Reviewing 2025.

I enjoyed flicking through the little black book for some highlights of birds found or seen through 2025. It was never going to be regarded as a spectacular year, but at least it resulted in getting much more of a fix from my birding than anything else.

* Excellent species and or location records....Photos & Video Pete Woodruff.

January

15  Bullfinch pair Lanc's Cemetery *

17  Common Scoter Stone Jetty M'cbe

17  Scaup Broadway M'cbe

25  Blackcap male home garden *

February

13  Hen Harrier male C'sand

18/ 27 Marsh Harrier female C'sand

March

6  Tundra Bean Goose with c.5,000 Pink-footed Geese C'sand *

12  Barnacle Goose Conder Pool *

12  March Harrier C'sand

12  Whooper Swan c.500 C'sand *

19  Hen Harrier in flight N>S over Moss Lane C'sand

20  Bullfinch 2xmale/female Lanc's cemetery *

24  Mediterranean Gull adult/Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool

26  Spotted Redshank Conder Pool

April

9  Garden Warbler Crag Wood early record *

11  Ring Ouzel female Hawthornthwaite *

29  Willow Warbler at least 50 Birk Bank circuit

29  Bullfinch 2/Cuckoo 2 Birk Bank *

May

7  Crossbill 15 Tower Lodge Bowland *

18 Cetti's Warbler Glasson

28 May Little Gull 2 x 2nd summer Conder Pool *

June

25 June 7 of 17 Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool *

July

9 Swift at least 20 Fairfield Lanc's

August

6 Green Woodpecker Birk Bank *

20 Yellow Wagtail 2 Conder Pool * 

22 Ruff 20/Wood Sandpiper Heversham Moss

28 Ruff 19/Green Sandpiper Conder Pool *

September

5 Greenshank 32 Conder Pool *

9 Curlew Sandpiper Lune Estuary

25 Crossbill pair Ottergear Bridge *

October

8 Oct 9 of 18  Whooper Swan Conder Pool *

30 Merlin male C'sand

November

12 Snow Bunting 2 C'sand

20 November Bewick's Swan 2 Slack Lane C'sand *

24 Pintail drake Conder Pool

24 Pink-footed Geese c.3,500 Slack Lane C'sand

25 November Barnacle Goose Lune Estuary *

December

23 Brent Geese 52 Heysham

.....................................................................................

Hoping you have good birding in 2026....

A Very Happy New Year 

Conder Pool & Birk Bank.

Conder Pool 27 August.

Having landed at least two first records this week - four in my book - Conder Pool has earned the recognition of one of Lancashire's birding hot spots. This weeks header for B2B bears testament to that claim with a grand total of 46 Little Egret, seen on Conder Pool early Wednesday morning as an all time best count. On the same day, a Little Stint was on Conder Pool.

Little Stint Conder Pool. Tom Parkinson.

The second of four first records in my book at least, I don't recall a Little Stint on Conder Pool before.

Wednesday was a good day, and 31 Greenshank was certainly an all time best count here, and represents first record No 3....All this and more, whilst I was waiting to get my motor fixed 😝

Conder Pool 28 August.

I put in a couple of hours on Thursday to join Mark, a birder I respect, and who is as keen and dedicated as anyone I know for accuracy of the count. During my stay, Mark probably counted through the species a dozen times to come up with a result of 19 Ruff....Yet another all time best count No 4 for Conder Pool. 

There's a Black-tailed Godwit in the video, it thinks it's a Ruff!

Green Sandpiper Conder Pool 28 August. Pete Woodruff.

Other notes on Conder Pool for the little black book, a Green Sandpiper, was seen in pursuit around the pool of a Common Sandpiper, 420 Redshank were accompanied by 22 Greenshank, 4 Snipe, and 15 Little Grebe.

As soon as I set the camera for a video, the Green Sandpiper shot off and disappeared behind an island.

A Whimbrel was in the creeks and was another first in my book at Conder Green. As with the Little Stint on Conder Pool, I don't recall seeing a Whimbrel in the creeks before.

Birk Bank 25 August.

I connected with just three species of dragonflies today, but observed some interesting behavior. Five Keeled Skimmer were seen as two pairs in tandem and a lone female, all the females were noted to be 'old'. It was interesting that a male never let the female out of its sight, following its every move, and hovering around the female whilst she was egg laying and seeing off any other dragon that approached it.

Five Black Darter were seen as 2 pairs in tandem and a lone male. It was fascinating to watch the pair thrashing quite violently whilst egg laying.

