BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND......................................................MEDITTERANEAN GULLS CONDER POOL PETE WOODRUFF

Sunday 11 September 2022

Briefly Around The Estuary.

When I gave Conder Green a look in this week, only the faithful 15 Greenshank and c.10 Little Grebe were on Conder Pool, and a wander on the circuit turned up a Ruff and Common Sandpiper in the creeks, and a Willow Warbler on the coastal path....

Red Admiral. Pete Woodruff.

....where there was the surprise of at least 8 Red Admiral together in the same tree. A bigger surprise came with up to 80 Goldfinch in a flock flighty on and off Glasson Marsh. Surprising because I didn't expect to see this number for another month yet, my last record of this kind of number, was of 120 Goldfinch here on 5 October 2019, although I note 80 Goldfinch here mid-September, per LDBWS Annual Report 2020.

Clouded Yellow. Ian Mitchell.

At Cockersand, the plan was a traditional circuit which fell apart when I decided to walk to Bank End instead, to find 3 Clouded Yellow, 4 Common Blue, and a Red Admiral. Along the path, there was a notable up to three figure number of Swallow >south over the marsh, also a similar 80 Goldfinch to the Glasson flock are early post-breeding movements in my book. 

I'm grateful to Ian for his image of the Clouded Yellow at Bank End, albeit the unfortunate individual has damage to its left wing.

When I got back to Cockersand, 2 Wheatear - guaranteed here in spring and autumn- were on the shingle in front of Bank Houses. But....times up, I'm off back to Lancaster!

There was a little drama on my visit around the area today, one natural, one definitely unnatural....

At the north end of Jeremy Lane, around 200m of hedge has been taken out. The violation of this hedge which included reeds, says goodbye to wildlife and conservation. This act of vandalism poses the question....Why do the so called Guardians of the Countryside need to do this.


An approaching thunderstorm was building up from the south, it took three hours to reach Lancaster. 


As the storm passed through Lancaster, a rainbow appeared over the rooftops viewed from our rear bedroom.

Garden Hovers.


I've been seeing and enjoying some decent hoverflies in our garden recently, including this impressively named Episyrphus balteatus....


....and the Helophilus pendulus. Both on the beautiful Chicory flower. 

I'm grateful to two of our neighbours Muriel and James, for sending me the header image of the Small Copper. An excellent record for their garden recently given the worrying decline in numbers of our butterflies.

4 comments:

  1. Nice pictures of the hoverflies in your garden.
    Horrified to hear of the hedge loss! - far too much of it going on, some was ripped out on Marsh Lane a year or two ago as well.
    I was glad to see my first Clouded Yellow on Bank End last week and good to know you have had Small Copper near you.

    Ian

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  2. Thanks for comments Ian. I too was horrified about the vandalism on Jeremy Lane. I need someone to come up with an explanation WHY.

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  3. Super hoverfly shots, Pete - that Chickory flower sets them off nicely.

    I continue to despair over the actions of the 'neat & tidy' brigade. How can people be so clueless!?

    Three Clouded Yellow is just being greedy!

    Sorry for the late visit - been up to my eyeballs in all sorts of rubbish

    Best wishes - - - Richard

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  4. Thanks for looking in and comments once again Richard, they are always noted and much appreciated.

    Pete.

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