The Sandpipers Have it.

Off Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

It was a little dodgy again yesterday at Cockersands as it had been two weeks ago when I was here, though I managed to get back to the car before the one above reached me, and this time there wasn't another six to follow....otherwise a pleasant six hours birding.

Goldfinch. Brian Rafferty.

At Conder Green the tide had almost taken over by the time I got here, but I noted 5 Little Grebe on Conder Pool. The circuit was a bit of a non starter but a Goosander was in the creeks, and I saw up to 80 Goldfinch very mobile out on the marsh. Nothing unusual about the Goldfinch paying a visit to Conder Green about this time of the year, in the previous two years 200 Goldfinch were here on 21 September 2010, and 150 on 27 September in 2011.

At Glasson Dock, 2 Spotted Redshank and up to 1,500 Golden Plover were to note, also the adult Whooper Swan seen again, and 2 Little Egret.    

Curlew Sandpiper. Brian Rafferty.

A bit of determination at Cockersands eventually rewarded me with 5 Curlew Sandpiper, all juveniles accompanied by an interesting small group of no more than twenty birds in total, Golden Plover, Dunlin, and Turnstone either roosting or quietly standing about. 

What was left above the tide on Plover Scar held precisely 9 Dunlin, 9 Ringed Plover, and 20 Oystercatcher. Small skeins of Pink-footed Geese going south were, 55/30/20. Surprisingly most of the flooded fields have dried up in the Jeremy/Moss Lane area, but one still looked good off Moss Lane though I found nothing on it but did 'stumble' on a Buzzard preening distant on a fence post.

Thanks to BR for the brilliant photographs of the Goldfinch and the moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper. 

By the way....I assume most visitors to Birds2blog will know, if you 'clik the pik' in the posts you see a bigger and better one....hopefully!