......equals Disaster day in more ways than one but perhaps with just a little overuse of the word.
I was a bit late off the block this morning so had to put Plan B in place and when I arrived at Conder Pool I was confronted by some lunatic on one of the islands complete with camera, I just could not believe my eyes. Rather than appear arrogant (well would I) by shouting at this person I locked up the car and proceeded on foot via the road to the gate on the right hand side of the Cockerham Road with the view to asking this person - diplomatically if possible - if he could give me some indication that he had a genuine reason for his actions, but in the few minutes it took me to get there the aforementioned lunatic had melted away with no sign of him in either direction on the canal path. I'm being really kind about the tag I'm giving this inconsiderate, irresponsible idiot but I just don't believe these people think they have the right to behave in this way. Needless to say the pool was void of a single bird save two Swallows over. In the creeks I managed to find a Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, and a Black - tailed Godwit. Numbers of waders on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock are building up with circa numbers of 3,000 Lapwing, 2,250 Redshank, 525 Dunlin, 200 Curlew. At Cockersands, in truth the only bird that qualified for my notes was a Whimbrel. And at Fluke Hall, by now I had thrown in the towel for ever finding anything in the bird world today but did note large numbers of 'white' butterflies, 6 Painted Lady, 2 Peacock, a Gatekeeper, a Small Copper, and perhaps best of all 8 Small Tortoiseshell with one pictured above.
When I called in at Pilling Lane Ends to check the excellent bank for butterflies to the left of the car park I viewed in horror at the scene in the picture above. This action by the council workers happened at more or less the precise date last year when I contacted the local council and told them about the conservation issue and the premature cutting operation here. A few days ago I had seen a man trimming the edges here and all but approached him to ask if he thought the council would be planning 'the cut' any time soon but didn't bother......I wish.
So ends D Day!
Fight them on the beaches!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouragement on this Mike.
ReplyDeleteThe truth here is, if I can/do find out who the human visitor on Conder Pool was and what he was doing on there, if the reason turns out to be genuine and official then the comments will be withdrawn and an apology offered, otherwise my stand remains in tact.
Difficult one this Pete re-Conder pool. How DO you find the Temmincks in the dead ground which can't be viewed from the platform -they are not exactly very mobile. I would prefer a top notch birder to be "allowed" to prowl around in a non-ostentacious manner so that we can all benefit from the mega. You can nominate yourself if you want! You'd love Red Nab/Ocean Edge. A Turnstone was nearly caught and eaten by a dog today. Routine stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe same problem exists at the EM Pool on a grander scale. I once discovered a Temmincks on the 'flood', totally out of range of any of the public viewing points. Following confirmation by a handful of other observers, the RSPB decided to suppress this bird due to access difficulties - something in this instance I can sympathesie with. having had a nasty accident on the lower crag road near the entrance to the flood
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThanks for comments here Pete. By the way the post above I deleted only because it was published twice in error.
ReplyDeleteWell, lets leave the Conder Pool issue where it is otherwise as always we will end up going round in circles. But where does this getting up close to birds end, yet another issue on the very same 'D Day' which I refused to mention on the blog at the time but do so now, was a 'birder' at Cockersands at the same time as me who - not satisfied with observing from the same distance as I did (from the coastal path) and do so every time I visit this place - decided to 'invade' Plover Scar which over about 45 minutes meant he just about covered every square inch of the area and probably scratched his head when he found everything which had been there when he arrived had done a runner and rendered the place deserted......I give in.