Before The Larks.

Before my dash to Bank End to see the Shorelarks on Friday, I estimated 500 Whooper Swan seen at Cockersand, with the wintering herd still standing at around 450, and another 50 seen in Crook Farm fields with at least 3 Bewick's Swan. In and around Bank Houses horse paddock, 8 Tree Sparrow, 4 Blackbird, 4 Robin, 2 Dunnock, 2 Wood Pigeon, a Song Thrush, and a male Chaffinch. Also noted, 5 Skylark, and 4 Shoveler on a flood seen as two pairs and a good record here. 

At Conder Green at high tide, the Spotted Redshank was on the marsh, with a single Little Grebe on the tide. I was about to leave when I watched a huge cloud of up to 1,500 gulls come up off the fields on Jeremy Lane to fly towards the estuary, c.250 came down on to Conder Pool, checking them out they were mainly Black-headed Gull but included 28 Common Gull.

On the Lune Estuary, high tide roosters were, 1,750 Golden Plover, and 95 Black-tailed Godwit. I counted 22 Goldeneye, with 16 on the estuary, and 6 on the canal basin with a pair of Goosander noted.

The Brown Hare.

Brown Hare Martin Jump

Taking into account duplication risk, with some running around and moving from field to field, I counted at least 21 Brown Hare at Cockersand today.

Shorelark Marc Heath 

The Shorelarks were seen again on Saturday, and are still there this Sunday morning at 8.35am.

Thanks to Richard Pegler for the Bluethroat header, to Richard Shilling who is back on Birds2blog with his Dandelion Sun, to Martin Jump for his Brown Hares, and to Marc Heath for his 'Kentish' Shorelark.