Derailed!

After last Friday's couple of hours freedom, birding and blogging prospects for me look like they've been derailed for a few days. 

Little Grebe Warren Baker

It was early afternoon on Friday when I got out leaving me little time to check out Conder Green where I managed to get my peak count to date of 16 Little Grebe on Conder Pool, also the Common Sandpiper was again on the pool, and in the creeks, 2 Ruff were both juvenile, with 4 Snipe and 5 Little Egret noted.

I'm not acquainted with Bank End at high tide, but I had good reason to go there on Friday where I connected with nothing more than a few Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, and Oystercatcher, probably little more than 500 waders viewable in total.

That's pitifully little birding, and pitifully few birds....but much better than no birding at all.

The Hummingbird-Hawk Moth.

  

Hummingbird-Hawk moth. Pete Woodruff.

Legging it back to Cockersands from Bank End, this Hummingbird-Hawk moth flew ahead of me, then took rest in the sun on the wall. By coincidence it was in the same area and on the same wall to sun itself as the one I saw here on 18 August last year. I had forgotten that I photographed that individual too, but today's was in better condition than last years as that one had a damaged wing. The Hummingbird-Hawk moth isn't the most attractive of moths particularly when it is at rest, but it's orange-brown hindwings evident in flight add some colour to it.

Thanks to Howard for the header image of the highly underrated Jackdaw, and to Warren for the Little Grebe....much appreciated.

And Finally.

I met this disgruntled up and coming birder one day last week at Cockersands, he had a good old whinge about being told Cockersands was the best place to find a Yellow-browed Warbler and was a bit miffed he hadn't done after several days on the hunt, you can tell he wasn't happy by the photograph of him....I told him he'd been mislead and should make haste to the Heysham/Sunderland area where YBW finders abound!!