Buses, Boots, And Binos.

The last days birding of 2014 for me was on Tuesday, the initial plan was to walk along the River Lune from Skerton Bridge in Lancaster, do a loop of Aldcliffe and return back to Lancaster, in the end I walked all the way to Glasson Dock.....as it turned out, quite a good decision. 

This is an excellent 5 mile birding walk on which today I encountered - and noted in the little black book - a few thousand gulls and waders, Oystercatcher/Curlew/Lapwing/Golden Plover/Redshank/Dunlin, and good numbers of small birds not all noted here below....

Song Thrush. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery

Highlights were seeing 3 Song Thrush together - not an every day occurrence these days - finding 40 Blackbird along the way, with 12 Robin another excellent count, at least 90 Redwing in a field adjacent to Ashton Golf Club. On the river in Lancaster I found 4 Goldeneye and 6 Goosander, and on Freemans Pool, notable were 6 Gadwall, a duck I'm always pleased to see, and a Sparrowhawk flew across the pools. Around the mainly frozen wildfowlers pool I noted 22 Moorhen pecking away in a line.  

White-fronted Geese Jan Larsson 

Frustration took a hold on Aldcliffe Marsh when I picked out a distant Barnacle Goose with c.150 Canada Geese, and five smaller geese which were obviously 5 White-fronted Geese, but which instantly took off the minute I put my binos up and disappeared over the by-pass road towards the fields around Oxcliffe Road where I could see a 'few thousand' Pink-footed Geese in the air. 

Also noted along the coastal path, 3 Greenfinch, 2 Dunnock, 2 Mistle Thrush, and a Meadow Pipit. By the time I got to Conder Green dusk was setting in, but I picked up the Common Sandpiper in the creeks, and in the semi darkness I saw 10 Little Grebe, six in the creeks and four on Conder Pool. I then had to hot foot it to Glasson Dock....my bus was due.

Thanks to Martin and Jan for their photographs, they are much appreciated.