Yesterday....

....all my troubles seemed so far away....Well, not too sure about that!

Photo. Pete Woodruff.

Hard to believe this photograph showing the east side of Hawthornthwaite Fell covered in mist, was taken in the afternoon on the same day - when I reckon the temperature dropped by several degrees in a matter of minutes - one hour earlier than....

Photo. Pete Woodruff.

....this one three miles away at Abbeystead, the date....31 May 2013.

Song Thrush Antonio Puigg  

Having received a good report from a reliable source of birds in the plantation below Catshaw Fell, I decided to go look for myself, but the birds I was looking for didn't show and I only connected with 3 Lesser Redpoll, a Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit, and noted about 6 Curlew around the foot of the fell.

At Cam Brow the Sand Martin have a small colony here again this year, though I didn't stop to do any counting birds/nest holes as the sun had brought out the 'picnickers' and a family were close to the bank. I hope the hordes to visit these areas throughout the coming weeks will leave the birds to safely go about their breeding activities.

So I decided to give the Marshaw - Trough Bridge area another look over but gained little to add to Wednesdays sightings save 5 Redstart being two more than the previous visit, as were 6 Mistle Thrush, and a Jay to add. I saw the male Pied Flycatcher still singing only to the trees according to my observations, a birder I spoke with claimed to have seen three males.

Sanderling. 

Sanderling. Howard Stockdale.

Howard kindly sent me this excellent image of one of the three Sanderling he saw on Plover Scar this week which reminded me to dig out my old records to retrieve the amazing count with John Leedal 16 years ago when JL himself estimated up to 10,000 Sanderling on Ainsdale Beach, North Merseyside, 24 May 1997. A number of this species I never expected to witness and haven't done so since. 

Thanks for the Sanderling Howard....Brilliant. And thanks Antonio for the excellent portrait of the Song Thrush....'Clik the pik' for a bit of photographic excellence.