Swallow. John Bateman.
I saw my first Swallow of the summer today and JB's photograph shows the bird on the aerial of a house on Moss Lane. If you just stare at the pic for a moment and ponder what this tiny feathered creature has just achieved it'll blow your mind...it did mine.
At Conder Green 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Greenshank. On Conder Pool, the Common Sandpiper - which will move on sooner rather than later having spent the entire winter period here - a solitary Black-tailed Godwit, and 4 Dunnock in the area. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I noted c.160 Redshank, 80 Golden Plover, and 5 Black-tailed Godwit.
From Bodie Hill, at least 230 Black-tailed Godwit, 135 Bar-tailed Godwit and 170 Curlew. On Jeremy Lane, 3 Whooper Swan being an adult and two immatures. At Cockersands, c.20 Linnet at the winter seed field, 20 Eider off Plover Scar, singing Skylark, and 8 Tree Sparrow. A count of a little in excess of 1,000 Golden Plover in a field at Abbey Farm makes for a number of this species I'm not sure I ever encountered before in one flock at this location.
On the marsh at Bank End, 4 White Wagtails were with 6 Pied Wagtails. Opposite Sand Villa, 7 Whooper Swans represent an ever dwindling number here. The Gulf Lane detour produced a pair of Kestrel, and on Pilling Marsh a Little Egret and Sparrowhawk from the talons of which a small passerine narrowly escaped, the Raven - seen here on Tuesday- was seen again. In a stubble field west of Fluke Hall, 10 Meadow Pipit, 7 Skylark, and 2 Reed Bunting.
As for the 'eye poppers'....
How about these for a couple of brilliant 'portraits', this one for starters of the Yellowhammer, and....
This one to follow up of the Chiffchaff....Nice ones PS and thanks a bundle.
MEGA NEWS.
A Short-toed Treecreeper (STT) - Central Europe and North Africa - is still at Landguard NR in Suffolk today, it was trapped and ringed there yesterday. Britains first record of this species was of a bird in 1969 at Dungeness, Kent where the majority of STT records in Britain are held.
It never ceases to amaze me when I contemplate the Swallows journey. I feel quite moved when I see my first one of the year :-)
ReplyDeleteI love to find my first migrants every year and ponder their achievements....all part of the passion Warren.
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