Up and Down.

Well down and up actually but it doesn't quite sound the same, but JB and I went down to the coast, and then up to the Trough today.

At Conder Green 2 Whimbrel were seen on the estuary from the picnic area, also the Black Swan is still accompanying the Mute Swan's. On Conder Pool the 'black' Spotted Redshank and a single Little Ringed Plover seen, it was good to see a report of two here yesterday.

From Bodie Hill c.250 Bar - tailed Godwit were accompanied by the 'something white' seen by me with them recently and confirmed itself today to look like what appears to be an albino which is a first of this species for me and is quite some bird which I'd like to take a closer look at some time hopefully. Also at least 35 Eider of which thirty were drake's. On Jeremy Lane the Little Owl was on show today and a good job too as I was getting fed up to the back teeth looking for this bird every time I drove by and never finding it.

At Cockersands the tide was at its height but I must mention a smart male Linnet which was at the lighthouse end posing nicely but soon took to flight when it saw JB go for his camera. The Swallow's are back on territory at Bank Houses but as far as I'm concerned they generally remain pretty thin in numbers yet.

So enough of this high tide and windy conditions stuff on the coast we're off into the Trough of Bowland to see if any 'early birds' have arrived and showing. Well at Marshaw a pair of Common Sandpiper had arrived and were showing, they appeared to be on territory where they bred last year so this will be interesting to monitor over the coming weeks. Between here and Trough Bridge I heard about 6 Willow Warbler and noted Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, a Dipper, Grey Wagtail, and 3 Buzzard.

At Stoops Bridge I made the mistake of doing a wander away from JB and paid the price of missing male and female Pied Flycatcher which couldn't be found again, but which are here according to my records a day earlier than last year when they were seen on 25 April taking nesting material to a 'natural' tree hole which is always much better to see than an 'artificial' nest box. Meanwhile, I had to settle for a Dipper, a Grey Wagtail, and a Great - spotted Woodpecker overhead.

At 8.55 this evening no less than 11 Whiskered Tern's were at Willington Gravel Pit's in Derbyshire......WOW!

The Little Owl in the pic can often be seen from Gulf Lane and will pose nicely for you to take a pic of it whilst it glares at you probably thinking to itself 'whats that idiot got pointing at me'.