This morning we conducted the final coordinated snipe count of the winter in the FAUNA reserve. Conditions underfoot were extremely wet and as a result we found common snipe throughout the site - 75 in total.
A single jack snipe was at School Pond and a further 5 of the diminutive skulkers were in Big Meadow.
Just one woodcock was discovered and we put up a couple of water rail in one flooded section near Cromwell Road.
A flock of 20 redwing came out from Pony Wood, settling in trees in the Fairfield Orchard.
Afterwards I headed off to Freeman's Pools, via a frankly uninteresting Aldcliffe. The brisk wind was whipping up a few waves but alas there were no windblown oddities to be found. In the past these pools have hosted scaup, smew, long-tailed duck and black-necked grebe, among others. However, a marauding peregrine spiced things up as it targeted the roosting birds on the island.
Giving up, empty-taloned, it swiftly headed to the estuary where it flushed a heap of waders and effortlessly snatched an unfortunate redshank from the frenzied flock.
Jon
Welcome to Aldcliffe & Freeman's Wood, Lancaster - an area of the Lune Estuary in Morecambe Bay, North Lancs.
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