We Have Lift Off!

It was 17 days since my last spell of birding, and my first session for 2026....Lift Off!

I suppose lots of visitors to Conder Pool, wouldn't know the drake Shoveler and Pintail present today, were both at best only occasional here, but I note 5 Shoveler were recorded here last Thursday, and I reckon this is an all time best count of the species on Conder Pool. My last Shoveler here, was a pair last year on 23 February 2025, and my last Pintail was a drake 24 November 2025. Also noted today, 9 Redshank, 8 Tufted Duck, and 2 Little Grebe.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, I found my first Goldeneye of the winter and was a drake. I've seen no previous records of Goldeneye this winter around the Lune Estuary, but low end double figures at Aldcliffe.

 

A smart drake Goosander was close in with the Wigeon, and thinking I may not get any more opportunities for piks today, I grabbed a video. A pair of Red-breasted Merganser were diving by the Conder mouth, seen as a species at best irregular here, my last were a pair seen on the estuary 3 years ago on 13 January 2023. Also of note, 550 Black-tailed Godwit, a lone Bar-tailed Godwit, and 52 Knot.

At the south end of Jeremy Lane, a splendid 2,500 Black-tailed Godwit, with single figures of Curlew and Dunlin, and up to 60 Redshank in the field opposite.

Stonechat Cockersand 14 January. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersand, a pair of Stonechat were on the spoil heaps, presumably the same pair seen on my last visit here 29 December. Off Slack Lane, 8 Whooper Swan were the only ones at Cockersand. I think the bulk of swans seem to have pitched up in fields at Cockerham/Braides where the 2 Bewick's Swans also seem to be currently residing.

Breaking News.

Bewick's Swans Cockersand 21 December. Ian Walker.

It was great to see the news that 4 Bewick's Swans were found this morning at Lower Thurnham, begging the question....are there 6 Bewick's Swans in the recording area now?

Thanks to Ian Walker for his excellent image of the stunning Bewick's Swans. 

The Header.

Couldn't resist this one....Long time no see a Stonechat header image on B2B, but Dave Mudd delivered the goods when he got this excellent shot of the pair at Cockersand recently. Not unique, but I reckon Dave or anyone else will achieve an image of two Stonechat so close together in the frame any time soon.    

B For Bonus.

A bit of life on Conder Pool was represented by something of a rarity in the form of a drake Pintail having a snooze by one of the islands. My other notes were, a female Stonechat in the long grasses east end, 5 Little Grebe, 3 Snipe, 21 Greylag and 12 Canada Geese. A Buzzard flew low over the pool and out of view east over the canal.

At Cockersand, at least 250 Whooper Swan were spread over four fields on this visit, certainly an underestimate with some out of view and distant. From the Caravan Park, 10 Snipe exploded off the marsh, including eight in sync, a Kestrel took off from a barn at Bank House Farm and was immediately attacked in the air by Carrion Crows.

Bewick's Swan. Tom Parkinson.

Up to 3,500 Pink-footed Geese were in the field at the junction of Moss/Slack Lane, also 2 Bewick's Swan same field close by...Thanks to TP who took this excellent image to illustrate our smallest and most elegant of swans. A bird that gives us the privilege of a winter visit from its Arctic tundra breeding ground, and remains in the same field 7 days after it arrived at Cockersand on 20 November.  

A female Stonechat was at Lighthouse Cottage again, and on Plover Scar, a decent count of 15 Grey Plover, 92 Oystercatcher, with low end double figures of Knot, Dunlin, Golden Plover and Turnstone. As I stood checking the scar, behind me in the field north side of Abbey Farm, 440 Black-tailed Godwit.

B for Bonus.

A bit of a surprise as I came away from Plover Scar walking towards the car park, a Barnacle Goose was on the estuary. This was almost certainly the same individual seen on Jeremy Lane with Greylags last Sunday 23 November. As far as I could see, it was fully feathered, no obvious injuries, no rings, and appeared to be quite healthy. 

Barnacle Goose Conder Pool 12 March 2025. Pete Woodruff.

As in this image, the ringed Barnacle Goose with a Greylag Goose is labeled feral, whilst a Barnacle Goose with Pink-footed Geese get the thumbs up. But you can never tell with Barnacle Geese, there are many feral bird species in the country these days, with Lincolnshire alone having an estimated 2,000 individuals. 

