High Time!

Plovers and Dunlin. Pete Woodruff.

I dug out this pic as I was struggling for one for today's post, as it happens its quite a decent pic if only for having the benefit of separating the male - on the left - from the female Ringed Plover.

In relation to the title of the post....high tide time actually which made my allotted Mondays four hours a little awkward as high tide isn't quite the best time for a visit to Conder/Glasson, but please note 'isn't quite' as Conder Pool played host to one or two decent birds in the roost with 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, Ruff, and Common Sandpiper, a Little Egret, 9 Little Grebe, 4 Wigeon, a Goosander, and 38 Pink-footed Geese flying high south.

At Cockersands the tide was barely on the ebb and heavy showers threatened, so in the hope last Tuesdays packet of Hula Hoops had a drawing effect on the sea birds I opened another packet and sat it out with eyes peeled but to no avail, but as the tide dropped I donned my 'recorders' hat - which was full of dust - and noted unimpressive numbers of waders before leaving having run out of time, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Turnstone, 8 Ringed Plover, 6 Curlew, 12 Dunlin, and c.450 Redshank. I was also rewarded by seeing the set aside here having drawn and kept c.30 Greenfinch provided with winter seed....the birds need one of these set asides in every farmland field in the country and the sooner the better.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock 2 Curlew Sandpipers accompanieed up to 700 Redshank I was grilling, Lapwing numbers probably exceeded this but otherwise the area was quiet. 

Whooper Swans. Pete Woodruff. 

Whooper Swans at Fluke Hall last winter and a reminder of things to come, and if last year is anything to go by I'm hoping to have found some by 1 October which is the date three were in a field opposite Braides. 

Mega News.

In Glamorgan a Bobolink is/was SE of Port Talbot, and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is/was SE of Greatham.