Off-Patch Bongo-Bird

Juvenile ruff

After having a good trundle around the regular Aldcliffe area this morning, I decided to stray off-patch for a bit and paid a visit to Conder.

Highlights from Aldcliffe included 6 green sandpiper on the Wildfowlers' Pool (5 seen on my way to Conder, 6 on my return). A single common sandpiper was also picking its way around the edges but there was no sign of the garganey, despite the presence of half a dozen teal.
The female tufted duck was again at Freeman's Pools. Little grebe and coot numbers have increased here in recent days, with up to 7 grebe and 14 coot on the main pool.
A couple of noisy peregrines were mucking about around the pylons, keeping the local lapwings on their toes.

Snoozing bongo-bird

So, having failed to find much of note along the upper Lune estuary (with the exception of loads of little egrets) I pedaled onward toward Glasson, hoping to see if the spoonbill was still hanging around the Conder estuary mouth.
It was.
And it was doing what spoonbills are so fond of doing.
Nowt.
It was characteristically stood with its ridiculous spatulate beak concealed beneath the folds in it wings, snoozing away out on the marsh. It did lift its head out at one point and even flew a short distance before assuming its statue-like stance once more.
As the tide dropped to reveal its food-filled mud, I had a quick look around the Conder. Along with the many redshank and lapwing were smaller numbers of black-tailed godwit, curlew, dunlin and common sandpiper plus a lone juvenile ruff (pictured) and a greenshank.
Jon