Idleness......

Jay courtesy of Brian Rafferty.

......was my enemy this morning and dragging myself out of bed seemed an ordeal but I managed to get to Conder Green by 9.45 and soon 'nailed' the 10 Little Grebe on Conder Pool again, also noted on the pool the wintering Common Sandpiper, my first Goldeneye, 2 Goosander, 5 Snipe, and 7 Tufted Duck. The Ruff was in the creeks again as were at least 80 Teal, and a Little Egret was on the marsh off the old railway bridge and was the first of 23 I was going to see today.

At Glasson Dock 2 Little Grebe were noted on the canal basin, and on the Lune Estuary a Whooper Swan was a nice surprise and was the first of 59 I was going to see today. Also seen was a Merlin (on Colloway Marsh) 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, c.1,250 Golden Plover were the only waders of note today, and I counted just 10 Wigeon, a Little Egret was over by Waterloo Cottage again, a Red Admiral was also seen. From Bodie Hill circa numbers were, 250 Bar-tailed Godwit, 120 Golden Plover, 75 Wigeon, and a Little Egret.

I planned to visit Cockersands as the tide came in and headed off towards Pilling. Opposite Sand Villa a group of 'swans' caught my eye and turned out to have been 4 Whooper Swans with 8 Mute Swans. Pilling Marsh was deserted by viewable birds but held c.200 Pink-footed Geese and 5 Little Egret. From Fluke Hall Lane 54 Whooper Swans were in a stubble field, and I saw a male Sparrowhawk and 2 Little Egret at Fluke Hall before I made a quick turnaround to head off to Cockersands where the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper finally gave itself up to me opposite Crook Cottage, also to note here was another Little Egret off Crook Farm, 33 Eider off Plover Scar again, and 12 Little Egret in the channel off the Caravan Park was a sighting which - even though we can find this species just about anywhere on our coastline these days - I still find the sight of this number together quite amazing......So the number of Little Egrets to be found on the coastline between Knott End and Arnside is 100 and how many?