A mighty wind

A windy cycle from Morecambe (where I'd been fortunate enough to jam into a Pom skua off the Jetty this morning before work) found me at a blustery Freeman's Pools for 6pm.
Quite a few hirundines (all 3 species) and swifts were feeding over the water while a bundle of snoozing mallard and a couple of shelduck were on the island along with a little-ringed plover.
Another LRP was on the upper pools where a reckless lapwing chick was wandering around unprotected by parents in full view of a couple of herons. Either they were already too full having scoffed its siblings or they were just too dozy to notice, but they didn't seem interested in the slightest.
3 tufted duck were present as were the Canada goose pair.
Elsewhere it was pretty quiet with just another LRP and a common sandpiper at the Wildfowlers' Pools.
A sparrowhawk was hunting near Frog Pond.

Hot chicks

Aldcliffe news from Guy...

Promising lapwing chick count yesterday in the baking sun with further new, doubtless soggier, youngsters seen today.

Little-ringed plover chick engaging in short maiden flights today and the first returning post-breeding green sandpiper - quite an early date but not unprecedented.

Cheers for the updates Guy.

All about evening

Went for a late evening visit just to see what's about later on in the day.
Of course, the optimist in me was keeping one eye out for a repeat of last year's hobby or similar. Needless to say, that particular optimist was left somewhat disappointed...

At Freeman's Pools the LRPs were busy running around the island as usual while the other residents carried on as normal. I suspect that the upper pool dabchicks have a nest somewhere in the vegetated margins as one adult acted very aggressively toward the drake tufted duck at one point.
The female roe deer was out and about.
Good numbers of swift and a few swallow, house & a couple of sand martins were feeding on the copious insects over the water.
The other pools were very quiet.
7 herons were fishing on the Lune at Stodday.

An agitated song thrush and a couple of very noisy blackbirds tempted me to scramble through some vegetation alongside the cycle track near Freeman's Wood, where after some
searching I eventually discovered an adult tawny owl.

Marsh mellows...

A couple of hours trawling the patch with my brother Dave, in advance of his going to Iceland for 3 months later in the week, saw much as could be expected. ie not very much.
The male broad-bodied chaser was still holding territory and good numbers of painted ladies and speckled woods were much in evidence. A single distant darter species was the only other odanata bar the usual damselflies.
At Freeman's Pools all was well with the LRPs seemingly in good health.
Plenty of vocal lesser whitethroats around.
Despite the success of tits and such this year other young birds seem to be notable only by their absence.

Summertime blues

Saw my first patch broad-bodied chasers at Freeman's Pools today, with a pair ovipositing over the small reed-fringed pool just in front of the viewpoint on the cyclepath. Apologies for the dodgyscoped pic - handheld snapper to my eyepiece...
A few common blue and blue-tailed damselflies were also present though no darter species were seen.
Coots are rebuilding and 1 of the little grebe pairs appear to be doing the same.
The LRP chicks continue to grow - amazing to think that they had only just hatched this time last year!
A trawl along the seawall was rewardless and the Wildfowlers' Pools and The Flood was free of avian interest.
Common and lesser whitethroats were typically in evidence along the cycle track along with the usual LT tits, goldfinches etc. No sign yet of any fledged reed buntings at either of the pairs' sites.
Darter Pool was quiet with the exception of a few common blue damselflies.
Back at F Pools, something was causing something of a commotion and looking hopefully skyward I noticed a sparrowhawk over the ponds - hmm, was that it? Then a buzzard soared low across the water, but wait - what's that large raptor above? Another buzzard. Then a peregrine soared over and a kestrel shot by. Not exactly what I was hoping for but quite a flurry of excitement!