Doing the Rounds.

Well....two circuits and a pool actually where I managed to confirm for myself two LRP's on CP and captured on film in one of my third rate pics as proof. 

Its Monday which allows me four hours birding and started at Cockersands where apparently I missed seven Yellow Wagtails yesterday in the field NW of Bank Houses where I nearly always find my first Wheatear of the year....Bloody Hell!!

Circa 80 Golden Plover were in one of Cockersands Abbey Farm fields, a Wheatear was at the lighthouse end, 2 Skylarks in song flight, and the Swallows are back at Bank Houses, with 2 Tree Sparrows seen but others around as I could hear them 'chipping' away, it was also good to hear a Wren though it was the only one in the entire four hours that I did.

On Conder Pool 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, with 3 Goldeneye still hanging on here, 'the' Little Grebe, and 4 House Martin over, a Spotted Redshank was roosting on the marsh at high tide.

With half my allotted time gone I decided a 'dawdle' round the parish of Aldcliffe might be a good idea which turned out to be correct if only to find a smart Whinchat representing the next best thing to a 'mega' in anyone's book these days, in the same field were 5 Wheatear and a pair of Grey Partridge, 3 Lesser Whitethroat were from the lower path where I also heard a single Willow Warbler, a male and female Blackcap were seen from the path by Freeman's Pools where I found one Little Ringed Plover, one had been seen on the flood an hour earlier. My first Comma of the year seen here with 2 Peacock were the only butterflies in the entire session.

It really must be noted that I heard just one Willow Warbler and one Wren in four hours....just as important to record the birds I didn't see as the ones I did.

Thanks to John Bateman who photographed the male Pied Flycatcher we found had returned to Abbeystead last Friday....

 

....and to Zac Hinchcliffe who photographed the female at the same site. Thanks for the photographs John/Zac they are much appreciated.