....And An Interesting Record At Aldcliffe.

So off I went again on Wednesday brimming over with enthusiasm and went directly to Cockersands, hot footing it to Plover Scar see if it would produce anything at high tide to find estimates of 160 Oystercatcher, 65 Turnstone, 50 Redshank, 3 Curlew, a single Grey Plover, and a completely out of context Wren. As I was about to leave, c.250 Golden Plover came down on to the scar, with another 150 Golden Plover seen later flying inland over the caravan park. As I drove away from here down Moss Lane I saw a hovering Kestrel, a hedge hopping Sparrowhawk, and Fieldfare unable to count from a moving car.

On Jeremy Lane, an adult Whooper Swan was with Mondays 16 Mute Swan, interesting that a single adult Whooper Swan was with Mute Swans at two sightings on Jeremy Lane last year in November. On Bodie Hill at Glasson Dock I saw a congregation of 15 Magpie, a first for me in such number, and on the canal basin, 9 Goldeneye was an additional one to Mondays count. On the Lune Estuary, up to 700 Golden Plover and 300 Dunlin, with 8 Snipe noted, also a drake Goosander and Mondays Little Grebe seen again. 

At Conder Green, a drake Goldeneye was on Conder Pool, with 5 Goosander, I found only 4 Little Grebe on here with two in the creeks. By now it's 3.30pm and I'm birding in half light....I'm going home! 

Black Redstart. 

Black Redstart. Fluke Hall 25 March 2005. Pete Woodruff.

I met a lady at Cockersands on Wednesday, a stranger, and had an interesting conversation which turned even more interesting when she casually said she had recently seen a Black Redstart at Aldcliffe. Whilst talking, this person had given me the impression she knew her birds to some extent. Apparently living in Bowland, she was well aware of the Hen Harrier story in much detail. After some polite questions from yours truly about the bird at Aldcliffe I was convinced she had indeed seen a Black Redstart there about mid-October, it seems the bird was on a fence post as she approached Freeman's Pools and was immediately identified, well after all, what else could it have been I asked myself. 

A chance meeting with this person, you have to wonder how many birds are 'missed' in this way.