More Pics Than Birds!

Well not quite more pics than birds but some excellent photo opportunities today - I don't get too involved anymore these days - especially with the hoar frost holding all day long.

High tide at Conder Green looking towards the Stork Hotel on a brilliant but freezing cold day, Conder Pool  of course was a solid white mass.

And again looking towards the old railway bridge....

....and yet again looking towards Glasson Dock.

In truth I shouldn't have been birding at all today and barely had the time to look in at Cockersands and - to save myself from a death by freezing - walked along the headland from the lighthouse to Cockersands Caravan Park and return. It was almost impossible to stand around assessing and counting birds, not that there was many birds to assess and count, though quite a few Lapwings in particular were stood around in fields giving cause for concern for their well-being and heading for starvation if this continues.

I did get the best count I ever had at Cockersands of 9 Grey Plover, thats not suppose to be a sarcastic comment either and I've yet to see a double figure of the species here. Also noted, at least 38 Turnstone difficult to see foraging amongst the shingle/stones, c.55 Dunlin flew SW past the lighthouse, and 74 Pink-footed Geese flew over going south, there was only around 85 Oystercatchers on Plover Scar, and the best bird of the day was the Rock Pipit, a species no more than uncommon and certainly a bird you're not likely to encounter on every coastal visit in our area. Not the day for trying to get an accurate ratio on the set-aside 'finches' but c.45 Greenfinch/Linnet got away with it - if only this time - when a Sparrowhawk - which didn't like the look of my car - flew off in the opposite direction from them having been perched close by checking out which one to go for.

Looking across the River Lune Estuary towards Overton and Bazil Point from Bodie Hill.