April Showers.

If I'd have listened to the man on the radio reading out the weather forecast for Friday instead of regarding him as bloody annoying talking about 'rain later in the day' and ignoring him, I might have ended my birding much sooner than I did, instead I ended up a wet Mackerel again in the middle of nowhere.

It was pretty decent when I started the walk planned to reach Glasson Dock from Skerton Bridge to find a Common Sandpiper on the River Lune opposite Lune Road. A Whitethroat was in brambles opposite Luneside Cottages and I saw another later. Two Little Ringed Plover were on the flood and had the entire place to themselves. Before the rain came at Stodday I had heard 3 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, and noted 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Dunnock, and 2 Little Egret.

The rain aside, Friday wasn't building up to ever have been one of my best days birding.

Black-tailed Godwit.  

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

On Conder Pool last week, I was pleased to find my third stunning and elegant Black-tailed Godwit complete with rings, and was also pleased to hear from Howard to tell me of one he found also at Conder Green. His photographs above show the ringed bird in the group, and some editing I made to the image shows the combination well on both legs. 

Both these birds were ringed as chicks in Iceland. Howards bird was ringed on 1 July 2012 at Munadstunga, Road 60 Kroksfjordur, NW Iceland, and has a long history of sightings, including one in Portugal at the same location as my bird - history below - which was in W.Portugal eight weeks prior to my finding it on Conder Pool last Thursday 24 April. 

Orange/Yellow-White/Yellow flag 13 July 2013 Efra Haganes, Fljót, N Iceland.

OY-WYflag 22.02.14 Giganta rice field, Porto Alto, Lisboa,W Portugal.

OY-WYflag 24.04.14 Conder Green, Lancashire, England. Pete Woodruff.

Whilst drafting this post I recieved the following e-mail from Böðvar....'I saw today one of your bird, feeding in wet grassland with 80 birds, the only one with rings'....

So the BTG seen on Conder Pool on 17 April was back in NW Iceland eight days later on 25 April having only been reported twice since it was ringed in July 2012, first at Sunderland Point February 2013, and second on Conder Pool 17 April last week, the history now reads.... 

OR-GYflag 06.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland.

OR-GYflag 07.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland.

OR-GYflag 28.02.13 Sunderland Point, Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, England.

OR-GYflag 17.04.14 Conder Green, Lancashire, NW England. Pete Woodruff.

OR-GYflag 25.04.14 Holt, Önundarfjörður, NW Iceland.

I'm grateful to Böðvar for his prompt attention in supplying me with all the info I wanted with regards to these interesting sightings....Pretty impressive stuff.

And finally, for your entertainment....

Sorry, this might seem like a birding blog gone off the rails, but based on why my birding was aborted on Friday....I couldn't resist the video.