Twice Around The Estuary.

Thankfully with the summer making a surprise return this week - well it turned up for a few days once before didn't it! - I managed a couple of days around the Lune Estuary, and had an hour to spare to check out the bog at Birk Bank at the end of the second one.

Conder Pool.

Best of the pool was the sight of 2 Whinchat on and around the long grasses at the east end. The male Whinchat obviously a cinch to ID, two days later the female at the distance and not very obliging, not quite so obvious. The Kingfisher delighted the gathering photographers of which I met five over my two visits, staked out and living the dream for a good pik. The Kingfisher obligingly and repeatedly perched either on the goal post or on the water level measuring post. It's a pity the light wasn't at its best for some footage when it caught a large fish for lunch.

There was a decent count of 15 Greenshank and 15 Little Grebe on Friday, with 2 Snipe noted. Also 12 Migrant Hawker recorded past the viewing screen over the two visits.

Migrant Hawker Conder Green 19 September. Howard Stockdale.

Cockersand.

Not for the first time I botched my visit, arriving only 30 minutes before the high tide and barely just a few metres of Plover Scar above water.

No more than 60 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover and one or two Turnstone were there to entertain me on what remained of Plover Scar today, but 48 Eider were of note off here.

Up to 150 Wood Pigeon were in and around three Wheat fields, and I don't get to record 65 Rook very often, seen today in a field east of Abbey Farm, though I did see a corvid mix of at least 500 Rook/Carrion Crow/Jackdaw grounded on the mud on the Lune Estuary at Glasson on 17 October 2019, of which I reckoned at the time 50% were Rooks.

Birk Bank.

A pleasant hour spent at the bog showed 12 Black Darter including two pairs in tandem, also a male Common Darter. But the pleasant hour turned even more pleasant and surprising, when I spied towards the eastern end of the bog, 2 Emperor Dragonfly both male....Certainly wasn't expecting that!

Black Darter Male Grit Fell/Ward's Stone 19 September. Ian Mitchell.

On the subject, Ian Mitchell reported to me c.15 Black Darter including ovipositing, found on a pool on the hike midway between Grit Fell and Ward's Stone.

Emperor Dragonfly.

With abdomen measurements being equal to that of the Emperor at 50-59/61mm, there was only one other species the Birk Bank sighting could have been, that of the Common Hawker. Best diagnostic feature being my Emperor Dragonfly at the distance was the abdomen being distinctly blue, not black with blue spotting, also the patrolling flight was leisurely and certainly not strong, fast, and tirelessly as in Common Hawker.

Having searched the Emperor Dragonfly on iRecord, I found 13 records for September 2024, two of which are later records than mine on 19 September. All the records carry the note....'Date is outside known flight period of Anax imperator'.

Much appreciate the excellent images from Martin Jump who saved me the trouble of looking for a header image, and from Howard Stockdale, Ian Mitchell....Thanks to all.

More Probable/Possible in Bowland!

Ring Ouzel Bowland. Ian Mitchell.

A bit of double checking in Bowland again this week, when amongst other things, I managed a trek half way up Hawthornthwaite Fell with scant reward, to assemble a bit more of a comprehensive list to exceed what is usually the norm for me.

The number of waders presumably there to breed was pitiful, with no more than six birds seen in 2 hours, 4 Lapwing, a single Curlew and an Oystercatcher. There was a build up of 6 Sand Martin around the bank on Catshaw Greave, and 8 Wheatear were seen, one of which was taking a wash and brush up in Cam Brook.

There was a better count of 18 Meadow Pipit compared to eight on my last visit 24 April, 2 Wren, a pair of Mistle Thrush were something of a surprise, 3 Red Grouse, male Reed Bunting, and a Wood Pigeon, 2 Kestrel and a Buzzard. I saw just one male Stonechat, almost certainly one of the two 24 April birds, and I never really expect my first House Martin of the year was going to be seen flying east over a fell in Bowland. 

