High Noon Birding.

It was almost noon by the time I got to Conder Green on Wednesday, but I was thankful to get there at all having not done so for a full week. Conder Pool will remain a lake for many weeks to come with no muddy edges to attract the waders, with the high tides over the next few days, and the highest at 10.39 metres on Sunday there will be even more water flowing in.

 Kingfisher Ana Minguez 

At Conder Green I saw the Kingfisher for the first time since 15 November 2013. Of note on Conder Pool, 8 Little Grebe, 11 Wigeon, and c.250 Black-headed Gull. The Common Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Snipe were in the creeks, with a Reed Bunting the only small bird of note on the circuit. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, I found a Ruff  with up to 650 Redshank tightly packed and roosting, today's bird was a female as opposed to the two 20/22 January sightings which were three much larger males. Also of note, c.2,500 Golden Plover, with 2 Little Grebe, a Great-crested Grebe was seen as having become a scarce bird in the Glasson/Cockersands area according to my records. Up to 1,000 Bar-tailed Godwit were hard to get to grips with for anything like an accurate count, with some birds below the mud bank on the east bank opposite Sunderland Point as seen from Bodie Hill.

Cockersands turned out to be a 'swans only' day and it was good to get some closer views than of my two previous visits with at least 230 Whooper Swan seen off Moss Lane, 6 Bewick's Swan were in another field off Slack Lane with 45 Mute Swan, these birds were seen as three adult and three juvenile, 3 Whooper Swan were on the Cocker Estuary mud.

Goldeneye.   

There are still at least 56 Goldeneye in the Lune Estuary area with counts made on Wednesday....

5 Conder Pool.

16 Glasson Canal Basin.

35 Lune Estuary.

The Distant Fylde Coast From Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

Not just the birds, but some excellent scenery today as always at Cockersands.

Bewick's Swans.

In relation to my post on Tuesday re Bewick's Swans in the UK this winter I was surprised that only one bird is at Martin Mere. Though this didn't need to surprise me as the former stronghold of the Bewick's Swans at the WWT Reserve appears to have been almost abandoned by them over recent years. I'm grateful to Wildlife Health Research Officer Julia Newth for providing me with some records of the BS and for the interesting paper regarding their population decline. 

Thanks to Ana Minguez for the stunning female Kingfisher which is well worthy of 'clik the pik'.