Spring Is In The Air.

Well it wasn't where I was yesterday, and although the sun had put in an appearance it certainly wasn't in the air at Cockersands and neither was the Swift, but I did get a first on the day.

Whitethroat. Warren Baker @ Pittswoodpatch

It's the never knowing what's next that spurs us on in birding, and as I walked the circuit at Cockersands yesterday, a bird I hadn't seen ahead took off from a hedge top, it soon dropped down on to a fence post to reveal it was a Whinchat to the east of Abbey Farm. I also saw my first Whitethroat here, it was singing in the bush nearest the Lighthouse Cottage on the private road to Crook Farm. a few House Martin went through north whilst I was here today, one or two resident Tree Sparrow and a pair of nest building Linnet were around Bank Houses, also a Reed Bunting and another Lapwing seen with two young were my third success to hatching and out of the nest at Cockersands. Thanks for the Whitethroat Warren.

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was virtually deserted, but 9 Eider noted, with a Whimbrel in almost the same place it/one had been last Friday. Two Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Goosander, and the summering female Wigeon were all of note on Conder Pool, where I've had no sign of the female Mallard and 10 ducklings since I found them here on 21 April, 2 Whimbrel were over the pool, and in the creeks, a Greenshank and 5 Common Sandpiper which included two down the Conder channel from the old railway bridge.

Cormorant Siesta. Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff. 

The Conder Green House Martins. 

House Martins were not surprisingly nest building at a property in Conder Green yesterday, I approached the owner/s to see if they were aware of this and had good reason to ask if they were prepared to accommodate these breeding birds. Our conversation was in confidence and I'm not prepared to detail it on a blog on the internet, but I was made confident the House Martins would be OK this year. I once called on a property elsewhere in this area on the same subject, on that ocassion they told me they would be doing all they could to deter the House Martins from nesting on their property, 'they make a mess and are a nuisance'....nice one!!