Conder Pool Wednesday 2 July.

This time my header image is that of the first Common Tern to fledge on Conder Pool this breeding season, it took to the wing on 2 July. I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for the excellent image of this bird, and for some of the stats in the post that follows regarding the Common Terns on Conder Pool.

Common Tern With Young Conder Pool Raft 1 July. Pete Woodruff.

I can't pretend not to be disappointed that the juvenile Common Tern decided to wait until the following day of my visit to Conder Pool to fledge. I had seen four young Common Tern on the raft on Wednesday, one was wing exercising, no doubt this was the one that fledged the following day, hence my disappointment. 

On the morning of 28 July, there was 25 Common Tern nests, 22 pairs were incubating, with 3 nests and 6 chicks.

Up to 30 Common Tern were on the raft on Wednesday, adults and 4 young. I made no count of any terns that may have been off the raft, though I'm told birds breeding on the islands had failed due to predation and had relocated to the raft.

The outlook for the future of this years breeding Common Terns on Conder Pool is looking good and positive....Alleluia! 

I made no counts of adult Avocet, but noted 2 young and a well grown juvenile which was rewarding. There was a good count of 12 Mediterranean Gull, including two 1st summer, and three 2nd summer birds. A lone adult Little Ringed Plover gave good views, and at the back of the pool, 11 Black-tailed Godwit and 7 Bar-tailed Godwit were lined up along with 5 Greenshank. A Little Grebe and 9 Canada Geese were noted at the west end of the pool.

Over in the creeks and on return passage, 2 Common Sandpiper, and a Ruff seen high tide roosting with Redshank.

Saltcote Pond.

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

Saltcote Pond was near deserted by the dragonflies, but a pair of Blue-tailed Damselfly in cop are being recorded as an immature male and a female of the rufescens-obseleta form, also 3 Common Blue Damselfly. A Swift was over, with 2 Chiffchaff and a singing Sedge Warbler. 

Canal Glasson - Conder Green. 

Lancaster Canal Looking East. Pete Woodruff.

In search of dragons on the canal, hardly July 1 weather. The view looking east towards the Forest of Bowland was grim, and pleased I hadn't decided to go on to Hawthornthwaite Fell today, it's under a cloud of drizzle in this view.

Common Blue Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

There was no more luck with the dragons than at Saltcote Pond for a walk along the canal towpath, with just 8 Common Blue Damselfly seen, but I heard 4 Sedge Warbler. Butterflies on the day were, 6 Ringlet, 4 Red Admiral, and 2 Painted Lady. 

Garden Activity.

There was a first for me in the garden on Friday, when I found 6 Long Tailed Tit, four of which I had the chance to view before they moved on, they were young...A moment of birding magic for me.

Long tailed Tit. Pete Woodruff.

It is also good that the list of young in the garden continues to grow, with Dunnock, Blackbird, Great Tit, and good numbers of House Sparrow over the past weeks, all having had a good breeding season it seems. 

Dunnock. Pete Woodruff.

Blackbird. Pete Woodruff.

Other Peoples Birds To The Fore!

Invasion.

There has been an unprecedented invasion of some species into our area in recent days, and if I'm going to keep a website with local birding interests, then this certainly has to be documented on Birds2blog.

Ringed Plover Plover Scar 19 May. Howard Stockdale.

Howard Stockdale must have thought he was hallucinating when he found c.1,200 Ringed Plover on Plover Scar 19 May. I know of no previous records of RP in such number on Plover Scar. The record of 160 Ringed Plover on the River Lune at Glasson, is also unprecedented in my book. Many Thanks to Howard for the record and image. 

Sanderling Heysham 23 May. Malcolm Downham.

If I'd have been at Heysham on 23 May, I certainly would have thought I was hallucinating at the sight of at least 500 Sanderling on Heysham skeer. As far as I am concerned, a record of historical proportions. Many Thanks to Malcolm for the record and image.... Heysham Bird Obs

 

Curlew Sandpiper Rossall Point 24 May. Jonathan.

