The First For Me!

My first birding for 2015 was on Friday when I was rewarded with more evidence that the Bewick's Swan have returned to the area hopefully to spend a three month winter period here as they did for the first time ever last winter, with my first record of 15 Bewick's Swan on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock 18 November 2013, and my last record of 16 Bewick's Swan on Slack Lane at Cockersands 18 February 2014.  

Whooper Swan Simon Hawtin 

On Jeremy Lane, 9 Bewick's Swan were with 4 Whooper Swan, another lone Bewick's Swan was with 15 Mute Swan off Moss Lane, and 45 Whooper Swan were in the field off Slack Lane. The walk along the headland at Cockersands in a 50 mph howler was a mix of madness and a passion to be there, but all with little reward. Five Tree Sparrow were in bushes by Bank Houses horse paddock, and a Little Egret was in the wide ditch north of Bank House Cottage.

Black-tailed Godwit Martin Jump

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, estimates of 4,000 Lapwing and 1,500 Golden Plover, c.250 Black-tailed Godwit, a Spotted Redshank was at rest with c.60 Redshank. I counted 30 Goldeneye, and on Colloway Marsh the Snow Goose was seen distant. Grounded for life with a broken wing, I feel desperately sorry for this bird, the fact it is in all probability an escapee from some ornamental pond or other is irrelevant.

Conder Pool 9 Little Grebe was my best count today, a drake Goosander had joined the current resident Red-breasted Merganser, with 2 Goldeneye and 5 Tufted Duck noted, and 62 Mallard were at rest on the near island. The Common Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank both obliged me in the creeks.

Thanks for the excellent images to Simon and Martin.