Grey Wagtail Bowland. Howard Stockdale.

A Grey Wagtail on Cam Brook, and at Cam Brow I heard a Cuckoo to the east which soon flew over the road to the woodlands west of here, also a Willow Warbler in song, and a Red Admiral.

Dipper Bowland. Martin Jump.

Calling in at Abbeystead, a Dipper was seen flying upstream on the Marshaw Wyre, and 2 Orange Tip butterflies seen. But the excellent news is, that I gathered more evidence to add to my previous claim which now reads, the probability of 5 Pied Flycatcher breeding pairs. 

A brief look in on the bog at Birk Bank hopefully for a Large Red Damselfly was fruitless despite the warm sunny May day, but a single Green Hairstreak and a small colony of Ashy Mining Bee were of note. A Cuckoo heard distant was probably around the Ottergear Bridge area.

My take on these two Ashy Mining Bees, is that they were a mating pair until the male dislodged!....Other theories welcome.

I'm grateful to Ian, Howard, and Martin, who by coincidence sent me images on the same day, and all taken in Bowland....They are much appreciated.  

The Conder Godwits....Again!

The plan on Thursday, was to visit the Lune Estuary at Glasson to see if anything was going to be pushed close in by the incoming tide, then go to Conder Green to see if anything had been displaced by the tide and on to Conder Pool.

The Lune Estuary.

Numbers on the estuary were comparatively disappointing, but I was eventually rewarded by mid-distance views of the Spotted Redshank, it was on the tideline with up to 250 Dunlin and 175 Redshank downstream from the Conder mouth.

Drake Goldeneye. Pete Woodruff. 

Also to note, 6 Goldeneye, c.450 Wigeon, and a lone Greenfinch singing atop of a tree by the bowling green.

The Conder Pool Godwits.

There have been two recent reports involving all-time high counts of Black-tailed Godwits on the Lune Estuary, those of 4,500 and 4,600, both seen 18 February....LDBWS

It was immediately apparent why the numbers of waders was low on the Lune Estuary today, and also apparent that the number of Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool today was higher than I have previously seen which was 3,500 here on Monday 26 February. 

Black-tailed Godwit Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

My records for Thursday 29 February read, at least 4,000 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool....Definitely the most spectacular show ever witnessed on Conder Pool, and all for free!

Williamson's Park.

I decided to give the park and cemetery in Lancaster a couple of hours, primarily in the hope of Bullfinch, but that part of the plan failed, but it was good that I found a Song Thrush which was accompanied by 5 Blackbird close by....Note the Blackbird mugging the Song Thrush and stealing its lunch!

A male and female Siskin showed on the feeders at Fenham Carr, a Treecreeper was in the cemetery, and up to 6 Robin and as many Nuthatch were heard in song.

Crocus Lancaster Cemetery. Pete Woodruff.

Stonechats.

I have collected 26 Stonechat records throughout February, but so far spring passage has been nothing like that of 2023, and only 12 Stonechat in these records can safely be regarded as passage birds.

And Finally.

Off Knowleys Road at Heysham last Sunday, a count of 75 Wood Pigeon in the field by the children's play area. And how about this one, a Yellow Wagtail seen at Grange in Cumbria Friday 29 February....A Cumbrian birder agrees with me, the first ever Yellow Wagtail in Britain in February, or more probably a Grey Wagtail!

Leucism.

Organising my images, I came across these two leucistic waders from the archives, the Knot and the Oystercatcher. Probably taken 30 years ago and buried beneath several hundred other images.   

Trying To Keep Positive About Birk Bank.

It's not my intention to be too negative about my experience around Birk Bank this past week, just to be realistic and record what wildlife wasn't seen as equally important as what was seen. But to be honest, the saving grace about the day was that I found one dragonfly species I was hoping for, a bit of an improvement in butterfly numbers, and later saw two chats I was hoping for too.

The Dragonflies.

