There's a bright golden haze....

....on the meadow. A song from the 1955 musical film Oklahoma....but before my time. I enjoyed a good six hours birding yesterday on a pleasant sunny and calm day in some territory I think I might get to like.

Spotted Redshank/Greenshank Astland Photography

At Conder Green, 2 Greenshank seen in the creeks today, but I found only one Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper this visit, 18 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon, and a Little Egret also noted. I counted just 40 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool which probably indicates maybe these are the remaining few still to depart for Iceland, they were on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock four hours later where I also estimated, 160 Bar-tailed Godwit and 25 Knot, all too distant for my liking below Waterloo Cottage, also of note, a solitary Whimbrel, a Little Egret, and 4 Eider.

At Cockersands my blood pressure count went into the danger zone when I saw 'a Mr Mutt in a high visibility green jacket with three free range hounds' out on Plover Scar at high tide. I steered clear of this guy and gave him thirty minutes to clear off, by which time c.500 Dunlin and 65 Ringed Plover had assembled on there to roost. By the time I got back to the motor where I found 7 Whimbrel opposite Crook Cottage, I had seen 19 Wheatear, 10 Linnet, 8 Tree Sparrow were in the Bank Houses area....

Whitethroat Simon Hawtin 

....3 Whitethroat, 2 Stock Dove in the stubble, a White Wagtail on a small flood, Reed Bunting, and Skylark.

Thanks to Peter and Susan for the waders - though the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green has now turned black - and to Simon for the Whitethroat....Excellent.