....that's how Thursdays weather was described in my records.
30 April 2015. Pete Woodruff.
Didn't look all that much like 30 April when I arrived at Cockersands at 12.50pm, and didn't feel much like it either....'clik the pik' it looks even worse.
30 April 2015. Pete Woodruff.
....but when I left at 4.30pm one of the sunny spells had arrived, though if that's not rain in the clouds to the left of the lighthouse!
Considering the 3.5 hours I put in at Cockersands the rewards were pitiful, but worthy of the black book I saw 4 Whimbrel, 4 Skylark, 5 Stock Dove, c.25 Linnet in bouncing flight.
On Jeremy Lane, Monday's male Sedge Warbler was singing it's noisy series of trills and rambling warbles, it's song heard as one of the most complex known to science. I found 3 Wheatear, saw a Buzzard in a distant dead tree, a Kestrel and Skylark.
At Conder Green in the creeks, 6 Black-tailed Godwit looking stunning in their summer dress, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, and a Kestrel hovering overhead. On the very quiet Conder Pool, at least 12 Tufted Duck, a Goosander, and a single Sand Martin over.
I found a Lapwing at Cockersands today, it had a single chick in just about the best uncultivated field it could have chosen to nest in. As is annual here, many of it's relations have recently been rolled or ploughed back into the earth with adults sat around looking like they didn't know what hit them.
Marked Black-tailed Godwit.
Of the six BTG's at Conder Green one was a marked bird, ringed as a chick in N Iceland 11 July 2012 and not recorded until seen at Conder Green on Thursday nearly three years later.
Feast your eyes on what you could be treated to if you could hop on yer bike and shoot off down to Skokholm Bird Observatory
Thanks to DC for the excellent Pied Flycatcher header....appreciated as always.
On Jeremy Lane, Monday's male Sedge Warbler was singing it's noisy series of trills and rambling warbles, it's song heard as one of the most complex known to science. I found 3 Wheatear, saw a Buzzard in a distant dead tree, a Kestrel and Skylark.
At Conder Green in the creeks, 6 Black-tailed Godwit looking stunning in their summer dress, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, and a Kestrel hovering overhead. On the very quiet Conder Pool, at least 12 Tufted Duck, a Goosander, and a single Sand Martin over.
I found a Lapwing at Cockersands today, it had a single chick in just about the best uncultivated field it could have chosen to nest in. As is annual here, many of it's relations have recently been rolled or ploughed back into the earth with adults sat around looking like they didn't know what hit them.
Of the six BTG's at Conder Green one was a marked bird, ringed as a chick in N Iceland 11 July 2012 and not recorded until seen at Conder Green on Thursday nearly three years later.
GO-GYflag 11.07.12 Haganes, Fljot, N Iceland
GO-GYflag 30.04.15 Conder Green, Lancashire, NW England 
Feast your eyes on what you could be treated to if you could hop on yer bike and shoot off down to Skokholm Bird Observatory
Thanks to DC for the excellent Pied Flycatcher header....appreciated as always.
Surprised that you didn't get the rolling/ploughing stopped if you knew there were eggs/chicks there. It is against the law to knowingly disturb or damage nesting birds.
ReplyDeleteWhen muck spreading was attempted on grassland here that had a number of nesting Lapwings in, Defra were called and it was stopped.
What Derek suggests is easier said than done, I know, ive tried it!
ReplyDeleteWildlife law is hopelessly weak, it was only set up to placate the environmental lobby!
Have you had any Swifts yet? I am still waiting for my first one this year.
ReplyDeleteWe were successful that time Warren but I accept what you say, there have been other let downs.
ReplyDeleteDerek....I'm keen to highlight this issue on the front page of Birds2blog at some point, a lot to be said about it.
ReplyDeleteWarren....Wildlife law is non existent in some areas, a lot to be said about this issue too and more material for Birds2blog.
Findlay....I had a single Swift on Thursday 16 April, an early bird and certainly my earliest ever. They are late this year, the mean date for Lancashire being 16 April.