Scratching The Surface.

Tip of the iceberg stuff in the expanse that is the Forest of Bowland, where we'll never know the true picture on the status of birds, in particular my very own favourite. 

A trip up the west and east sides of Hawthornthwaite Fell earlier in the week, had my tally reaching 41 Stonechat at three locations visited in Bowland over 19 days. On the west side, 4 Stonechat, at least 80 Meadow Pipit and 4 Red Grouse. Butterflies seen, 16 Red Admiral, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, a Peacock and Comma.

Something of a surprise was a grounded racing Pigeon which was found to be marked, Pink left, White right. Enquiries with a neighbouring pigeon fancier about my find, indicated the colour combination was of a bird ringed in England. The bird was a smart individual with immaculate plumage, it appeared to be in good health and was feeding on heather seed.

On the east side of Hawthornthwaite, 4 Stonechat, a lone Meadow Pipit and 5 Red Grouse. Butterflies, 10 Small Tortoiseshell, a Red Admiral and Peacock. A Stoat ran across the grit track ahead of me. 

As I got to the gate to go back out and on to the Trough Road at Marshaw, I had a fleeting glimpse of two small butterflies between the canopies of two large Oaks. Purple Hairstreak surely?....but I don't record possible/probable.  

The Spider.

I watched this Garden Spider spinning its web as one of the endless wonders of the natural world for us all to see, the energy and determination of this creature fascinated me. In the present climate we find ourselves in, I had 84 secs of chilling out therapy in my own garden. 

VIEW FULL SCREEN

Quiet Please!

All quiet in the west....well my west anyway.

The plan was to get to Plover Scar before the high tide on Friday, I was hoping maybe the last straggling Sanderling might put in an appearance as they head off north, but it didn't happen. I hung around for a half hour to no avail, the scar held no more than forty waders, 29 Ringed Plover, 7 Dunlin, 3 Oystercatcher, and a lone Turnstone which was presumably the same bird seen on here 26 May. 

With most of the fields at Cockersand resembling bowling greens, I saw one Skylark singing it's seemingly endless flight song, 2 Whitethroat were seen as one with a tasty caterpillar which landed on scrub to bring a second bird out to fly off whilst the other disappeared into the scrub with lunch for nestlings. The 2 Whooper Swan were seen in the junction field though the long staying Shovelers have moved on, a single House Martin was over, and a Sedge Warbler was on Slack Lane as I drove away. A Stoat ran across the road ahead of me, and butterflies noted were, 2 Painted Lady and a Small Tortoiseshell.

In the thirty minutes I was viewing Conder Pool only the sitting Common Tern was present on the pontoon, until just before I left the other bird came in to take it's turn to brood whilst it's mate flew off. Also on the pool, the Little Grebe, 45 Black-tailed Godwit, 22 Redshank, and 17 Black-headed Gull. I noted just one well grown young Oystercatcher with the previously seen two smaller young nowhere to be seen.

An update of the Avocet on Conder Pool. 

Seven adult seen on Friday, with the first two young having avoided all manner of predation and still feeding contentedly. There are two birds sitting, with the fourth pair appearing to be just hanging around and not going to nest on the front edge of the island as I had initially thought.

The Mole.


The most unexpected sight today was that of a Mole scurrying by the roadside at Cockersand, but soon disappearing into the hedgerow. My first ever of a creature that spends almost it's entire life underground, though they do occasionally emerge following long periods of dry weather when there may be a shortage of food.

WOT NO PIKS

Time For A Rant.

Spare a minute to take a look at the video and reach your own conclusions about the sickening attitude the countryside Rambo's from the dark ages with guns have on the surplus Pheasants from a shoot, then ask yourself questions like....is this why Natural England - Unnatural England actually - decided to hand out licenses to shoot Buzzard's to protect another bird species so that it can be shot then dumped in a stink pit to rot.

I can assure you there's nothing new here, I've found similar dumps in Bowland over the years, where I go as many times as anyone else does, and more times than most. On one occasion, as if to add to the sickness, the birds had been torched, which is what these same people will be doing to the moors shortly, all in the name of keeping an industry which kills for fun, thriving.

