The Iceman Cometh!

By the time I took this pic of the ship passing the Cockersands Light I was a frozen block of ice with icicles hanging from my nose - not a pretty sight - and soon after threw in the towel, but a few birds seen before that event......

                                      

......including these Knot and Turnstone roosting at high tide on Plover Scar......

.....and also including this ringed bird.

These were six of the 14 Eider off Plover Scar with 6 Red-breasted Merganser, also on the scar 52 Turnstone  were a good count, 4 Black-tailed Godwit with the same number of Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Grey Plover was a good count here in my book, c.850 Oystercatcher, and 32 Knot. On the walk along the headland to the caravan park, the male Stonechat was put into second place on the 'Bird of the Day' award which was firmly given to the Rock Pipit a bird less likely to be found than the Stonechat anywhere in the area. Also noted, up to 12 Greenfinch, 15 Blackbird, 3 Song Thrush, a Mistle Thrush, 9 Meadow Pipit, 4 Fieldfare, and a Reed Bunting, 3 Brown Hare included one running off Plover Scar to escape the incoming tide.

Of note on the Lune Estuary a Glasson Dock at least 135 Goldeneye here again today leaving numbers anywhere else in the area in the shade, c.150 Tufted Duck along with 7 drake Pochard were only on the River Lune because of the solid canal basin, as probably were 3 Little Grebe, the Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot went uncounted (low hundred's) much lower in numbers than of late, three Little Egret were seen distant on Colloway Marsh. On Jeremy Lane a Little Egret flew out of a ditch as I drove by, and the Mute Swans have relocated themselves into fields here and 220 were counted.

By 2.45 pm the aforementioned icicles had formed on my nose end and I reluctantly surrendered  to the ice-age element's.