BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND.....................................................................................BARN OWL COCKERSAND IAN MITCHELL

Saturday, 7 October 2017

Two For The Price Of One!

Having counted 14 Little Grebe, 11 Redshank, 3 Snipe, and a CurlewI briefly saw two birds whizzing across the back side of Conder Pool yesterday, to disappear into the far west corner, at the same time a Kingfisher appeared out of the same corner, and promptly landed on the recently placed depth marker for three seconds before flying off and away. 

So there's me thinking I'd seen two Kingfisher, one of which was still at the west end out of sight. But hey, 2 Common Sandpiper flew out of the corner, one chasing the other around the pool, so the wintering bird now has an unwanted visitor to it's territory....well it did have!


Wheatear Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersand, as I arrived I saw up to 160 Jackdaw come up off Plover Scar, a clear sign there would be no waders there today. But a Wheatear put in an appearance before I set off on the circuit to find c.50 Tree Sparrow, 4 Skylark - probably more if I'd have tried harder - 2 Reed Bunting, and a Kestrel hovering over Bank Houses. At least 550 Herring Gull were lounging in a field off Slack Lane, with 3 Pink-footed Geese, and 4 Stock Dove noted.

When I got back to the Lighthouse Cottage, the tide had dropped enough for waders to return to feed. There was a good count of 14 Ruff, with 8 Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Turnstone, and good numbers of uncounted Redshank and Lapwing. Also off here, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Eider, and I found a dead juvenile Gannet amongst the driftwood.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, up to 1,000 Golden Plover were across the river below Colloway Marsh, where I saw my first 4 Whooper Swan. Also noted, 450 Redshank, 110 Curlew, 85 Snipe, and 3 Ruff. From the thirty I saw on Tuesday I found only 10 Shoveler and 4 Wigeon, 8 Little Egret and 6 Grey Heron were in a group, with a Great-crested Grebe seen. 

Come in No 4 you're times up!!

Garden Birds.

Long-tailed Tit. Warren Baker.

A flock of 15 Long-tailed Tit came through our garden this morning.

The Savick Park Willow Tit.

Thanks to GG for the Willow Tit header. A species that gets no better than a rare visitor in Geoff's recording area on the Flyde, and long time extinct in North Lancashire and beyond, but this one comes to his garden.

Great stuff Geoff....Nice one.

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