All this is the side salad of a multi-million pound industry, an industry involved in setting traps to kill anything which gets in the way of the success of it, the Fox, Stoat, and Weasel, are but a few examples, along with thousands of Mountain Hare slaughtered in Scotland annually.    

Pint Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please!

A brief look in on Conder Pool on Monday had the pair of Common Tern on Tern Island with a single Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Swift were loitering overhead. Seven Eider hauled out were the only birds keeping the Lune Estuary alive at Glasson Dock, with 2 House Martin collecting mud below the bowling green. A scour of the hedgerows on and around Jeremy Lane produced nothing save a Buzzard on a stone gate post distant behind Aspley Farm.

Ringed Plover/Dunlin. Cockersand. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersands, at least 500 waders in a field off Slack Lane comprised of c.65% Ringed Plover together with Dunlin and a single Turnstone. Thirty minutes later up turned Mr Farmer and an accomplice complete with two tractors and machinery to put them to flight, this joined forces with the pair of goons out on Plover Scar at near high tide and not a bird in sight....Good eh!!

Sedge Warbler. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery

Otherwise a bit of a rake around produced my first 2 Sedge Warbler seen together by a reed-lined ditch, 2 Wheatear were by the abbey ruins, 2 White Wagtail were on the headland, and bringing up the rear, a Stoat was on Slack Lane.

Epilogue.

I don't find it easy to make negative comments about birds and my birding and rarely do, but to be honest, I may as well have spent today in the Dalton Arms at Glasson Dock....Pint of lager and a packet of crisps please!

Making The Most Of It!

Snow Bunting Jan Larsson

Twelve months to the day - 10 November 2014 - I found a Snow Bunting on Plover Scar at Cockersands. Yesterday at Cockersands birding was nothing more than dire, and a Snow Bunting on the anniversary would have helped pull my day out of the mire.

Over the lighthouse cottage c.50 Black-tailed Godwit flew south, two hours later as I returned towards the cottage, it had to be the same fifty birds flew back north. There was a howler blowing along the headland, with nothing more than c.400 Oystercatcher on Plover Scar at high tide, 3 Greenfinch were at the Caravan Park....

Stoat. Phillip Tomkinson @ Wildsnaps

and a Stoat on the circuit was complete with a mouse between it's teeth.

Now a lake once again, Conder Pool held 3 Goosander, and 9 Little Grebe was my best of three attempts to count. The Common Sandpiper, 7 Black-tailed Godwit and c.65 Teal were of note in the creeks.

Weather and birds this was grim, I just had to make the most of it, but I would'nt have birding any other way....

Not what you will see
But rather what you might
The element of surprise
Never fails to delight

Thanks to Jan and Phillip for their excellent images....the Stoat exactly as I saw mine yesterday with it's victim firmly in it's jaws.   

Patch Of The Day!

Wednesday 3 June.

Common Tern. Conder Pool. Sept 2014. Dan Haywood.

I'm looking forward to this kind of result on Conder Pool hopefully by early August. I last saw both these birds - one of them a runt - with an adult on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock on 12 September 2014, from were they hopefully departed on migration southward towards their wintering quarters along the West African coast, mostly Mauritania to Nigeria.

Birders have told me this years Common Terns on Conder Pool appear to have gone, but the truth is they've been present on three visits I've made since their arrival on 22 May and were still there on Wednesday. I reckon she's already laid eggs and is sitting tight, though male and female Common Tern both incubate. If you train a telescope on the box they're using you'll occasionally see the black of the crown as the bird lifts it's head a little....great stuff.

Also of note on a quiet Conder Pool, a drake Wigeon not seen since the back end of winter, 3 Tufted Duck, and a Little Egret. Good numbers of manly Swift, with Sand Martin and a House Martin were all hawking over the pool as they have been on every visit I made here since 19 May when there was at least 50 Swift. I watched a male Redshank in the creeks displaying and eventually mating, 4 Goosander were upstream on the river from the road bridge. House Martin are visiting nests at two properties, where one bird is going to a nest above where a gleaming compact disc had been hung as a deterrent, but which now appears to have fallen off, I'm hoping there's to be no more disturbance or worse to these birds here. On Jeremy Lane I saw a Whitethroat and a Stoat dodging back into the overgrown ditch when it saw me approaching. 