Black Darter Male

With two visits to the bog three hours apart, it was a struggle to eventually find a nice Black Darter male, seen as a late emerging species during August. 

Common Darter Male

But this was only one of a pitiful three dragonfly sightings over two hours on the boardwalk, the others being an adult male and immature male Common Darter.

 Common Darter Immature Male. Birk Bank Bog 6 August. Pete Woodruff.

The last Keeled Skimmer I saw at Birk Bank was on 8 August, and I've seen nor heard of any reports from here since....Something of a concern regarding this years bog Keeled Skimmer colony.

Another downside regarding this years Birk Bank Keeled Skimmer, despite seeing them in recent years around the damp areas and runnels on the west side of Ottergear Bridge, I haven't found them here this year.

The Butterflies.

At least the butterflies made an attempt at showing themselves, with 6 Red Admiral, 4 Speckled Wood, 2 Small Copper, and a Painted Lady was only my third this year.

The Birds.

Other than a few sightings of Wood Pigeon flighting here and there, I recorded 2 Buzzard soaring together with their evocative mewing call, and 2 Stonechat, which in itself was interesting because they were both male within a few metres of each other and appearing amicable. I don't ever recall seeing two male Stonechat in close company with each other.

Green Woodpecker.

Searching through my records, I found my last sighting of Green Woodpecker was at Birk Bank 2 years ago in April 2021, I also found one in Gibson Wood on the same day. Previous to these two records, I found a Green Woodpecker also at Birk Bank in July 2020....I think I'm overdue seeing a Green Woodpecker!

Finching It Again!....Episode 5.

It was to say the least exciting to have my fifth sighting of Bullfinch again in Lancaster Cemetery this week.

This sighting was particularly interesting in that, not only are these excellent records for the location, but the Bullfinch is known to be a shy bird, and doesn't usually show itself on the ground, hardly ever feeding more than a few metres from cover. I'm more acquainted to seeing the Bullfinch extracting seeds from fruit on trees or bushes, small seed-heads and fruits are removed when fallen to the ground which is what was going on here. 

The ground feeding Bullfinch was certainly a first for me, with both male and female collecting seeds found on the grave and surroundings having fallen from the tree which is as yet unidentified beyond it being of the genus Sorbus....Probably Sorbus aucuparia

Fieldfare. Ian Mitchell.

Also in the cemetery a lone Redwing, briefly atop of a tree before flying off. It joins its lone cousin the Fieldfare which I saw at Cockersand 1 December, being the only two winter thrushes I've seen this winter to date.

Williamson's Park.

Birds of note as I wandered through the park, 2 Song Thrush took top spot for me, Mistle Thrush, a Jay, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Wren, a few Wood Pigeon, at least 20 Blackbird, and a similar number of Magpie. To note at the feeding station, up to 5 Dunnock and 5 Coal Tit.

Ashton Memorial. Pete Woodruff.

There there was some attractive colours on the fallen ice covered leaves of the Canadian Maple in Williamson's Park.

Community Spirit.

The Robin putting in an appearance, the Blackbird having a go at the apple, and the Starling and House Sparrows, all showing a little harmony in the garden.

Many thanks to Steve Graham for the header image of four of the eight Caton Moor wind turbines with heads above the mist to create an atmospheric scene, along with the excellent record of 3 Stonechat reported to me whilst up there.

And Finally.

Yes, another Stonechat image....Well what do you expect, this is B2B, and this is a 1st winter male Stonechat at Conder Pool. Classic the bird, excellent the image, thanks to Howard Stockdale.

Twice Round The Block!

During the week I managed a couple of blasts through Williamson's Park and Lancaster Cemetery. This turned out to be another one of my good ideas as I was rewarded with the latest sighting of 4 Bullfinch here again, seen as two male and female. This is my fourth sighting of Bullfinch in Lancaster Cemetery since I found five on 30 October 2014, whilst noting as in Bowland, I've never found Bullfinch here during the breeding season starting late April.

