Keen!

So keen that I was up at 7.00 am ready for the off at daybreak, in the end it was 8.30 when I arrived at Conder Green where it started quiet with the exception of 100+ Mallard on Conder Pool. I was thinking of the Sparrowhawk which flew across the pool on 30 November to transform the place from a 'handful' of birds to in excess of 150 in seconds. Today in addition to the Mallard, I noted just 4 Little Grebe, a pair of Wigeon, 35 Teal, a Goldeneye, and 5 Snipe. A estimated 250 Pink-footed Geese flew north towards Aldcliffe soon followed by another 120 which circled for a few minutes over Jeremy Lane before heading off back south......Mmmmm.

On the canal basin at Glasson Dock I noted a drake Goosander, Little Grebe, and Great-crested Grebe. On the Lune Estuary, circa numbers of 7,500 Knot, 6,000 Lapwing, 1,000 Dunlin, 1,500 Bar-tailed Godwit, 350 Wigeon, and 4 (accurate) Goldeneye. From Bodie Hill, 320 Wigeon, c.3,500 Lapwing, and 12 Goldeneye were noted.

I'm slotting in David Cooksons excellent image of the Kestrel here, in my opinion as good a photograph of this bird you could ever achieve......thanks David.

At Cockersands, 10 Eider were around the lighthouse, and at the caravan park end a minimum of 3,200 Wigeon, at least 18 Black-tailed Godwit, and 4 Pintail with 22 drifting past the lighthouse an hour later. On Pilling Marsh 20+ distant Whooper Swans with just c.180 Pink-footed Geese, in the field opposite the entrance to Lane Ends another 1,200 seen. On Fluke Hall Lane an adult Mediterranean Gull was in a stubble field, and a walk to Cockers Dyke was rewarded with another adult Mediterranean Gull.

Little Egrets see today at......

Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock

Plover Scar, Cockersands

Pilling Marsh (4)

Cockers Dyke

And now for my second rate attempt at photographing an adult Mediterranean Gull on Pressall Sands this late afternoon......Well it was a long way off, and you can't be clever at everything......can you?