Birdbrain....

....and six hours coastal stuff!

KT called me 'birdbrain' the other day and it wasn't meant as a compliment either I assure you, I was told I don't listen and that my brain is full of feathers....but I don't care about any of this! 

At Conder Green yesterday I counted the falling number of 6 Little Grebe on Conder Pool, also 3 Goldeneye again, 9 Snipe, 12 Wigeon, and 47 Mallard. The Scaup was on the canal basin again at Glasson Dock with uncounted Tufted Duck and a female Pochard, I failed to find the drake.

On the Lune Estuary, although Golden Plover and Black-tailed Godwit numbers were much fewer than my count here on Tuesday 12 November, there was a least the same number as then of 7,500 Lapwing, 6,000 Knot, and 450 Bar-tailed Godwit viewable from the bowling green. But I'd put money on it being a Peregrine Falcon which put the entire River Lune upstream population of waders to flight and I witnessed probably in excess of 25,000 birds in the air as far as the eye could see....an amazing spectacle, a build up of 35 Goldeneye here today too. On Jeremy Lane at least one Bewick's Swan identified in a mid-distance field hidden behind reeds.

At Cockersands, Plover Scar at high tide held c.320 Oystercatcher and 40 Turnstone, 12 Black-tailed Godwit were in a field feeding with predominantly Curlew, with Lapwing and Redshank, 5 Meadow Pipit, 2 Kestrel, and 3 Little Egret seen may have only been two birds, today I noted 2 Brown Hare. 

Cockersands.

Just in case anyone wonders why Cockersands rates as one of my favourite birding destinations - birds aside - here's just one reason....

 Looking West. Pete Woodruff.

The scene was ablaze with one of Morecambe Bay's renowned sunsets at around 4.00pm, this one looking west....

Looking North West. Pete Woodruff. 

....and this one looking north west.

And finally....can't have a post on Birds2blog without the photograph of a bird.

Tawny Owl. Howard Stockdale.

Not just a photograph of a Tawny Owl, but a brilliant photograph of one, 'clik the piks' they just might blow your socks off!....Thanks Howard.