Canadian Maple In Williamson's Park. Pete Woodruff.

Also of note in the park, 2 Jay, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, and Wren, 3 Coal Tit, at least 16 Blackbird, 12 Wood Pigeon, 8 Magpie, and with 6 Chaffinch on beech mast I was hoping to find a Brambling....wishful thinking!

Red Admiral 19 October. Pete Woodruff. 

On the two visits I saw 7 Red Admiral, they were seen as five in Williamson's Park, and two in Lancaster Cemetery....Have you seen the one on Ivy top left of the frame?

Pintail Anus acuta....In our recording area, the Pintail is a passage migrant and winter visitor.

The header image is of 20 Pintail>south off Plover Scar. This is significant in that I'd say it's the first record of such a number at Cockersand in many a year, I've never recorded the species here to date, and I regard the Pintail on the Lune Estuary at best scarce. In my records, 2 female on Conder Pool 25 October 2019 were the first there and not since.

Thanks to Martin Jump for his excellent record breaking image.   

Around The Estuary.

When I found 4 Mediterranean Gull on Thursday, I was singing the praises of Conder Pool again as it continues to collect impressive records and Nectar Points for me. These records now include 32 Little Grebe, found yesterday 25 September (Ian Hartley LDBWS).

Four Med Gull Conder Pool 23 Sept 2021 

After doing the rounds, I had called back there on my way back to Lancaster to see if I had missed anything first time round, something of a custom if mine which often pays dividends as it did today. 

Adult & 2nd Summer Med Gull Conder Pool June 2019

Thursdays four gulls joined three previous records on Conder Pool, including these two beauties. The 2nd summer bird was ringed 2 years earlier in the Czech Republic 2017 Red ZHF3. 

The gulls were accompanied by a decent line-up, with a juvenile Ruff, 6 Greenshank, 9 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Snipe, 12 Redshank, 22 Black-headed Gull, a Goosander, and 18 Little Grebe.

Five of the six Greenshank, all but the one legged one decided to depart as I got the camera on to them.

 

Greenshank Conder Pool 23 Sept 2021

Noted on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, rounded figures of waders, 2,000 Lapwing, 450 Redshank, 50 Dunlin, and 80 Wigeon, also 10 Greenshank and 22 Little Egret counted, a drake Red-Breasted Merganser, 2 Eider, and a Raven overhead honking as it went.

A circuit of Cockersand was a bit like a trip into the void, including Plover Scar deserted at high tide. But as I approached the Lighthouse Cottage, I saw at least 300 Wood Pigeon take flight out of the field, and watched 32 Skylark do the same. I hoped the pigeons had changed fields, but it was deserted when I got there, and was a good example of the void I had experienced at Cockersand today....But the return visit to Conder Pool buried all this. 

The Estuary Terns et al.

Not easy to be accurate about the number around the Lune Estuary yesterday, but I reckon over a five hour period 6 Common Tern were seen in five sightings. When I arrived at Conder Pool, two birds were present, whist I was there four joined the two and flew around the pool briefly before heading off towards the River Lune. In the afternoon a bird was patrolling the canal by Christ Church, later I presumed the same bird was leaving the canal basin towards the estuary where I found two birds plunge diving, both to return to the same area of the river bank before soon taking off to plunge again, they returned to the bank together three times. I went back to the car to get my telescope to see if I could make out what this behaviour was about, I thought perhaps a male was feeding a female, but when I returned the pair were heading back off the river towards Conder Pool. I drove straight to Conder Green to find 3 Common Tern on the pool, two on the pontoon and one in the background on the island.

There's no telling what will happen on the pontoon, having beaten the Common Tern to it, the Black-headed Gull is obviously sitting by now, and a Common Tern was creating a scrape yesterday and looking intent on nesting there. I think I know the outcome....watch this space.

