Gone With The Wind....

....and the rain.

'If you ever go across the sea to Ireland'. Pete Woodruff.

Yes, I was at Cockersands again on Tuesday, you only have to look at the 'clik the pik' picture above to know that and to see how serious the rain really looked. There was a bit of a howler blowing and cold with it, the rain was rushing towards me and I had to make another of those all to common dashes to hell out of it....my days birding ended with something of a short list.

But before the rain....There was an interesting good number of waders in a field too distant to scan through with any accuracy, but combined with those on Plover Scar at high tide, my estimate was of, 600 Dunlin and 400 Ringed Plover. 

Sanderling. Howard Stockdale.

Also on the scar, a single Sanderling and a male Turnstone looking positively superb in it's summer plumage. I heard a Whitethroat in the Lighthouse Cottage garden, saw 2 Stock Dove, 2 Skylark, and that was my lot for the couple of hours I got in at Cockersands.

At least 50 Swift with a 'few' Sand Martin were hawking over Conder Pool - I had seen good numbers of Swift also over Moss Lane - the Great-crested Grebe was the only notable bird on the pool.

And a bit of a fluke.

 Swift. Pete Woodruff.

When I was taking a pic of the nest boxes on Conder Pool I had no idea this Swift was shooting past in the viewing screen. I was really pleased when I put my shots up on the computer to find this bird perfectly placed in the frame as a bonus.