Joining The Hunt.

 Yellow-browed Warbler Cockersands Copies Permitted

For once I let the birds and their often unpredictability get the better of me on Tuesday when I joined in the hunt for a scarce passage migrant from Siberia the Yellow-browed Warbler. Having seen language like....'shed loads of 'em on the east coast just waiting to be blown west by the easterlies'....I'd thought my best move was to do a crawl from the far end of St Georges Quay in Lancaster to Glasson Dock along the old railway line now better known as the Coastal Way, hopefully littered with 'tits' and definitely littered with sycamore, surely one of the best locations in the area to make contact with one of these little beauties....dream on!  

But I was grateful both for the text telling me of one found at Cockersands on Wednesday, and the subsequent photographs sent to me.

Chiffchaff Warren Baker  

Checking the 'gulls' on the River Lune downstream from Skerton Bridge I noted 4 Goosander. Having passed Keyline and reaching the start of the serious stage of the exercise I actually very soon got quite excited, the first three birds I saw where a Blue Tit, Great Tit, and yes, its a 'warbler', ahhhh not the target bird....its a Chiffchaff. Little did I know this was going to be the height of my excitement for the day. Thanks for the excellent Chiffchaff Warren.

Three Little Grebe, 8 Wigeon, and 5 Teal were noted on Freeman's Pools, but now I had the dilemma,  do I go forward via the embankment or keep to the footpath, I can't do both and no time for a circuit....I kept to the path, and to Conder Green took note of, 4 Little Egret, 8 'alba' Wagtail, c.90 Golden Plover on the opposite bank from Nansbuck Cottage, and a 'few' Swallow over on the way....this is not front line/top of the range birding, nor are the results!

By the time I arrived at Conder Green I had to keep to the coastal path to catch the bus back to Lancaster, but did find a small group of 'tits' flitting about the picnic area from tree to tree, mainly Long-tailed with Blue and Great Tit. I came across another Chiffchaff towards Glasson Dock, this one 'hweeting' louder than any other I ever heard, an excellent sight and sound. I also counted 8 Red Admiral butterflies all in pristine condition, and a similar count of Speckled Wood. 

Red-necked Grebe. Marton Mere 30 Sept. Copy Permitted.

Thanks to RBA I was alerted to a Red-necked Grebe at Marton Mere, Blackpool on Monday. A rare winter visitor from eastern Europe and Russia, less than annual in Lancashire and North Merseyside, the last one being a 1st winter bird at Fairhaven Lake 4 - 31 January 2011.  

And finally, a non-bird photograph....

Garden Cross Spider Martin Jump

    

....of a Garden Cross Spider....Couldn't resist this one Martin....Brilliant. 

Please Note.

Although I have left the caption to the spider image unedited I'm grateful for the ID as being Araneus quadratus and not Garden Cross. Many thanks for this to David at Lalows