BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND...............................................................RED GROUSE HAWTHORNTHWAITE PETE WOODRUFF

Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Waiting For Godot!

If it's supposed to be the migration season I've not found much of it yet and I'm still waiting, even the Spotted Redshank escaped me yesterday.

Common Sandpiper. Phillip Tomkinson @ Wildsnaps  

But Conder Green had a little buzz about it, and it was good to see 3 Greenshank in the creeks, with a Common Sandpiper having me beginning to think this is the bird going to winter here. Conder Pool had last Fridays 8 Little Grebe seen again, with the Kingfisher obliging and taking a dive to catch a decent sized small fry to give it a bashing on a stone before swallowing it. A Great-crested Grebe has made a return visit to the pool, the lone drake Wigeon noted, and several Swallows were feeding and taking on water with their amazing in flight scoop. 

Two Great-crested Grebe were on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, seen as something of a mega count here in my book, 10 Little Egret counted as were 40 Wigeon. Estimated waders in view from the bowling green, 230 Dunlin and 150 Redshank

Kestrel. Pete Woodruff.

OK, so I know I'm not going to do any bush bashing for migrants if I cling to the coast from Crook Farm to Bank End, but that's what I did and this Kestrel was at the Lighthouse Cottage on my outward journey, and was still around on my return four hours later, 6 Greenfinch were on telephone wires here too.

Plover Scar at high tide held the grand total of 11 waders, clearly showing how hit and miss for numbers/species these locations really are, but a Common Sandpiper was a nice and by no means common sight on here, also a solitary Knot, 3 Dunlin, and 6 Turnstone made up the eleven, a Red-breasted Merganser had the sea to itself off the scar.

Four Wheatear were along the headland, with a Wren seen en-route to Bank End where I saw c.60 Linnet, and at least 40 Pied Wagtail two of which were obviously White Wagtail. Roosting waders included, 150 Redshank, 6 Knot, and 3 Dunlin.

Butterflies noted, 8 Red Admiral and at least 30 Small Tortoiseshell, with a few Silver Y moth seen.

Let's twitch again!

Wryneck. Antonio Puigg @ Pasión por las aves 


I was quite pleased when KT agreed we should take a trip to Lytham on Sunday to see the Wryneck. We had brief views at 2.30pm when we then went into town for a bite to eat, to return and eventually have excellent prolonged views of the bird again at 5.10pm.

Thanks to Phillip and Antonio for the images....Excellent.

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