Thick Fog....Thin Birds.

Unusually for me when it comes to the weather, I set off this morning full of optimism for some serious birding to get to grips with what's about in the Lune Estuary area, but arriving at Conder Green it was apparent my weather pessimism would have been more fitting. I was intent on giving this area a good six hours justifiable birding and that's what I was going to do, but.... 

Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff. 

This was the welcoming sight looking south over Conder Pool....

Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

And this was the welcoming sight looking west, and for the following six hours little changed and I recorded just seven species....I call that rough justice.

But things actually started well in the gloom of Conder Green because the first two birds I found were a Greenshank and Spotted Redshank together, these were to be the first of two more excellent finds today and a perfect photographic opportunity for anyone so inclined. 

Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

Having discovered as expected Glasson Dock was no different I went off to Cockersands full of hope the fog would lift eventually, but it was just a dream and there was no change four hours later having walked from Crook Farm to Bank End Farm....

Black-tailed Godwit Paul Foster 

....but on the return through the murk I could see what I thought was a field with a good number of Curlew, but putting the telescope on to them I found them to be a count of at least 255 Black-tailed Godwit....excellent find No 2. When I got back to Glasson Dock the fog had lifted but only slightly and I could pick out 8 Goldeneye on the canal basin. The Lune Estuary from here wasn't a wash-out, it was a fog-out. 

Thanks for the Black-tailed Godwits Paul, much brighter birds in their summer finery than mine today in their foggy winter finery. 

By now with the time 3.15pm, not only was it foggy but the light was fading fast so I made a hasty return to where I had started at Conder Green six hours ago and where excellent find No 3  was waiting to be discovered. Eleven Little Grebe were here, with four on Conder Pool and seven together in the creeks where the Common Sandpiper presented itself for me once again. 

Waxwing David Cookson

A quick look on the coastal path just beyond the old railway bridge and the roaming birds present in the area a day or two now were sat quietly in a bush in the form of 8 Waxwing....Excellent find No 3.

Thanks for the Waxwing David....Brilliant.

And a good days birding was had after all despite the thick and thin of it!....Did you 'clik the piks'?