn. 

Wildlife needs farmers like this, but not the people in government like this....The photograph was taken in August 2016.

Not So Flaming June.

Being in the area on Wednesday morning, it seemed a good idea I went to Heysham where, apart from the fact the howler was too much of a howler for my liking, it turned out not to be a good idea at all. 

Having checked the outfalls to find nothing beyond a 100 mix of Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, and Herring Gull at No 1, and a lesser number mix at No 2, I did think I'd got some compensation in finding a Mediterranean Gull on Red Nab, only to see in zoomed views, I'd done nothing of the sort....

Leucistic Black-headed Gull. Luke Geraty. 

....it was a leucistic Black-headed Gull. So if you're going to check the gulls at Heysham!!

Thanks to Luke Geraty for the image, Luke is here on Twitter 

So I drove to Conder Green to see 4 Avocet and two young on Conder Pool, which as far as I'm concerned are the surviving two from the only hatched birds to date which I found on 22 May, three other adults were still sitting on Wednesday. Some confusion here though as I've seen one report on 30 May claiming a young bird bigger than the other two from a different nest, odd, being only one nest has hatched from four. A few Swift and 2 Sand Martin were over, and in the creeks 115 Black-tailed Godwit seen.

To be honest I was at a loss where to go now, it was high tide on the Lune Estuary which is deserted anyway at this time of the year, and Cockersand was a bit of a no go with the howler still strong, so I decided to visit Mr and Mrs G at Crook Cottage to see how they both were, and got their permission to stake out in the garden, where I was pleasantly surprised to find 5 Tree Sparrow with two young being fed, House Sparrow with at least two young being fed, Goldfinch with a juvenile, and a juvenile Robin, all being excellent breeding records from the garden at this delightful cottage at Cockersand.

Not so flaming June, but it's dried up and a bit of sun though still windy again today, so I'm off for a couple of hours around the Lune Estuary again. 

Stock Taking.

After a week out of birding, the plan was to do a decent stock take of the estuary birds today, but it soon went pear shaped when my enthusiasm waned, all down to getting a bit damp trailing around in the rain against my better judgement, cold with it too. I saw nothing unexpected, and didn't see many of the expected.

But I did note a modest 40 species in five soggy hours, and probably saw in excess of 10,000 birds on the trip, mainly waders, Redshank, Lapwing, Curlew, and Golden Plover, with Black-headed Gull well into four figures in the flooded fields around Cockersand, including a mix of 3,000 Lapwing and Golden Plover in the air when a Peregrine Falcon arrived on the scene, the bird eventually bombed overhead....magic. At least 50 Whooper Swan remain distant and inaccessible around Thursland Hill, a single Black-tailed Godwit was on Cockerham Sands. 

Sixteen Blackbird were seen as an interesting twelve together at Glasson Dock, and four at Cockersand. On the Lune Estuary, 25 Snipe, a 'few' Golden Plover, and a drake Goosander were to note, otherwise wader numbers were low. On Conder Pool, c.120 Mallard, 18 Wigeon, 12 Redshank roosting, 7 Little Grebe, and 2 Goosander. The River Conder was in spate with little in the creeks, but the Spotted Redshank seen with c.60 Teal. A small group of House Sparrows were accompanied by 2 Tree Sparrows, I don't recall ever seeing Tree Sparrows at Conder Green before, 4 Little Egret seen on the day. 

The also ran's as seen, and making up the forty....

Curlew
Carrion Crow
L.B.B.Gull
Starling
Cormorant
Common Gull
Canada Geese
Coot
Tufted Duck
Dunlin
Blue Tit 
Robin
Wren
Wood Pigeon
Mute Swan 
Magpie
Oystercatcher
Starling
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Linnet 
Grey Heron

WOT NO PIK'S.

Just The Two!

I was lucky to be able to squeeze a couple of hours birding into yesterday morning, barely enough time to get myself an update on the state of things at Conder Green and the Lune Estuary, where there was nothing to call new on offer and the excitement level was pretty low.

Looking more like a lake than a pool with the high tides, and with no muddy edges to attract the waders, Conder Pool was quiet, 6 Little Grebe were counted, 5 Snipe were on the 'dark side' of the island right of the viewing platform, and wildfowl noted were 34 Mallard, 14 Teal, and 2 Wigeon. Conder Star's - the Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper - were in the creeks, with 2 Little Grebe, 2 Goosander, 7 Snipe, and c.150 Teal seen. 

Coal Tit. Noushka Dufort @ 1000-Pattes

Along the coastal path, best bird was a Coal Tit, rare for me here, a Blackbird, Chaffinch, and House Sparrow. At low tide, the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock held at least 900 Golden Plover and 50 Snipe, with a Spotted Redshank and Greenshank by the Conder mouth.

But some 'other things' were waiting to take on a more serious role than my birding - as if that was possible - and I was off back to Lancaster by 11.45am.

