Gorillas In The Mist!

Birds in the mist actually....Tuesday was hardly the best day for a murky trek along the coastal path to Glasson Dock, but that was the plan so off I went.

I found nothing to record on the River Lune between Skerton Bridge and Freeman's Pools, where 15 Wigeon, 5 Goldeneye, 5 Gadwall, and a Little Grebe were in view through the mist. 

I was soon regretting not having my telescope with me when I arrived at the Wildfowlers Pools which is now a brilliant wetlands and was host to at least 450 Black-headed Gull and 150 Teal, also 3 drake Goldeneye, 2 drake Gadwall, and best in my book a drake Shoveler, seen as a bird in line with the Pochard in it's scarce resident breeding status at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve, and irregular at any other waterbodies in our area.

Bullfinch. Richard Peglar.

The best birds of the walk were seen along the upper track at Aldcliffe, when I came across a stunning male Bullfinch accompanied by two female. Notable along the route to Glasson, 43 Goldfinch were seen in two small flocks, and at least 32 Long-tailed Tit were also seen in two flocks in procession through the trees, 23 Blackbird, 8 Robin, and 3 Song Thrush. At Stodday, c.225 Carrion Crow were in a field with a few Rook and Jackdaw seen.

 Glasson Dock. Pete Woodruff.

I had enjoyed the birds and the walk as always, but by the time I got to Glasson Dock the weather had worsened, and the EEMS SPIRIT was tied up, unloading, and fogbound.

With thanks to Richard Pegler for his excellent Bullfinch images, and to Ana Minguez for the header image of the Blue Rock Thrush. An extremely rare vagrant to Britain, of which the last was of one found in Gloucestershire on 14 December 2016.