All a bit Negative!

Snow Bunting. Pete Woodruff.

I thought I'd showcase a couple of  my own photographic efforts this time. The bird above is one I saw on the beach one early morning near Starr Gate at Blackpool a while back now when I became a sort of twitcher for the day and went chasing after the Snow Buntings....how sad is that then!

I was hoping for one at Cockersands today - nothing like living in hope - but unfortunately not, nor did I see anything else of note, though I'm never prepared - despite the title - to be too negative about any of my birding days but the best of  - nothing more than moderate - four hours follows....

For the first time ever I drove past and totally ignored Conder Green as I needed to get to Glasson Dock before the incoming tide swallowed up the Lune Estuary but I needn't have bothered as it was unremarkable save the sight of c.5,000 Knot in the air in panic over 'something', also no more than 150 Bar-tailed Godwit, 455 Lapwing, 20 Redshank and 3 Dunlin were all in view from the side of the Vic Hotel.

At Cockersands where by now the tide had taken over, I did my utmost to 'find something' via a two hour coastal/inland circuit. I noted 5 Redshank were the only birds on Plover Scar representing an all time low number of waders on here and probably a first, a clear indication of the 'emptiness' of my efforts for the day, 12 Eider were around the lighthouse. The other three sightings had a little interest in that last Thursdays c.700 mix of 50/50 Lapwing/Golden Plover were in the very same field again today, the 'finch' flock in/around the set-aside has a mix of c.60 Linnet/Greenfinch (40/20 respectively) which are bloody hard work to assess but which for the time being appear to be about this ratio, and a Little Egret in an inland field/ditch was good, these birds are 'all over the place' but I still can't take the sightings for granted and it's always good to see them.

Well, I can't call any of that anything more than moderate, and here's the other of my photographic efforts to end with....

Eider. Pete Woodruff.

On a national level, Rough-legged Buzzard are still coming through, and there are hundreds - nay thousands - of Waxwings here and there....some are heading your way!