A Little Spring At CG.

There was a little - just a little - spring in the air at Conder Green on Thursday, particularly on the second visit I made five hours after my first, the two combined produced the now resident pair of Avocet on Conder Pool, and the surprise lone Little Grebe again, a couple of Sand Martin and Swallow were briefly through. With some raking around the creeks I found, 3 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, and 2 Common Sandpiper, one of which was just upstream from the iron bridge, the other downstream in the channel. 

Gulls were at a premium on the Lune Estuary, and waders were represented by c.150 Redshank in view and feeding strung out to the Conder mouth, 10 Eider, and 2 Red-breasted Merganser were both drakes, the surprise was a single Ringed Plover, at best irregular here.

Golden Plover Brian Rafferty

For most of the time in my view at Cockersand, up to 500 Golden Plover were flighting around, but did briefly come down into a field by Abbey Farm to show how splendid most of the males are in their breeding plumage. 

The circuit was a little subdued, with 6 Blackbird, the customary few Tree Sparrow, and a Wren all noted in Bank Houses horse paddock. In the flooded field, 2 White Wagtail and 2 Shoveler drake, with 2 Whooper Swan left behind with the Mute Swans. I saw 18 Linnet around the cover crops on Slack Lane again, but they flew off to join other birds in the field opposite, when I chased after them I found they had joined with up to 30 Twite, 2 Peacock butterflies were also around here.  

Knot. Pete Woodruff.

I tried out my photographic skills on this lone Knot on the sea wall at Cockersand, to find I'd made little if any progress at the art. On Plover Scar an hour short of high tide, an estimated 150 waders, 90 Dunlin, 40 Turnstone, and 20 Ringed Plover.

Thanks to Simon Hawtin for his header Redshank fly past Plover Scar recently, thanks also to Brian Rafferty for his Golden Plover, appreciated both counts.