Weather or not....Part 2.

The gloom beyond Conder Green. Pete Woodruff. 

After the the mainly Pied Flycatcher birding business at Barbondale on Monday I decided to get up to date on the birds at Conder Green and Cockersands, though as can be seen in the picture above things were not looking good in the Bowland area as viewed from Conder Green, but it actually bucked up later and the afternoon turned out at least half pleasant.

Greenshank Antonio Puigg

In the creeks I found a Greenshank had arrived to take up the company of a Spotted Redshank, also at least 6 Common Sandpiper though I did expect these numbers to start increasing by now. The House Martins are still active at the nests at River Winds, and I note a pair also nesting at Cafe d' Lune with a pair also suspected at the front here above the cafe but too many customers dining outside for my liking to be 'gaping' under the eaves through a pair of binoculars. The only birds of note on Conder Pool were 11 Tufted Duck.

Sedge Warbler Marc Heath

At Cockersands with the tide well up I was able to observe up to 80 Golden Plover at close quarters on Plover Scar, also of note a single Grey Plover, 3 Dunlin, and 2 Ringed Plover, only 3 Eider were off here today. Birds noted on the circuit which was quiet - well its still only early July - 3 Linnet, and 5 Sedge Warbler two of which were at a nest site with food, one of which I noted was BTO metal ringed....interesting but of no value to me.

 
Golden Plover Brian Rafferty

The Golden Plover....a beautiful wading bird with its stunning golden-spangled upperparts. It is the largest of the three plovers - European - American - Pacific - which may be the cause of considerable ID problems to the inexperienced. The Eurasian is the largest, plumpest, and shortest legged of the three, and is the only one with axillaries and most of underwing-coverts clean white. If you belong to my moderate class in the identification stakes and you suspect you've got one of the other two 'foreigners' in your sights I'd suggest you hope the bird takes to flight when life will become a little easier for you and you might see a dull grey underwing and axillaries on both American and Pacific as opposed to white on Eurasian, but then is it an adult....Arggggh, this ID thing does my head in at times!


Thanks to AP/MH/BR for photographs....brilliant as ever.