Hard Work Little Pay.

I have to keep reminding myself were still in the last week of March, and though the calendar says it's spring the birds don't think so, at least the migrant ones don't, and won't be moving much in our direction until the weather improves and becomes more favourable for them. 

Spotted Redshank. Conder Green. Stuart Piner.

I drew a blank on lots of birds on Friday - migrant or not - with little reward for some hard slogging. I've got to be honest, I need to be seeing some 'new' birds with no disrespect to the Conder Green Spotted Redshank - which is showing moult into breeding plumage as the image above shows - and the Common Sandpiper both of which showed well again on Conder Pool, the former at rest with 35 Redshank, and the latter hiding away in a corner and seen from the fence at the west end. Also on the pool, 2 Goldeneye, with a Snipe put to flight upstream from the road bridge. A circuit almost produced a blank saved only by a Dunnock....this is serious!

I spent an enjoyable 3 hours at Cockersands, but not attributed to the birds I saw, though the days count of at least 2,500 Golden Plover was impressive, even if they spent almost the entire visit wheeling around on the wing for some reason or other and never settling at all, really frustrating because at one point I picked out a small wader in the air with them, and it would have been rewarding to grill them on the ground if only to find it had been a Dunlin maybe.

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

The count still stands at c.200 Whooper Swan at Cockersands, all viewable off Moss Lane and with the Black Swan still present with them. Off Crook Farm, c.195 Black-tailed Godwit....And that was my lot for Friday 27 March 2015.

Clik the pik....and spot the ringed BTG. Yes it has a white flag on it's right leg and a ring above the flag hidden from view. It could be any one of six Black-tailed Godwits ringed in Iceland....how frustrating!

A Blackbird sang full voice in our garden this morning at 4.45am 

Thanks to SP/HS for the excellent images, including the new header, another 'pic with a difference' and much appreciated.

The Mutt Brigade. 

I make no apologies for reporting the 'Mutt Brigade' at Cockersands on Friday once again, three handlers and 15 mutts this time, a mile out into the bay and probably responsible for the disturbance of the 2,500 Golden Plover when they first set out on the shingle if the truth be known. 

Buzzin Up Clougha.

Another decent day weatherwise on Wednesday got me buzzing, and although the Lune Estuary magnet had a strong pull on me again, in the end Clougha was the winner and off I went. 

I managed a 26 species count in the six hours I was away from the motor. Though it was upland birding I can't say that's a good count, never the area to 'get a bag full', though that's a pretty sick pun.

Stonechat Marc Heath  

Hard to believe I've not been on Clougha since 20 June 2014, but good news on Wednesday was of 5 Stonechat found, seen as two pair and a lone male, so possibilities of three pair here in the last week of March with hopefully more to come. Also of note, a Great-spotted Woodpecker was in the car park, and 4 Jay were in the area of the bog. Also seen before I reached the moor, 5 Robin, 3 Wren, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Great Tit, and a Song Thrush.

Red Grouse. Pete Woodruff.    

At least 16 Red Grouse seen, including the one pictured which was the most confiding one I ever saw, a couple more paces closer and I could have grabbed the bird. Although hard to come by yet on the coast, 3 Wheatear were at least 400m up on Clougha Pike, two seen as a pair with the male chasing the female around, and 16 Meadow Pipit noted. Not a single raptor seen in the entire six hours.

Birk Bank.

Land Management. Pete Woodruff.

This is what I found Birk Bank looking like on Wednesday....a wasteland burnt to the ground by the 'Guardians of the Countryside'.

When Clougha/Birk Bank was in its prime as a stronghold for the Lancashire Stonechat just a few years ago, and I surveyed the area in the images above, I walked through shoulder height bracken and other suitable ground nesting bird habitat. 

Please 'clik the pik' and see the bigger picture of the damage these people do to the uplands in our area and beyond. They can legally continue to do this until 31 March - and into mid-April in some cases - which is beyond the first egg laying date for the Stonechat, a past nest record of which had eggs in it on 13 March. 

If it's wildlife you're looking for - and in particular the Stonechat - you can delete Birk Bank from your list....I've deleted it from mine.

