Present And Correct.

The Common Tern on Conder Pool were all present and correct when I made my visit there on Monday, with both parent birds and three healthy young seen, one of which had a wing flapping exercise which lifted the bird off the ground momentarily. I saw another young being fed, and both adults attacking a gull in the air, size comparison making the terns look like large white Swifts. 

Little Ringed Plover Noushka Dufort

Another nice surprise on the pool was an adult Little Ringed Plover as more evidence of movement, along with 11 Common Sandpiper in the creeks which are a little late here in a double figure count, with 12 seen 3 July 2014, 6 Dunlin, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, and 3 Little Egret. Up to 280 Redshank were also on the pool, but if you've not noted the leg colour, beware of the Wood Sandpiper juvenile lookalikes.

By the way, the Spotted Redshank is already a week late compared with its arrival back at Conder Green last year on 1 July.

On a day more like March than July, the truth is the only two birds to find their way into the little black book as a result of a wander around was a male Reed Bunting and a Sparrowhawk, though c.500 Starling came down in the creeks to turn an area of mud-bank into a huge black patch.

On the Lune Estuary, an adult Mediterranean Gull was good, also a Greenshank, 2 Red-breasted Merganser and 7 Little Egret noted.

It was a big mistake to go to Cockersands. Having noted little more than 6 Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plover on Plover Scar, I had to retreat soon after arriving there to escape what turned out to be an hour of rain, but I did find an adult Mediterranean Gull with c.90 Black-headed Gull in a field behind Crook Cottage.

Thanks for the LRP image Noushka, much appreciated.