The third species seen were 6 Common Darter, they were all males.

And Finally.

More pictures from my inbox....

  

Small Red-eyed Damselfly. Martin Jump.

Martin continues with his luck to find the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, and to achieve excellent results in his images.

Wasp With Green Bottle Prey. Martin Jump.

It's a one word comment here from me....WOW!

Red Admiral. Ian Mitchell.

Buff Ermine. Ian Mitchell.

Ian progresses with his success of butterflies and moths in flight.

Small Tortoiseshell. Pete Woodruff.

And we continue to get some nice butterflies and bumblebees in the garden.

Red-tailed Bumblebee. Pete Woodruff.

Owtabout!

Well there certainly wasn't as much about on Conder Pool as my last visit which was three weeks ago on 9 August when there was up to 2,500 birds there, with at least 2,200 Redshank present in a now established unprecedented record.

In stark contrast today, the number on Conder Pool amounted to a little under 100 birds of no more than 12 species noted, being 65 Lapwing, 8 Little Grebe, 6 Black-headed Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull including 4 immature, 5 Mallard, 3 Pied Wagtail, 3 Carrion Crow, 2 Greenshank, a Grey Heron, Little Egret, and a Swallow which scooped up a drink as it flew through.

But a return visit to Conder Pool in the afternoon paid off as it often does with me. As I scanned the area, I thought a nice Yellow Wagtail might be a good one to end the day, but hey'up, there's not one but 2 Green Sandpiper roosting in the channel.

Green Sandpiper Conder Pool 29 August

Not very obliging, asleep and too distant for a decent photograph, but the video footage is good enough for the record.

A look over the Lune Estuary at Glasson gave me sightings of 3 Mediterranean Gull, a Greenshank, a few Golden Plover, with probably more as they dropped out of sight below the mud bank which falls steeply as the tide ebbs, and 22 Little Egret counted.

At Saltcote Pond, a Brown Hawker was seen off by a Migrant Hawker every time it entered its air space. Also, 3 Large Red Damselfly included a pair in cop, and a Common Blue Damselfly.

Coastal Path. Pete Woodruff.

 

As I walked back to Glasson Dock, up to 6 Migrant Hawker were seen patrolling the hedgerow along the coastal path. 

Urban Dragonflies.

I've seen two urban dragonflies in Lancaster in the past week, a female Common Darter by the Chip Shop on Coulston Road before flying off, and a Migrant Hawker buzzing over our garden for several minutes yesterday.    

A Dedication.

THE COMMON TERNS CHAMPION.

I HAVE DEDICATED THIS POST TO THE MEMORY OF IAN PINKERTON WHO DIED 5 YEARS AGO YESTERDAY 10 AUGUST 2019. 

IAN PRETTY MUCH PITCHED CAMP AT CONDER POOL, HIS WIFE YVONNE OFTEN BROUGHT HIM LUNCH FROM THE CARAVAN PARK AS HE SPENT HOURS ON END WATCHING AND MAKING NOTES ON EVERY MOVE OF THE COMMON TERNS ON THE POOL DURING THE BREEDING SEASON.

Avocet Conder Green 1 August 2019. Ian Pinkerton.

This is the last of hundreds of images and e-mails Ian sent to me over his time at Conder Green. Something of an irony, as they are Avocet not Common Tern.

I WILL REMEMBER IAN PINKERTON FOREVER.

Four Hours Six Species.

I spent a couple of hours up to high tide at 3.00pm Conder Green on Friday, and if Conder Pool is going to turn up the odd goodie as it has done recently, I'd like to be in on the action if possible please.

According to PC, who stepped on to the Conder Pool viewing platform a couple of minutes after me, I had missed a Hobby earlier zooming over the creeks. But I spent a lot of time today reviewing the numbers of waders, and concluded that Tuesday's count now stood at an unprecedented minimum of 2,200 Redshank. The Avocet seen today, 2 adult and 3 juvenile. I counted 17 Greenshank, 8 Little Grebe again as on Tuesday, and 4 Swift over the creeks and pool could well be my last of the year.

Common Tern Adult & 2 Young. Pete Woodruff.

Of the Common Tern seen, two were begging young with an adult. I observed these two birds later for some time, they were being ignored by the adult which was constantly moving away from them.

By the time I left Conder Pool, in 4 hours I saw no fish being brought to these two young terns, and was left wondering if they were ever going to be fed!

As I approached the junction to turn left onto the A588 on my way back to Lancaster, a wader flying downstream shot in front of me and over the bridge, with a white rump and like an oversized House Martin....It was a Green Sandpiper.