Whooper Swan.

With little time for blogging, but good news from Wednesday on Clougha when I do.

Whooper Swans David Cookson

This is the history of only the second Whooper Swan I've had the opportunity to ring read this winter. I received the sightings history for the marked Whooper Swan BN3 which I found at Bank End on 16 March. 

This bird will be 8 years old come 8 August 2015 and before it departs Cockersands for Iceland it will have already flown an amazing almost 50,000 miles on migration, carrying as an adult a weight of around 14kg, a huge creature for such an annual undertaking.

Ringed Cygnet  Holmavatn S-Thing Iceland 8 August 2007 

Dunkirk, Near Little Downham Cambridgeshire United Kingdom 28 October 2007 

Great Dams Fen, Wardy Hill, Coveney Cambridgeshire U.K 22 January 2008  

Ringneill Bay, Srangford Lough Co. Down Northern Ireland 18 March 2008 

Ringneill Bay, Srangford Lough Co. Down Northern Ireland 18 March 2008

Beechwood Farm, Christchurch Cambridgeshire U.K 24 January 2011

Bank End, Cockerham Lancashire United Kingdom 16 March 2015

I am grateful to Kane Brides once again for this information, and to DC for the Whooper Swans image.

Swan Song.

Having been in touch with the right people at the lab and at WWT, an interesting telephone conversation yesterday regarding the outcome of post mortems on dead Mute Swans found in North Lancashire and sent for examination, wasn't conclusive as far as I'm concerned, though in making that comment no suggestion is being made that anything I was told about the results was in any way short or withheld.

Mute Swan Warren Baker  

So no final result for me in why 12 Mute Swans found over a three week period - including two last week - and all within 2 miles of each other were to be deemed as victims of starvation. 

But if you are about to suggest that I've been watching at least 400 swans - the vast majority Whooper Swans - in the area around Thurnham/Cockersands for several winter weeks now, all tugging at blades of grass all day long in the same fields, yet twelve have succumbed to starvation, then you have to consider that these twelve were probably already suffering from malnutrition for whatever reason and that towards the end of the winter period in February/March is the time when these birds are most likely to die.

Again, no suggestion is being made in bringing the subject into play, but I want to highlight this.... 

Some European countries use only non-toxic shot for all shooting, in Denmark this has been the case since 1996, but certainly hasn't in the UK. A debate has been ongoing for many years over the use of non-toxic shot, an issue which remains controversial. 

The shooting press try their best to make it quite clear that there is a misconception that lead poisoning of wildlife is not a problem. It's understandable that some people might underestimate the importance of lead poisoning as birds die regularly and in small numbers and are rapidly removed by predators.

The twelve birds dead through starvation in North Lancashire were not removed by predators or scavengers, and my understanding is that no Avian Flu or Lead Poisoning was found in these 12 Mute Swans....In the case of the former being the cause of death I doubt if I would have been made privy to such findings.

I don't want to make any other comment on here, but I intend trying more enquiries about the mysterious death of this number of birds of the same species in a relatively small area.

Small Fry!

Nothing to hit the headlines yesterday with just small fry seen, but I did get out birding and that's all that matters to me.

Redshank With Turnstone Roost Findlay Wilde 

Conder Pool was quite lively with waders seeking a roost over the high 10.40m tide, with an estimated 220 Redshank and 150 Dunlin on here. Also 10 Snipe and a 'few' Curlew, the resident Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper, with 2 Goldeneye and 5 Tufted Duck. A male Reed Bunting appeared in the road and began feeding on spilt grain off a passing lorry. The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock continued with an unimpressive streak and produced just 45 Black-tailed Godwit of note, with 2 Goldeneye, and a mere 8 Wigeon, seen as left overs from the wintering hundreds here.

Ringed Plover Brian Rafferty

At Cockersands the count of 185 Whooper Swan was something like 50% down on recent numbers. The Black Swan remains here, and the estimated 2,000 Golden Plover is an increase in the flock here for several days now, with a single Ringed Plover in the same field on a flooded section, c.30 Linnet were highly mobile, and up to 400 Black-tailed Godwit were off Crook Farm....Nothing small fry about them!

