A Window Of Opportunity.

Some decent weather gave me a chance to get out on Wednesday, with another special day at Cockersand and around the Lune Estuary.

It was good to find a female Pochard on Conder Pool, seen as a declining winter visitor, and very irregular anywhere in our recording area. Other notes of interest were, the wintering pair of Stonechat, 2 Kingfisher which paid a visit to the perching post a few minutes apart from opposite directions. I saw just 5 Little Grebe and 2 Tufted Duck, and made some comfortably round figure estimates of 50 Mallard and 40 Wigeon. Also up to 150 Teal were seen between Conder Pool and the River Conder, and a Sparrowhawk flew into the hedgerow by the viewing platform, and few back out again 2 minutes later.

At Cockersand, there was just 85 Pink-footed Geese left from the 2,500 on 5 December, there was a notable count of 250 Curlew in a field off Slack Lane, 12 Goldfinch and 9 Greenfinch were around Bank Houses.

Hen Harrier. Simon Hawtin.

As I rounded the Lighthouse Cottage, a ringtail Hen Harrier appeared over the stubble field and eventually disappeared over Cockersand Abbey, almost certainly the same bird of 24 November over the marsh at the Caravan Park. As I left Cockersand, 2 Cattle Egret were off Moss Lane by Tomlinson's Farm.

Interesting and worrying, I saw not a single Whooper Swan today at Cockersand after recording up to 300 there 1 December.

Fifteen Black-tailed Godwit segregated from 3,000 Lune Estuary 13 December. A pity the light was fading for the video. 

Most notable on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, the count of at least 3,000 Black-tailed Godwit in three groups, 2,000 being at the mouth of the River Conder and upstream, and others on the shore below Colloway Marsh. Also of note, c.500 Dunlin and 80 Golden Plover.

I had the opportunity to call in at Teal Bay yesterday, where there was a nice variety of waders roosting on the groyne at high tide. Predominantly Oystercatcher with 9 Bar-tailed Godwit and Redshank. Also single figures of Turnstone, Knot and Dunlin, with Wigeon and 2 female Pintail. I had to mute the video to take out the annoying wind.

The Pintail.

The status of the Pintail in our recording area, is that of a common passage migrant and winter visitor. The Pintail I saw yesterday at Teal Bay, were the first I've seen in 4 years, when I noted them in 'large number' off Pilling Lane Ends on 15 October 2019....I have obviously not been to Cockersand on the right date. I was truly amazed when I found the record of 550 Pintail seen off Plover Scar 1 October 2023....LDBWS 

There is an interesting breeding record, that of a female Pintail with 7 ducklings at Alston Wetland on 27 May 2022, with still two young on 11 July, only the third breeding record for Lancashire since 49 years ago in 1973....Lancashire Bird Report 

Thanks to Ian Mitchell for the excellent header image of a pair of Pintail at Morecambe....In my book one of the smartest of ducks.