At Cockersands, Plover Scar at high tide held little more than 60 waders being, c.40 Ringed Plover, 15 Dunlin, and 4 Oystercatcher, 36 Dunlin and 12 Ringed Plover came on to the shingle below the lighthouse car park. On a wander I saw 9 Skylark, 6 Linnet were flighty in the abbey area, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Wheatear, 2 Reed Bunting, a Sedge Warbler, and a Stock Dove, c.40 Lapwing as a flock came down into a field....looks like it's autumn!

Saturday Birds.

Weekend birding is a rare event for me, but last Saturdays decision to go for it turned out to be a good one, if only because.....

Corn Bunting Simon Hawtin 

....I found a Corn Bunting at Cockersands, being the first one I ever saw in our recording area despite all my years of birding, the bird was found on a roadside fence post on the east side of Abbey Farm. Searching through the past ten years of local annual reports the Corn Bunting has been regularly seen in our recording area, all have been at Cockersands with the exception of three sightings, two at Sand Villa and one at Braides Farm, though two years had no reports, and one year the species got no mention.

Whitethroat. Howard Stockdale.

Also noted at Cockersands, 3 Whitethroat included one collecting nesting material, good views of a Sedge Warbler presumably nesting as it was scolding as I watched and I got a good sound recording of this. I saw 5 Skylark, and saw three young Lapwing bringing my total to five birds this year all in uncultivated fields. Twenty two Eider and a pair of Great-crested Grebe were the only birds I saw on the sea despite several scans from Cockersands Lighthouse to Rossall Point.

Stoat. Phillip Tomkinson @ Wildsnaps

I glimpsed a Stoat at Cockersands crossing the road with prey in it's jaws before disappearing into an overgrown ditch, it appeared to be a young bird, possibly Lapwing and certainly not a mammal as in the excellent PT image above.

On Jeremy Lane, 2 Reed Bunting and a single Tree Sparrow seen. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I saw six geese, three of which were Greylag having characteristics of the Eastern race rubrirostris being much paler and distinctly cleaner grey, with a pink bill, they were accompanied by 3 Canada Geese, but there's more on these three Greylags in a post to follow, 7 Eider were the only other birds I noted on the estuary.

A Common Tern was over the canal basin at Glasson Dock, probably one of the Conder Pool birds where the female was seen settled into one of the boxes and was later joined by the male. Swift and Sand Martin were over the pool, and a pair of Tufted Duck and Little Egret were present. In the creeks I noted a single Dunlin with Redshank, and on a wander round Conder Green, a Reed Warbler heard, a pair of Reed Bunting and Linnet seen, with House Martins visiting nests at River Winds and Cafe d' Lune. 

Is It A Bird!....No 2.

No....it's another butterfly, but this one didn't quite get the award as the Painted Lady did last Friday, to much bird competition this time.

Brimstone. Warren Baker @ Pittswoodpatch 

But it was good to see the Brimstone butterfly yesterday over the horse paddock at Bank Houses, Cockersands, an excellent follow-on to the Painted Lady last week. Thanks for the image Warren.  

Curlew Sandpiper. Cockersands. 20 April. Pete Woodruff.

It was also good that Sunday's Curlew Sandpipers had hung around for me to see them on Plover Scar yesterday. A visit at high tide produced the birds, one in summer plumage, the other in the process of attaining it. A return visit two hours after high tide had the same two on the scar, plus another off the lighthouse cottage car park. Also on Plover Scar, estimates of 500 Dunlin and 150 Ringed Plover, with a Whimbrel seen. 

White Wagtail. Cockersands. 20 April. Peter Rhind.

Off Crook Farm I counted 108 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Wheatear were along the headland, and I saw 3 White Wagtail including the classic in the image above for which I thank Peter Rhind. At least 100 Linnet were flighty and fragmented, and c.150 Golden Plover are still loafing around in the fields.  

