....And I Got A Soaking!

Sparrowhawk. Howard Stockdale.

The Sparrowhawk has made good use of the huge section of this felled tree as its lookout post, carried and dumped at Conder Green by the recent storm driven high tide.

Goosander Warren Baker

Yesterday on Conder Pool, 3 Goosander, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Redshank, 4 Goldeneye, and at least 10 Little Grebe still here but maybe not for much longer, 2 Spotted Redshank were in the creeks. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, the winter wader numbers are falling now, but noted were c.250 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.250 Redshank, minimal number of Lapwing, pair Red-breasted Merganser, and 30 Goldeneye. A Peregrine Falcon was distant on Colloway Marsh, and 65 Pink-footed Geese were over going south. On the canal basin, 5 Goldeneye and a drake Red-breasted Merganser. 

Off Moss Lane, the Whooper Swans have move further inland and away from view, but I've no reason to suspect anything less than the 275 still present and counted last Tuesday 18 February. I saw 4 Bar-tailed Godwit off Crook Cottage....set off to do the 'rounds'....turned and went off hot-foot back to the motor to escape a downpour heading my way over the bay, which I failed to do and got a soaking, at which point I threw in the towel. 

Thanks for the images Howard/Warren....Excellent and appreciated.

The Petition.

Fearnan. Keith Brockie.

This is Fearnan, the satellite tagged Golden Eagle whose life had barely taken off before it was found dead by poisoning in 2013. Murdered on an Angus grouse moor at the hands of an industry incapable and unwilling to move out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st century. There are numerous accounts of this sad story and a short illustrated one can be seen Here  

The image above is currently at the top of my sidebar as a link to a petition calling for the UK government to introduce a system of operating licences for upland grouse shoots.

Would you urgently consider signing this petition please as it closes this Thursday 27 February but has already attracted in excess of 10,300 signatures which will now trigger a response by the government.