A Bit Thin.

Yes the birds were a bit thin on my upland safari today not least of all because I chose the wrong day, well I'm quite good at that but the forecast I checked never mentioned the strong winds I experienced up there today. As for the Stonechat situation....well that's the whinge section over and done with.

At Harrisend the visit got off to a fine start when I found 2 Wheatear within minutes of leaving the car but unfortunately the excitement ended there and I saw just one male Stonechat, a Willow Warbler, 3 Blackbird, 8 Meadow Pipit, and heard 4 Wren.

At Hawthornthwaite 4 Sand Martin are presumably part of the small colony which nest in the Cam Brow area in a bank by the stream here. I saw a lone Red Grouse, and just 4 Meadow Pipit.

After a 'butty' and a ponder as to what on earth was I doing here today I decided to try to be positive and thought I may find an odd early summer visitor (didn't work) and headed for Marshaw Farm where I parked up by the cattle grid and walked to the fringe of Winfold Fell and back noting, a White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Willow Warbler, and heard a Coal Tit.

As I approached Jubilee Tower in the car I saw two raptors which were almost certainly Peregrine Falcon. Meanwhile over Pilling Marsh from Pilling Lane Ends car park an Alpine Swift flew NE at 2.42pm....WOW!

As is often the case my pic doesn't connect with the days event's but is of Black - tailed Godwit's off Broadway at Morecambe on 3 December 2008 when I counted an impressive 500+ there, and an even more impressive 170 Turnstone between here and Teal Bay that same day.