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock showed c.120 Black-tailed Godwit, 50 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 25 Knot. And at Conder Green, a Goldeneye, at least 15 Tufted Duck, and a Little Egret were on Conder Pool. In the creeks, a Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, and the lone Black-tailed Godwit. And on the circuit, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Long-tailed Tit, and a Kestrel. Two pair of House Martin are repairing last years nests at Cafe d' Lune. A Stoat was on the pool perimeter, not good news for the nesting birds there. 

I watched a Dunlin come within a whisker of loosing it's life to a powerhouse Peregrine Falcons talons at Cockersands today, the falcon few off to make a strike somewhere else. 

Waders In On The Pool.

Conder Pool was looking decent late morning on Friday. As the tide came in it began to look even better when the waders were gradually pushed off the Conder and Lune Estuary, by the time I left at 1.00pm there was at least 80 birds present.

Ruff And Company. Pete Woodruff.

Two Common Sandpiper have it looking like we may have an extra one this winter at Conder Green, the 2 Ruff still remain here, 2 Spotted Redshank seen again, with 5 Greenshank, 3 Snipe, and 48 Redshank counted. A Kingfisher was on the outlet briefly, and the peak count of 14 Little Grebe were also present and correct again today, as were the two faithful Wigeon and a Little Egret. I saw c.60 Goldfinch over the marsh. Apologies for a repeat of my dodgy photographic efforts but couldn't resist having another shot at the Ruff. 

The Lune Estuary held too much tide for the waders to have returned but I did see 7 Ringed Plover hanging on to what little mud was uncovered. Three Little Egret seen, and a ringed Black-headed Gull could well have been 6CY seen here 1 September but was too distant to read this time.

I really should have missed out the visit to Cockersands with the clock against me, but in what short time I spent there, a Wheatear, 35 Linnet, and a Kestrel noted. 

Stoat Phillip Tomkinson 

A Stoat was ahead of the motor on Moss Lane, on the hunt and in search of a meal, and at one point did it's sit up and beg Meerkat impression.

If you plan a visit to Conder Green in early October, you might be interested in the road works sign in place at the end of the lay-by at Conder Pool. I have a feeling there may be restrictions to view the pool from the platform. 

Earlybird.

Snow Bunting. Marc Heath.

Marc Heath reports 'Early Snow' at Reculver in Kent on Thursday 25 September. Thanks Marc....excellent images of this early bird.

On The Move.

The Common Sandpipers at Conder Green are always amongst the first to show themselves as early movers having been there since last month.

Sanderling Brian Rafferty

But on Thursday I had more evidence of movement when on Plover Scar at Cockersands I found 2 Sanderling, at best a rare autumn migrant here and a delight to see. They were accompanied by 5 Whimbrel seen as more movers. A Wheatear was off the headland, my first autumn bird and was another species to join the 'Movers Club' along with a 'few' Meadow Pipit. 

Merlin. Phillip Tomkinson.

Bringing up the rear of movers at Cockersands was a Merlin, a juvenile/female down from the moors at an early date skimming low over the field off Slack Lane. 

A thorough search of Plover Scar just after high tide had me finding two adult Ringed Plover but no sign of any young, but I'm still not prepared to call this final as these birds could well have had their heads down amongst the stones so will give it another try hopefully on Monday. Others on the scar, estimates of 350 Oystercatcher, 60 Dunlin, a Little Egret, and 4 Eider off here. Swallow were in good number over the fields, with an odd House Martin or two, also with counts less than a double figure, Linnet, and Tree Sparrow. 

Stoat. Phillip Tomkinson.

As I drove along Moss Lane a Stoat ran ahead of me for a while on the grass verge.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, numbers of Lapwing and Curlew are building up, and I saw 5 Pink-footed Geese here again, with at least 15 Greylag, 2 Goosander, and 2 Little Egret. Unable to ever drive past and ignore Conder Pool, a few minutes here gave a Common Tern on the island, with 6 Common Sandpiper in the creeks, and a Grey Wagtail noted.

Thanks to BR for the Sanderling, and to PT for the Merlin and the Stoat, they are really appreciated. 

My Best Shot!

