Looking Back......

......and a couple of pics of Richard Shilling's recent Landart creations in Ribblesdale.

Both a stunning piece of sculpture and an equally stunning photograph showing Penyghent in the background.

And again the second piece located in Ribblesdale North Yorkshire. Richard calls these work's of art Ribblesdale Stacked Snow Squares......Thanks for allowing me to show these two images on Birds2blog Richard.

And a few snippets from my Jan/Feb records of 2009.

JANUARY.

The Common Sandpiper remained at Conder Green throughout the winter months as did Spotted Redshank and Greenshank with two of both seen on one visit, at least 50 Twite was the peak of this species here in January, c.150 Goldeneye on the River Lune at Glasson Dock far exceed any other location in the area, 3 Stonechat were at Conder Green on Thursday 8 January, and a male wintered at Cockersands, Short-eared Owl/s entertained lots of birders at Bradshaw Lane Head including me but became a little too predictable for my liking but I did keep returning to see the spectacle just the same.

FEBRUARY.

On Wednesday 5 February a Short-eared Owl was hunting the marsh at Cockersands, at New Lane on 5 February at least 100 Corn Bunting was an amazing sight and you wonder if this will/can last with agricultural practices forging forward in the 21st century, 3 Stonechat seen at Conder Green again this month, an adult Mediterranean Gull was on the canal basin at Glasson Dock with another on the Lune Estuary where they are now a regular feature, on Sunday 15 February I saw the Purple Sandpiper on the Bubbles groyne, an amazing 21 Bewick's Swans were on Jeremy Lane on 20 February, a Tundra Bean Goose was with c.2,000 Pink-footed Geese opposite Gulf Lane from the A588, and a female Stonechat at Fluke Hall was almost certainly the first returning one in my book.

It's worth noting a Blackbird was heard in full song in Dalton Square Lancaster in the dark just after dusk on 28 December 2008. More 'snippets' from 2009 to follow at a later date.