Briefly Birding.

Curlew Sandpiper Martin Lofgren  

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was feeding alongside a small number of Dunlin and Redshank on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock yesterday, also of note, an adult Mediterranean Gull, up to 500 Golden Plover again, Wednesday's c.200 Black-tailed Godwit, and the usual large number of Lapwing. A Peregrine Falcon was on Colloway Marsh quietly surveying the larder stock.

Ruff. Howard Stockdale.

At Conder Green, 2 Ruff, an adult Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, and a Snipe were in the creeks. My count of 16 Little Grebe was back on the mark on Conder Pool where a Kingfisher flew across the width, a drake Wigeon was on the pool, assuming it was the summering bird, was the first time noted since I last saw it on 14 September. A Sparrowhawk was flap-flap-gliding overhead, and a Grey Wagtail was upstream from the A588 road bridge. From the coastal path c.80 Goldfinch and 9 Long-tailed Tit seen.

The Wheatear.

Wheatear Ana Minguez

The Wheatear is one of the first summer visitors we can see on the coast every year, and probably one of the last seen leaving, it is also an easy bird to find, and with little searching required it makes the birders life an easy one, my visits to Cockersands in early spring and late autumn guarantee a Wheatear 'coming and going' every year. 

On my last visit to Cockersands I saw 6 Wheatear still lingering here, though last year a late bird was seen on 10 November at Pilling Lane Ends, but a Wheatear seen at Jubilee Tower in Bowland on 11 November 2011 has the distinction of being the latest Wheatear to be found in Lancashire, a bird obviously not having read the script, and you have to wonder if late individuals like this ever get back to their African winter grounds.

Thanks to Martin, Howard, and Ana for their excellent photographs, and to Antonio for the Bluethroat header. I've only ever seen one Bluethroat, it was found by Dan Haywood 7 years ago at the southern end of Aldcliffe Marsh on 8 April 2008, it was a stunning male of the southern/central European white spotted race cyanecula.