I gave Conder Green and the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock - if not my best shot - at least a good shot yesterday, but could only give Cockersands a short visit....not enough hours in some of my days.

At Conder Green 54 Wigeon is my best count on Conder Pool this winter, also 4 Tufted Duck and 7 Little Grebe noted, 2 Goosander went over and towards the estuary, and a Dunnock seen.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I counted 80 Goldeneye, but I note the report of an excellent all time best this winter of 122 seen here late afternoon. Also of note, c.300 Black-tailed Godwit were only a half the number seen here Wednesday 12 February, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, Little Egret, and 3 Little Grebe, a Merlin attacked the waders twice 15 minutes apart and came close to causing the end for a Dunlin on the second run. From Bodie Hill 11 Bewick's Swan seen. 

Whooper Swan Gary Jones

On Moss Lane numbers have increased yet again and yesterday's count was of 290 Whooper Swan and at least 8 Bewick's Swan, some of these birds have been in this field for over a month now when I found 32 Whooper Swan and 16 Bewick's Swan on 15 January. I think Gary's Whooper Swan may have featured on Birds2blog before but not too worried about that if it has. Thanks Gary.....Brilliant image.

If the Snow Bunting was still present at Cockersands for its 36th day it evaded me, but I noted 43 Black-tailed Godwit and 87 Dunlin being pushed in ever closer by the incoming tide.... 

Stoat In Ermine Norse and Viking

....and saw a Stoat just beginning to come out of its winter ermine.  I have no records to hand of Stoat in winter ermine, but reckon I've seen around 16 over the years mostly in our area.

Another bit of depression....

....but don't fret there are some brilliant pics too, in any case I'm going to keep 'the depression' brief and void of too much waffle.

I'm determined to have the benefit of a blog to pump out the news now and again about the kind of problems our wildlife look set to endure for evermore....perhaps you'd like to take a look at THIS 

If you visit the vast upland areas of Bowland as I often do you can't fail to come across traps, cages, and people with guns to 'control' just about anything that can possibly be labelled a 'pest', not least of all if its a raptor or a corvid, but also if its a Fox, Stoat, Weasel and more, I even came across a trap recently which I discovered was to catch a Grey Squirrel. OK....so what's the problem with a Grey Squirrel in Bowland, it's as if you name it and its a problem and a pest if it comes into contact with the Red Grouse and the Pheasant the 'Darling birds of Bowland', and certainly is if it's 'suspected' of having them on the menu....but a Grey Squirrel!

Well I said I'd keep it brief and you will have noted the joke about this 'person' in Scotland who was fined £450 for being responsible for the unnecessary death of the Buzzard which was his intention in the first place....wasn't it, well he did'nt release the bird - a protected wild creature - from a cage, in any case his employer will probably earn that much by the day - and more - and he'll pay the fine anyway....this is called justice, in this case for the Buzzard.

On a lighter note, and to celebrate the Spain 4 Italy 0 Euro 2012 result, heres another 3 from Spain to make it 7-0 which is what the score would have been had either of these teams played England.

Great-spotted Cuckoo Ana Minguez

If you're living in the UK like me you'll need to be lucky to get this one in your book of ticks. The Great-spotted Cuckoo, this one is a juvenile. The first record of GSC in Britain was in 1870 in Northhumberland, though one was found in Ireland 28 years earlier in 1842 at  Omey Island, Galway. 

Penduline Tit Isidro Ortiz

And another the Penduline Tit, you'll need some luck to see one of these in the UK though certainly possible as an accidental here, the first record of which was only claimed  46 years ago in 1966 at Spurn, East Yorkshire. 

Crested Tit Antonio Puigg

The Crested Tit, is largely confined to the ancient Caledonian Pine Forests and Scots Pine Plantations. Thanks to AM/IO/AP for these excellent images.

Well, that was a good idea!

I only managed half of my plan today as I got quite carried away with my observations in Bowland between Marshaw and Trough Bridge on a visit which turned out to be 'a good idea' and very rewarding. But first one of my - now becoming - regular pics showing the respect some of the natives have for our countryside....