Two For The Price Of One!

I took advantage of decent days to get off my backside and get out again....Twice!

Wednesday 29 January. 

I covered the estuary starting at Conder Pool to note 5 Snipe, the same number of 5 Little Grebe and 3 Tufted Duck, but the best bird for my book was the Song Thrush below the hedgerow.

Notes from a 'relatively quiet' Lune Estuary at Glasson, up to 400 Golden Plover, 325 Wigeon, 3 Goosander, 450 Pink-footed Geese were at the south end of Colloway Marsh. Pick of the day was 4 Goldeneye seen as two drake and two female, these four represent my best count this winter....something wrong here!

I made a video of two Cormorant on the Lune Estuary today, but the birds were too distant for it to be any value for positive ID. But in a drastically cropped still from the video, one of the Cormorants was seen as suggestive to be a continental Sinensis, though good views of the gular pouch angle - not possible here - is the best way to be certain about this.

I have found Continental Cormorant twice on the canal basin at Glasson Dock, the first being seen 14 years ago in February 2011, when I was grateful to Stuart Piner for sending me this illustration for comparison of the gular pouch on both carbo and sinensis. The second almost to the day, was seen 5 years ago in February 2020. I was also grateful to Paul Ellis for his help in the 'suggestion' that my bird at Glasson was of the continental form.

En-route to Cockersand, at least 60 Fieldfare off Moss Lane, and probably up to 400 Whooper Swan were fragmented over five fields between Bank End Farm and Crook Farm. In fields around Abbey Farm, at least 1,500 Golden Plover were put to the wing with Curlew and Lapwing, probably by the wintering Merlin which I failed to latch on to. Eight Eider were off Plover Scar from where I saw 2 Greenfinch on a fence post.

Notes.

I make interesting notes about two species today. In my book, the Goldeneye is generally absent from our area this winter, the best count I've seen recently reported is of 17 Goldeneye on 12 January. My records reached a peak of 4 Goldeneye at Glasson this week on the Lune Estuary. 

As far as I can see, the winter thrushes are also in short supply in our area this winter too. My best count was of the c.60 Fieldfare seen along Moss Lane this Wednesday, my previous best was of 12 Fieldfare at Cockersand 9 January.

Thursday 30 January.

My intention was to go on the Stone Jetty at Morecambe, but I swiftly had a change of mind, and made a U-turn when I saw this from the landward end of the jetty....

Off Broadway, up to 60 Eider and 2 Red-breasted Merganser seen. At Teal Bay, there was a nice variety of 8 species of waders roosting on the groyne, including 10 Bar-tailed Godwit and a lone Golden Plover, 2 species of wildfowl, 26 Wigeon, 4 Pintail, and 2 Great-crested Grebe.

It was good to be close up and see the birds come to feed as soon as the tide started to ebb.

In The Garden.

I found a Pygmy Shrew on Wednesday, a first for our garden, and a Buzzard was excellent low over the house, with great views of underwing plumage detail in the sunlight.

Pygmy Shrew (Deceased) Pete Woodruff

When it is active, the Pygmy Shrew has to eat every 2/3 hours to survive, it lives little more than a year, long enough for it to have two litters producing up to 6 young....Shucks!

Goodies Off Broadway!

Cold, overcast, and calm in the days before Darragh arrived, it was good enough for me to take a look at the incoming tide along Morecambe Promenade.

Strung out in groups of various size from Broadway to Bare, I counted at least 110 Eider. Also between Broadway and Teal Bay, 7 Great-crested Grebe and 5 Red-breasted Merganser. 

At Teal Bay, a Bar-tailed Godwit, was with Redshank and four other species. I always think it odd to see usually flocking waders as lone individuals. Also to note, 38 Wigeon, 8 Pintail, and a Wren seen a little out of context on the saltmarsh.

Scaup And Scoter.

 Scaup 4 December. Pete Woodruff.

One of the best from the visit was a female Scaup off Broadway, seen as an erratic and scarce winter visitor to Morecambe Bay.  

