Blue-headed Parrots....

Blue-headed Parrots. Colin Bushell.

....but not where I've been today, though seen in their hundreds by CB on his recent trip to Peru. You can always link to Ribble to Amazon via the sidebar on Birds2blog. Thanks for the pic Colin, much appreciated.

With JB today we first visited Conder Green where 6 Little Grebe were noted on Conder Pool, though I made no serious attempt at counting them today where was the other ten, 4 Spotted Redshank seen, and 4 Goosander were in the channel, 35 Pink-footed Geese went over south as did 5 Whooper Swans appearing from the direction of Aldcliffe and which went down on to Jeremy Lane, they were seen later in the field with the sub-station at the entrance with 22 Mute Swans which incidentally have reduced in number dramatically on the River Lune at Glasson Dock....I wonder why.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, 2 Curlew Sandpipers were on the little exposed mud as the tide ebbed, also noted were yesterdays c.1,000 Knot intermingled with c.700 Bar-tailed Godwit, they were over at the opposite side almost out of sight on the bend of the river, this is the counters nightmare, especially at a distance like this and in poor light.

We drove off to Pilling Marsh to find 23 Barnacle Geese were with up to 10,000 Pink-footed Geese and included an uncounted number of Greylag one of which appeared to be a pure albino, also 11 Little Egret on the marsh. On Fluke Hall Lane another 7 Barnacle Geese were with c.4,000 Pink-footed Geese. At Fluke Hall 2 Little Egret and 7 Skylarks were the result of a wander down the coastal path to find the elusive Laplander/s in the stubble....no further comment on that one!

A drive to Knott End to see if a serious downpour would have ceased by the time we got there, which it did. I counted 850 Dunlin at close range off the esplanade accompanied by a 'few' Sanderling, a Sparrowhawk flew by going inland leaving the waders unaware of its presence.

No megas, rarities, or scarcities, but I call that a decent days birding and I reckon JB does too, in any case I personally don't have lists, lifers and all that jazz, just a plain and simple birder....with NO emphasis on the 'simple'.

And finally....

OK, so you know your waders....you won't need me to tell you what these are then!!

Definitely finally this time....

Barnacle Geese. John Bateman

Barnacle Geese in stubble off Fluke Hall Lane today. Thanks for the pic John, good to have your company on a good days birding yet again.