Brilliant find west of Rossall Coastguard Tower, a Curlew Sandpiper advancing into breeding plumage. For permitting the record and image of this stunning bird onto B2B, Many Thanks to Jonathan.... Fylde Bird Club

Spotted Flycatcher Fluke Hall 22 May. Paul Ellis.

There has also been a large influx of flycatcher into the area recently, with up to 33 Spotted Flycatcher on the morning of 22 May, and still coming through today FBC WhatsApp....Many Thanks to Paul for the image.

Foulshaw Moss.

In company with Ian Mitchell, we managed a pleasant couple of hours around Foulshaw Moss, with nothing seen to called unexpected, and on a date too early for dragonflies, though one or two damselflies were seen, being Large Red/Blue Tailed/Common Blue Damselfly.

Of course we were able to view the two Osprey nests through the haze, and other birds to note, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Reed Warbler, with just one moth seen, a Common Heath. The butterfly had to be the highlight of the visit, with at least 6 Brimstone seen.

Garden Magic.

It was our treat of the year when the Goldfinch family turned up in the garden for lunch yesterday.

Birds, Butterflies, Bees, And Wasps.

Birds And Butterflies.

I took advantage of visiting our daughter in the Caton area, to have a wander around Bull Beck and the banks of the River Lune at Caton. 

This video of the Sand Martins at Bull Beck, I made on a visit here on 15 April 2021, was a pleasant reminder of the day I saw an Osprey flying upstream, and also found the Little Ringed Plover on the shingle bank opposite the Sand Martins.

Little Ringed Plover Bull Beck 2021. Pete Woodruff.

The LRP bred here on the shingle bank in 2021, in the same year 12 pairs bred along the River Lune between Arkholme and downstream to Caton. I didn't get as far to see the sand bank today, but there was a good number of Sand Martin flying up and down the river. It was good to hear a Garden Warbler, with a Chiffchaff and Goldcrest seen.

Although I saw neither of the birds, 2 Blackcap were heard, the one in this bush was in competition with another singing male within 20 metres. Butterflies seen were a Green-veined White and Orange Tip, best was my second of the year Painted Lady.

Bees And Wasps.

It was something special when I found Mason Bees entering the nest holes in our bee hotel last year, and even more special when we saw them in and around the hotel this spring.

Red Mason Bee. Pete Woodruff.

The Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis are a delight to watch as they arrive on the scene and fly around and enter the holes in the hotel.

Blue Mason Bee. Pete Woodruff.

They are joined by the Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens....Smart little critters.

But recently things have taken a worrying turn as some parasitic wasps have shown up. 

Greater Pennant Wasp. Pete Woodruff.

First on the scene was the Greater Pennant Wasp with its extra long ovipositor....I initially thought the Martians had landed!

The GPW was showing an unhealthy interest around the bee hotel.

Sapyga quinquepunctata Pete Woodruff

But what came next developed into something very interesting, it was another parasitic wasp with an elaborate scientific name. I did a little research on this one and found it to be only one of two of the Sapygidae family to be found in the UK, of which there are just 80 species globally.

Sapyga quinquepunctata/Osmia caerulescens Pete Woodruff

Until 2016, there were only 4 records of Sapyga quinquepunctata in Lancashire, all in the west of the county. But on iRecords I found 6 records in West Lancashire over the 11 years 2013-2024, the first on 1 June 2013 at an unnamed location in West Lancashire, and the last on 23 June 2024, this one at Crook of Lune in North Lancashire....So a pretty good find in our Lancashire garden.

I'm indebted to Dave Bickerton and Ben Hargreaves for helping me on some issues regarding this wasp.

I'd Sooner Be Birding!

Wednesday 22 April.

Four more first migrants for me on Wednesday all seen at Cockersand, with a trickle of 12 Swallow through, and on one occasion accompanied by a single House Martin. A Sedge Warbler was singing in the hedgerow, and 4 Whimbrel on the shore.

A Shoveler pair were in the wide ditch at the junction of Moss/Slack Lane. I've seen the Shoveler here in previous years. Three Skylark seen, one in flight song, two flew off a fence post in front of me, A Linnet was in song by the caravan park, and 72 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding on the tideline. I saw just two butterflies, a Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.

