Seven Common Tern on Conder Pool Friday were as seen a week ago on 8 June which was the last time I was there. Other than the three chicks on the pontoon have grown a little, there was no change regarding these seven, but it makes watching the young chicks a little more anxious when the adults keep leaving them unattended whilst they go off fishing, I personally didn't think this would have been their behaviour to leave them at the mercy of predation....Wrong again!Common Sandpiper Conder Pool 15 June. Ian Pinkerton.An early returning Common Sandpiper flew in, one last seen at Conder Green 26 April, and certainly not expected back here in my book just yet. At least one Avocet seen, but no idea what they're up to at the back of the pool, as I've not yet done any trespass to find out, there's also the surpri...

On a few hours spent in the Marshaw - Tower Lodge - Trough Bridge area earlier in the week, it was rewarding to find 7 Pied Flycatcher. Priority of the visit was to get up to date on the pair found tree nesting on 23 May. Today they were both watched regularly returning to the nest feeding young, quite the opposite to the female seen leaving the nest box at Tower Lodge, with at least one young poking it's head out of the box, but despite a couple of prolonged watches, I saw no adult birds returning over a total of 30 minutes. Pied FlycatcherA pair were seen at another nest box in the compound, but better still was yet to come when I got to the top of the hill beyond Trough Bridge, I saw a bird in flight, and picking it up in a tree it was a female Pied Flycatcher offering the possibility of a second pair tree n...

Strapped for birding and blogging time, and unless things change for the better soon, probably not able to get to Conder Green - or anywhere else - until Monday. But I have IP to be thankful to for keeping me updated with news and pictures on Conder Pool matters, where life and death is at the forefront of things.The pontoon Common Tern now have three chicks taking a first look at life through the window....I'd like to think, with good parentage and no predation, we'll see these three flying around the pool, having escaped to freedom from their prison around 10 July.Whilst as predicted from the start, inevitably the Oystercatcher pair have now lost all three of their young, the evidence of one remaining in the pontoon....the other two? Killer in the garden.This Sparrowhawk was the first thing I struck eyes on w...

A Conder Green - Glasson Dock circuit proved eventful, and started at Conder Pool where 7 Common Tern were seen as two adult on Tern Island, two adult on the pontoon which now have two chicks, and a loose bird departing the pool toward the estuary. Image. Ian Pinkerton.The Oystercatcher pontoon pair having had three young, are now down to two, one has 'disappeared'. IP's image shows the continuing hostilities, with the Common Tern attacking the unguarded Oystercatcher young, 'clik the pik' for a blow up of the picture to better see the unfortunate chick through the now heavily soiled perspex. A pair of Avocet seem to have settled in on the backside of Tern Island, and 15 Tufted Duck were also noted on the pool.Update.The latest news re Conder Pool, is that both adult terns left the two chicks unattend...

A bit of PM, with just time for a look in at Conder Pool, and a bit of time for some playing around to try for some piks at Cockersand. IP continues to monitor the goings on at Conder Green, and documents the inmates of the pontoon on Conder Pool with illustrations. His latest pictures show the intensity of the situation between the Common Terns and Oystercatchers, showing the male CT weighing up the young Oyks in his top pik, before attacking them in the bottom one....Things can only worsen when the CT's hatchlings turn up on the scene.Herring Gull Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff.A small group of age assorted Herring Gull were with barely a total of 50 Ringed Plover and Dunlin on Plover Scar, whilst in the field behind me, five Stock Dove, 2 Reed Bunting singing, and Sky...

Plenty of action to entertain on Conder Pool yesterday.Oystercatcher with young Conder Pool. Ian Pinkerton.The three young Oystercatcher are now up and running, though not running very far, imprisoned in the confines of the pontoon for five more weeks and dependant on their parents to deliver the much needed food supply, unless they can jump up on to the frame, to dive off and swim to freedom. Oystercatcher chicks normally remain in the nest for only a couple of days after hatching, when they leave to follow the parent birds and collect their own food like the ones are able to do on the island in IP's pik above.Grey Heron Conder Pool 4 June. Pete Woodruff.Meanwhile the Common Tern is sitting tight in the pontoon, with much dive bombing at every thing that moves around them, the tern on the island was also sitting tight, that ...

On a third visit to Barbondale, I found an excellent 10 Pied Flycatcher, it also gave me my first Spotted Flycatcher here which I saw from the gate into the plantation where I stood for several minutes to also see, 4 of the 10 Pied Flycatcher seen on the day, one of 4 Redstart, a Nuthatch, and heard the Garden Warbler singing again. Willow Warbler. Cliff Raby @ Fylde Coast Wildlife Singing Willow Warblers were resounding through the woods, 3 Dunnock were in pursuit zipping through the trees, a male Great-spotted Woodpecker seen, and a Dipper on Barbon Beck over which was a lone Swallow, notably seen as the only one on the visit, 2 Meadow Pipit, a singing Reed Bunting, Buzzard and kestrel. With the exception of a few Large White, a Small Heath was my first this year, and the only other butterfly seen.....

Little Gull Conder Pool 30 May. Pete Woodruff.Bird of the day was the Little Gull, a 1st year which was initially in the creeks, but later graced Conder Pool to claim a first record there. Another excellent record was 3 Pochard drake, as far as the number goes, another first for the pool. Also noted, 4 Common Tern, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and 17 Tufted Duck.A wander produced 2 Reed Warbler, and a Sedge Warbler, all showing well in the reeds upstream, also a singing male Reed Bunting. From the coastal path, a Willow Warbler and Song Thrush, 2 Swift were over Glasson Dock. The Conder Common Terns.There are now two pairs of breeding Common Tern on Conder Pool, with a second pair arrived on the pool last Saturday, both female are sitting, one on the original Tern Island.Image. ...

I made a comment to a birder just the other day, that Cockersand seems to have died a death, I've been putting far too much time in recently, and walked many a mile in the process for poor reward. But fear not, Cockersand has renewed its claim once again, of being at the forefront of local birding with 'goodies' seen in recent days. On Sunday an adult male Red-backed Shrike was found in the set aside area, the last one in our area was a juvenile at Sunderland Point on 2 September 2015.Corn Bunting Simon HawtinFifteen Corn Bunting found at Cockersand last Thursday, can't go recorded without a comment on the significance of the sighting. An excellent record, unprecedented in a double figure in our recording area. A species extinct as a breeding bird, at best an irregular summer visitor, and certainly not usually this far i...