The Rise And Fall Of Conder Pool.

With a peak count of 20 adult/young birds on 17 June according to one report, it's pretty sad that the Avocet have had a 100% failure on Conder Pool this year, even more unfortunate that the surviving young bird - just a few days short of fledging - has also bit the dust, predated like the rest no doubt, and Conder Pool was void of Avocet yesterday, though two adults were on the Lune Estuary later in the afternoon. 

Common Tern Conder Pool 5 July. Pete Woodruff.

But it was good to see two of the young Common Tern had fledged when I arrived at Conder Pool yesterday morning, with the runt still on the pontoon wing flapping with the adult bird on guard, until it went up to join the Swallows mobbing a circling Sparrowhawk, at least one Swift was also in the air, and up to 50 Redshank dropped in on the pool as I was leaving.

As predicted, a double figure count of 18 Common Sandpiper has arrived at Conder Green, they were scattered in the creeks and down the channel, and as I walked by Cafe d' Lune I noted a House Martin was still enter a nest.  

On the Lune Estuary, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 2 adult Avocet, a Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit all in stunning summer plumage, 3 Eider female, and 12 Little Egret. Numbers of Redshank and Lapwing here are building up to around the hundred mark, and a Mistle Thrush was by the bowling green. 

Common Blue Damselfly. Pete Woodruff

A Meadow Brown was the only butterfly seen, and a female Emperor Dragonfly briefly ovipositing on the canal where there is a good number of Common Blue Damselfly along the bank.

Immature Common Tern.

It was interesting to note the variation in plumage detail of the three same age young Common Tern on Conder Pool today. In the image above, the bird on the right is more advanced than the one on the left including having a well developed black hood, whilst the runt unfledged and remaining on the pontoon, still has some downy feathering.