Plan B.

An appointment I had yesterday was cancelled at the last minute which meant only one thing, Plan B had to be put into effect....So it was Boots, Binos, Birds, and Bus, but was done in a higher gear this time and took just four hours today and not the usual five with less loitering and looking allowed.

Goldeneye David Cookson

On the River Lune between Greyhound Bridge and  Marsh Point I checked a  few hundred 'gulls' all  Black-headed and a few  'larger' ones and counted 7 Goldeneye and 2 Goosander, 2 Snipe flushed ahead of me on the embankment, another 2 Goldeneye on Freemans Pool  with  with  another  four  on  the  Wildfowlers Pool  along with  a pair  of Shoveler  to note, with  the  little  army  of  34  Moorhen   feeding  around  here. Aldcliffe,  Heaton,  and  Colloway  Marsh's were all void of geese save c.220 Canada Geese on the former.   

Goldcrest Marc Heath

On the way from Aldcliffe to Conder Green, I think it's as important to record birds not seen as much as those seen, and today I found only 32 Blackbird compared to the last visit ten days ago which saw 48 with the previous one seeing 52, I saw just 4 Robin today compared to 22 last week, and no Song Thrush today against 10 last week. Also noted was my 'Best Bird' of the day a Goldcrest, I don't recall my last, probably in excess of twelve months ago.The only other notes made were, 25 Goldfinch, 5 Chaffinch, and 5 Little Egret seen.

Black-tailed Godwit & Knot. Pete Woodruff.

By the time I reached Conder Green the light was fading at only 3.15pm, and Conder Pool was looking decidedly gloomy, but 3 Little Grebe and 10 Wigeon were noted. The pool is now a mini lake so much so that one of the larger islands - in the image above - is almost totally submerged and at least 120 Mallard have taken a liking to the pool, which now holds no attraction to waders at all. The photograph is only a part of both the island and the amazing 350 Black-tailed Godwit and 450 Knot I watched descend onto the now sunken island on Monday 29 March 2010, and represents the best wader spectacle Conder Pool has ever produced since it was developed. 

Scaup. Copy Permitted.

By the time I got to Glasson Dock I could just about pick out a female Scaup with Tufted Duck which curiously - and for no apparent reason - took off, circled, and flew towards the Lune Estuary.

I reckon Birds2blog is about to suffer at the hands of the Christmas period, this added to the lousy wet and windy weather is set to put birding and blogging in the back seat....back as soon as possible!