Four hours, six species....Mmmm!

Migrant Hawker.

Martin Jump called by Conder Green on Friday, to tell me he was going to Saltcote Pond to see if he could find any dragonflies to photograph. I told Martin I might follow him there but didn't.

Migrant Hawker. Martin Jump.

Martin found a smart immature male Migrant Hawker which had me regretting running out of time to follow him there to see this beauty.

LRP Needs To Read The Script!

Two visits to Conder Pool yesterday - nothing new there then - the first three hours before high tide, the second at high tide when 11 Greenshank had taken to the pool to roost over the tide. Despite multi attempts at counting, I found only 8 Little Grebe today, with a Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, and at least 20 Meadow Pipit.

Noted on the Lune Estuary, up to 650 Golden Plover again as last Friday, a Greenshank, 11 Snipe, a  lone Black-tailed Godwit, a Wheatear, and a Sparrowhawk cruising overhead. 

Migrant Hawker. Pete Woodruff. Clik the pik

On the canal between the basin and just beyond Christ Church, 8 Migrant Hawker, and by Saltcote Pond, a Brown Hawker and Common Darter seen.

A short circuit around Aldcliffe included a juvenile Little Ringed Plover on the flood, perhaps this bird needs to read the script. Also on the flood, a Ruff, 4 Snipe, and a Green Sandpiper was the marked bird seen recently with an orange ring on it's left leg, and a green one on the right, unidentifiable as an individual without the digits being read, but ringed at Woolston Eyes in Cheshire. Butterflies seen, 4 Speckled Wood, a Comma, Red Admiral, and a Migrant Hawker.

Five Little Grebe seen 18 August on the old hospital reservoir at Fenham Carr, seen again Sunday.

It's The Little Things!

It takes just a little to fire me up, doesn't need a MEGA, just the odd wagtail, one or two waders, a seriously impressive falcon, and some good counts on Conder Pool.

AC was instrumental in where I started a decent days birding yesterday, when I responded to a text from him and went to Bank End to see a Yellow Wagtail. OK, this is just one bird, but one with no regular breeding site in our area that I'm aware of, and only regular on autumn passage at coastal north Fylde, and good enough to get me off to a start with a spell of birding with a buzz.

After the visit to Bank End, Conder Pool kept me occupied for a while, when I found one, then two, then three Ruff. Seen as another bird with a scarce tag in winter, no better than an uncommon spring passage migrant, but does improve slightly in it's rankings, to become a fairly common autumn passage migrant, as indicated today on Conder Pool.

Common Sandpiper Pete Woodruff. Clik the pik

The count of 14 Greenshank is an all time high in my book for Conder Pool, with 11 Little Grebe seen. There was 5 Common Sandpiper roosting at high tide, and 150 waders dropped in from the estuary to join another 150 already present to make up c.300 Redshank, and 6 Greylag noted.

There was a commotion over the creeks, when I looked round, a Peregrine Falcon was bombing through, it singled out a Lapwing which escaped with a lucky manoeuvre, and the falcon was lost to view. Ten minutes later it returned to rocket through Conder Pool, clearing out the entire area and disappeared over the canal.

On the way back to Lancaster, I called in at Aldcliffe to find 2 Green Sandpiper on the flood, a Little Grebe with 9 Teal and 13 Mallard on the Wildfowlers Pool. Butterflies seen, 3 Speckled Wood and 16 Painted Lady brought my tally to 315 this summer.

On Sunday it was good to find 5 Little Grebe on the old Moor Hospital reservoir at Fenham Carr, seen as two adult and three juvenile. I found the first Little Grebe here 18 November 2013, but despite several visits to Williamson Park since, I never saw it there again until today.

Fledged And Flown.

Juvenile Common Tern Conder Pool. Howard Stockdale.

Many thanks to Howard for what is probably the last image of this juvenile before it's obvious departure from Conder Pool by the time I arrived there on Monday. Who could have imagined this bird would survive, let alone look so good, after what had happened to it a little more than two weeks ago. 

With no sightings in two visits to Conder Pool, the Common Tern have departed 18 days after the two young birds had escaped death by Black-headed Gulls, and fledged two days later. The 5 Avocet family were seen at the east end of the creeks, the young are now fledged, first reported to have done so on Sunday.