Up to 12 Lapwing were on territory in the stubble field behind Lighthouse Cottage, one bird drew my attention alarm calling, and as I looked over the gate it soon became apparent why....

On Conder Pool, I made a peak count of 28 Avocet including two in the creeks, where the near summer plumage Spotted Redshank was with a Greenshank. Also of note, 2 Little Ringed Plover, with 54 Black-tailed Godwit and a similar number of Knot still here.

I was more than grateful to receive a message to tell me of the arrival of the Common Tern on Conder Pool Thursday 23 April. This date is 3 days later than last year 20 April 2025....Thanks to Pete Crooks for the info and for adding that John Wood had found 2 Common Tern before he had seen one later in the afternoon. 

River Lune At Glasson. Pete Woodruff. 

At low tide, the estuary resembled a desert save the channel, where 14 Eider were diving, a decent count for the location.

Friday 24 April.

Cuckoo. Marc Heath.

The highlight of a circuit of Birk Bank has to be the 2 Cuckoo heard, one in the Birk Bank area east of the bog, the second to the east of Cragg Wood. Thanks to Marc Heath who found a Cuckoo at Bishopstone on 11 April, seen as an early bird and scarce too in this area of Kent.

There was some excellent birds to run a close second to the Cuckoos, with a good count of 42 Willow Warbler, then marked as seen in the little black book, Blackcap pair, 2 Treecreeper including one sunbathing at the base of a tree, a Wren and Robin, 6 Redpoll, 2 Chiffchaff, 6 Swallow, a Coal Tit, 2 Garden Warbler, Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Linnet, 2 Meadow Pipit, and 3 Stonechat which were seen as a pair and a male which was probably standing guard over a nest site, and so almost certainly making 2 pairs of Stonechat. Raptors seen were, a Buzzard and Sparrowhawk.

Green Tiger Beetle. Pete Woodruff.

Other than the birds....A quite surprising number of 14 Green Tiger Beetle, 2 Common Lizard, neither of which were associated with Birk Bank bog, in fact one was at Ottergear Bridge. Butterflies seen, 12 Orange Tip, 4 Green Hairstreak, 2 Peacock, a Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell.

Target of the day was to find some early damsels, 3 Large Red Damselfly were seen as a male and 2 teneral.

Garden Bees.

The bees in our garden started to emerge from the Bee House this week. 

Red Mason Bees. Pete Woodruff.

It's a joy to watch the antics of the Red&Blue Mason Bees in and out of the holes in good number. 

Blue Mason Bees. Pete Woodruff.

Lots Of Interest....Pool And Estuary.

Managed a pleasant sortie to Conder Pool and the Lune Estuary around and after high tide, where my records of the birds I noted can only be taken as totals of the species on the day, as they were present at both locations, many having left Conder Pool for the estuary during my visit at high tide.

I paid two visits to Conder Pool, at 11.30 and returned there at 3.30, the combined sightings were, 12 Common Tern, with 6 chicks on the platform, adults still sitting, and some coming and going to the river to feed young and fledged juveniles, two of which were noted as blue ringed 418/424. 

I made a count of 26 Avocet, and saw just one juvenile which wasn't going to pose for me, and was preening all the time I was filming.

Six Mediterranean Gull, included an adult and 1st summer on the island to the right from the screen. Also, a male Ruff, 9 Greenshank, a lone Black-tailed Godwit in splendid breeding plumage, c.150 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, and 2 Dunlin which were seen as non breeders/early returners?

On the Lune Estuary, it was a treat to see adult Common Terns and 5 juveniles, one of which was being fed small fry by the adult. Four Mediterranean Gull were on the shore below Colloway Marsh, and 6 Avocet were by the Conder mouth. But the biggest surprise here today, had to be the adult Whooper Swan around a tidal pool below Waterloo Cottage. I don't recall ever seeing a summer Whooper Swan before.

On a short wander along the canal towpath, 2 Chiffchaff, a Song Thrush, Mute Swans with 9 cygnets, and a brief Emperor Dragonfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

At Saltcote Pond, modest numbers of 8 Blue-tailed Damselfly, including a female of the colour form infuscans, and 3 Common Blue Damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

Butterfly numbers were also modest, although up to 35 Large White was a decent count, with 5 Gatekeeper, 4 Ringlet, 2 Speckled Wood, a lone Meadow Brown brought up the rear.

