Monday 16 June 2008

Little Oiks

At last, I had my first sighting of a young oystercatcher this evening. Just one recently hatched chick was seen on the gravel island at Freeman's Pools with a very attendant parent.
Otherwise it was business as usual. 2 drake tufteds, 2 shoveler etc.
A single Arctic tern was fishing in the small pools over Aldcliffe Marsh for the second time this week, perhaps there's actually a pair at the old colony after all. I'll check it out when I'm doing my WeBS count this weekend...
The curious drainage sink-hole near the parking area at Railway Crossing Lane has been keeping my interest of late. It seems to be full of stickleback of some kind, a number of which are gravid. Often in with them are loads of shrimp. Now, I'm not sure whether this pool is supplied by salt water from the Lune or a fresh water spring and to be honest, I'm a bit confused as to why it has what I thought were a freshwater fish species and shrimp, which I conversely assumed were salt or brackish water dwellers. Wikipedia, here I come!

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