Stars Of The Green.

The Conder Pool Avocet appear - not too surprisingly - to have lost another chick, they started out with four first reported (LDBWS) 19 June, I saw only three a week ago, and only two yesterday in two visits I made there over 40 minutes.

The Common Tern on the pool have two growing young and I saw them with the parent birds yesterday with fish taken in on one occasion. Interestingly three young Common Tern were reported (FBC) 22 June but not since, in which case they also appear to have lost a chick.

Common Tern. Martin Lofgren @  Wild Bird Gallery 

I also saw an adult Common Tern over the canal basin at Glasson Dock, and minutes later one on the Lune Estuary, seen from the bowling green and which both sightings could have been the same bird from Conder Pool, the only other note on the estuary was 5 Eider.

Also of note during my brief birding spell at Conder Green, more or less returning here on time were 6 Common Sandpiper, and on Conder Pool, c.150 Redshank and a similar 150 Lapwing with 2 Swift over.

The Conder Green Avocets.   

I was quite surprised at some behaviour by the Avocet yesterday when I watched both adults several metres apart both sleeping and with both chicks several more metres away and out of sight of the adults.

Avocet Attack Brian Rafferty

Avocets are well known to be excellent and feisty parent birds, I've observed them taking to flight to attack Carrion Crows almost the length of the pool away at times, and Brian Rafferty's images show the full force of their protective behaviour towards their young against something as big as a Canada Goose.

Many thanks for the consistently excellent images Martin/Brian.