CP Rules....OK.

Much appreciated the text received on Monday at 5.13pm, and was chuffed to hear that Conder Pool had struck again, this time a brilliant juvenile Black Tern....Top of the league, the list goes on.

Juvenile Black Tern. Conder Pool 2 October. Stuart Piner.

No such high quality found yesterday anywhere on and around the Lune Estuary despite considerable effort, but some increased numbers included 18 Little Grebe with three of these in the creeks. A lone Wigeon was the first of the winter on Conder Pool, with the Common Sandpiper around the muddy edge below the viewing platform where I saw a Dunnock.

On the Lune Estuary, as the tide ebbed the birds started to drop in in small numbers, including 35 Golden Plover, 30 Shoveler have steadily increased to this over my last three visits, 21 Wigeon is my best count so far, and another good count was 16 Little Egret, 14 of which were seen together. A lone Bar-tailed Godwit was on the mud below Colloway Marsh where 2 Goosander were hauled out, and a distant Merlin was on the marsh.

Pink-footed Geese. Brian Rafferty

A few small skeins went south over the afternoon amounting to at least 300 Pink-footed Geese. Not quite as impressive as this, but I'm sure I missed many more. 

Thanks to SP for the text and image re the Conder BT, and to BR for the PFG.