I met a birder from Norfolk on Sunday whilst looking over Heysham Head, a brief conversation with him soon confirmed - as if it was needed - that east is east and west is west when it comes down to birds/birding. Nuff said....and now for my birding in the west yesterday.
Wheatear. Pete Woodruff.
Some interest at Cockersand was in a Wheatear still here, in 2015 my last was here on 3 November, a Rock Pipit was seen off the headland. Also noted at the height of the 10m+ tide, Plover Scar had disappeared beneath the waves save an area just enough to hold 18 Turnstone clinging on, with another 12 on the shingle at the caravan park end, 9 Snipe took to flight off the marsh, up to 400 Curlew were in fields, with c.1,500 Golden Plover in a field further inland, 3 Pink-footed Geese were unusual, 6 Meadow Pipit were around Abbey Farm, and a mixed flock of up to 90 finches were in/around the cover crops off Slack Lane, predominantly Linnet with Greenfinch.
The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock produced my best count for many a year of 4 Great-crested Grebe, also of note 18 Snipe, with at least 300 Dunlin on the north side of the river. The creeks at Conder Green were a little busy with 4 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, and Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Grebe were also in the creeks which is where some tend to move to off the pool around this time though I have no idea why they choose to do this.
Conder Pool is again a lake with the high 10m+ tides flooding in, 4 Little Grebe, 3 Snipe, and a single Black-tailed Godwit were noted.
Whooper Swan Brian Rafferty
It was interesting that I found no Whooper Swans in the Thurnham/Cockersand area yesterday, and although I saw eight on Jeremy Lane on the early date of 30 September, I've seen no mention of swans anywhere on the Fylde, 49 were at Pilling on 18 October in 2015, and there has been no influx of the Whooper Swan at Martin Mere WWT yet, in 2015 a count of 137 was made there on today's date of 18 October.
Thanks to BR for his image of the Whooper Swans with Greylag Geese at Martin Mere WWT last year.
Amazed you met another birder on Heysham head! Definitely an early morning site and nowhere near as good for eg yellow browed warblers as sites within a corridor from the power station but good for early am vis mig
ReplyDeleteA nice visit indeed Pete with some good birds seen.
ReplyDeletePete....Point taken about 'another birder on Heysham Head' and an early morning vis mig site, but it could have been early morning, and we could both have been on the 'vis mig' when we met, but you wouldn't have known that.
ReplyDeleteMarc....Yes, a nice visit indeed, they're all nice, just in varying degrees.
what an odd comment pete! Would be grateful for your vis mig or any other stuff you recorded as the head is in the obs recording area (SD46A). It was worked this morning with just a few flyovers including two Brambling and a good for here flock of 10 common scoter offshore. Seen from the 'turret' viewpoint.
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