The Scaup was distant, but it was good to get some record footage of the scarcity, my first since I found a drake on Conder Pool 6 March. Last year there was just 21 records of Scaup in Lancashire, but included three singles in Morecambe Bay in November/December....Lancashire Bird Report 2023

Common Scoter. Paul Ellis.

But star birds were a drake and female Common Scoter which were also off Broadway. The Common Scoter doesn't feature very often in my records, in fact a clear indication of the rarity status for me, is that this is my first record since I found a female on Conder Pool 16 years ago on 27 October 2008. Seen as another duck scarce to our area, at best erratic, though sometimes seen as a common passage bird, for example flocks of 30 and 57 south past Heysham in August 2021....Birds of Lancaster & District 2021

Interesting that c.30 miles south of Morecambe, conversely I could have seen up to 2,000 Common Scoter off Blackpool North Shore on 16 November 2023....Lancashire Bird Report 2023.  

Thanks to Paul Ellis for his image of the Common Scoter at Shard Bridge 10 years ago in August 2014.

Stonechats.

It pleased me to receive three more wintering Stonechat records from Bowland recently, with a male seen on the top of Grit Fell by the adventurous Ian Mitchell. Also birds seen recently in Bowland by the ever reliable Andrew Cornall, a male by the Mountain Rescue Centre east of Langden, and a pair on Abbeystead Lane.

The Birds And Bees!

Pintail Williamson's Park. Pete Woodruff.

Having been surprised to find a drake Pintail on the pond in Williamson's Park on 6 March. I was later reliably informed of one being seen recently on the canal in Lancaster. Thinking this was almost certainly one and the same bird I went off to take a look, but was disappointed not to find the bird where it had been reported.

As a bit of compensation for dipping on the Pintail, a pair of Goosander were on the canal in the Moor Lane area.

A mosey around Williamson's Park was rewarded by my first 2 Chiffchaff of the year, also Nuthatch, a Goldcrest, and several singing Robin. The Standen Park Rook colony have built at least 15 nests, and I found my first Red Admiral of the year.

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for his header image of the Spotted Redshank which is currently being being seen in the creeks at Conder Green. I have seen this bird at least three times over the past weeks but always on the Lune Estuary, which is where I repeatedly keep seeing the Avocets, but not on Conder Pool where the best count to date has been twenty five.

Also interesting on Conder Pool, 2 Mediterranean Gull reported including a colour ringed bird. The two beauties in the video are an adult and 2nd summer that I found here 25 June 2019.

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

Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum. Pete Woodruff.

With a slowly developing interest in bees, in particular the Bombus Bumblebees. I was drawn to an interesting and worrying article in the Lune Valley Beekeepers January Newsletter, from which this is an extract....  

Cruiser SB.

Ban use of bee-killing pesticide in the UK, business chiefs tell government. The UK government should stop ignoring the science and block a bee-killing pesticide from being used, business leaders have said. 

The neonicotinoid pesticide Cruiser SB is used on sugar beet and is highly toxic to bees. It is banned in the EU but the UK has provisionally agreed to its emergency use every year since leaving the bloc. In 2017, the then environment secretary, Michael Gove, promised to use Brexit to ban all neonicotinoids. 

Government scientific advisers said in September they were not able to support an authorisation for Cruiser SB, because the “potential adverse effects to honeybees and other pollinators outweigh the likely benefits.”

Now a group of businesses that depend on pollinators, including some farmers and those who use botanicals in their products, have said the government must heed their advice and not allow bee-killing pesticides to be used. 

In a letter to Mark Spencer the farming minister, Anabel Kindersley the chief executive of Neal’s Yard Remedies, Tim Mead the head of Yeo Valley, as well as the boards of Lush and the Body Shop have all asked him to block Cruiser SB from use. “We need to listen to the scientists. Excessive pesticide use is killing our bees and other essential insect species that we rely on for a healthy, safe and clean environment,” they wrote. 

A single teaspoon of neonicotinoid is enough to deliver a lethal dose to 1.25bn bees. One-third of the UK bee population has disappeared in the last decade, and since 1900 the UK has lost 13 out of 35 native bee species.

Quiet Around The Lune Estuary....Again!

The lull before the storm migration takes off. But for what it's worth, high spring tides this week, 10.64m where I'm planning on going Tuesday. 

