Avocet On The Starter Menu.

Avocet. Brian Rafferty.

I arrived at Conder Green yesterday morning to see 2 Common Tern evicting 2 Avocet - an excellent record for Conder Pool - from Tern Island, the Avocet disappeared behind the back side of the pool, but when I returned 5 hours later I found them in the creeks. 

Other action on the pool, the solitary Black-tailed Godwit, a Great-crested Grebe, 2 Greylag, a Grey Heron, and Little Egret, a Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were heard, and a few Sand Martin and 2 Swift were over the pool. On the Lune Estuary, 8 Eider and a drake Red-breasted Merganser hauled out were my only notes save several Shelduck sifting the mud on an otherwise deserted estuary, 4 Orange Tip butterflies seen in the area.

Dunlin (and a Ringed Plover) Brian Rafferty.

Probably up to 2,000 waders on Plover Scar at high tide, with my best estimates being, 1,650 Dunlin, 355 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, and 3 Little Egret. Walking along the headland, at least another 1,000 Dunlin flew by in five groups from Cockerham Sands towards Plover Scar, 4 Skylark and 3 Whitethroat noted.

Many thanks to Brian Rafferty for the images in this post, and to Antonio Puigg for the new header, all much appreciated.