Owtabout!

Not a lot, but good numbers of waders on the Lune Estuary at Glasson and Cockersand, but the day ended with disappointment on Thursday. 

Doing a circuit of Cockersand, by the time I reached Lighthouse Cottage to do the return along the headland, daylight was fading fast on a dull grey day, the telescope was a mile away in the motor at the Caravan Park, and a couple of thousand waders were on the shore between Plover Scar and Crook Farm and needed a good looking through....This wasn't me at the cutting edge of birding, just part-timing. 

But back to the beginning.....Hunkered down amongst the stones, 3 Snipe were on the small island on Conder Pool, with 52 Mallard the only other birds present, c.50 Fieldfare and at least 4 Redwing were along the hedgerow, and 2 Little Grebe were in the creeks.

On the Lune Estuary, waders to note, up to 1,900 Golden Plover, 350 Redshank, 325 Black-tailed Godwit, 280 Dunlin, 145 Curlew, and a lone Bar-tailed Godwit. Also probably 4,000 Lapwing in view, with 4 Goldeneye, a drake Goosander, and a Little Grebe.

At Cockersand, c.300 Fieldfare still around, 450 Curlew in fields, and 3 Kestrel sightings may have only been two birds. Off Plover Scar, with no telescope, a large raft of at least 2,000 Wigeon.

It's a while since we had a 'piks with a difference' to put a smile - but not for the crab - into birding.

  

Gull with crab. Howard Stockdale.

Howard sent me this image, he said the shot was of 'a gull talking to a shore crab', but I somehow don't think it was wishing it a Merry Christmas!....Thanks for this Howard.