Swift.

Given the sparsity of my hirundine sightings so far this year, at least 20 Swift over Fairfield was notable, as were 4 Swift over Bowerham in the south of Lancaster, and a Comma in the garden was a welcome sight too.

Saturday 12 July.

A peasant walk south along the canal towpath and into Garstang, produced 6 Emperor Dragonflies, 6 Brown Hawker, a pair of Common Blue Damselfly in tandem, and a lone Blue-tailed Damselfly.  

Picture Gallery.

In receipt of another two excellent images which I'm obliged to share on B2B....

Banded Demoiselle. Martin Jump.

Martin's Banded Demoiselle impersonating a helicopter....my thoughts anyway!

Large Yellow Underwing. Ian Mitchell.

And Ian's Large Yellow Underwing impersonating a Lancaster Bomber....my thoughts anyway!

Much respect for these two photographers, the images must have been difficult to achieve to this level.

Med Gull Spectacular.

Mediterranean Gull.

When I arrived at Conder Pool on Wednesday, someone was leaving the viewing platform, a nice man not serious about birding and just passing by I think. I said hello and asked if there were any Mediterranean Gull here, he answered saying he'd not seen any.

Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 25 June. Pete Woodruff.

To my amazement, the first birds I saw were 7 Mediterranean Gull which were seen as 5 adult and 2x1st summer. It only took a few more minutes for me to pick up a total of 17 Mediterranean Gull, 8 adult, 7x2nd summer, and 2x1st summer birds.

I sensed a male following a female with a little posturing here....

Fourteen Mediterranean Gull in the video below....

I thought I was hallucinating, and I reckon the next birder to visit Conder Pool the following day thought he was too, when he found a total of 29 Mediterranean Gull....I think it'll be a while before this record is beaten! 

Avocet & Common Sandpiper.

It didn't take long for another spectacle to develop, that of a line of 42 Avocet at the back of Conder Pool, and when I panned right of the Avocet, 6 Common Sandpiper were also lined up along the back of the pool.

Common Tern.

Mainly focused on and distracted by the gull fest, I made no count of adult birds, but noted 15 Common Tern chicks on the raft, which included one young bird exercising it's wings.

Dragonflies.

Emperor Dragonfly Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

On Saltcote Pond, a lone Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling, occasionally egg laying around the edge of the pond, also up to 14 Common Blue Damselfly including some pairing.

Butterflies.

Ringlet. Pete Woodruff.

Nothing spectacular about these, as I saw just one Red Admiral, but 10 Ringlet lifted the gloom, and takes my sightings of this species to 16 Ringlet seen on two days, with six more seen at Birk Bank on 20 June.    

Glasson- Conder Green Circuit.

Reed Bunting, 3 Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, and 6 Sedge Warbler.

And Finally.

Ian Mitchell kindly sent me a couple of images....

This of an Elephant Hawk Moth

And one of a Large Yellow Underwing.

Ian says 'I was playing around trying to photo this moth in flight'....I don't think you need to try much harder Ian.

The Header.

Howard Stockdale does it again, this time with another excellent header image of 42 Avocet, perfectly lined up for a photograph and an accurate count on Conder Pool this week. 

I would like to take this opportunity, to thank all those who joined me - and some who later hindered me - in reporting this amazing record of 17 Mediterranean Gulls, which I found on Conder Pool on Wednesday 25 June.   

Pool And Pond.

Pleasantly checking Conder Pool and Saltcote Pond on Friday. Mostly cloudy, though a few sunny spells, and at best a chill wind on a day not unlike 6 March as opposed to it being 6 June.

Conder Pool.

I counted 22 Common Tern on the raft, with up to 5 chicks visible underneath the adults. I also counted 21 Black-headed Gull chicks on the raft today, and harmony seems to reign between the terns and gulls, but who knows if that will last....Time will tell!

My count today was of 16 Avocet, with only two on Conder Pool, and 14 on the creeks marsh including the only two surviving young. 

Little Ringed Plover. Pete Woodruff.