Migrants....still waiting and not even another Wheatear to be seen today.

Thanks for the images Findlay/Brian, much appreciated.

Anyone interested in a Music Festival!

Down....

....and out of pocket!

Thought you might like to read this until I get some time to blog about a few birds I saw today.

There was an excellent article in a local newspaper recently which had me jumping for joy on behalf of the Natural World.

Image Pete Woodruff.

This woman asked a man if he would take on the job of felling 27 trees. This whilst knowing the trees were under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), she had sought to obtain financial gain by this terrible act of vandalism as the removal of the trees in a woodland area would open up a view to the estuary resulting in the value of her property for sale on the housing market being much higher.

But hey....this lady wasn't as bright as she might have thought she was, she ended up in court and was fined the grand sum of £15,000 plus a quid or two in costs. As for the lumberjack....well, he wasn't as bright as he thought he was either, he got lumbered with a fine of £3,000 plus a quid or two in costs.

Well as they say, it doesn't bring the trees back, but long live the TPO's....

Hope your'e still trying to sell yer 'ouse missus!

Fast Forward.

I suffered a carjacking again on Friday causing some derailed plans. But back on track later meant if I carried out the plan at 1.30pm to leg it from Lancaster to Glasson Dock the time allowance would be reduced to no more than three hours. 

To note on Freeman's Pools, 6 Goldeneye, a pair of Gadwall, 3 Little Grebe, a 'few' Wigeon, a Little Egret, and at the footpath crossroads at least 50 Fieldfare. On Aldcliffe Marsh c.500 Pink-footed Geese, and the red ringed Whooper Swan seen and previously reported here. The flood at Aldcliffe was totally void of birds, with a Little Ringed Plover having been on here Thursday/Friday and again Saturday.

Chiffchaff Antonio Puigg

At this point I almost decided to abort the plan, but in the end I struck out to complete the route, though unable to do my birding full justice I heard a Chiffchaff at the cutting south of Aldcliffe where I watched a Goldcrest scurrying through the branches, saw a Raven at Stodday, a pair of Long-tailed Tit almost certainly planning on nesting, and notched up 12 Blackbird en route.

Thanks to Antonio for the Chiffchaff, and David for the Grasshopper Warbler header.

Mute Swans.

Despite three phone calls to the lab performing the autopsy's on the recent dead Mute Swans I found and retrieved from the Conder Green/Thurnham/Cockersands area, I still have no info on the cause of death, but by arrangement I'm giving them a bell again this week. 

Meanwhile, another two dead Mute Swans have to be added to the list now standing at twelve birds, as one was found on Friday in the Cockersands area, and another in the Thurnham area on Saturday. 

Certainly something of a mystery to all this, you have to wonder if all these Mute Swan deaths are connected in any way in such a short space of time and close proximity to each other.

And The Mutts Came Too!

Back on the home front again, but no sign of any movement. Having seen reports of Sand Martin, LRP, and Osprey, you get a false impression it's all systems go on the migrant front, but it ain't where I went yesterday, though I did see my first Wheatear last Saturday.

At Conder Green, the Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper both obliged yet again, a Little Grebe, 3 Goldeneye, and 5 Snipe were on Conder Pool. On the Lune estuary, 12 Eider in my book were something of a record number here, otherwise c.60 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Goldeneye, a Red-breasted Merganser and a drake Goosander were all that qualified for the black book today.

Up to 250 Whooper Swan had shifted since my last visit to Cockersands and were at the junction of Slack/Moss Lane with a good uncounted number still at Bank End, c.1,000 Golden Plover were a few down in number on recent counts, 2 Stock Dove were in the same field, with 4 Skylark seen. At least 38 Turnstone counted on Plover Scar with certainly others out of view distant, 58 Eider were off the scar.

Brown Hare. Pete Woodruff.

Six Brown Hare were all in the same field, all squat and looking quite fed up with life like the one in the terribly over-cropped picture of mine above. 

And The Mutts Came Too! 

This message is copied directly from my inbox....

The Golden Plover were roosting on the fields, a woman parked behind Lighthouse Cottage and the mutt proceeded to run around all the fields while she walked along to the back of Cockersands Abbey, talk about flabbergasted!

