Up And Down.

On Tuesday with my services needed to taxi a family member with a transport problem, the destination being Dolphinholme for 11.00am and collect at 2.00pm the obvious thing for me to do was to go into Bowland and dig around in some nooks and crannies off the beaten track for a couple of hours or so.

Garden Warbler Warren Baker

Nothing spectacular but I did find my first Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. I watched a Mistle Thrush feeding a fledged young, a Robin with a recently fledged young in tow, and saw up to 4 Song Thrush which included a pair also with a fledged young....The day of the fledged young, and very nice too. 

Treecreeper Phillip Tomkinson

I saw a Treecreeper doing what it does best - and as its name implies - creeping up a tree. I also found a perfect location for butterflies and saw my first 4 Comma of the year.

Returning to Lancaster with my 'unpaid' taxi fare, I went off for a brief visit to Conder Green to find c.75 Black-tailed Godwit in the creeks, with 2 Whimbrel on Conder Pool, being a first for the species on here in my records book, and a Whitethroat 'scratching' away loudly on the coastal path.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, c.225 waders gave excellent and reasonably close views, being 160 Bar-tailed Godwit, two of which were in stunning breeding plumage, 50 Knot, which also had four in their brilliant red breeding plumage, 12 Dunlin, and 3 Redshank.

An enjoyable couple of hours up to Bowland, then down to the coast for another hour. 

Thanks to Warren for the Garden Warbler, and to Phillip for the Treecreeper.