....well almost, but Monday does get a mention four times in this post.
I looked in on Conder Pool just after high tide on my way back to Lancaster on Wednesday to find up to 500 Redshank roosting there, probably seen as an all time highest count for the species on the pool.
Greenshank. Howard Stockdale.
Back at the beginning, 2 Greenshank were on Conder Pool with a 'few' Redshank, and I saw only 3 Little Grebe. My routine circuit produced little save 10 Common Sandpiper, seen as the same count as my last visit on Monday, also a Grey Wagtail. An increase of two on Mondays single butterfly sighting - WOW! - was 2 Gatekeeper and a Small Skipper.
On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, Mondays 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull seen again, also a Greenshank, c.350 Redshank, and 12 Dunlin were all at reasonably close range from the bowling green, with 2 Red-breasted Merganser noted.
At Cockersands, Plover Scar was as far as I got on Wednesday to find a similar number to Mondays 120 Dunlin, 38 Turnstone, 32 Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel, and c.40 Golden Plover, up to 200 of which I had seen come up off the shore whilst I was walking towards the scar to find pastures new over the high tide.
I saw 5 Swift on the day, possibly the last ones for me this year. Thanks to Howard for the excellent Greenshank images, the in flight one in particular.
I saw 5 Swift on the day, possibly the last ones for me this year. Thanks to Howard for the excellent Greenshank images, the in flight one in particular.
It was a worry to find this article in a current local magazine, it tells the reader how to get there, and how to scramble down on to the shore to find many crabs, plants, and shells, and that they can get out to the foot of the lighthouse on a low tide....I'm hoping nobody takes any bloody notice of it!
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Pete, why was the article above a worry, was it putting people in danger.
ReplyDeleteNo Derek it wasn't putting people in danger at all, it was a serious cause for bird disturbance, apart from the fact it's a SSSI area, though I don't profess to know if that means there should be no public access to it or not, but if it's the former then the article should never have been published at all. In any event it's not really a worry, it is bloody annoying, bird disturbance is a serious problem as you well know Derek.
ReplyDeleteSorry Pete, as you must of expected, I can't agree with your views here. Visits to the low tide shoreline are something that many adults remember from their childhood and "rock-pooling" and the like is a terrific way of getting children out in the countryside and interested in wildlife I'd like to think that whoever designated that site a SSSI did so without a view to banning children from exploring such an exciting and interesting piece of habitat. If birds are disturbed because of this then surely they can simply move a bit further along the shoreline, we're not talking mass disturbance, shooting, being kept off nests, etc.
ReplyDeleteBirdwatchers really do gripe me off when they start to suggest that they alone should be the ones that enjoy the countryside, especially when some really serious ones can be guilty of harrassing birds by bush-bashing, playing tape recordings, etc.etc.
Bird disturbance has many forms, as I well know, and if here we're talking about a few families showing their kids the delights of life below the waterline then I would never consider that serious or be that petty.
I think you need a holiday Derek.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind thought Pete but being retired, life is one big holiday for me.
ReplyDelete