Three Weeks Later.

Another of those 'better late than never' posts, with blogging time at a minimum of late.

Last Friday I was back on the coastal route from Lancaster to Glasson Dock with 43 species noted along the way, not exactly riveting stuff and none of which earned me any brownie points I'm afraid. Today I was on the move almost three hours before finding my first of just 3 Blackbird at Ashton Golf Course, a crash in numbers on the forty I saw on this route on 30 December 2014, and the same 'at least forty' on 26 January, but I found 7 Robin compared to five on the same date. On Freeman's Pools I noted 4 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, and a 'few' Gadwall and Wigeon. 

Rock Pipit Phillip Tomkinson 

Along the embankment on a 10.70m tide the marsh was completely submerged, but a bird some distance ahead on the tide wrack nearly escaped me before flying off but was almost certainly a Rock Pipit. The flood at Aldcliffe was completely deserted.

Raven. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery 

Two Raven were in the Stodday area with no surprise there, also c.30 Goldfinch were accompanied by 5 Reed Bunting and Chaffinch, 3 Little Egret seen along the way.

A quick circuit of Conder Green found the obliging Spotted Redshank, a lone Black-tailed Godwit, with the resident 2 Goldeneye, and 4 Little Grebe on Conder Pool. On the canal basin at Glasson dock I found just 3 Goldeneye today....The bus to Lancaster is coming.

The Garden Bird. 

Blackcap Simon Hawtin  

My day was made up on Sunday when a male Blackcap visited our garden, not the first to have ever done so - two previously - but a bird in the mega category here just the same, it was followed two hours later by a Wren, always a welcome sight in our garden.

The Leighton Moss Birds.

Avocet David Cookson

Two Avocet reported back at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve on the Allen Pool yesterday, three days later than in 2014.

Thanks to Phillip/Martin/Simon/David for the excellent photographs.