Up & Down....

....Down & up actually but it doesn't sound right....that's down to the coast and up to the Trough of Bowland.

Duke Of Burgundy. Gait Barrows 25 May 2010. Ian Tallon.

Ian Tallon not only sends me photographs for Birds2blog he's also a mind reader, twice recently he sent me them just as I was about to start the post with thoughts of what images I could use to accompany it....problem solved and many thanks for this Ian. 

With JB today we first visited Conder Green where the tide was still high and the pool almost deserted and my book stayed in my pocket. On/over the canal basin at Glasson Dock 6 Swift were noted with a solitary House Martin and Swallow, the Mute Swans have 9 cygnets, and a lone Great-crested Grebe was tussling with a small fry in its bill. From Bodie Hill I counted 34 Eider. At Cockersands where the tide still hadn't dropped enough to uncover feeding areas it appeared to be a wrong choice to come here but a short walk along the headland turned up an Arctic Tern off  Plover Scar.

So now the best plan was to head off towards the Trough and calling in at Catshaw Greave where a small Sand Martin colony was discovered last year produced four birds one of which was seen to enter a nest hole, further down the road at Cam Brow another 6 Sand Martins were in the air here and three birds were seen entering nest holes. At Wellbrook Farm 4 House Martins were seen, and at Marshaw a Common Sandpiper and Dipper on the stream. In the Tower Lodge area 6 Grey Wagtails included a pair with three fledged young, a Spotted Flycatcher was found in a 'new' area, a male Redstart and a presumed pair of Mistle Thrush seen.

Calling in at Stoops Bridge a second pair of Pied Flycatcher were discovered - watch this space - another 2 Grey Wagtail brought the total to eight seen today, and a Common Sandpiper seen here.  

And finally....

Another image from Ian Tallon, this one a mature male Broad-bodied Chaser....Thanks once again Ian.