Before The Falcons.

I had some nice rewards for my efforts on Tuesday before I caught up with the Peregrine Falcons later in the afternoon - Seeing Double - seen on the Lune Estuary from the bowling green at Glasson Dock, with excellent counts of at least 4,500 Lapwing, 2,100 Golden Plover and 450 Black-tailed Godwit seen, but I could only count 30 Goldeneye today, and 2 Little Egret were noted. Earlier in the day on Conder Pool, 6 Little Grebe, 2 Little Egret, a Goosander, 92 Mallard, 74 Teal, 18 Redshank, 6 Curlew, 3 Shelduck, and 2 Goldeneye.

Mediterranean Gull Noushka Dufort

On Jeremy Lane, two fields had earlier been slurried resulting in a mass feeding congregation of mainly 3,500 Black-headed Gull through which in better circumstances I could have spent some time sifting through, but I did find an adult Mediterranean Gull standing out in the crowd as much more elegant than its relations even if it was up to its knees and feeding in the slurry though not quite as elegant as the summer adult above.

Curlew Brian Rafferty

At Cockersands, high tide again with just 350 Oystercatcher, 40 Dunlin, 34 Turnstone and a single Ringed Plover on Plover Scar, with 4 Eider and a Great-crested Grebe off here, c.140 Curlew in an inland field, and c.150 Lapwing over flying purposefully south. On and around the Cocker Estuary, I made no attempt at counting silhouetted birds seen against the light but several hundred Wigeon and a good number of Shelduck noted, with Pintail and 2 Little Egret  present.

Grey Wagtail Geoff Gradwell

A Grey Wagtail was a nice surprise in the Abbey Farm yard with 2 Pied Wagtail, other small birds noted in the area, 25 Greenfinch, 3 Robin, and a Reed Bunting.

The Lune Estuary Godwits.

Black-tailed Godwit Martin Jump  

I've not searched any historical godwit records for the Lune Estuary, but Tuesdays count of Black-tailed Godwit here appear to be building up again this winter. At the start of this year I made a peak count of at least 600 Black-tailed Godwit seen at Glasson Dock on 13 February, and c.700 Bar-tailed Godwit were also counted on the Lune Estuary here on 6 February. 

Thanks to Noushka/Brian/Geoff/Martin for the impressive photographs in this post....even more impressive on 'the clik'.