The First Came Last.

House Martin. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery  

The last bird I saw on Friday was at Cockersands and was my first House Martin of the summer, a lone bird curiously flying south....perhaps it hadn't read the script! The bird actually interrupted my count of 135 Black-tailed Godwit off Crook Farm, they were accompanied by 2 Bar-tailed Godwit.

Along with a Little Egret, seven wader species were on Plover Scar at high tide totalling less than 200 birds collectively, most notable being 2 Grey Plover, with Turnstone, Knot, Ringed Plover and Dunlin, 14 Eider were off the scar, and 2 Wheatear were on the headland. Just 3 Whooper Swan remain in fields, with the Black Swan and 48 Mute Swan. Also in the fields around Abbey Farm, c.400 Golden Plover, 2 Snipe came off the marsh towards Bank End from where I noted the lone Whooper Swan still on Cockerham Marsh.

A Wheatear was in a field off Jeremy Lane. The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was pretty well deserted save an Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, and a lingering Goldeneye all three were drakes.

Common Sandpiper Jan Larsson

At Conder Green, once more the faithful Common Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank showed well, it seems to me the latter transforms it's plumage from winter gleaming white underparts to summer black in little more than a fortnight. I was a little surprised to find a summer plumage Little Grebe on Conder Pool, not sure I ever saw one near mid-April on here before, a single Sand Martin spent about a minute over the pool before flying off. A Great-spotted Woodpecker flew over the coastal path on an otherwise fruitless circuit.

Thanks to Martin and to Jan who also has credit for the new header making for three excellent in flight photographs.

Black-tailed Godwit.

One of the 135 Black-tailed Godwits I saw at Cockersands on Friday was a marked bird, and true to his reliable form I am grateful to Böðvar for sending me the history of this remarkable bird which was ringed as a chick on 6 July 2012 in NW Iceland. 

I saw this same bird on Conder Pool last year on 17 April as indicated on the history sheet, eight days later it was back at Holt in NW Iceland....I wonder if it will undertake and succeed the same journey again this year.  

OR-GYflag 06.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland

OR-GYflag 07.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland

OR-GYflag 28.02.13 Sunderland Point, Lancashire, NW England

OR-GYflag 17.04.14 Conder Pool, Conder Green, Lancashire, NW England

OR-GYflag 25.04.14 Holt, Önundarfjörður, NW Iceland

OR-GYflag 27.04.14 Holt, Önundarfjörður, NW Iceland

OR-GYflag 09.08.14 Leighton Moss, Lancashire, NW England 

OR-GYflag 09.09.14 Allen Pools, Leighton Moss, Lancashire, NW England

OR-GYflag 22.10.14 Leighton Moss, Lancashire , NW England 

OR-GYflag 10.04.15 Lune Estuary, Cockersands, Lancashire, NW England