Baby birds abound

Further to Guy's comments to the posting below it was good to see that 2 juv LRPs were still doing well at Freeman's Pools this morning. Both were feeding along with an attendant adult on the upper pools.

A sedge warbler was blasting away from the water's edge - earlier I'd noted a food-carrying pair active by the old footy pitch, where whitethroat were also busy feeding young. Once again both whitethroat species were much in evidence around the patch.
Other news from Freeman's Pools included the first mallard brood and one of the coot pair with 3 newly hatched young.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent doing my WeBS count from Aldcliffe Marsh to Conder.
Highlights included:
3 common tern
25 grey heron
1 little egret
2 raven

At Conder the stunning summer plumage spotted redshank was showing well - I highly recommend going to see this bird before it gets stuck into its moult, it's an absolute cracker!
1 ad LRP was kicking around and 3 common sandpiper were on the river.
2 very young oystercatcher & 2 lapwing chicks were at the Pools, a handful of redshank were amongst the adults feeding on the Conder.

Keeping on with my mutterings about the lack of willow warblers this year I heard ONE (near Ashton Hall) on the entire stretch from Lancaster to Glasson...