On Conder Pool, by the time I had noted the number had declined considerably from 4,000 recently to 1,500 Black-tailed Godwit today, a drake Scaup with 6 Tufted Duck had come into my view. This smart little drake was seen as another 'goodie' to add to the long list on Conder Pool, and was my first here since I found one 7 years ago in August 2017.

On the eerily quiet Lune Estuary at low tide, probably the same 9 Avocet as seen on 9 February/4 March, this time they were fragmented into 3 groups, 4 opposite Fishnet Point, 3 upstream opposite Waterloo Cottage, and 2 at the Conder mouth. The only other note was of 2 Goldeneye drake.

At Cockersand, the circuit was again quiet, but I had a brief view of a Barn Owl leaving its roost in a farm building, to perch on a post and return to roost 2 minutes later. A Sparrowhawk and later a Buzzard seen over fields, a Raven overhead on Slack Lane, from where c.35 Linnet poorly seen in the stubble field, and 4 Snipe exploded out of the ditch.

Through the doorway to the shell of a barn, I heard alarm calling which initially fooled me, until 4 Great Tit erupted out of the thicket.

Park and Garden.

Yes, this is the pond in Williamson's Park, and yes, this is a drake Pintail. 

I think Amazon have had a hand in the delivery of this duck here...I've seen the invoice!

And in the garden at dawn around at 6.15am, I watched a pair of Robin exploring the possibilities of using this open nest box for breeding....Definitely a case of watch this space.

On Wednesday, a Comma in the garden was my first, and the first one this year to be reported on the Butterfly Conservation website.

Thanks to Paul Ellis for the header image of the Scaup on Conder Pool Tuesday 5 March.

A Window Of Opportunity.

Some decent weather gave me a chance to get out on Wednesday, with another special day at Cockersand and around the Lune Estuary.

It was good to find a female Pochard on Conder Pool, seen as a declining winter visitor, and very irregular anywhere in our recording area. Other notes of interest were, the wintering pair of Stonechat, 2 Kingfisher which paid a visit to the perching post a few minutes apart from opposite directions. I saw just 5 Little Grebe and 2 Tufted Duck, and made some comfortably round figure estimates of 50 Mallard and 40 Wigeon. Also up to 150 Teal were seen between Conder Pool and the River Conder, and a Sparrowhawk flew into the hedgerow by the viewing platform, and few back out again 2 minutes later.

At Cockersand, there was just 85 Pink-footed Geese left from the 2,500 on 5 December, there was a notable count of 250 Curlew in a field off Slack Lane, 12 Goldfinch and 9 Greenfinch were around Bank Houses.

Hen Harrier. Simon Hawtin.

As I rounded the Lighthouse Cottage, a ringtail Hen Harrier appeared over the stubble field and eventually disappeared over Cockersand Abbey, almost certainly the same bird of 24 November over the marsh at the Caravan Park. As I left Cockersand, 2 Cattle Egret were off Moss Lane by Tomlinson's Farm.

Interesting and worrying, I saw not a single Whooper Swan today at Cockersand after recording up to 300 there 1 December.

Fifteen Black-tailed Godwit segregated from 3,000 Lune Estuary 13 December. A pity the light was fading for the video. 

Most notable on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, the count of at least 3,000 Black-tailed Godwit in three groups, 2,000 being at the mouth of the River Conder and upstream, and others on the shore below Colloway Marsh. Also of note, c.500 Dunlin and 80 Golden Plover.

I had the opportunity to call in at Teal Bay yesterday, where there was a nice variety of waders roosting on the groyne at high tide. Predominantly Oystercatcher with 9 Bar-tailed Godwit and Redshank. Also single figures of Turnstone, Knot and Dunlin, with Wigeon and 2 female Pintail. I had to mute the video to take out the annoying wind.

The Pintail.

The status of the Pintail in our recording area, is that of a common passage migrant and winter visitor. The Pintail I saw yesterday at Teal Bay, were the first I've seen in 4 years, when I noted them in 'large number' off Pilling Lane Ends on 15 October 2019....I have obviously not been to Cockersand on the right date. I was truly amazed when I found the record of 550 Pintail seen off Plover Scar 1 October 2023....LDBWS 

There is an interesting breeding record, that of a female Pintail with 7 ducklings at Alston Wetland on 27 May 2022, with still two young on 11 July, only the third breeding record for Lancashire since 49 years ago in 1973....Lancashire Bird Report 

Thanks to Ian Mitchell for the excellent header image of a pair of Pintail at Morecambe....In my book one of the smartest of ducks.  

