Plovers and a Snipe....

....and some other rewards for the effort put into a walk yesterday from Lancaster to Glasson Dock .

Goosander Warren Baker

The walk started off in unimpressive fashion by Greyhound Bridge on the River Lune in Lancaster, from here to Marsh Point just 6 Goosander found their way into the black book.    

At Freeman's Pools, c.50 Wigeon, a 'few' Tufted Duck, and a pair of Goosander were to note. Taking the embankment route to Aldcliffe I saw 3 Little Egret and nothing of note on/around the wildfowlers pool. A casual look over the flood from the lane appeared to reveal nothing to excite, but always a want with me to get to the bottom of everything I took to the higher level path to eventually count an amazing 6 Little Ringed Plover, about which I'd wager is a possible all time record for the species in the Aldcliffe area and certainly on the flood.

Raven Gary Jones  

When I got to Stodday a Raven was flying over to land well up towards the top of one of the electricity pylons, further along the path I noted c.18 Goldfinch and a Goldcrest gave excellent views out in the open on a dead branch by way of a change. Towards Conder Green I saw a distant small group of 'thrush's' hard to say how many though knew what and suggest they were the 7 Redwing I saw on this path 8 March. It was just a 'whiz' around Conder Green today but I'd had a text a couple of hours earlier from a reliable contact to tell me of a bird I'd probably like to see if I could get there. On the way for a look on Conder Pool I saw a Common Sandpiper in the creeks.

Jack Snipe. Copy Permitted.

The bird on the pool was still showing well two hours after I got the text message and I had excellent views of a Jack Snipe feeding quietly out in the open, I think my best views to date of the species. I had counted 28 Blackbird on the walk. This morning a Buzzard was soaring low over Bowerham in the south of Lancaster.

Thanks as always to Warren and Gary for the excellent photographs of the drake Goosander and the Raven.