Loosing my sense of reasoning....

....but plodding on!

By the time I got on to the headland at Cockersands on Thursday afternoon I finally realised I had lost all my sense of sensible reasoning. There was on unholy icy howler blowing and I may as well have been on a training exercise in preparation for a forthcoming North Pole expedition as opposed to pretending to be birding, and birding isn't a fun pastime for me, it's a serious business....and this was hopeless. But with....'I'm going to do this circuit of it's the last time I do it'....in mind I plodded on. I got back to the motor two hours later with a Little Egret, and 2 Ringed Plover in my little black book. It may be dedication to the cause....but this is ridiculous.

I wouldn't have minded if the birding earlier in the afternoon had produced anything like some rewards, but before all this Arctic adventure at Cockersands I called in at Conder Green, but despite an hour here - including the circuit - I noted just one Little Grebe and a Snipe on Conder Pool, and 2 Spotted Redshank in the creeks.

At Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary I counted only 250 Black-tailed Godwit which was something like six hundred down on the mega-count here on Tuesday. Also to note, 32 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander drake, and 2 Red-breasted Merganser a male and female.

I couldn't possibly have brought myself to call this anything like a good afternoons birding....'over and above the call of duty' as far as I'm concerned.

Bird Behaviour. 

 Shelduck Simon Hawtin

There was a good number of Shelduck on the River Lune at Glasson Dock on Thursday, though I didn't count them, in excess of 200, accompanied by....

Mallard. Copy Permitted.

....a decent number of Mallard. Both these species presented me with a surprising first record in that I observed them in a quite tight group of about fifty in total all of which were diving. Iv'e never witnessed this behaviour by either species before and never expected to, seeing these birds together in this manner intrigued me, and I can find no reference to either species known to dive including referring to one of the largest and best books the BWP. 

And finally, two brilliant raptors....

Black Kite Antonio Puigg 

The stunning Black Kite, not a multitude of records of this bird in the UK. Not up to date, but from 1950 over a 57 year period 355 reported. 

Kestrel Warren Baker 

And an excellent image of the female Kestrel. A smart little falcon which runs well up my list of raptors to the favourite Merlin.