A Change Of Scenery.

Curlew Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff. Clik the pik

I was desperate to get a pik for the post, so took this one of the Curlew on Conder Pool.

I wandered off down the A588 on Tuesday, but on the way, called in briefly to Conder Pool, I find it difficult to ignore Conder Pool....nay impossible to drive by and ignore. Today's count was 13 Little Grebe, 28 Curlew, with the ever faithful 5 Greenshank, in the creeks c.82 Teal.

Common Darter Lane Ends. Pete Woodruff. Clik the pik

It was about high tide when I got to Pilling Lane Ends, but it was way out, only the highest of tides cover the marsh here. There was a minimum of 3,000 Pink-footed Geese present, and although there was large numbers of wildfowl, Pintail and Teal seemed predominant, with 6 Great-crested Grebe to note. Thirty minutes around the woodlands here produced 2 Robin, and a Common Darter, seen as one of the last dragonflies to be encountered in autumn, flying into November.

A Buzzard drifted east over Fluke Hall, and 2 Raven were quite vocal around the pens west of here. At Cockers Dyke, 260 Golden Plover included some en-route on Pilling Sands, c.550 Dunlin, 110 Redshank, and a lone Knot.

Rossall Shorelark.

In a telephone conversation last night, I had reliable  - very reliable - info of a Shorelark at Rossall yesterday afternoon. I appropriately reported the bird to FBC.

LUSH COSMETICS UK.

Since July 2018 until June 2019, Lush have donated £11,927,720 to grassroots charities, movements, and campaigns world-wide, including the fight against Hen Harrier persecution.

I recently did a clean up of my sidebar and deleted them from it. I now regret doing that, and am going to reinstate the link to Lush on there again.  

Estuary Notes Weds 25 Oct.

When I met Andrew and Michael at Conder Green, there was a couple of surprises in store for us all. Just when we thought we'd seen the last of the hirundines for 2019 save the odd straggler, the skies over the picnic area seen from Conder Pool, held in excess of 100 House Martin, widely spread and milling around. Prior to the martins, c.50 Swallow had been over Conder Green, and c.120 Goldfinch were flighty over the marsh and feeding on Sea Aster seeds.

This was followed by the surprise of 2 Pintail female on Conder Pool, and was another first for the pool, I can find none in my book in 16 years of watching here. Also on the pool, 106 Black-headed Gull, 18 Little Grebe, a Meadow Pipit, Kingfisher, and a Common Sandpiper, with a second bird seen in the creeks.

Mediterranean Gull. Pete Woodruff. Clik the pik

On the Lune Estuary, the recently ever changing number was of 550 Golden Plover today, 18 Snipe, 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Greenshank, and 4 Mediterranean Gull being two adult and two 1st winter, a Black Swan was in the company of a juvenile Mute Swan. A short distance on the canal, between the basin and Christ Church, 5 Migrant Hawker seen. 

Black-necked Grebe juvenile Len Blumin@Flickr.com 

Although pretty laborious, especially now the number can reach a peak of twenty on occasions, the exercise of always counting the Little Grebe on Conder Pool, serves the purpose of checking individuals to find an odd one out amongst them again one day. I found a juvenile Black-necked Grebe here 11 years ago on 1 October 2008, it stayed for 17 days.     

Tuesdays Top Ten.

I don't do braving the elements any more, I used to have to brave all elements thrown at me when I was delivering milk for a living at four in the morning, but I got paid for it then. So my birding was on hold Tuesday, until the rain stopped, the weather picked up and off I went for a couple of hours - four actually - around Aldcliffe, where I enjoyed seeing three migrant species had arrived.

The walk along the embankment wasn't excactly the equal of the East Bank at Cley in Norfolk, but it rewarded me with my first Chiffchaff, a silent bird giving great views as it flit amongst the bare branches. Of 6 Wheatear seen, five were in the flooded field at the bottom of Aldcliffe Hall Lane which included three male, and another male opposite Snipe Bog.

