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.
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.
Such a shame about the dog walkers - pure ignorance in many cases probably and just not understanding the effect this has on the wildlife - not sure what the answer is though on educating them :-(
ReplyDeleteSounds like you get as much disturbance there as I do here pete, all from ignorant people, be it with dogs or other means :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy what you can though mate, I try too!