Cockersand'erlings.

I was pleased to find 7 Sanderling on Plover Scar at high tide on Monday where there was much coming and going of birds during the hour I spent at the scar, my best estimated peak count was of 120 Dunlin, 65 Ringed Plover, 11 Turnstone, and a single Knot. I did little wandering around today, but noted 5 Greenfinch, a Whitethroat, and saw c.170 Golden Plover over Lighthouse Cottage and going down on to the weed covered shore below the abbey again, a favourite haunt for these birds on recent visits.

Common Tern. Pete Woodruff.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, an adult Common Tern was on the buoy, with what little mud exposed on the south bank after the tide holding c.350 Redshank with not a Dunlin in sight, a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull, a Great-crested Grebe scarce here these days, and 65 Mute Swan counted.

At Conder Green, 4 Little Grebe on Conder Pool sees the winter number build up here, also up to 400 Redshank and 3 Dunlin noted. A scour of the creeks showed 10 Common Sandpiper, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, and 4 Little Egret. The House Martins are visiting nests at Cafe d' Lune still, with a lone Swift over, and I saw from here c.700 Lapwing come up from the Jeremy Lane area.

Butterfly and Moth. 

Small Skipper. Pete Woodruff.

The only butterfly I saw all day was the Small Skipper at Conder Green with some interaction between these two.

Humming-bird Hawk moth. Peter Rhind.

Our garden was honoured by a visit from the Humming-bird Hawk moth which I watched for three minutes at close range moving to feed from flower to flower on our Centranthus Alba pura.

Thanks to Peter for his excellent image of this brilliant moth.