Stock taking on Conder Pool, 6 Common Tern, 6 Avocet, a Little Ringed Plover, 28 Black-headed Gull, 13 Oystercatcher, 10 Tufted Duck, 2 Shelduck, 2 Wood Pigeon.

Turnstone Plover Scar 20 May. Pete Woodruff.

At Cockersand high tide, Plover Scar held up to 550 Dunlin, 80 Ringed Plover, and a single Turnstone, a Whimbrel was on the marsh off Lighthouse Cottage, and a Whitethroat was singing on the wires. The only butterfly was my first Common Blue at Cockersand, with 3 Orange Tip at Glasson Dock.   

Wait For It!

On my second visit this month, the Lune Estuary has yet to show me any signs of migration, with the exception of one or two sightings, I've seen just three Sand Martin, a Chiffchaff, and two Avocet on Conder Pool.

Meadow Pipit. Pete Woodruff.

On Conder Pool yesterday, a single Meadow Pipit, a Goosander, and 2 Pink-footed Geese, I had seen three here 27 March. A Greenshank was down the channel from the iron bridge. On the Lune Estuary, up to 100 Black-tailed Godwit, and 60 Bar-tailed Godwit were my only notes here, and a Chiffchaff was at Christ Church.

Ringed Plover/Dunlin Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff. 

At Cockersand, 52 Ringed Plover, and 15 Dunlin on Plover Scar, at least 520 Golden Plover were in the Abbey Farm fields. Otherwise, a Stock Dove was with Wood Pigeons, the local Kestrel seen, a pair of Shoveler were notable on the large ditch through the field at the junction of Moss/Slack Lane, and 2 Sand Martin flew north over fields as I drove away from Cockersand. 

The ever singing Skylark was in my ears the entire visit. Pump up the volume for a taste of summer....



I saw at least 10 Small Tortoiseshell and 2 Peacock on the day.  

OT.

On a suggestion by the team, more occupational therapy was required. So armed with a pair of binoculars I could turn the therapy into a welcome spell of birding with KT through Williamson Park on Friday....Chocks away!

An influx of at least 12 Blackbird were attracted to berries on a beautiful Yew at Fenham Carr, they were accompanied by 2 Redwing and 2 Goldcrest, with 2 Robin seen, and a small number of Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch. Most impressive was the 9 Nuthatch seen/heard on the visit.

Comma Lancaster Cemetery 26 October. Pete Woodruff.

Four October butterflies seen on a brief wander through Lancaster Cemetery on Quernmore Road, 2 Comma and 2 Red Admiral all pristine individuals on Ivy. Not many birds seen, but a Song Thrush is an excellent record in any birders notebook these days, and up to 12 Magpie and at least similar Wood Pigeon. 

This was OT at its best.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Ring-necked Parakeet was reported seen in flight over Freehold on 14 October. Presumably the same bird had been heard three days earlier at the University of Cumbria, and I'm belatedly and reliably told of a bird heard again from St Peter's Road around the cathedral last Sunday 21 October.

Ring-necked Parakeet. Warren Baker.

Almost certainly, this is the same bird heard twice since the first sighting, and possibly still in this area.

Updating The Pool.

My birding yesterday amounted to little more than an update on things Conder Pool and around.

Four adult Common Tern seen included the sitting bird on Tern Island and it's on guard mate. The two other adults seen in the air most of the time on a chase, were not necessarily the other breeders as six adult were reported here on Sunday. So the family party may well have already dispersed as no young were seen in two visits I made yesterday, no big surprise though, as last years young fledged on 7 July, and were never seen again after 14 July. 

Redshank Conder Pool 9 July. Pete Woodruff.

A Redshank chick, and two - possibly three - older young seen, which were in classic Wood Sandpiper lookalike plumage with some downy feathering on the head. Void of checking my records, 260 Redshank counted were probably an all time high for Conder Pool. Five Little Grebe was another increase in numbers, 2 Avocet adult were seen, with one visiting the creeks twice to feed, but no sign of any chicks, 2 Wood Pigeon flying on to the near island was a bit of a novelty.

