More Of The Same....

....and a trip to the harbour - well Red Nab - on Friday afternoon.

A visit to Conder Green on Thursday had the pair of Common Tern still engaged with their 'late' and first breeding attempt on Conder Pool. Also the now resident Spotted Redshank with c.80 Redshank, 4 Little Egret, 2 Little Grebe, 4 Wigeon, and a female Tufted Duck with four young. The peak autumn count this year of up to 16 Common Sandpiper were in the creeks and in the channel off the old railway bridge, with 5 Dunlin noted.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, a distant 10 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.120 Redshank and 20 Dunlin were close from the bowling green, 5 Eider were hauled out, 17 Canada Geese noted again, with the recently seen 5 Pink-footed Geese and Greylags nowhere to be seen.

I moved no further than Plover Scar in the time I spent at Cockersands where initially the place looked deserted after c.60 Golden Plover took to flight as I approached, but I eventually located the pair of Ringed Plover and three chicks which appeared to be returning from a wander in the direction of the abbey along the shore. From the coastal path I watched them settle back down on the scar as the tide reached its height.

Ringed Plover Marc Heath 

The Plover Scar chicks are two weeks older than this one and noticeably so by now, they need up to two weeks yet before the month is out to reach fledging....here's hoping.

The Red Nab Gulls.

Returning from over the border in Cumbria on Friday I decided to pay a visit to Red Nab to watch the gulls on the incoming tide to count 12 Mediterranean Gull including the/another green ringed bird, though unfortunately distance had it I was still not able to nail the marks. 

Peregrine Falcon Martin Jump

Two Peregrine Falcon did what they do best and cleared out every last gull off Red Nab en mass. On the reserve I saw the male Emperor Dragonfly patrolling the pool again, a female ovipositing, and 4 Gatekeeper seen.

Thanks to Marc and Martin for the excellent RP and PF....Much appreciated.