On Conder Pool, another peak of 12 Greenshank, with 11 Little Grebe and a Goosander of note. A Kingfisher was hiding below the hedgerow at the west end of the pool before flying off across the pool and on to the canal. Eight Common Sandpiper were seen as five in the creeks and three down the channel. I watched a House Martin enter a nest at Cafe d' Lune, the breeding season prolonged into autumn, with double sometimes trebled-brooded.

Two Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gull. Pete Woodruff.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, after a spell of hard labour, 2 Mediterranean Gull found were both adult, and 3 Ringed Plover were seen as at best irregular here. A few Sand Martin were with Swallows over the canal basin. I saw 12 Painted Lady in my time around the area.

Another brief visit to Aldcliffe was made all the worth while with 5 Green Sandpiper on the flood, and a Little Grebe on the Wildfowler's Pool with 32 Mallard and little if anything else  on there. Butterflies seen, 19 Painted Lady, 4 Gatekeeper, a Peacock, and Meadow Brown. I also came across 3 Common Darter and a Blue-tailed Damselfly.

The Nearly Day.

I very nearly didn't venture out on Tuesday, but did eventually go to give Conder Green an hour or two, and was rewarded with some interesting finds, not least of which was the first bird seen in the creeks, which was a head moulting adult Mediterranean Gull with the Black-headed Gulls where I found just 5 Common Sandpiper. I then went off to find a Green Sandpiper still upstream, with 3 Snipe and 2 Little Egret, all feeding on this quiet and concealed part of the River Conder. Two Greenshank were downstream in the channel with up to 80 Redshank, and a singing Blackcap was by Christ Church at Glasson Dock.

Painted Lady. Andrew Cornall.

A nice variety of butterflies seen along the coastal path included, 17 Gatekeeper, 3 Speckled Wood, 2 Red Admiral, and 2 Painted Lady, one of which AC had seen on Monday by the viewing screen at Conder Pool. I was grateful for the images he sent me including this excellent one showing underwing.

Seven Little Grebe were on Conder Pool, with c.150 Redshank noted. But the icing on the cake for me was a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, possibly the same bird seen here 11 July. 

The Conder Common Terns.

Common Tern Conder Pool 24 July. Ian Pinkerton.

Four Common Tern were seen as three adult and a chick, with what could be an egg in IP's image above, still to hatch in the nest on Tern Island, however I think what we see, is the white underpart of the chick beneath the adults drooping wings acting as props to take the weight.

Thanks again to IP for his illustrations and documentation on all that happens on Conder Pool presently and these many weeks past. 

Garden Insects.

Pyrausta purpuralis. Pete Woodruff.

Best was the Holly Blue briefly, 4 Speckled Wood, Large Whites coming through daily, and up to four Pyrausta purpuralis moths.  

Go Green.

Green Sandpiper Conder Pool 5 September 2016. Pete Woodruff.

It paid off to visit the river upstream from the road bridge three times yesterday, the third visit produced 2 Green Sandpiper, having seen one bird on the first visit, I returned later for a photograph on the second but no sign, I made contact on the third. Also 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Snipe, and my first Kingfisher at Conder Green for eight months since one seen down the channel 25 November 2017. In the creeks, 9 Common Sandpiper.

Pik & Mix. Ian Pinkerton. 

Plenty to keep the mind occupied on Conder Pool, not least because a female Mallard had a mix of 8 Mallard ducklings and 3 Tufted ducklings....A first and very odd record. 'Clik the pik' to pik'em out. 

Tufted Duck Conder Pool 23 July. Ian Pinkerton.

Also, to make matters a little more interesting, a Tufted Duck female had 13 ducklings in tow. 

 Conder Pool 23 July 'clik the pik see the chik' Ian Pinkerton.

Five Common Tern seen, the pontoon pair again behaving like the were thinking about a second brood, and the Tern Island pair with a chick out of the nest, hard to say if there's more to come with these two, but she was on and off the nest between caring for the hatchling. Eight Little Grebe included some sharp loud whinny calls heard, a Stock Dove dropped in to drink, 9 Greylag put in an appearance, and a young Redshank seen again as a Wood Sandpiper lookalike. 

On the Lune Estuary not yet fully functional for birds, 2 adult Common Tern, fishing and occasionally plunge diving, a Greenshank, and 20 Little Egret were to note.

Thanks to Ian Pinkerton for the images, much appreciated.

Home On The Range.

Spotted Redshank. Conder Pool 28 October. Pete Woodruff.