Two female dog walkers with 6 dogs between them, came from the direction of Plover Scar, when I was near the brick lookout, I think they were the two that do it as a business.

The two female dog walkers in this e-mail are the very same pair out at the seaward edge of Plover Scar with ten unleashed mutts when I was there on Monday, apart from disturbing c.1,500 Golden Plover, they disturbed every other bird in their path. 

More disturbance took place on Saturday 14 March when someone on a quad bike drove through 280 Whooper Swans in a field where they had been for several days, they relocated to the Cocker Channel where I was able to count them accurately. All these birds could well do without all this disturbance, in the case of the Whooper Swans, they need to build up and conserve as much energy as they possibly can in order to successfully take on the long haul to Iceland over the coming weeks hopefully to breed. 

Duped By The Weather.

Yesterday started off well and looked like being the best day this year so far. Because of this I was enthused to take myself off to Bowland primarily to see if any Stonechats had taken up territory, though to be honest a little early. But no sooner had I arrived at Harrisend Fell than the sun disappeared behind the clouds never to be seen again all day....I had been duped.

However, I was soon spurred on by finding a pair of Stonechat, but the enthusiasm slowly waned as time progressed and they were to be the only two I would see all day. Also of note, at least 12 Meadow Pipit, a Buzzard and Raven over, a distant butterfly before the sun disappeared was almost certainly my first Peacock this year.

By the time I reached Hawthornthwaite Fell the day had descended into cloudy and grey, half way up the track having seen 12 Red Grouse and 2 Wren, I decided to change the plan and came back down to go to Marshaw. 

Woodcock Jan Larsson 

Between Marshaw and Tower Lodge over two hours I struggled to find nine species, but I was pleased with one of them being Woodcock, I saw two birds, one behind the plantation at Marshaw, and the other over the plantation behind Tower Lodge, 2 Treecreeper seen, 3 Coal Tit, a Great Tit, Robin, Wren, Blackbird and a Mistle Thrush, the only raptor was a kestrel.  

Art on the uplands. 

Stonework. Pete Woodruff.

This is an excellent piece of artwork seen on Harrisend. I'd love to know the amount of effort - with all the material gathered from the surrounding area - and the time it took to finish this. I hope someone who knows about this will see it on Birds2blog and get in touch with me to tell me about it at stonechat4@gmail.com 

Osprey.

Osprey Jan Larsson

An Osprey was over Middleton south of Heysham this Thursday morning at 9.40am, then 10 minutes later was seen NE over Torrisholme at 9.50am.

Thanks to Jan for the excellent images. 

And Again!

On Tuesday I did a re-run of Monday with little new to add, certainly no migrants to be found, and the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was depressingly dead.

The recent residents have been joined by three relatives and there was now 5 Goldeneye on Conder Pool, also 2 Little Grebe, 2 Snipe, and the lone Back-tailed Godwit. The Spotted Redshank duly obliged in the creeks together with 18 Redshank, a drake Goosander was also in the creeks. A Grey Wagtail was upstream of the road bridge where I noted a Reed Bunting which seemed to have learned the art of fly-catching, it appeared to be taking insects in mid-air several times over the river to return to its perch on the reeds, I never observed this behaviour by a Reed Bunting before. A Buzzard was over the marsh from the picnic site and drifted inland.

Lesser Black-backed Gull. Pete Woodruff.

I couldn't resist another pic of the L.B.B.Gull on Conder Pool, a handsome brute if ever there was one, it's mate was also on the island out of camera shot, I'm keeping my eye on these two, I think they have a plan.

To be honest Cockersands was a waste of time, I caught sight of a 'few' Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail neither in double figure, 5 Pink-footed Geese were in an Abbey Farm field and took me a little by surprise, the Moss Lane Kestrel seen, and the uncounted Whooper Swans have once again spread out far and wide between Slack Lane, Moss Lane, and Bank End. 

Ringed Whooper Swan.

I managed to find a Whooper Swan marked BTY at Bank End on Monday and thanks to Kane Brides at WWT I was in receipt of the birds history the following day. 

