Turned out nice again....

....well it tried to on Tuesday because the day started off nice and still and sunny. I arrived at Conder Green by 8.00am but the sun soon disappeared behind the clouds and never returned the rest of the day....so what's new!

A Spotted Redshank was soon found and still looking black in its breeding plumage, this and the Greenshank are to be found virtually all year round at Conder Green/Glasson Dock and although I've not been able to visit anything like regularly for eight months this bird - or another - will have only been absent from here for a matter of a few weeks before its return. A Reed Warbler gave excellent views atop of the reeds upstream from the road bridge as it sang with great enthusiasm still trying to attract a mate, also a male Reed Bunting. Also noted, a quick - trying to be unobtrusive - glance under the eaves at River Winds where there appears to be at least four active House Martin nests. A Great-crested Grebe on Conder Pool was interesting and may well be a first record on here for me.

At Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary I noted 3 Eider and roughly estimated the return of 250 Lapwing and 80 Redshank, otherwise all quiet with barely a double figure of 'gulls'. 

The photograph above is for the benefit of anyone visiting Glasson Dock and intending parking on the car park at the canal basin should take note of the machine recently put in place here, whether or not its in working order is another matter.  I personally always take it that someone somewhere is lurking to check out the ones who fail to 'cough up', this is since a hefty fine was imposed on me at a store in Morecambe which 'clever me' thought nobody was ever in attendance and I overstayed the free time....until the postman came to my house a few days later, don't worry I tried to get out of the payment but failed miserably, I'm not aware of any excuses they consider in these non-payment cases. 


Anyway....back to birding.

Small Tortoiseshell. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersands I soon decided to be realistic and submit to wasting my time here and that I should head off into the Trough of Bowland, but first I noted several Small Tortoiseshell and a Red Admiral gorging themselves on a flower someone will have to identify for me. Another conversation with a farmer in the area, when I asked about numbers of Swallows at the farm this year, he told me about four nests which is apparently 75% down on numbers less than 5 years ago.

Redstart Antonio Puigg 

I gave the rest of the day to a reasonably thorough search of the Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge area to note 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Redstart, 3 Redpoll, 6 Grey Wagtail, a Dipper, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, 5 Common Sandpiper, and a Buzzard. I take note that the Pied Flycatchers which I found here last year as a first breeding record in a tree hole haven't returned in 2012. Thanks for the excellent female Redstart AP, much appreciated.

The Trough of Bowland. Peter Guy.

Many thanks to PG for the excellent panoramic view. If you know the area the photograph overlooks the Langden Valley on the left, the Trough Road on the right, with a squall coming in over Tarnbrook top right in the distance. A dramatic and stunning view of an equally dramatic and stunning landscape. Hard to believe you could count the waders on the coast, and watch a Hen Harrier in an area like this in Bowland in under an hour later....I've done so on many ocassions.

And finally....putting a smile into a birding blog, or should it be 'what's this got to do with birding.. 

Another of those 'couldn't resist this one' pics, taken recently at Morecambe. You probably can't read the notice to the right of the door which says....'These toilets close at dusk to reduce the risk of vandalism'....Mmmmm!!