The Pool Strikes Again!

It was another whizz around on Wednesday for me....Don't like whizz arounds, not proper birding in my book.

But none of this matters, when I arrived at Conder Pool I was greeted by the wonderful sight of 18 Whooper Swan, an even better surprise was that the ratio was 50/50, 9 adult and 9 juvenile/2nd winter.

Although the status of the Whooper Swan is of a common winter visitor in Lancashire, it also appears to be declining in the county, though not as dramatic as the Bewick's Swan, which is that of an uncommon and declining winter visitor.

The Whooper Swan aside, Conder Pool was no better than mundane, with no more than 44 birds noted in a stock taking exercise, 21 Canada Geese, 11 Redshank, 5 Little Grebe, 3 Wigeon, 2 Mute Swan, a Little Egret, and a Kestrel hovering over the pool border.

Short and Sweet....Whooper Sweet!

Rock Pipit Cockersand 10 February 2016. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersand, in 20 minutes stood by the motor, I counted 10 Rock Pipit driven off the marsh by the incoming tide, with at least 22 Snipe suffering the same disturbance over the same period.

Plover Scar.

Plover Scar on the Lune Estuary, with the lighthouse and Black Combe in the western Lakes in the background is a pleasant scene.

But two consecutive visits to check the high tide for roosting waders have had to be aborted, the first one on account of someone exercising ten dogs. I eventually spoke to this person - politely of course - and explained the significance of the area for roosting birds, and asked if it was possible they could avoid the area in future. I was pleased to hear an understanding, and an agreement to what I had asked.

The second incident was of two fishermen out on the scar, this time I was unable to make contact, but by coincidence at the same time, met someone in authority who had been inspecting the collapsed storm damaged areas along the headland at Cockersand. In conversation we discussed at length the problem of trespassing and disturbance on Plover Scar, during which I asked if, bearing in mind the area is a SSSI, it was possible to make an application for the erection of signs to try to halt the disturbance of birds at an important roosting site.

The disappointing end to this tale is, having given this person in authority my name and e-mail address, two weeks later I've heard nothing since!