Black And White Again....

....and some other colours.

The River Conder was in spate on Thursday with not a wader in sight, and the 10m+ tides earlier in the week have Conder Pool like Conder Lake again, and with the Black Swan having arrived on there looking more like an Ornamental Lake. 

With only one Little Grebe seen it's looking like the wintering birds may have nearly all dispersed. Also on the pool, the Spotted Redshank was roosting with 32 Redshank. I also only found the drake Goldeneye today, with a pair of Goosander noted, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull, stood erect and looking like it was in full command of what little was left above water of Tern Island. 

On the canal basin at Glasson Dock, I counted 30 Goldeneye, with not a single one seen on the Lune Estuary, but c.400 Black-tailed Godwit present, and c.175 Dunlin feeding close by from the bowling green, the only other bird of note was a Great-crested Grebe at best irregular here.

Whooper Swans. Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

The Cockersands Swans have spread themselves out far and wide now and stretched from Moss Lane through several fields towards Bank End. I made little attempt at counting but have no reason to suggest other than my count on 17 February of c.260 Whooper Swan still holds with a 'few' Bewick's Swan seen.

The waders at Cockersands were in fields in huge number with at least 550 Golden Plover and a similar high number of Lapwing, with Dunlin, Redshank, and Curlew all present, 6 Stock Dove were also seen, and I saw 8 Tree Sparrow in the Bank Houses area. 

Brown Hare Brian Rafferty

I counted an excellent 12 Brown Hare on my visit to the Cockersands area today, and as I drove away from here down Moss Lane towards the A588 c.250 Golden Plover flew overhead and across the road.

Thanks for the Brown Hare Brian, and the Short-eared Owl header Gary....Brilliant on both counts.