On Friday I started the day at Conder Green, and ended it back there six hours later, the combined visits turned up the Spotted Redshank on Conder Pool with a couple of it's common Redshank cousins, also on the pool, Common Sandpiper, 6 Snipe, 5 Little Grebe, and 32 Black-headed Gull accompanied by a Common Gull. In the creeks, a Green Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Goosander, and 6 Wigeon.

On the Lune Estuary, an adult Curlew Sandpiper obligingly dropped on to the mud reasonably close from the bowling green, from where I counted an excellent 75 Snipe which gave a splendid display at one point, in flight and circling to come back down onto the mud. Estimates of 250 Dunlin and 200 Golden Plover, also a single Black-tailed Godwit and Great-crested Grebe noted.

On the way to Cockersand, a Little Egret flew out of a ditch along Jeremy Lane, and a Jay seen on Moss Lane. On Plover Scar, 195 Oystercatcher, 16 Turnstone, 3 Redshank, 2 Grey Heron, and a Little Egret.

From Abbey Farm I could see last Mondays swans distant in the same field at Thursland Hill, but I managed a better count on Friday with at least 12 Whooper Swans in view with Mute Swans. It was otherwise all a bit thin at Cockersand, my only notes were of 2 Greenfinch, 2 Robin, and a Large White, probably being one of the last butterflies of the year for me I reckon.

Stars Of The Garden.

In the past two days our urban garden in Lancaster has hosted a Goldcrest seen as a first record on Friday, a flock of 8 Long-tailed Tit as very rare visitors, a Greenfinch and Wren both occasional visitors....Thanks to Mrs W for these excellent records. 

By The Left....Quick March.

Well it wasn't a quick march at all, and I did'nt have the time to loiter and stand around as much as I would have liked, and was needed to do justice to my birding, but this was the hike on Tuesday to Glasson Dock from Lancaster Greyhound Bridge, with a moderate 39 species notched up.

Notable was the lone Ruff which had the flood at Aldcliffe entirely to itself. On the Wildfowlers Pool a Green Sandpiper was seen with a few uncounted Teal, a Little Grebe, and a Snipe. On Freeman's Pools, up to 90 Wigeon, a Raven was mobbed by a Carrion Crow at Stodday, and my second sighting in two days was of a Green Woodpecker around Nansbuck Cottage.

Other notes along the coastal path, 12 Little Egret on the marsh, 11 Robin, 5 Blackbird, 3 Long-tailed Tit, a Goldcrest, and a Mistle Thrush. At Conder Green where I had no time to check out Conder Pool, I saw a Greenshank down the channel, and c.250 Golden Plover came off the Lune Estuary to fly south inland....but the bus to Lancaster is coming!

Pied Crow. Pete Woodruff.

What's this then....I'd describe it as a partially leucistic Carrion Crow, but maybe the Pied Crow Corvus motley seen at Lancaster Green Ayre on Tuesday 11 October, is a first for Britain!!

The Little Egret.

Little Egret. Bob Bushell

On Friday evening 7 October, 159 went to roost at Ashton Hall Lake, on the same evening 119 went to roost at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve....that's an amazing 278 Little Egret at just two locations in North Lancashire. 

The Little Egret wasn't seen in the UK in significant numbers until 1989, they bred for the first time 20 years ago on Brownsea Island, Dorset in 1996. The first breeding record of Little Egret in Lancashire was in 2014 when up to six nests were occupied at Ashton Hall Lake, at the time the only breeding site in the county.

Thanks for the Little Egrets Bob....Excellent. 

Let's Twitch Again!

I got myself into twitching mode yesterday, it's not habitual for me to go after other peoples birds, but there was some nice ones just over the border into Cumbria, so it was time I got myself off to take a look.

Wood Sandpiper Antonio Puigg

First stop was at a flood on College Green farmland at Heversham SD488837 where I found 2 Wood Sandpiper, one of which was notably lame, also on the flood were at least 9 Snipe, more perhaps if I'd have tried harder and found them in areas of long grass.

Pectoral Sandpiper Jan Larsson 

Next stop was actually just around the corner at SD488832 where eventually a Pectoral Sandpiper put in excellent views to clearly show it to be a juvenile, also seen were 22 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper, and at least 18 Snipe.

A drive out to the Brigsteer area SD470892 where a Pectoral Sandpiper was found on 10 September, proved to be a 'twitchers dip' though the bird was reported back here again at 4.30pm two hours after I left, when I had seen 4 Ringed Plover and a solitary Dunlin, with a Buzzard over.

Another short list, and a bit like a day at the zoo to be honest, but with some birds of substance this time.

Thanks to Antonio and Jan for their excellent and much appreciated images.