Birding Till Dusk!

Low counts from the Lune Estuary at Glasson on Monday, 550 Wigeon, 350 Dunlin, 105 Curlew, 55 Golden Plover, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Goldeneye, a Great-crested Grebe, and the lone Whooper Swan seen again. A few noisy and flighty Redshank were on Conder Pool, with a Little Grebe and 46 Mallard. In the creeks, a low count of 80 Teal, I saw a Rock Pipit drop on to the marsh, as did a Sparrowhawk from the coastal path where I saw 4 Fieldfare.

Eider. Pete Woodruff.

There was some 'extra' interest at Cockersand for me in the there hours there, not least because I increased my estimate to 4,550 Wigeon today, with 550 already seen of Crook Farm, before finding last Friday's at least 4,000 off the length of the headland again. Just as interesting was the 8 Shoveler amongst the Wigeon, with 32 Eider in the mix, 4 Great-crested Grebe was also a notable count anywhere for me these days.

Waders in the fields included 1,500 Golden Plover, 750 Curlew, 255 Black-tailed Godwit, and uncounted Dunlin here and there. I made no attempt at the ratio of a flock of up to 40 Twite/Linnet with at least one Skylark all flighty over the field behind Bank House Cottage.

Tree Sparrow. Noushka @ 1000-Pattes

Two Tree Sparrow were in a bush toward Crook Cottage where I had found a good count of 22 in the garden on 22 December, Mrs G at the cottage was well pleased with that when I told her she was one of very few people who could claim Tree Sparrow in their garden. A Snipe shot up out of a ditch ahead of me by the gate into a field north of the Caravan Park, where I found up to 1,550 Pink-footed Geese. 

I see no sign of any less in number of the Whooper Swan herd still distant and strung out to Bank End, 6 Bewick's Swan were still in the field by Clarkson's Farm, and 25 Fieldfare were seen along Moss Lane.

Birding till dusk....Brilliant, and good for the soul.

Thanks to Noushka for the Tree Sparrow.