As if....

....I had nothing better to do I got my fourth days birding in a row on Thursday, what's the world coming to I ask myself.

There's nothing particularly good about Conder Pool at the moment in that it's basically a lake with a couple of sunken islands, a large grassy area at the eastern end, and a grassy bank along the back edge and little to attract the waders. But as if to contradict all this, when I arrived there again on Thursday there was a minimum of 700 Black-tailed Godwit, add to this figure the beauty of this elegant tall wader in it's summer finery and boy was this a sight for sore eyes.

When the excitement died down with me I also noted the 2 Spotted Redshank progressing into their summer 'black as the devils waistcoat' plumage as my old mentor JL called it, also 2 Common Sandpiper, a Great-crested Grebe still here, and a few Swallow and Sand Martin hawking.

Turnstone. Plover Scar. Cockersands. Howard Stockdale.

At Cockersands I decided to travel light and just don my bino's - a mistake I nearly always avoid making - and got to Plover Scar to find a selection of waders - uncountable with any accuracy in a cold in your face howler - but would suggest,  60 Turnstone,  90 Dunlin,  and a 'few' Ringed Plover. On the round I counted 9 Wheatear,  c.80 Golden Plover in an Abbey Farm field, saw a single Skylark, a Stock Dove, and 3 Reed Bunting.

Reed Bunting Marc Heath 

On the Lune Estuary three hours after the high tide I estimated an all time record of up to 900 Black-tailed Godwit had assembled here, and noted none on Conder Pool on my way home. Also - with estimates rounded off - 150 Redshank, 50 Dunlin, 50 Knot, 30 Bar-tailed Godwit and a solitary Goldeneye. And on the canal basin, a pretty even mix of c.60 Sand Martin and Swallow hawking. 

I'm grateful as ever to Howard for the excellent image of a stunning long distance migrant the Turnstone on Plover Scar at Cockersands, and to Marc for his equally excellent image of the Reed Bunting.