Wheatear....Yes Please!

Wheatear Marc Heath 

It had to have been a good day at Cockersands on Wednesday, following a gaze into the crystal ball which told me I was going to, I found my first Wheatear, it was on the kissing gate post near the abbey. My first Wheatear in 2015 was found nine days earlier on 14 March at Cockersands. Thanks for the image Marc....nice one.

Off Crook Farm, 52 Black-tailed Godwit seen, and on Plover Scar at high tide, at least 300 waders included c.220 Turnstone, with 65 Oystercatcher, 15 Dunlin, and 3 Ringed Plover. In and around Bank Houses horse paddock, 10 Tree Sparrow, a Dunnock, Great Tit, and Robin. I put a Snipe up from a field, and saw a Buzzard being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crow. At least 24 Pied Wagtail and 20 Linnet were in a stubble field, and in an adjacent field c.450 Golden Plover with a Skylark in song overhead. I estimated the wintering herd seen from Moss Lane now stands at 120 Whooper Swan.  

Brown Hare Martin Jump 

I saw 8 Brown Hare on my rounds at Cockersands including five 'boxers' together. Thanks for the image Martin....Brilliant.

If I hadn't have found 82 Black-tailed Godwit on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, and the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green, I'd have recorded nothing of note at both. I went off to Aldcliffe on my way back to Lancaster in the hope I could see my first Little Ringed Plover (JC Friday 18 March) but failed miserably. Freeman's Pools was quiet and produced just 2 Goldeneye, and 4 Gadwall, with 3 Snipe on the island but certainly no LRP on there or the flood which was deserted.


The Wildfowlers Pool held a nice little group of 18 Black-tailed Godwit, a good number of uncounted Redshank, and 2 Gadwall. But this was a disappointment as my last visit here on 11 March had the Wildfowlers Pool a brilliant wetlands holding at least 11 species of wildfowl and waders, but the area drying out has considerably changed all that, and an extensive hedge laying programme certainly has.