I intended to spread my wings yesterday, but in the end the estuary magnet pulled at me even harder than usual and off I went to Conder Green to allow myself the time to check out Conder Pool, I wanted to get to view the Lune Estuary before the tide washed the area out.
Three Snipe were on the island again, with 2 Goldeneye, a Goosander and 6 Little Grebe present. I counted 110 Mallard and 45 Teal, 2 Raven were briefly in arial combat as they went overhead.
I'd have been better getting to Glasson Dock about an hour earlier than I did as there was only a little of the south side mud still showing, but I picked out the Ruff I saw here nine days ago along with c.200 Redshank, 25 Knot, 12 Dunlin, and a solitary Black-tailed Godwit. Upstream at the Conder mouth, c.120 Bar-tailed Godwit had assembled, and a lone Goldeneye and 3 Red-breasted Merganser were drifting on the tide. On the canal basin, 19 Goldeneye. In a field off Moss Lane, 65 Whooper Swan seen, they had deserted the area 3 hours later as I drove away from here, I had seen them in fragmented groups flying SW over the Cocker channel towards Pilling.
A Carpet Of Turnstone (and a knot) Plover Scar 13 Jan. Pete Woodruff.
At Cockersands, up to 300 waders were feeding in the flooded field behind lighthouse cottage, mainly Lapwing with Redshank, Dunlin, and a single Golden Plover. Plover Scar held up to 590 waders with estimates of 320 Oystercatcher, an excellent count of 250 Turnstone, 6 Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Knot, and 2 Ringed Plover. Two Great-crested Grebe were off the scar.
Today's count of waders on the flood south of Cockerham Sands Caravan Park was lower than Mondays count, with at least 450 Curlew and the single Bar-tailed Godwit seen again. Three raptors seen today were the Buzzard which was on the same branch in the very same tree it was in on Monday, with a Sparrowhawk and Kestrel seen.
Steampacket.Com. Pete Woodruff.
The afternoon ferry out of Heysham heads out to sea in the mist. I took this photograph at 2.30pm off the headland at Cockersands.
That coastal magnet really does have a very strong pull !! All to very good effect. Nice to see some PW images for a change.
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