Turned Out Nice Again!

A decent day on Monday, brought about a re-run of my day on 17 July, plus a wander along the canal towpath Glasson-Conder Green.

On Conder Pool, my count was of 20 Common Tern which were seen as 7 adult, 4 fledged juvenile, and 9 chicks of variable size on the pontoon. I saw 3 Avocet adult and 2 juvenile, 14 Greenshank were lined up at the back of the pool with 27 Redshank, a lone adult a Little Ringed Plover, and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull was hunkered down roosting at the back of the pool.

Setting off on my wanderings, I was reminded that the House Martin have failed to nest at River Winds this year, but six House Martin were seen around what was Cafe d'Lune now closed, with two nests active.

Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

Saltcote Pond is an attractive little waterbody, and a pair of Emperor Dragonfly obliged me today, the male patrolling whilst the female was ovipositing alone, the only Anax to do so without the male, the abdominal colour becoming obscured through oviposting is clearly shown in this footage. Also seen, 3 Common Blue Damselfly, and a Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Along the canal towpath, several sightings of Common Tern adults searching for fish, and good numbers of Swallow seen, a Reed Warbler burst into song, Goldfinch were on thistles including juvenile birds, a lone Tree Sparrow came onto the path, and a Wren seen. Dragonflies, 7 Brown Hawker, and an Emperor Dragonfly.

Butterflies seen, 19 Gatekeeper, 8 on the canal and 11 from the viewing screen at Conder Pool, 12 Large White, 5 Speckled Wood, 4 Green-veined White, 2 Red Admiral, Peacock, Common Blue, and a Silver Y moth.

Conder Pool Terns.

One adult Common Tern seems to have been sitting on the nest forever, it was still there when I arrived on Monday and had been on three previous visits. Someone made a comment that it was rather late to still be on a nest at the end of July, but it's worth noting, the first ever Common Terns to come to Conder Pool, didn't arrive until 14 July 2014. This pair of terns successfully raised two birds which I followed through until I last saw them on the Lune Estuary on 12 September. I had previously watched the adults on the estuary, and my notes read that I observed a Common Tern on 9 September making 22 dives to catch a total of 18 fish.

Avocet CJ.

This bird fledged on Conder Pool 22 June 2023, interestingly it was sighted at Blacktoft Sands on Humberside a month later on 23 July. I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for his continuing contribution with info and images.