The Lune Estuary Rules....OK.

Yet again the Peregrine Falcon revealed an accurate picture of the vast numbers of waders, gulls, and wildfowl on the Lune Estuary as viewed upstream from the bowling green at Glasson Dock, though the wildfowl usually stay put. If this bird passes through flying downstream and out of view beyond the dock, I reckon it can put 20 - 25,000 birds to flight in seconds. 

But I started a good seven hours birding on Monday at Conder Green where the pool was a little quiet with 5 Goldeneye, 6 Little Grebe, 28 Wigeon, a Little Egret, and a Dunnock in the hedge by the platform. The only bird of note in the creeks was the Common Sandpiper.

At Glasson Dock, 3 Ruff were with c.350 Redshank. Also noted, up to 3,000 Golden Plover, 550 Dunlin, 150 Knot, 65 Goldeneye, 3 Little Grebe, and a Peregrine Falcon. On the southern end of Colloway Marsh, c.200 Pink-footed Geese and a Little Egret, also notable was the total absence of Bar and Black- tailed Godwit today. The most interesting bird on the estuary at Glasson Dock today was the solitary Turnstone, scarce - if not rare - here. On the canal basin 4 drake Pochard were of note.

A little diversion from the estuary was to indulge in a mini twitch to see the Glossy Ibis which was obligingly within 50 mtrs of the entrance to Thurnham Hall, on its ownsome in a field to the right. At Cockersands, 13 Bewick's Swan included 4 juveniles, and in the same distant inland field as 14 January, at least 250 Whooper Swan were accompanied by a Black Swan.

Snipe Simon Hawtin 

A Snipe flushed off the marsh, c.420 Oystercatcher, c.60 Turnstone, and 4 Ringed Plover were on Plover Scar at high tide, a huge number of Wigeon were on the sea again - uncounted today - with at least 20 Pintail, certainly many more given time to grill the area. Ten Tree Sparrow, 2 Reed Bunting, and a Kestrel seen at Abbey Farm.

The Magpie.

Magpie. Adrian Pingstone.

At Freeman's Pools yesterday I saw a group of 22 Magpie, a number I've never seen together before. I found six different words to describe a group of this species, four of which appear to be American descriptions, the two English ones were....a 'congregation of Magpies', and....a 'tittering of Magpies'. A bird surrounded by superstition and folklore, and unfortunately has the distinction of being hated by lots of people, unjustifiably in my view.

Keep Britain Tidy. 

I had a comment made re the pic above - seen in my post on Monday - from my man in Kent....'Pete, that reed lined road wouldn't last a week here, it would be flailed down to a few millimetres off the ground, courtesy of the tidy brigade'....

The 'tidy brigade' are pretty active here too, though I imagine under orders to leave well alone when it comes to the reeds at Cockersands. I once counted 10 Sedge Warbler singing/breeding in these lines of reeds in the summer months.