Birds2blog: Think Pink!

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Think Pink!

Pink-footed Geese Brian Rafferty

The Pink-footed Geese are back, though my sightings yesterday didn't reflect other claims of 'a massive movement' elsewhere. My records were of 160 on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock with 80 over here going south, and 60 going the same direction over Cockersands.

I got to Cockersands about an hour before high tide, though places like Plover Scar are not the best to be caught in a downpour and I had to spend the next 1.5 hours in the car waiting to see if the constant showers would pass over. By the time I got to Plover Scar the high tide was heading up to an hour past, but the waders - reduced in number - were staying put and I found 3 Curlew Sandpiper still here with a solitary Sanderling, in excess of 100 Turnstone, and 4 Black-tailed Godwit to note, with c.60 Dunlin and Ringed Plover noted as 'a few' by comparison to recent visits here. Six Eider were bobbing up and down like corks off Plover Scar, a single Wheatear seen, and a Little Egret passing the scar fought against the howler blowing today and eventually flew over the end of Sunderland Point towards Middleton.

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was relatively quiet, though c.200 Redshank and no more than 20 Dunlin were feeding close by, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, just 4 Wigeon, a Little Egret, and a Red-breasted Merganser appearing to nearly choke itself on a large fish it caught, I'm often amazed at the size of the catch these divers make and manage to down.

A quick look in on Conder Pool on my way back to Lancaster revealed another increase of two with 8 Little Grebe seen, a Little Egret was the only other note I made.

The Pelagic.

Manx Shearwater. Paul Foster.

On a nice day in August, with clear skies and a light wind, Paul went on a pelagic trip out of Liverpool. I couldn't resist posting two of his photographic results, this one of the Manx Shearwater....