Conder Pool Delivers....And So Does Cockersand.

Of note on Conder Pool Wednesday, a Stonechat flew west past the viewing platform to perch briefly on a fence post below the hedgerow. Given time and patience every visit here, the Kingfisher perched by the sluice, and 7 Little Grebe counted. At the north end of Jeremy Lane, 252 Greylag and 12 Canada Geese.

As I drove towards the shore at Cockersand, a Short-eared Owl was quartering the field on the north side of Bank House Cottage.

Five minutes later as I set off on the circuit, the owl was obligingly perched up on a fence post by the paddock at Bank Houses, as it has been for dozens of photographers according to several websites I've visited over the past few days.

On the circuit, up to 350 Golden Plover were in a field south of Abbey Farm. Numbers of Curlew and Redshank were in coastal fields feeding, and at least 15 Meadow Pipit were in stubble by Lighthouse Cottage. A Snipe lifted out of a field, from where I saw a pair of Greenfinch and a Song Thrush.

The swans have moved on again, with only 7 Whooper Swan including 2 juvenile in the field off Slack Lane. 

On my return from the circuit to the parking area near the caravan park two hours later, 12 cars were parked up and at least 20 birders/photographers were filling their boots with Short-eared/Barn/Little Owl piks, with possible Hen Harrier/Marsh Harrier/Merlin/Sparrowhawk/Kestrel. That's a list of 8 raptors at and around the Cockersand area, all recorded in the past week, and doesn't include Buzzard which can be seen here frequently. 

Picture Gallery. 

I'm in receipt of four excellent images, each one much appreciated and with a little story behind them....All worthy of viewing Full Screen.

Goosander Haslam Park. Martin Jump.

Martin has been getting some great results from a project involving a peak count of 21 Goosander as a first record for Haslam Park....Thank You Martin.

Short-eared Owl Cockersand 20 November. Susan Wilson.

On request Susan sent me this image of the Short-eared Owl currently performing for all comers at Cockersand. But following my request, having processed my own efforts, to discover I achieved some decent stuff worthy of publishing. However, this takes nothing away from my gratitude for sending me this stunning image of the equally stunning owl....Thank You Susan.

Barred Warbler Conder Pool 19 November. Howard Stockdale.

Quite remarkably, Ian Hartley found this smart little 1st year Barred Warbler whilst engaged with a work party erecting a new tern raft on Tuesday. With the same working party, Howard Stockdale took some amazing images of the warbler....Thanks for the find Ian, and thanks for the image Howard.

Merlin Conder Pool 29 October. Howard Stockdale.

It gave me much pleasure when Howard sent this unsolicited image of my most favourite raptor....Thank You Howard.

Conder Pool & Cockersand Deliver Yet Again....NEXT PLEASE! 

Here & There!

I took advantage of the high pressure sitting over us recently, with a few sunny spells, and lot of murky damp days thrown in, for a little birding here and there.

A couple of hours on the lower slopes of Hawthornthwaite had me find 2 Stonechat, seen as a pair chasing flying insects, my first recorded wintering chats on the fells. Also, 8 Red Grouse were seen as an indication of a healthy stock, and fodder for the shooting industry with their sick Victorian attitudes towards game birds and wildlife as a whole....No apologies for my brief two-liner rant.

On my customary wander around the Lune Estuary on Thursday, notes from Conder Pool included 12 Wigeon, 6 Little Grebe, 2 Goosander, 2 Snipe, and a Little Egret. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, up to 1,750 Golden Plover were a sight for sore eyes, they were lined up below Colloway Marsh and put the comment in my last post in to context, when I saw two forlorn plovers on the north side below the bowling green, 'it would have been more expected to have seen at least 1,000 Golden Plover across on the north side below Colloway Marsh'.

At Cockersand, 136 Whooper Swan in the field off Slack Lane were 110 more than my last count of 26 here, and with 110 seen at Braides (AC) the same day, brings the total in the area to 246 Whooper Swan looking more like the expected for mid-November.

Flying south, 25 Pink-footed Geese, and later as I joined the coastal path at Lighthouse Cottage in brilliant sunshine, up to 250 Pink-footed Geese were flying north over the estuary.

Just 15 minutes after I saw the geese flying north in the sunshine, this was the scene at Cockersand which got progressively worse as I trundled along the headland, and remained so until I arrived back in Lancaster an hour later.

Cockersand Mystery.

This photo was featured in my last post, it was taken on 29 October and depicts the Hawthorn hedge laden with berries waiting for the winter thrushes to arrive.

This photo was taken 16 days later, and shows the same hedge void of berries. Perhaps a few hundred undetected thrushes have visited in the space of 16 days, and striped the entire length of fruit!

And Finally. 

I found this impressive looking Fungus in Bowland last week.

The Blusher Amanita rubescens Pete Woodruff

Common throughout much of Europe and Asia, and not quite the status I was hoping for....

Autumn Beech Tree. Pete Woodruff.

....but made a pretty picture on the carpet of autumn leaves below a stunning Beech near Tower Lodge.

Well At Least My Species Count Looked Slightly Healthier This Time!

It was good to find a female Stonechat at the east corner of Conder Pool. In truth the chat added a bit of brightness to an otherwise dull visit, with just two other species present, being 5 Wigeon and 3 Little Grebe.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 2,500 Lapwing were to note, with 350 Wigeon, a Snipe and just 2 Golden Plover looking forlorn, and by way of a change close in on the south shore below the bowling green, it would have been more expected to have seen up to 1,000 Golden Plover across on the north side below Colloway Marsh.

Off Moss Lane, 26 Whooper Swan were the first at Cockersand since I found 13 on 10 October, these were a one day wonder, didn't settle here and moved on. Todays Whooper Swan were accompanied in the field at Clarkson's Farm by up to 200 Greylag.

The Greylag were a bit of a mixed bunch as can be seen in my header image, including an odd one with three juvenile birds.

As I set off for my Cockersand circuit, the Hawthorns are stacked with berries, a larder waiting for the winter thrushes to arrive. 

A few hundred Lapwing, Curlew, and Starling were put to flight by a 'brown' Merlin whizzing over the field, then hedge hopped to disappear from view. Also 25 Black-tailed Godwit flew south, soon followed by 16 Pink-footed Geese over the sea from the west, and inland to soon turn south towards Pilling.

On the way round, I saw 3 Skylark drop into stubble, up to 200 Canada Geese and 125 Wigeon were in and around a flood by Slack Lane, from where 8 Long-tailed Tit were seen. Off Plover Scar, 5 Eider, and when I returned to Bank Houses, 22 House Sparrow were accompanied by 3 Greenfinch.

There are 2 Kestrel to be seen daily at Cockersand this winter, one in the area around Lighthouse Cottage, and one in the Caravan Park area showing its mastery of hovering. 

Tree Sparrow.

It's over 12 months since I last saw Tree Sparrow at Cockersand where they could been seen regularly, 16 were at Bank Houses on 10 October 2023. Before this, it was 12 months since my previous record of one Tree Sparrow on 1 December 2022, and before this it was another 12 months since my last record of 3 Tree Sparrow on 14 December 2021....The Tree Sparrow is absent from Cockersand!

Whooper Swan.

The species is slow to be seen at Cockersand this winter, 26 Whooper Swan is my best of two counts to date. Last year I recorded 245 Whooper Swan here on 24 November 2023.