Wot No Passage!

Stonechat thanks to John Bateman.

Well nearly no passage save the bird above  - thanks for capturing this little gem on film John - and six others almost at the end of the session, but we came quite close to another with a Wheatear apparently at Cockers Dyke on the Flyde about a mile west of where we were this afternoon, and a Willow Warbler on the Wirrall if I'm really going to stretch the mention of migrants.

At Aldcliffe with JB/BT today the highlight was excellent views of a Weasel which - us having frozen in front of the creature - came running towards us, something of a rarer sight than its relative the Stoat. At Conder Green 2 Spotted Redshanks, a Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, and 2 Little Grebe noted. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock with the tide having almost swallowed the place up, c.5,000 Knot were quite impressive, a marked reduction in the number of just c.400 Bar-tailed Godwit, also to note c.350 Black-tailed Godwit, 28 Goldeneye, 6 Goosander, and a drake Red-breasted Merganser. 

On Glasson Marsh a Barnacle Goose was with up to 80 Mute Swans and was almost certainly the same bird seen from the A588 at Wrampool Bridge on 2 March and is an apparent escapee, this bird certainly likes the company of the Mute Swans and takes off and lands again with them as it did today and on the previous sighting. From Moss Lane 11 Whooper Swans have moved to Thurland Hill and have 'lost' eight in their number of nineteen here for the past week or two.

On Pilling Marsh c.700 Pink-footed Geese with another c.3,000 seen from Fluke Hall Lane, in the same field the 2 Ruff of late in stubble here were found again. Between Pilling Marsh and Preesall Sands two large flocks totalled at least 7,000 Knot, also to note at Fluke Hall 6 Meadow Pipit and a male Stonechat which is only the third individual I've seen to date and others seen reported in our area total no more than another three so nothing to cheer about there then unless they're as late as the Wheatears.

At the Bradshaw Lane feeding station - not my type of birding but does present some good photographic opportunities of species you probably wouldn't connect with otherwise - 3 Yellowhammer, 2 Corn Bunting, a male Reed Bunting, 4 Grey Partridge, and 4 Stock Dove.

And a bit of colour to remind us all of things to come hopefully as the status of these Small Tortoiseshell butterflies are something of a worry these days too.