Little Ringed Plover Antonio Puigg 

Around the Wildfowlers Pools, a Little Ringed Plover, with 4 Ringed Plover being more interesting and probably the rarer record of the two for Aldcliffe, also 3 Pintail were seen as a drake and two female, and a Little Grebe, the pools were otherwise near deserted. In the field by the Frog Pond, 62 Black-tailed Godwit which included two stunner's in near full islandica rufous summer plumage, and on Freeman's Pools I noted 7 Gadwall, 6 Goldeneye, and 4 Shoveler. 

It doesn't take much to make birding good birding for me, and this afternoon was good.

Lune Estuary Avocet.

I note an Avocet reported yesterday at the Conder mouth on the Lune Estuary, where it/one was seen on 28 March, having been seen earlier on Conder Pool until evicted to the estuary by a Black-headed Gull. 

No Surprises There Then.

Friday was one of those 'couple of free hours in the afternoon' days, so I managed to squeeze a circuit of Aldcliffe into it, though it threw up no surprises.

Freeman's Pools was quiet, with little more than a dozen birds present, but of note were 4 Gadwall, 3 Goldeneye, and 3 Little Grebe. From the path to Marsh Point, a Goldcrest and Kestrel, 2 Black-tailed Godwit were on the river with a handful of Black-headed Gull.

The walk along the embankment was anything but pleasant in a strong cold wind, and was the road to nowhere. On the flood, as opposed to my last visit here 6 March when I saw it crawling with in excess of 800 birds, today 65 noted, 28 Redshank, 24 Teal, 11 Pied Wagtail, a lone Dunlin, and a Little Egret.

The Wildfowlers Pool was also much quieter, but a pair of Pintail were nice, with 5 Shoveler, four of which were drakes, 4 Little Grebe, and a pretty smart looking male Sparrowhawk over the pool, but surprisingly few of the wildfowl budged.

The Aldcliffe Snipe.

Snipe @ Pasion por las aves 

A Snipe was hunkered down in a small shallow hollow out in the open on the Wildfowlers Pool, but left the hollow when a Moorhen approached it. The Snipe scuttled a few paces away from the Moorhen, whilst fanning it's tail and cocking it upright, similar to but not as exaggerated as in the excellent image captured by Antonio Puigg.

I found no reference (BWP) to this behaviour by the Snipe, which was taken to be one of aggression towards the Moorhen, though the Snipe made no move towards it, but rather moved away from it. When the Moorhen had moved off, the Snipe soon returned to the hollow from where it had been disturbed....Amazing and interesting.   

On With The Show.

Stonechats.

With 3 Stonechat seen Tuesday on the tide wrack at Aldcliffe Marsh, a male from the embankment behind the Wildfowlers Pools, and a male and female in the Snipe Bog area, they continue to show nicely for me, with a total of 14 Stonechat seen on three consecutive days this week looking good in my records....Bring 'em on!

I gave Aldcliffe - Stodday a four hour going over on Tuesday, making a start at Freeman's Pools as far as the back side of Ashton Golf Club before doing a U turn back to Freeman's Pools, where I had earlier noted, 14 Goldeneye, 5 Gadwall, and 4 Little Grebe. Also of note on Aldcliffe Marsh, 142 Golden Plover.

I'd have to refer to the condition of the flood at the bottom of Aldcliffe Hall Lane, as the best I've ever seen it, now covering almost a quarter of the field, it was crawling with up to 550 Dunlin feeding frantically with 138 Black-tailed Godwit, also 10 Snipe, 5 Pintail, and 120 Black-headed Gull. 

Snipe. Pete Woodruff.

On the Wildfowlers Pools, 2 Ringed Plover scarce here, 4 Snipe, 11 Shoveler, 4 Goldeneye, and 4 Little Grebe. I made no count of the Teal and Wigeon here, though the latter were few. From a distance I saw up to 650 Pink-footed Geese come up off the Frog Pond field, but I was distracted as to what happened next and I never saw them again.

Counts along the way, 24 Blackbird and 5 Robin, with a lone Long-tailed Tit, and a small mixed flock was of 8 Reed Bunting with Goldfinch. I watched a Kestrel drop into a field behind the hedge, then saw it flying low over the field to rise into the air with a vole in it's talons. 