Species: Whooper Swan

Location: Bank End, Cockerham 

Grid Ref: SD438 529

Date: 14 March 2015

Ring: Yellow Letters Black 

Right Leg BTY

This Whooper Swan was ringed as a cygnet at Helluvadstjorn, Myvatnssveit, Iceland, on 8 August 2013 and the sighting at Bank End was the first since that date.

Dull, Grey, And Nowt About.

Whooper Swans. Bank End March 16.

Well not quite that bad yesterday, but it certainly was dull and grey by mid-afternoon and as far away as ever from spring. But I can't really be saying 'nowt about' as today the 'Cockersands Swans' had congregated in the field by Bank End Farm with the exception of a few still distant birds, and I was at last able to get a better figure to put to them and came up with 350 Whooper Swan, with the Black Swan still in tow.

Whooper Swans. Bank End March 16.

Whilst looking through the herd of swans I came across a solitary Fieldfare below the trees in the background. The other decent count in the area was of the 1,500 Golden Plover still in fields here, 3 Stock Dove accompanied them. 

Other notes made at Cockersands, 28 Black-tailed Godwit were with Curlews again in a field. Small birds were, 8 Meadow Pipit, 5 Skylark, 2 Greenfinch, and 2 Reed Bunting, 33 Eider were off Plover Scar.

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was void of any notable waders with just 3 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit to note, just 3 Goldeneye seen, a drake Goosander, and 2 Little Egret. 

At Conder Green, I found the Common Sandpiper first time since 3 March, the Spotted Redshank seen, with a Grey Wagtail by the road bridge. On Conder Pool, one Little Grebe, 2 Snipe, a pair of Wigeon, 2 Goldeneye, and 5 Long-tailed Tit worked their way through the trees. The L.B.B.Gull pair squat comfortably on the island were seen off by 2 Mute Swan which decided to haul out on to the gulls territory.

Attempts at photography are courtesy of yours truly, you get a better picture of the herd of swans if you 'clik the pik'....good eh!!

Saturday Birding....Who me!

I don't do weekend birding but....As a rarity on Saturday I gave Cockersands/Bank End a couple of hours to be rewarded with my first Wheatear on the shingle below Cockersands Abbey.

One or two other notes made included up to 600 Black-tailed Godwit seen, with 550 off Crook Farm, 16 with Curlews in a field, and 30 on the Cocker Estuary, c.50 Knot were also noted here, with 1,500 Golden Plover still around the Abbey Farm fields. Off Plover Scar, 48 Eider and 2 Pintail drake seen with Wigeon.

Whooper Swans Brian Rafferty

At Bank End I got close to the swans still here and beyond, and was able to get a better estimate of at least 300 Whooper Swan accompanied by the Black Swan which gets around some having been seen over recent weeks off Jeremy Lane, Moss Lane, Slack Lane, and Bank End. A lone Whooper Swan has been on Cockerham Marsh my last two visits and is possibly injured/ill though appears quite lively, a dead Whooper Swan is on the marsh in front of Bank End Farm and badly eaten into. Thanks for the image above Brian, a must 'clik the pik' for an excellent show.

A saunter through Williamson Park yesterday proved the resident Little Grebe still on the old reservoir, first found on 18 November 2013 and again 30 October 2014. In Lancaster Cemetery, at least 20 Greenfinch, 2 Jay, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Mistle Thrush, and a Coal Tit with Great Tits and Blue Tits.

Stonechat David Cookson 

I was pleased to hear of three male Stonechat up Whitendale in Bowland yesterday, with many thanks to JW for this info, and to DC for the image, appreciated and excellent on both counts.

Short Shift, Short List.

Didn't get out of jail until 1.00pm on Thursday, but managed three hours at Cockersands/Bank End which resulted in my finding another male Stonechat. 

Whooper Swans Gary Jones  

I also got a better estimate of what I now find to be up to 330 Whooper Swans in the area....with 280 counted as they were disturbed - intentionally in my view - from the field they've been in for several days now by the farmer racing through them on his quad bike sending them off and on to the Cocker Estuary, another 50 Whooper Swan were in a field off Moss Lane accompanied by the 'Aussie' Black Swan, an escaped and ornamental waterbird in western Europe. 

