Day Of The Duck!

On Wednesday I managed only my second 'outing' in 2014, but it was a decent day by recent standards and some bonus birding if only for some excellent wildfowl and a wader count/s. 

 

 Teal. Copy Permitted.

At Conder Green the combined count for Conder Pool - now more like a lake - and the creeks was of up to 300 Teal. On the pool, 135 Mallard, 15 Wigeon 5 Goldeneye, 3 Little Grebe, and the faithful winter Common Sandpiper. Along the coastal path, 8 Blackbird and 3 Robin. On the canal basin at Glasson Dock, 11 Goldeneye and a female Pochard. On the Lune Estuary, 6 Goldeneye, 3 Goosander, 2 Little Grebe, and a Red-breasted Merganser. Other counts estimated on the estuary, 2,500 Wigeon 2,000 Golden Plover, 500 Dunlin, 350 Black-tailed Godwit, and 300 Redshank. 

Pintail. John Darbyshire.

At Cockersands with no time for a circuit, I noted 85 Turnstone on Plover Scar with 3 Eider and a Great-crested Grebe off here. A Little Egret was off the Caravan Park with 16 Pintail in the Cocker Channel. A Peregrine Falcon was on the railings of the lighthouse and was still there when I returned and passed there two hours later. 

Excellent Counts. 

Bar-tailed Godwit Marc Heath

On the Lune Estuary, an estimated count of up to 1,000 Bar-tailed Godwit seen on the west side of Sunderland Point from Bodie Hill....

Wigeon Martin Jump 

...and at Cockersands between the lighthouse and the Cocker Estuary, an extraordinary count of at least 8,000 Wigeon and 1,500 Teal amongst which I found a Red-breasted Goose.