Up A Lazy River.

I took a look in on the River Lune at Bull Beck yesterday to find no Little Ringed Plover where I had found five there on all three visits I made in 2013. 

I made no attempt to count Sand Martin but good numbers seen at the colony, a Kingfisher here is always a pleasing sight, 30 Greylag were accompanied by 5 Canada Geese and oddly a lone Pink-footed Goose, a singing male Blackcap was heard from the path. A pair of Stock Dove were on an old barn in the field on the far side of the river, a Brown Hare and a single Peacock butterfly noted.

Swift. Simon Hawtin.

An enjoyable four hour saunter down the River Wenning from Hornby and upstream on the River Lune produced 32 species noted including my first and earliest ever Swift, a single bird over Priory Farm with small numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin around. Two Goldcrest seen included one bearing a metal ring on it's right leg, 4 Goosander were on the River Lune with a Grey Wagtail, and 2 Ringed Plover were on the flood in the field down by the confluence with a few Redshank, 2 White Wagtail and 3 Willow Warbler seen, and a Buzzard soared overhead.

Tree Pipit. Alan Williams @ Arkive

A wander down the path on the opposite side to take in the Hornby Wastewater Treatment Plant had me finding a Tree Pipit there, with 8 Reed Bunting feasting on insects with Chaffinch, and a Treecreeper seen further down the track.

Thanks for the photograph of the Swift Simon, they don't come in big number of the Swift, and certainly not better than this one. 

Sanderling.

I've seen a report of 152 Sanderling at Cockersands today, an amazing and unprecedented number at this or any other location in our recording area in mid-April.