Took a drive out to the Pilling area on the south shore of Morcambe Bay this afternoon. Usually one of the most "birdy" winter birding sites, I found it a little quiet there today. I spent most of my time scanning the sands on the incoming tide. The power station at Heysham could be seen in the distance but the Cumbrian hills slowly disappeared in the clouds as the afternoon progressed.
Lapwings and Golden Plovers near Cocker's Dyke 30 Jan 2008.
Pilling Lane Ends was pretty quiet and no sign of Monday's Glaucous Gull at the roost at Cocker's Dyke this afternoon. Plenty of Lapwings, Redshanks, Curlew and Dunlin with some Golden Plovers attaining the black belly of their summer plumage.
Wildfowl numbers were very unimpressive though with only half-a-dozen Whooper Swans at Cockerham Moss plus 23 more at Fluke Hall Lane. Late winter is usually THE time to find a scarce goose in the Pilling area. However I found only two flocks this afternoon (550 near Eagland Hill and 452 out on the saltmarsh at Lane Ends). There were plenty on the move earlier in the week with skeins moving north through the country. Surely the Lancs birds haven't moved on already? It certainly seemed like a late March day on the bay rather than late January.
Took a drive out to the Pilling area on the south shore of Morcambe Bay this afternoon. Usually one of the most "birdy" winter birding sites, I found it a little quiet there today. I spent most of my time scanning the sands on the incoming tide. The power station at Heysham could be seen in the distance but the Cumbrian hills slowly disappeared in the clouds as the afternoon progressed.
Lapwings and Golden Plovers near Cocker's Dyke 30 Jan 2008.
Pilling Lane Ends was pretty quiet and no sign of Monday's Glaucous Gull at the roost at Cocker's Dyke this afternoon. Plenty of Lapwings, Redshanks, Curlew and Dunlin with some Golden Plovers attaining the black belly of their summer plumage.
Wildfowl numbers were very unimpressive though with only half-a-dozen Whooper Swans at Cockerham Moss plus 23 more at Fluke Hall Lane. Late winter is usually THE time to find a scarce goose in the Pilling area. However I found only two flocks this afternoon (550 near Eagland Hill and 452 out on the saltmarsh at Lane Ends). There were plenty on the move earlier in the week with skeins moving north through the country. Surely the Lancs birds haven't moved on already? It certainly seemed like a late March day on the bay rather than late January. 