Throughout two visits to Conder Pool today, I had several sightings of Little Ringed Plover, but never saw more than two together. Also of note was a Little Grebe in breeding plumage, seen as a first record on Conder Pool for me. The Little Grebe doesn't breed here to my knowledge.

Other notes from Conder Pool, a drake summering Wigeon seen again, with 3 Tufted Duck and a lone Black-tailed Godwit.

Saltcote Pond.

Ruddy Darter 20 July 2023. Martin Jump.  

As can be seen in my header, Saltcote Pond is an attractive little pond, one of the nicest anywhere in our area. The pond's claim to fame being the location were Martin Jump found a rare Ruddy Darter 2 years ago on 20 July 2023. The Ruddy Darter is the second rarest regular breeding species in Lancashire. 

A male and female Broad-bodied Chaser and up to 12 Common Blue Damselfly, with a Chiffchaff and a singing Sedge Warbler was skulking in the Reedmace here.

As I walked around the edge of the pond I spotted a pair of Common Blue Damselflies in tandem. The female appeared to be completely submerged, but as I got closer, the male released the female and flew off. I soon convinced myself this female floating on the water was drowning, in an attempt to rescue I broke of a Reedmace leaf and managed to encourage the damselfly to the edge and out of the pond clinging to the leaf. 

It was a female Common Blue Damselfly of the blue form, not an uncommon form, but are often outnumbered by greenish and brownish ones.

Common Blue Damselfly blue form. Pete Woodruff. 

Drying out its wings was a first for me, as I've never before seen a damselfly at rest with opened wings....Looking away for a second to check the camera settings, it had flown off.

Two Weeks Later.

A decent days birding two weeks after my last. 

Conder Green.

My count of 23 Common Tern didn't reflect the full and accurate picture, with 17 and the possibility of 19 nests currently. My count of 18 Avocet didn't reflect the full picture here either, with just 5 seen on Conder Pool, and 13 seen in the creeks where I saw just one of the only four surviving chicks. 

I saw 2 Little Ringed Plover which have also suffered predation on two earlier attempts to breed. Interestingly, I observed one LRP creating a scrape, then promptly sitting to give the impression there was going to be a third attempt to breed.

Not the best of news from Conder Pool....Obviously a serial predator at large on Conder Pool this year, seeing just a handful of Black-headed Gull chicks, and in excess of an unbelievable 100 Black-headed Gull nests lost.

I am grateful to Howard Stockdale for giving me an insight into the disaster at Conder Green this summer.

But excellent for me, was that two of the four 2nd summer Little Gull found last Sunday, had decided to linger here until I could get to see them....Alleluia!

From the viewing platform, through binoculars I could count at least 7 House Martin nests at River Winds.

Saltcote Pond.

I was pleased to find 12 Common Blue Damselfly, and 2 Blue-tailed Damselfly, also 3 Broad-bodied Chaser, seen as two male, one trying to see the other off, zipping around the pond at lightning speed.

Broad-bodied Chaser Male. Pete Woodruff.

Later a female Broad-bodied Chaser seen ovipositing....

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

....and a second rate image of a Blue-tailed Damselfly of the form Rufescens obsoleta

Glasson Canal Towpath.

A 1/4 mile wander along the canal towpath for dragons was a blank, but I noted a Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, and Song Thrush. Up to 12 House Martin were over the canal and fields....Don't know what that was about, perhaps late arrivals?

Picture Gallery.

I was pleased to receive three images recently, all duly credited, and welcomed to hopefully keep B2B interesting....Please view Full Screen for best result. 

Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 1 June. Howard Stockdale.

Not all doom and gloom, as a 2nd summer and adult Mediterranean Gull were on Conder Pool this morning.

Macro Ant'ics. Martin Jump.

Martin Jump said he's been 'playing around with the macro lens'. I told him this is impressive macro work, and I reckon the ant is nothing less than razor sharp here.

White Ermine. Ian Mitchell.

The spectacular White Ermine moth, perfectly posed on the flower bud.

Garden News.

Leaf Cutter Bee Megachile centuncularis Pete Woodruff

A couple of nice bees in the garden recently, as yet not verified.

Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum Pete Woodruff