The Twite Return.

Monday is best described as sunny and chilly with a flat calm sea at Cockersand. It could also be described as the best mid-October conditions I ever experienced here.  As the coaster Silver River passed the lighthouse, 8 Eider were drifting in the foreground, and as I watched this pleasant and atmospheric scene, waders gathered on Plover Scar at high tide.

Dunlin/Ringed Plover Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff.

I counted 105 Turnstone, 55 Dunlin, 25 Ringed Plover, and a lone Grey Plover. Also of note here, up to 40 Meadow Pipit, and my first 30 Twite of the winter which I'm tempted to suppose are possibly the same flock in the same number as seen several times last winter at Cockersand, 110 Pink-footed Geese were over >south.

I made my third circuit of Cockersand this month, which again resulted with little of note, but in one field a lone Black-tailed Godwit was with 34 Curlew and a similar number of Lapwing, 35 Teal, and 10 Wigeon were on a flood. On a post by Slack Lane, a Kestrel and later 2 Red Admiral seen.

On Conder Pool, I regarded 2 Reed Bunting as unusual here, also 4 Greenshank and 10 Redshank, with a decent count of 24 Tufted Duck and 6 Wigeon, the Little Grebe were uncounted today.

Amongst the few hundred gulls on the Lune Estuary, I picked out 7 Mediterranean Gull, seen as four adult and three 2nd winter, also 3 Greenshank on the south shore.

The Cockersand Merlin.

In my opinion, the same bird has been seen on two ocassions since my first sighting on 12 October when I aged/sexed it as an immature/female, my description being based on immature Merlin not being separable from female in the field. It was seen three days later on 15 October at Cockersand as an adult female, and seen again two days later on October 17 when it was described as a female-type, seen to fly from Sunderland Point to Crook Farm in the Cockersand area, and return to Sunderland Point.  

Ian Mitchell had similar good fortune as me and grabbed some footage of the Merlin at Cockersand on Monday. It was on a fence post following a wash and brush up....I'm pleased you saw the bird and many thanks for sharing this video with me Ian.