In the creeks, 10 Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank, and upstream from the road bridge, a Snipe seen, and singing Sedge Warbler. Along the coastal path, 12 Gatekeeper, a Red Admiral, and Brown Hawker seen. 

Red Letter....Continued.

By the time I had soaked up the enjoyment of the Keeled Skimmers on Birk Bank bog, then done the 5 mile circuit, to returned to the bog for another dragonfly session, I'd had the perfect example of a good days birding which took me five hours to complete.

The Red-Letter day continued when I had climbed up to the two styles to reach the top of Birk Bank where I found 9 Stonechat, a lone bird on the wall looking east to Clougha, eventually turned out to have been a part of the family party of a pair with a full brood of five young, later at the NE end of Birk Bank I saw a distant lone male, which - with the distance between them - probably wasn't connected to the female seen further on.

In the circuit I noted 18 species including, Garden Warbler and Blackcap heard from the bog. I saw but mainly heard 8 Willow Warbler, 5 Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird, Wren, Chaffinch, Wood Pigeons, and 3 Curlew with their variety of calls. My miserable year with the species continued when I saw just one Meadow Pipit....unbelievable.

Of 10 Red Grouse seen, I'd flushed four adult and six young at four sightings. A flock of c.70 'corvid' exploded into the air, the majority were Rook with Carrion Crow, they were flying all over the place, and were very vocal for some reason. As I walked the return along Rigg Lane I found a Sedge Warbler, and by then had probably seen 60 Swallow feeding over the fields.

IP's Conder Update.

Though the war rages on, and four adult Common Tern have been in battle on the pontoon on occasions over recent days, which could all too easily turn nasty for the three young which are coming along in leaps and bounds, being fed large fish at times, and even some early wing flapping exercises now and again, though I reckon 15/16 days yet before they become fully functional.

Common Tern Young 24 June. Ian Pinkerton.

Evidence in the image above, of three Common Tern young thriving, despite conflicting reports of only two birds four hours before this shot was taken. 

The Avocet pair are still in the breeding business, with the female sitting tight, and the male preening and feeding occasionally in the creeks.

Thanks to Mike Atkinson for the excellent header image of the stunning male Stonechat.

Lancashire Coastal Way.

Aldcliffe Marsh High Tide 20 March. Pete Woodruff.

The weather having bucked up considerably on Tuesday, my best plan was to do the trek to Glasson Dock from Lancaster on a mainly sunny and calm day. Along the embankment at Aldcliffe Marsh was like the first day of spring, though by afternoon the wind got up, and it became quite cold again. 

It was unfortunate that I picked a day when management work was taking place on the Wildfowlers Pools, with two heavy plant machines at full throttle, also a man and wife team complete with a chain saw each, were pacing up and down below the embankment, and cutting up the driftwood into logs.

Shoveler. Wildfowlers Pools. Pete Woodruff.

Three drake Goosander were on the River Lune on the way to Freeman's Pools where I counted 19 Goldeneye and heard a whinnying Little Grebe.The only birds of note on the Wildfowlers Pools were 6 Shoveler taking a snooze at the south end, and the flood slowly drying up held a few Redshank, Teal, and 6 Pied Wagtail.

In the notes to Glasson Dock, 18 Blackbird, 9 Robin, a Goldcrest, Song Thrush, and a Sparrowhawk, 44 Wood Pigeon were in a field north of Conder Green. On the canal basin at Glasson Dock, 3 Goldeneye, a Goosander drake, and a Little Grebe....The bus back to Lancaster is cumin!

The Goldeneye.

Goldeneye Brian Rafferty

The current status of the Goldeneye in our recording area is of a fairly common winter visitor to the Lune Estuary. My count of 19 Goldeneye on Freeman's Pools today actually falls behind the 29 seen on Freeman's Pools on 5 March, and which is probably the best count this winter in the LDBWS area.

