Briefly Birding.

Curlew Sandpiper Martin Lofgren  

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was feeding alongside a small number of Dunlin and Redshank on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock yesterday, also of note, an adult Mediterranean Gull, up to 500 Golden Plover again, Wednesday's c.200 Black-tailed Godwit, and the usual large number of Lapwing. A Peregrine Falcon was on Colloway Marsh quietly surveying the larder stock.

Ruff. Howard Stockdale.

At Conder Green, 2 Ruff, an adult Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, and a Snipe were in the creeks. My count of 16 Little Grebe was back on the mark on Conder Pool where a Kingfisher flew across the width, a drake Wigeon was on the pool, assuming it was the summering bird, was the first time noted since I last saw it on 14 September. A Sparrowhawk was flap-flap-gliding overhead, and a Grey Wagtail was upstream from the A588 road bridge. From the coastal path c.80 Goldfinch and 9 Long-tailed Tit seen.

The Wheatear.

Wheatear Ana Minguez

The Wheatear is one of the first summer visitors we can see on the coast every year, and probably one of the last seen leaving, it is also an easy bird to find, and with little searching required it makes the birders life an easy one, my visits to Cockersands in early spring and late autumn guarantee a Wheatear 'coming and going' every year. 

On my last visit to Cockersands I saw 6 Wheatear still lingering here, though last year a late bird was seen on 10 November at Pilling Lane Ends, but a Wheatear seen at Jubilee Tower in Bowland on 11 November 2011 has the distinction of being the latest Wheatear to be found in Lancashire, a bird obviously not having read the script, and you have to wonder if late individuals like this ever get back to their African winter grounds.

Thanks to Martin, Howard, and Ana for their excellent photographs, and to Antonio for the Bluethroat header. I've only ever seen one Bluethroat, it was found by Dan Haywood 7 years ago at the southern end of Aldcliffe Marsh on 8 April 2008, it was a stunning male of the southern/central European white spotted race cyanecula.   

By way of a change.

I thought my best bet was to pay a visit to Leighton Moss today, I really wanted to get into the uplands and must do so in the next few days with one or two locations in mind, but the weather isn't up to it at the moment and the plan was to be able to dodge the showers between hides, as it happens -  apart from some nasty stuff around 11.00am - the day wasn't all that bad and there was no showers to dodge.

Two photographs today have nothing whatsoever to do with the post or my birding, but they are 'gooduns' and liven up the blog no end. 

Bluethroat. Gary Jenkins 

My records are of mainly predictable birds and there are some I didn't see but had hoped to, but as always an enjoyable change of non 'cutting edge' stuff which began in the Public Hide where I noted a male and female Marsh Harrier, 3 Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a 'good number' of Swift, and a pair of Greylag with six young. Notable was just five wildfowl being three Pochard and a pair of Tufted Duck, a Coot had two balls of fluff in tow under the watchful eyes of the two brutish Greater Black-backed Gulls nesting on the island. From the road end of the causeway I heard a Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff.

At the Grisedale Hide a Little Egret put in a brief in flight appearance, a 'few' Gadwall, and 2 Red Deer generated some excitement to a full hide, a drake Garganey eventually put in a brief three minute appearance and promptly disappeared probably for the next three days being the elusive creature it is. The Garganey is an annual summer visitor to Leighton Moss but there are no 100% breeding records at the reserve. At the centre I heard a Chiffchaff.

At the Eric Morecambe/Allen Hides I counted 23 Avocet, c.220 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 8 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, and 2 Skylark. As I was about to leave I noted three ducks fly in which halted my exit and turned out to be two drake and a female Garganey. From the path here I heard a Garden Warbler and Whitethroat, and during my visit I inevitably heard Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler. 

On the way home I called in at Teal Bay to find 3 Whimbrel, 8 Eider, 8 Red-breasted Merganser, and 2 Whitethroat.

And finally....

Puffin. David Cookson    

Not just a photograph of Puffins but of two involved in a dispute of sorts brilliantly captured by DC.

The Med Has It!

Brown Hare. John Bateman

Lots of Brown Hare activity at Cockersand now being the month of March and thanks to JB for the photograph and for accompanying me on my birding today. And....heres another pic below with two more to follow.

Waxwing. Brian Rafferty

RS has got me going with the Waxwings and one outside his window at home got him going too, in any case we're soon about to have seen the last of them until who knows when. Photographs of Waxwings don't come any better than the one above....Thanks BR.

We decided to head off to Knott End this morning but the Conder Green magnet pulled us in there first but we just took in the pool briefly which held just 2 Goldeneye and 2 Little Grebe of note, and a Spotted Redshank obliged in the creeks. At Knott End an adult Mediterranean Gull eventually took the prize for the day. A brief look into the Rawcliffe area produced a Buzzard. I hear of sixteen counted in the area recently, I'm not aware of the status in 2011 but historically this sounds like a mega count to me.

In the stubble fields off Fluke Hall Lane c.180 Golden Plover with c.100 Lapwing, and 10 Skylark noted. At Fluke Hall just 14 Linnet of note. On Pilling Marsh, at least 5,000 Pink-footed Geese, and at Sand Villa I counted at least 75 Whooper Swans with no Bewick's Swans seen here today. 

At Cockersands, c.700 Dunlin and a Grey Plover, though I think JB may have seen more of the latter and other species, if he did you can find out HERE On Jeremy Lane 3 Whooper Swans seen as yesterday being an adult and two immatures. Off Bodie Hill, 2 Bewick's Swans, 20 Goldeneye, c.100 Black-tailed Godwit, and c.30 Bar-tailed Godwit. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I concentrated on mainly c.650 Black-headed/Common Gulls to no avail, and otherwise noted just 2 Little Grebe with yesterdays c.2,000 Pink-footed Geese still on Colloway Marsh.

And the penultimate pic....

Kingfisher. David Cookson  

As far as I'm concerned photographs of the Kingfisher don't come any better than this one....Thanks DC.

And....

Bluethroat. Phil Slade.

Photographs of the Bluethroat don't come any better than this one either....Thanks PS.

And a good time was had by all!