Spring Is In The Air....

....not for me it ain't, and not that many 'spring' birds in the air on Monday either, or on the ground for that matter, though I've managed to squeeze three Wheatear into the book, but I've yet to find my first, Sand Martin, House Martin, or Swallow. 

OK, it's early days yet, but you see migrant birds reported here and there, which creates the impression it's all happening and time to get out and get a bit of the action for yourself, only to find there isn't too much of it about. 

But now I'm about to contradict at least a little of that....

Greenshank/Redshank. Conder Green 3 April. Pete Woodruff....Well I did try.

It was good to find a Greenshank at Conder Green yesterday, the first of it's kind here since I found four in the creeks on 17 October, at one point it was alongside the wintering(?)Common Sandpiper. On Conder Pool, 24 Shelduck, 15 Tufted Duck, 12 Redshank, the summer resident Oystercatchers, and a Little Egret.

A huge concentration of 'gulls' on the Lune Estuary but very few waders, my notes consisted of 15 Black-tailed Godwit, with a Shoveler, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, and a Goosander all of which were drakes, a pair of Eider, and a Great-crested Grebe, two Buzzard were soaring high over the river and slowly drifted south.

At Cockersand, I found only 3 Whooper Swan, they were in a field with 135 Mute Swan. In the flooded field, at least 8 White Wagtail, with 35 Pied Wagtail, 15 Meadow Pipit, 3 Skylark, 3 Shoveler, and 2 Redshank. In the Abbey Farm field, up to 600 Golden Plover and 6 Dunlin, c.80 Twite were again in the Lighthouse Cottage area, a Dunnock was in the hedgerow, and I counted 16 Brown Hare again.

Even the Portland Bill Obs sightings yesterday 4 April started....'It's been a long time coming'.... 

Brimstone. Warren Baker @ Pittswood Birds

It was good to see a Brimstone butterfly on Sunday at Heysham Nature Reserve 

Thanks to Warren for the image showing excellent detail of the male underwing.