On the hunt.

My target bird for today was a Baltimore Oriole at Conder Green, but it turned out to be just wishful thinking and it had already turned up a 'few' miles away on the Scillies.

Blue-naped Chlorophonia. Colin Bushell.

There are some amazing birds turning up here and there in the UK at the moment, but none anywhere near us up here 'int north and certainly not this colourful creature above....amazing, and what about the name.

Some 'hunting' in the area produced nothing significant, but I was urged on as ever by not knowing whats next.

Conder Green seems to have gone into deserted mode and despite a determined circuit I found just c.30 Goldfinch over the marsh, 5 Little Grebe and 2 Wigeon were on Conder Pool....this is becoming a little too repetitive for my liking, even the LG numbers have ceased to increase, but the Common Sandpiper showed and looks set to become the wintering bird here though still time for it to decide otherwise.

On the Lune Estuary, an adult Mediterranean Gull, distant Spotted Redshank, 18 Black-tailed Godwit, c.350 Golden Plover, and even the Lapwing number had dramatically collapsed since 5,000 on Tuesday to a mere 650 today, also 2 Little Egret seen.

The struggle continued at Cockersands where I thought I'd better do some counts to earn myself some credit and noted, c.500 Lapwing, 300 Redshank, 80 Ringed Plover, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, no more than 6 Dunlin and none at Glasson Dock posed the question....where are they, 4 Wheatear, 15 Greenfinch, and at least 30 Meadow Pipit south.

And another 'Brazilian Beauty'....

Green-headed Tanager. Colin Bushell.

The Green-headed Tanager makes a couple of colourful little gems entered into CB's records book from his latest trip to Brazil. Thanks for these Colin, much appreciated....colour you could eat, and there are more HERE 

MEGA NEWS.

The latest from a long line of aforementioned amazing birds turning up here and there in the UK is a....Sandhill Crane in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.