No pic to accompany my post for today....nothing new there then, but my daily dip into Another Bird Blog here found me the very one I was looking for but didn't realise it until I saw it, this bird below falls into the category of 'Coming Soon' as far as I'm concerned as I have yet to see my first....Thanks Phil.
Swallow thanks to Phil Slade.
I paid two visits to Conder Green today the combined sightings of which were....2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, and a single Bar-tailed Godwit were all in the River Conder channels. On Conder Pool a Little Grebe, 5 Wigeon, 14 Tufted Duck, and 2 Snipe, a Reed Bunting and Dunnock were of note in the small bird section. On the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock an impressive 12,000 Knot at least, 8 Goosander, and 3 Goldeneye were all I noted but nothing else remotely significant was to record.
On Jeremy Lane some of the previous Moss Lane/Thursland Hill 12 Whooper Swans seen. At Cockersands it was a pleasure to find 9 Wheatear here at last, also of note a Little Egret on Plover Scar, a 'classic' White Wagtail was in the Bank Houses horse paddock before flying off, c.6 Tree Sparrows were also around the paddock, and in over two hours spent here I saw just 4 Meadow Pipits, 18 Brown Hare also found their way into my records.
I think a quick word - with one or two markers to look for - on the White Wagtails we may be seeing in the coming days/weeks is in order and if the ones I see are anything like the one seen today then life will be quite easy for me. I personally always try to get to grips with the clean flanks on the bird followed by noting that the black crown and bib are always obviously separated. Both sexes of this bird have a pale, clean-looking silvery-grey mantle which - unlike the Pied Wagtail - contrasts strongly with wings and black and white head, the clean flanks give the bird an overall clean-cut appearance....If anyone asks me if the bird I saw today was a male or female I'm gonna skreem!
Interesting that Cockersands was not on the Meadow Pipit flightlines today e.g. 100/hr over Heysham - I seem to remember this happening before during a coordinated vis mig watch
ReplyDeletePlenty of Meadow Pipits moving along the s. Ribble coast yesterday too, although I didn't get a count. A nice mix of winter / spring birding there Pete. It's a fine time of year to be out isn't it?
ReplyDeleteOnly ever once (believe it or not) been at Cockersands during a 'mass' movement of Meadow Pipits but would need to dig out my records to tell you when/my figures, but not recent years.
ReplyDeleteNoticeably absent here yesterday and in particular with regard to your report of 100/hr over Heysham. By the time I was leaving Cockersands I had thought of the 'poor show' of MP's.
Yes a fine time to be out and it'll get better. Also a mini influx of Alpine Swifts....so do we get one?
Thanks to both for comments Pete/Colin.