Thanks for the Coal Tit Noushka, and to Richard for the GWE header, apparently I missed one at Cockersand on 8 October. 

Ruff To Start With.

As I turned the corner at Conder Green yesterday, I saw everything up in the air over Conder Pool, soon followed by the sight of a Peregrine Falcon as the answer to the question....why. By the time I got myself onto the viewing platform everything had settled back down save the large number of Lapwing which had taken fright to the falcon to take refuge elsewhere.

Ruff with Redshank. Conder Pool 8 August. Pete Woodruff.

A Ruff appeared from the back side of the island before soon disappearing again. The Avocet adult and juvenile were seen, as where Saturdays 7 Little Grebe, 2 Dunlin were amongst up to 200 Redshank seen including c.50 in the creeks where I found 5 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper, and 3 Little Egret with a Grey Heron noted for size comparison, a single Swift was over the creeks as was a female Sparrowhawk later. 

The Lune Estuary at low tide was virtually void of waders, with barely a hundred gulls to be seen, but an adult Common Tern was perched on a buoy, and at least 40 House Sparrow fed in the car park at the Vic Hotel.

I shot off down the A588 to walk Fluke Hall to Cockers Dyke and find a Wheatear along the way. Nothing exotic amongst the mainly c.90 Black-headed Gull at the dyke, but at least 1,500 Dunlin were feeding with 6 Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover, and a solitary Knot.

With more suitable weather this walk can be good for butterflies, but today didn't go totally unrewarded, with 2 Painted Lady, 3 Common Blue, a Gatekeeper, and Red Admiral seen.

The Conder Pool Avocet.   

On the face of it, a mystery surrounds the juvenile Avocet on Conder Pool. I've not seen, nor seen any reports of this bird in flight, yet although my dates can't be accurate as we don't know when this bird hatched, give or take a couple of days, photographs and dates indicate the bird is now well beyond it's fledge date.

I had a conversation with a visiting birder yesterday, who offered me the only explanation I've had to date about this late fledging bird, he stood firm in his view that the bird has a poor diet on Conder Pool which has resulted in stunted growth, but when I first saw this juvenile alongside the adult bird yesterday, I initially thought - in relation to size - I was looking at two adult birds until I realised the markings were a dull brown - not black - on the young bird.

Whilst I respect this birders theory about the poor diet, I'm not convinced. I had this bird down to fledge at the earliest on 25 July, or 1 August at the latest which is a week ago, the bird is now at least 50 days old. I think what we have here isn't a mystery at all, it's simply a question of nobody having seen this bird on the wing yet.   

Chats & Bells.

What a good idea it turned out to be yesterday when KT and I incorporated an hours 'bush bashing' on Heysham Barrows with a pleasant walk from Sandylands.

Right day, right time, to initially find two, then eventually up to 5 Whinchat and 6 Whitethroat, with 5 Blackbird, 4 Linnet including a female with nesting material, 2 Dunnock, a Song Thrush, Greenfinch, with a good healthy number of House Sparrow, and 2 Swift lingering over.

The Bluebell.

Bluebell. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to find native Bluebells on Heysham Barrows, which are losing the battle to an insidious competitor the Spanish Bluebell. Introduced in Victorian times as a garden plant, the Spanish Bluebell lept over the garden fence years ago to cross-breed with our native Bluebell and produce hybrids with a mix of characteristics.

Our native Bluebell is best identified by it's droop like top of the stem like a shepherds crook, with bell-shaped flowers of rolled back tips, and creamy white pollen. 

Spanish Bluebell. Pete Woodruff.

The Spanish Bluebell has conical bell-shaped flowers with open tips, and more notably an upright stem, the pollen of this Bluebell is blue. 

Yesterdays Stint Aside....

....the Common Sandpiper was again in the creeks, 9 Little Grebe were the only other notes I made, six were on Conder Pool and three in the creeks, 2 Red-breasted Merganser were in the Conder channel downstream from the old railway bridge, and at least 300 Pink-footed Geese flew south in three skeins.

Pochard. Noushka Dufort.

I found no Goldeneye on the canal basin, but did find a female Scaup, with a drake Pochard something of a surprise, and a lone Pink-footed Goose something of another surprise on here. On the Lune Estuary, a Spotted Redshank was distant at the Conder mouth, c.75 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 22 Goldeneye. 

House Sparrow. Noushka Dufort.

At the bottom of Bodie Hill inside the entrance gate to Glasson Grain, I saw at least 50 House Sparrow and a Reed Bunting feeding on spilt grain. 

Having spent 1.5 hour with the Little Stint, the light was fading and my time was up. Thanks to Noushka @ 1000-Pattes for the images, they are much appreciated.

Stonechats.   

Stonechat in Bowland. Howard Stockdale.

I'm grateful to Howard for passing on to me his records of seven wintering Stonechats seen over the weekend at two locations in Bowland....Excellent stuff.