Merlin. Chris Batty.

A female Merlin dashing across the Abbey Farm field to perch on a branch, vied with the Stonechat for 'Bird of the Day' but lost my vote - naturally - in the end. At least 1,500 Golden Plover were in a field close by the Merlin when c.70 Black-tailed Godwit went over south, I saw another - the same? - 70 BTG later at Bank End, and another 18 BTG feeding off Crook Farm, 10 Eider and a drake Red-breasted Merganser were off Plover Scar, and a Little Egret seen.

An enjoyable three hours birding, but I was a little more than soggy by the time I got back to the motor, 30 minutes away from it as the tide brought the rain with it....Bugger!! 

With thanks to Gary/Chris for the excellent photographs, and to Brian for the new header of a brilliant bird coming soon to a woodland near you....hopefully.

Bonaparte's Gull....An excellent video, though it shows too large on my screen and the picture is a little distorted, I found no way to have the film shown in smaller format.

Tuesdays Also Ran's.

Following on from 'A Lot Of Stonechats' in the Thurnham/Cockersands area on Tuesday, the perfect example of right place, right day, right time, these are the other sightings of note on the day....

On Conder Pool, 2 Little Grebe, the resident 2 Goldeneye which no doubt will soon be on their way, 6 Snipe, a Little Egret, and 2 L.B.B Gull which means the recent lone bird now appears to have a mate, I reckon these two could be family planning here, in which case bad news for the Common Tern if they return here this year. A Dunnock and Reed Bunting was all that took my eye on the coastal path.

The Lune Estuary had the recent c.500 Black-tailed Godwit still present, c.300 knot were the only other waders of note, with 18 Goldeneye seen. The canal basin held a Little Grebe and 18 Tufted Duck counted.

At Cockersands, up to 300 Whooper Swan are still around and remain spread out from Moss Lane to Bank End still, but a wander down to Bank End gave me better views to assess the number today. I noted c.4,000 Pink-footed Geese and 450 Curlew on Cockerham Marsh, 2,000 Golden Plover looked a more likely estimate than last Thursdays 1,200 in fields around Abbey Farm, 25 Meadow Pipit were in Bank Houses horse paddock with 4 Greenfinch seen. Plover Scar at high tide held, 150 Oystercatcher, 25 Knot, and 2 Ringed Plover, with 7 Eider off here. Later off Crook Farm 63 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding on the dropping tide.

Ravens Around Lancaster. 

Raven. Martin Lofgren@Wild Bird Gallery

It's likely that 2 Raven reported over the past week in the Lancaster area of St Peter's Cathedral - University of Cumbria, are the same pair see four times during the same period over our house in Bowerham always flying South/South-West, it's also likely that they might be breeding somewhere in the area.

And the first Wheatears have arrived in Lancashire with one in-off Starr Gate, Blackpool this morning. 

Game On!

 Stonechat Marc Heath

Stonechats on the move big-time today, and short of my brushing up on past records of 'The Birds of the LDBWS' I'd suggest we are seeing an all time best for movement of this species through our recording area in the past three days with at least 30 Stonechats seen on passage to date with more to come.

Andrew Cornall who I met, saw 13 Stonechats today, eight of which I saw for myself. Andrew had two at Fluke Hall, five on Jeremy Lane, and six on roadside fence posts opposite Abbey Farm at Cockersands. 

Stonechat/Robin. Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

I found three more Stonechats - 30 minutes after Andrew and I parted company - opposite the entrance to the Caravan Park at Cockersands, bringing my total for the day to eleven birds....Excellent stuff.

Make my day! 

Birds To Impress.....

....birds at the observatory, and another plug.

Black-tailed Godwit Brian Rafferty 

When it comes to the birds I never fail to be impressed, and on Thursday I made some notable counts and watched a couple of excellent aerial displays. The c.500 Black-tailed Godwit roosted at high tide again as viewed from the picnic area at Conder Green and put on a spectacular show when taking to the wing. Tuesdays accompanying c.770 waders with the BTG's - Redshank/Curlew/Dunlin - didn't reach a combined three figure today, but persistence turned up the 2 Ruff again. 

