Facts and Figures....

....well a few!

Thanks to John Bateman.

Looking forward to this happening all over again this year at Marshaw where you took this photograph in 2009 John, and that you and I can observe these great birds and others in this and the many other areas we both visit each year.

Two species of birds have been seen on Conder Pool this week which have been interesting and have caused me to pause for thought.

Two Common Sandpiper were found on the pool yesterday Tuesday 16 March and my immediate reaction is that this date is too early for returning birds and to add to the confusion one has wintered here for the second year in succession. In 2008 the first spring bird was found on 14 April at Aldcliffe Marsh in the LDBWS recording area, and on 10 April at Mythop in the Fylde recording area and the median date is 11 April. General consensus will have it that neither of the birds on Conder Pool yesterday were returning birds because of the date, other than this view/opinion the truth is we just don't know and in any case there are many strange and unusual things happening in the bird world today what with global warming and all which makes this claim even  less conclusive. To add even more confusion you may ask yourself has there been two birds wintering here or in the area, well if that was the case the second bird is pretty adept at playing the hiding game, or has been in an area where all birders fear to tread. So we end up taking the obvious option that two Common Sandpiper on Conder Pool on Tuesday 16 April 2010 were both wintering birds.

In conclusion, what a coincidence that the last country to visit Birds2blog has added the flag of Morocco to my counter the very country where the only long-distance recovery of a Common Sandpiper has ever been made and was of a bird locally bred and ringed on 17 June 1968 and was found in Morocco  nearly seven years later on 18 April 1975. 

The other bird on Conder Pool this week was a Kingfisher seen by me on Monday, this bird in my opinion poses an equal mystery as that of the Common Sandpiper in that you have to wonder where this bird could possibly have been during the worst winter in years and have been able to feed in still clear waters throughout the long period of freezing conditions. However, to give this bird the potential for a rapid recovery it has the ability to have three broods in a year with at least four and up to six young per brood....eighteen young in 2010, I don't think so somehow but....Good Luck to the Kingfisher.

On a change of subject but still with the birds, how about this beauty the Black-faced Hawk which Colin Bushell captured on film near Las Claritas in Venezuela in February this very year....Thanks for the pic Colin some bird this one.