Little Grebe.

The Little Grebe's on Freeman's Pools were very vocal, and I was treated to a chorus of resounding whinnying for long periods....Magic.


Footnote.

It was good to be sent news from the ever reliable AC, that he'd found seven Stonechat yesterday, with six on the Fylde, and the Cockerham Sands female seen again. 

The Wildfowl Have It....Again.

I decided to give Cockersand and the howling cold wind a miss on Friday, instead I cut the estuary visit short and got my nose in on the parish of Aldcliffe for a couple of hours where wildfowl was the main feature.

With 3 Goldeneye and a Red-breasted Merganser all there was to note on Conder Pool, up to 450 Black-headed Gull dropped in, presumably a fragment of the couple of thousand seen off Jeremy Lane in the large recently sprayed field, on their way back to the Lune Estuary.

I legged it along the coastal path from Conder Green to Glasson Dock to find the low tide estuary pretty much the same as Wednesday, with just 75 Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Goldeneye of any significant note. On the canal basin, 9 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander drake, and a Great-crested Grebe, with the two drake Pochard 'missing'. A mooch along Jeremy Lane had me find 22 Whooper Swan in a field, split down the middle adult/juvenile.

Shoveler. Bob Bushell 

On Freeman's Pools, 56 Wigeon, 10 Gadwall, 8 Goldeneye, and 2 Little Grebe. A wander in a straight line with no detours along the road as far as Aldcliffe Hall Lane, found the Wildfowler's Pools like a series of lakes, 2 Goldeneye seen, with 10 Shoveler a notable count. A loud croaking Carrion Crow overhead, drew my attention to the Buzzard it was mobbing.

The Pintail.

Pintail. Bob Bushell  

I'm not all that well versed with the history of Aldcliffe, and had thought the drake Pintail I saw on the Wildfowlers' Pools was something of a scarcity there, but have since noted it on the Aldcliffe List for 2016/17, and my seeing six 2 years ago on Tuesday 15 March 2016, but I've no doubt it ever rises above occasional here, as the thirteen seen last Wednesday off Plover Scar.

Grey Partridge.

A bird with Red List status seen at Aldcliffe was the lone Grey Partridge which I watched heading away from me below the hedgerow in a stubble field. 

Grey Partridge. Geoff Gradwell.

The last Grey Partridge I saw was almost 2 years ago on 13 March 2016, and by quite a coincidence my record then reads....'seen below a hedgerow in a stubble field at Aldcliffe'. My previous record to this one was 4 years ago, when there was two birds seen at Cockersand on 13 May 2014.

Many thanks to Marc for the header, and to Bob and Geoff for their Pintail/Partridge images, all excellent, and all much appreciated.

Ducktacular!

Following Mondays spectacle, there was another on Wednesday, when I walked the length of coastline from Crook Farm to Bank End by which time I'd estimated at least 5,500 Wigeon stretching the entire length in some impressive rafts drifting in on the tide and including 13 Pintail and 12 Shoveler.

Stonechat Cockerham Sands 7 February. Pete Woodruff.

On the way to Bank End I saw the Cockerham Sands female Stonechat again. In the field NW of Bank End Farm, 245 Whooper Swan were accompanied by 2 Bewick's Swan. Returning from here, 7 Greenfinch seen, and 35 Twite were in the rough field behind Bank House Cottage.

At Conder Green I found 8 Little Grebe, my best count here in up to 3 months, probably dispersed from some frozen pool somewhere, six of these were in the creeks and two on Conder Pool which was almost frozen over save a small area where the grebe's had taken advantage with a Mute Swan which I reckon was responsible for the ice free patch. Also in the creeks, a Goosander noted, and the Common Sandpiper was down the River Conder from the iron bridge, and had the entire channel to itself.


The canal basin was also frozen over except for an area at the SW corner where the two Pochard drake were with a lone Moorhen, 46 Coot were mainly stood on the ice. 

 

Low Tide Lune Estuary Glasson. Pete Woodruff.

Birds were all over the place on the low tide estuary at Glasson Dock, but there was no decent counts to be seen, the best example I could find was little more than 175 Golden Plover, 45 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Goldeneye, a Greenshank, and a Red-breasted Merganser, a Merlin was distant on Colloway Marsh.