Repeat Performance.

With BT today, a repeat of yesterday for me except we began

at Aldcliffe where 3 Little Egret were on the marsh and 6 Snipe were in the air as was a Sparrowhawk over by the tip. On Freemans Pools up to 20 Wigeon was almost double that of the count later in the day on the River Lune at Glasson Dock, also a pair of Gadwall and Shoveler were of note, and a Great-spotted Woodpecker was in flight.

At Conder Green the first sight to greet us was that of the entire wader residents of the Lune Estuary being in the air showing signs of mass panic the result of which had been caused by the female Merlin which I eventually tracked down to a post on the marsh, a sight to stir anyone to excitement. The Ruff was again in the creeks as were 3 Snipe, and again I could only find nine of the recent ten Little Grebe on Conder Pool. At Glasson Dock the Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot were at least the same as yesterdays count of 720 and 650 respectfully, an adult Mediterranean Gull seen again, also c.450 Golden Plover and a Little Egret, the 11 Wigeon count remains a low number in this area.

At Cockersands 33 Eider, 9 Red-breasted Merganser, just 6 Wigeon, and a Little Egret flew towards Plover Scar, the wader numbers here were unremarkable but we didn't linger today. In a field near Bank Houses 10 Stock Dove was a high count with Wood Pigeons and a Sparrowhawk cleared the field in an instant. On Pilling Marsh the PFG had deserted again but 12 Little Egret were seen between Lane Ends and Fluke Hall, 10 Whooper Swan heads were counted in the Broadfleet channel but bearing in mind I found twenty three here yesterday possibly more out of sight.

Thanks once more to David Cookson for the excellent image of six Whooper Swans.