Every Little Helps!

Tufted Duck. Phil Slade

Managed the Monday four hour - every little helps - slot today and started at Cockersands where the female Stonechat was feeding merrily at the Caravan Park end. At the set-aside the number of 'finches' has increased once again and reached up to 120 Linnet today, off Crook Cottage at least 180 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.130 Dunlin and solitary Grey Plover. A Red-breasted Merganser and 6 Eider were off Plover Scar. On Jeremy Lane the immature Whooper Swan was in a field with 52 Mute Swans.

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was remarkably quiet but as proof I checked it out I noted c.120 Dunlin and 200 Wigeon, a drake Goosander, 2 Goldeneye, and a Little Grebe. On the canal basin I noted 9 Goldeneye, 2 Pochard drakes, and a Little Grebe. I did'nt count the Tufted Duck on here today but PS took the excellent photograph above of them recently and you can see many more good pics like this one plus some ringing and birding notes HERE

At Conder Green the Common Sandpiper showed me that you really need to look for this bird, today it was in the channel by the right hand bend at the Caravan Park, 2 Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, and Little Grebe were all in the creeks, the only bird of note on the pool was a Goldeneye, and the only one of note on a circuit walk was a smart male Reed Bunting beginning to look like it was spring.

From a good source today I learn about a dead Barn Owl at Cockersands recently - whatever recently meant, I forgot to question - taken for analysis apparently. Yesterday I found c.55 Redwing in trees by fields called Quay Meadows - well I think it is - behind St Geores Quay in Lancaster, can't recall my last 'good flock' of this species and not a regular event in any number in my records.

And finally....

Red-necked Grebe. Brian Rafferty

Another of BR's 'pics with a difference' and the bird is one with a difference too in that it is heading towards the longest staying Red-necked Grebe in the area with only a few of them ever having stayed more than two weeks though one inland bird holds the record of just over 11 weeks in 1988.