Little Ringed Plover thanks to Pete Woodruff.
My apologies for posting an inferior photograph, but at least it's the genuine article being the Conder Pool bird in a 'short list' for my four hours effort today.
At Conder Green a Little Ringed Plover eventually gave excellent views on Conder Pool this morning but I had to go to look for the bird and my hunch was the right one as it was in the far west corner of the pool and appeared not in the least interested that I was quite close and fumbling with my gear to get a pic....I waffle!
Also on the pool a Common Sandpiper, Little Grebe, and 3 Goldeneye still here, a Greenshank and 2 Spotted Redshank were roosting on the marsh opposite at high tide. On Glasson Marsh a Little Egret noted. At Cockersands I counted 57 Eider around the lighthouse area, and on Plover Scar c.420 Oystercatchers and 36 Redshank. On the circuit I saw 2 Grey Partridge always a nice find, 6 Tree Sparrow around the Bank Houses paddock, I saw just one Skylark which was in full song, and a Wren was a reminder that some birds did survive the winter freeze but I'm not hearing - let alone seeing - many Wrens anywhere anytime. This was not what you would call an excellent show of birds in a 1.5 hours circuit at Cockersands, nor did I see a solitary Swallow in four hours....food for thought.
Small Tortoiseshell thanks to Pete Woodruff.
I saw my first butterfly today....a Peacock at Cockersands. The picture above is there because I was searching my records for some dates recently and came across a couple which I thought were good enough to recall, one was of at least 300 Small Tortoiseshell on a walk along the headland here on 12 July 2003, I have a distinct feeling this won't be repeated again in 2010. The other record is unrelated to the present time of year but I found this one during the same search and was of 17 Common Sandpiper at Conder Green on 24 July 2003, I have a feeling if I'd have searched harder I may well have found records of higher counts than this especially at Conder Green which can produce impressive numbers of this species during autumn passage.
Yellow-legged Gull thanks to Mark Fellowes.
I just could not resist posting this excellent image of the Yellow-legged Gull on the Formentor Penninsula in NE Mallorca....thanks for this Mark.
Hey Pete, I was out sculpturing near Birk Bank all day Saturday and encountered probably four or five wren. There were certainly a few about in the places I visited. There were two circling Peregrine there too (having seen one stoop that's my assumption) and a pair of what I think were some sort of warbler (which I annoyingly can't identify properly despite studying my guides carefully). I was out on Sunday at a wood near Halton and saw more wren. I also think I saw a solitary stonechat on the M6 side of Nicky Nook last week as well as a single swallow.
ReplyDeleteI need to brush up my ID skills!
Cheers
Rich
Spring has come to a halt over my patch Pete - I did find a Small Tortoiseshell though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your list of sightings Richard always welcome.
ReplyDeleteYour 'warbler' would likely be Willow Warbler and I'm making no attempt at telling you what it sounds like but its song descends all the time to the end, you could hear it on the RSPB website, give it a go. Good to hear you had a Stonechat too.
Thanks for looking in again Rich.
Warren, spring has come to a halt here too, come to think of it I'm not at all sure it ever arrived. Been in the uplands today....like bloody January again.