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

Wednesday, 31 July 2019

Decent By Numbers.

Monday was a decent day on the numbers score, starting at Conder Pool where 11 Greenshank was the best ever count here at one sighting, also on the pool, 7 Little Grebe was the new high.

Two adult Common Tern accompanied the two fledged juveniles, which haven't yet convinced me that all is well, despite AC telling me that both had been seen in flight on Sunday, they've moved little on any of my sightings, and I've yet to see them fed by parent birds. Today they were hunkered belly down in the same place during the five hours I was in the Lune Estuary area.

In the creeks, 8 Avocet seen as the family of six, and two adult from the A588, also in the creeks 5 Common Sandpiper. There was around 20 House Martin around the River Winds and Cafe d' Lune where I saw one bird approach a nest but immediately flew off.

On the Lune Estuary, a Greenshankand Whimbrel, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, c.200 Redshank, and half that number of Dunlin. There was a small unidentified duck too distant to photograph, upstream and well beyond the Conder mouth, presumably a hybrid of sorts. 


   7 of 15 Painted Lady on Knapweed July 29. Pete Woodruff.

The decent numbers day kicked off again, and by the time I had done a circuit from Glasson Dock, along the canal tow-path to Conder Green and return, I got a good share of an influx when I had seen 55 Painted Lady including 15 together on Knapweed by the bowling green. 

Along the coastal path, 28 Gatekeeper, 7 Speckled Wood, 6 Meadow Brown, 3 Peacock, and 2 Red Admiral. On the canal tow-path, 9 Brown Hawker was my best ever count of this dragonfly, and 4 Emperor Dragonfly males were also seen.

Common Tern on Conder Pool....Breeding season late June/early July.

Guy McClelland (LDBWS) has noted seeing an adult Common Tern on Conder Pool yesterday, the bird was presenting another with a fish, a gesture of breeding behavior, which I myself also saw on Monday. Comments went on to rightly note the late date for breeding behavior by Common Terns adding when they first colonised Conder Pool and went on to breed for the first time here, was also a late date....Interesting.

In fact Common Terns were first seen on Conder Pool on 14 July 2014 and went on to successfully rear two young. 

Thanks to Marc Heath for the Brown Hawker header image.  

2 comments:

  1. The influx of Painted Ladies over the past week is truly phenomenal, Pete. Delighted to see that you have a good number in your neck of the woods. I'm hoping that some will make their way further south to grace my garden - the Buddleias are ready and waiting! Best wishes - - - Richard

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  2. Can't tell you how pleased I am to see you looking in on B2B again Richard. I hope you are continuing to recovery with your health.

    Hope the PL's come your way, a big influx in our area Monday as you see.

    My Kind Regards

    Pete.

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