Human Remains in the Forest of Bowland. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to find 10 Spotted Flycatcher still very active between the two aforementioned points, also good to find 8 Redstart including two juveniles, 7 Siskin including good views of a young bird, and 7 Grey Wagtail were along the length of the stream.  



Spotted Flycatcher Marc Heath

Also noted, 4 Nuthatch, 10 Coal Tit, 2 Goldcrest, 8 Meadow Pipit, 2 Mistle Thrush, a Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, 2 Red Grouse, a Kestrel, and a Stoat, an excellent 3.5 hours in an equally excellent part of the world....A coffee and buttie and I was off to Hawthornthwaite.

View from Hawthornthwaite Fell. Pete Woodruff.

Well being a pic of mine not the best result in the world, of the view over the inner Morecambe Bay to the distant and hazy Lakeland Mountains. I was at least a little satisfied to find a pair of Stonechat up here today, though my last visit on 30 June produced nine, being a pair with five young and a pair. Also seen today, 2 Wheatear, and at least 12 Sand Martin in the air and around the c.15 nest hole colony - not all of which have been active - but which has had some obvious success with two young seen with heads at the hole this afternoon. Two Kestrel were the only other birds seen up here, and I saw only six butterflies in as many hours, three of which were too distant and escaped ID, the other three being 2 Green-veined White, and a Peacock.

View from Hawthornthwaite Fell. Pete Woodruff.

A slightly better result from Hawthornthwaite Fell. By the way, the other was taken through my binoculars.

Please take a look at Marc Heaths blog, he currently has some stunning images of the rare Willow Emerald Damselfly.

These boots were made for walking....

Nancy Sinatra....didn't do anything for me this song.

Whilst the weather is this good I thought I'd do some legwork in the Forest of Bowland and check out a few hidden corners along the way.

Three Peaks. Peter Guy.

Peter Guy is obviously a mind reader as today he sent me this brilliant B/W photograph of the Three Peaks taken from the top of Catlow Fell. An appropriate picture for this post on Birds2blog as the Forest of Bowland is where I've been today.

I first called in at Christ Church at Abbeystead to find about 8 House Martins overhead all the time I was there but no breeding activity seen, a pair of Great-spotted Woodpecker and a Stoat running along a wall was surely in for a kill with several Rabbits in the churchyard. A couple of hours up the Hawthornthwaite access track from Marshaw was worth the effort if only to find a Painted Lady butterfly, only my fourth this year and only the fifth recorded in our area, 30 Meadow Pipits were seen in one hour on the outward leg  and a 'large' number of Swallows > South, 2 Red Grouse, and a Dipper.

Up the track behind Tower Lodge I found at least 3 Spotted Flycatchers - but had five sightings - but these three had to be relegated by the Whinchat I found thirty minutes later, also of note 2 Song Thrush, 2 Blackbirds, a Treecreeper, 6 Coal Tits, 8 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Kestrel, a Buzzard, and Peregrine Falcon. Heading towards Winfold Fell I saw 7 Red Grouse including a pair with three juveniles.

And finally....

 

Little Egret. Gary Jones.

Gary also appropriately supplied me with this photograph of the Little Egret of which an amazing ninety four went to roost at Leighton Moss last night, info from the LDBWS website. I suppose the title for this picture has to be 'Who ruffled your feathers then'.

I have it on good authority of a juvenile Little Ringed Plover on Conder Pool yesterday, also on the same good authority of a pair of Stonechat with four young up from Cross of Greet Bridge which is excellent news.         

Running Late.

I was waylaid last night and Tuesdays birding records come a day late.

Water Vole. Courtesy of Kirkstall Creatures.

As is often the case I have no appropriate pics for the day but Linda has HERE, a good blog which I follow. Please take a look and find excellent photographs like the one above of the exquisite Water Vole.