On the walks I've done from Lancaster to Glasson Dock this winter, I've seen no Goldeneye anywhere on the River Lune downstream from Skerton Weir to the estuary at Glasson Dock, from where I've seen them in the past, and have seen no reports elsewhere of them along this stretch of the river. 

I've seen few - if any - reports this winter of Goldeneye in Morecambe Bay, and as long ago as 20 years when the outfall a Sandylands was shut down in 1997, Goldeneye numbers became drastically reduced in the bay, where a decade ago Morecambe Bay was noted for being one of our most important sites for the Goldeneye, and that small numbers of the species regularly turned up at almost every inland waterbody, from park lakes in Liverpool to the largest reservoirs in the east. 

You have to go into reverse 12 years to find a three figure count of 200 Goldeneye on the Lune Estuary on 31 January 2006....I think the RSPB claim on their website, of a UK wintering population of 27,000 Goldeneye may be in need of a review.

Thanks to BR for his excellent image of the Goldeneye on the canal basin at Glasson Dock recently, including two drake displaying.

17 for 5.

After the passing of Ophelia, it was a brilliant morning on Wednesday and I was keen to get off into Bowland to check out the early winter status of any birds to be found wherever I decided to go up there. One thing for sure, despite it now being mid-October, it was guaranteed I wouldn't be seeing many if any raptors, at least two species of which I certainly wouldn't be seeing, and at least a couple more I wasn't likely to, in the end I found just one....Imagine that, one raptor for 5 hours in Bowland in the 21st century.

But it was good to see 3 Stonechat on Hawthornthwaite Fell, distant and together, I'd suggest a female and two juveniles, with no adult male present. The count with the most interest was of 6 Wren, with 13 Red Grouse and 2 Meadow Pipit bringing up the rear.

Of the 17 species found, 14 were between Marshaw - Tower Lodge - Winfold Fell where I notched up 4 Coal Tit, 3 Treecreeper, 2 Robin, 2 Wood Pigeon, 2 Mallard and singles of Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, and a Kestrel.

Dipper Richard Pegler

On the Marshaw Wyre I saw just one Grey Wagtail, and it was two hours before I found a Dipper. Two Red Grouse were seen from the track to Winfold Fell, when I was up here a month ago I had found at least 30 Red Grouse covering the same ground in the same time....Thanks for the Speyside Dipper Richard, much appreciated.   

Beech in Bowland. Pete Woodruff.

This magnificent Beech in the Tower Lodge area, doesn't yet look quite as autumnal as it did when I took this photograph of the same tree in early November 2010. 

No Title....

....well that's pathetic.

Dunlin Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff.

Cloudy but dry yesterday until later in the afternoon, I was on Plover Scar just after high tide to find an impressive 2,500 Dunlin at least, with c.190 Ringed Plover, a single Whimbrel, a Knot, and 3 Grey Heron. When I returned to the Lighthouse Cottage 2 hours later, the Dunlin and other waders were strung out and feeding from Plover Scar to Crook Farm with nothing 'odd' with them.

There was a good movement of Swallow in my two hours in the Cockersand area, generally moving south, but some lingering over the fields, also a number of Sand Martin and a few House Martin, 10 Wheatear were close together on a line of 30 fence posts by Cockersand Abbey, and off the headland, just into double figures of Pied Wagtail and similar Meadow Pipit, a Common Sandpiper on the shingle off Bank Houses was the surprise of the day. 

Returning via the road, with the ditches cleared out and the hedgerows trimmed pretty, 45 Wood Pigeon and 15 Goldfinch noted. Two Mute Swan and a lone Greylag were in the field with no sign of the one left from the two long staying Whooper Swans, 2 Red Admiral were the only butterflies seen.

It was raining now, but 3 Mediterranean Gull adult and a Greenshank were picked out on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, but being the coward I am when it's raining and I'm out birding, I'm off home....you can suit yourself!