BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND.................................................................................BRENT GEESE HEYSHAM PETE WOODRUFF

Friday, 15 August 2014

Conder Lake!....

....and some other places I visited yesterday.

The recent high tides have turned Conder Pool into a 'hopeless for waders' lake once again, and it was almost deserted by Monday/Tuesday standards when hundreds of 'em were present, yesterday just 3 Little Grebe, a Great-crested Grebe, and barely anything else to save it from a blank. In the creeks, 3 Common Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, and Greenshank. The House Martins at one of the locations at Conder Green remain active, but I was distracted by some building activities at another to check out the situation there but must take a closer look next time.

On the Lune Estuary, an adult Mediterranean Gull was my first post-breeding bird at Glasson Dock, and was ringed on the left leg but too distant to read, c.400 Redshank were the only notable waders, 6 Goosander were of note, as was a single Ringed Plover, and a Little Egret.


 Sanderling Martin Jump 

At Cockersands, an hours sift through the high tide waders which kept on coming and going on Plover Scar was rewarded by 4 Sanderling, with 2 Whimbrel, estimates of 450 Dunlin, up to 90 Ringed Plover, and a solitary Knot.

Yellow Wagtail Warren Baker  

A wander on the circuit was also rewarded by a juvenile Yellow Wagtail, with c.30 Goldfinch in Bank Houses horse paddock. A 'large' female Sparrowhawk was twice seen rocketing through the area, first across a field, and then worryingly across the horse paddock. At least 40 Tree Sparrow were seen again along Slack Lane by the cover crop field.

The Conder Common Tern. 

I'm puzzled by the Common Terns on Conder Pool, though we can't expect to see any young with the vegetation so high, the female seems to sit tight with no activity indicating young being fed in the nest and no sign of the male bird today in two visits here. But the female came off the nest three times, once to bathe, once to attack the Lesser Black-backed Gull on the water, and a third time it came off and flew around whilst a Mute Swan walked by the nest....Difficult to know precisely what's going on here.

Thanks to Martin and Warren for the posts 'clik the pik' material. 

1 comment:

  1. Had a large female Sprawk fly across the paddocks here this morning Pete, worrying it was .....especially for the Wheatear there!

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