At Conder Green 2 Little Egret were seen as I rounded the corner by the Stork Hotel. OK it's a few years ago now, but who would ever have thought the first bird you'd see at Conder Green would be the Little Egret, but ten years on an amazing eighty eight went to roost at Leighton Moss last night per LDBWS . Conder Pool was quiet although 7 Little Grebe are making their comeback on here but would have escaped any prying eye from the platform but didn't mine from the viewpoint at the west end, the 3 Wigeon are still here, a Kingfisher flew in, and a Common Sandpiper appears to be the only one left. On the circuit I found 3 Spotted Redshank two of which were juveniles, up to 6 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 5 Snipe, 6 more Wigeon were in the Conder channel below the railway bridge, about 6 House Martins are still visiting nests at River Winds, and I watched a Stoat swim across the creeks with two Redshank wading after it, only the second one I ever saw swimming the first being ten years ago at Snettisham in Norfolk when a Coot went after it as the Redshank had done here. The Lune Estuary was uninspiring though I counted at least 800 Redshank conveniently close, and a Little Egret over by Waterloo Cottage which is where most of the gulls were in a heat haze.

At Cockersands - where the Yellow Wagtails keep turning up but never whilst I'm here - I saw 5 Wheatear, and estimated at least 200 Golden Plover appropriately on Plover Scar, incredibly camouflaged and easily overlooked, whilst counting I heard a Whimbrel. On the circuit I found 15 Tree Sparrow, 25 Goldfinch, nearly a double figure of 8 Greenfinch and saw a Peregrine Falcon and 2 Buzzards soaring high.

A detour round Gulf Lane produced another 2 Buzzard with another seen later at Fluke Hall where I found a Whitethroat, and another Little Egret. Butterflies today were c.30 Small Tortoiseshell, c.8 Speckled  Wood, and a Wall Brown.

And finally....

       Migrant Hawker. Courtesy of Kirkstall Creatures.  

An excellent photograph of the female Migrant Hawker. Thanks again for these Linda they are much appreciated. 

National 'MEGA' news - all in East Yorkshire - is of an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler at Flamborough Head, a 'possible' Sykes Warbler at Spurn, and a 'probable' Collared Flycatcher also at Spurn.

I'm about to check the Oxford English Dictionary meanwhile, does anyone know the difference between the definition of  'possible' and 'probable' please.  

A bit of a plod!

But first....

Southern Hawker. Ian Tallon.

Thanks to Ian Tallon for the image of the Southern Hawker at Foulshaw Moss....a good bit of timing once again Ian which helped to add interest and brighten up the blog.

Accompanied by JB/BT it was a bit of a plod somehow today and things started with Conder Green/Pool being much quieter than it had been on Tuesday, birds noted were, 2 Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, Ruff, 4 Common Sandpiper, and a Stoat was seen to scuttle across the road.

Its quite amazing how bird numbers can fluctuate wildly and are more noticeable when you visit an area regularly, the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock was also very quiet today with just c.250 Redshank noted and a Little Egret distant on Colloway Marsh. The 'gull' number was also low and birds present on the estuary were distant and with my scope in a brisk wind shaking like a jelly on a plate life was a little difficult.....I'd never be gifted as a sea watcher in these conditions let alone in gale force winds.

I reckon the best record/sighting of the day had to be the pair of Grey Partridge with six young in a field off Jeremy Lane, not an everyday sight any more and sadly another farmland species slowly 'biting the dust' when we should be tripping up over them in a more wildlife friendly world, the Little Owl also showed itself to me for a change perched on the old derelict farm building. A drive to the caravan park at Cockersands was a little futile as the 10m plus tide was well on its way but the horse paddock and surrounding area at Bank Houses was checked for possible Yellow Wagtail but at least 18 Pied Wagtails were counted. 

Mediterranean Gull. Pete Woodruff.

Another drive, this one to Knott End where by now there was just about enough beach left for an adult Mediterranean Gull - moderate pic above - and 7 Sandwich Terns to be found prior to them being washed off. At Cockers Dyke the juvenile Cuckoo was still drawing three birders and a photographer to it - six birders when we arrived - and still appears to be consuming caterpillars at the rate of at least one per minute, if this bird is merely fattening up it'll be off in no time. A call in at Fluke Hall and Lane Ends produced a Little Egret at both, being ten short of the count made by a Fylde birder here earlier in the day.

Like I said....A bit of a plod today but with a varying degree of reward as always on any birding day.