Having deserted the canal basin 35 Goldeneye were on the River Lune, with a pair of Eider seen, and c.450 Pink-footed Geese were still on the south end of Colloway Marsh.

Lesser Black-backed Gull. Pete Woodruff.

The Spotted Redshank at Conder Green must be one of the most obliging birds around and it was the first to show for me here again today. An interloper was on Conder Pool and made the number to 3 Goldeneye, with just one Little Grebe, 5 Tufted Duck, a Little Egret, and the L.B.B.Gull still on guard duty on Tern Island.

 

Kestrel Martin Jump  

On Moss Lane the local Kestrel was by Gardners Farm again. The Cockersands swans remain spread out over the fields between Slack Lane and Bank End and the little black book reads....'at least 325 Whooper Swan seen today'....though almost certainly a few Bewick's Swan were hidden in the distant mix. Next to impress me were the c.1,500 Golden Plover at Abbey Farm, flighty and putting on some brilliant wheeling eventually disappearing from view over the headland to the shore. I was definitely impressed with the 14 Blackbird in Bank Houses horse paddock.

Stock Dove Bob Bushell 

Also of note, 7 Stock Dove, the Black Swan was seen in the field from Slack Lane, and I counted 8 Brown Hare.

Thanks to Martin for the Kestrel, to Bob for the Stock Dove - a photographically under-recorded bird - to Brian for the aerial display by the Black-tailed Godwits, and to Noushka for the Dunnock header.

Migrants Making Landfall. 

Keep up to date with what's new on the migrant scene at Portland Bird Obs 

Three Stonechat 'on the move' and seen as a male and two female at New Ridge Farm yesterday morning, with many thanks to one of my Fylde birder contacts for this record.

And The Plug. 

Marc has taken on a project studying Dragonfly and Damselfly nymphs in a tank he has set up at home. The project has had some fascinating results - with more to come hopefully - all executed in brilliant style by Marc....You might like to take a look at some results Here

If You're Going To Be A Birder....

....and want to be called one, for goodness sake do it right.

Always a big mistake to go birding and leave the telescope behind, and on Tuesdays circuit of Conder Green my mistake soon became apparent when I could see a large number of waders high tide roosting on the marsh off the picnic site and in need of close scrutiny, So I hot footed it back to the motor to collect the gear and be rewarded by having at least 1,300 waders in view with c.500 Black-tailed Godwit and just 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, also a similar number of 500 Redshank which were accompanied by 2 Ruff, a solitary Knot, and 220 Curlew, 35 Dunlin were feeding on the tide line....an excellent selection of brilliant Lune Estuary waders. I also noted 20 Cormorant in a group one of which had a head full of white plumes. I found only 2 Goldeneye on the River Lune, and on the south end of Colloway Marsh estimated 450 Pink-footed Geese.

The Spotted Redshank was the first bird to show at Conder Green, and I found the Common Sandpiper in the Conder channel below the railway bridge where I also saw a lone drake Goldeneye. On Conder Pool I was a little surprised to find 5 Little Grebe having thought they had dispersed save the lone bird I found last Thursday. Also on the pool, small numbers of Oystercatcher, Lapwing, and Teal, with 5 Goosander, 3 Tufted Duck, and the lone L.B.B.Gull standing guard on Tern Island again. On the canal basin at Glasson Dock I counted 33 Goldeneye.

   

Bewick's Swans Cockersands. Howard Stockdale.

The Cockersands swans where spread out again as last Thursday, but as I see it there remains at least 200 Whooper Swan in the area, with 22 Bewick's Swan seen as a figure I noted on 17 February. 

Pintail. Noushka Dufort @ 1000-Pattes 

Two drake Pintail were on a flood, c.120 Golden Plover and 35 Dunlin were in a Abbey Farm field where I also saw up to 40 Skylark, with 7 Brown Hare see here today.  

Skylark Marc Heath 

Thanks to Howard/Noushka/Marc for the images.

Don't be like me, be a proper birder!!....and have your telescope with you at all times.