Sunday, sunny Sunday...

I'd forgotten what the sun felt like - how very pleasant.
Bird-wise there wasn't a great deal going on however, the highlights being just 3 green sandpiper (had the 'new' birds taken advantage of the relatively calm night to clear out or were they simply being elusive?) and a lone greenshank which flew noisily on to the marsh from the direction of The Flood, just minutes after having a conversation with Steve Wallis about the lack of greenshanks at Aldcliffe this year!
A single black-tailed godwit was amongst the waders flushed by a peregrine on the river.
A few snipe were kicking around, including a very 'grey' bird roosting on the island at Freeman's Pools where the little grebe remains.
A pair of showy lesser whitethroat were feeding in elders by the Walled Meadow and there were plenty of hirundines around, though little else 'migrant'-wise apart from a few ticking robins.

Green sandpiper bonanza

As per Guy's sightings yesterday there were still a minimum of 6 green sandpiper in the area this morning.
Initially, 4 flew off Freeman's Pools towards the Wildfowlers' Pools. It was very difficult to ascertain the exact number of birds as singles were scattered around feeding in the wet fields - as viewed from the sea wall. Eventually I was able to confirm at least 6 - as they were all visible at the same time, though one or two others may well have been creeping around elsewhere.

Other highlights included:
A snipe flushed in Freeman's Wood, plus 2 at Wildfowlers' Pools.
1 pintail, 5 teal and at least 4 shoveler in the area.
2 little grebe (1 Fm's Pools & 1 Wfs' Pools)
Kingfisher at Bank Pool.
3 wheatear.
Lesser whitethroat and male blackcap at Walled Meadow.
Raven in the fields.
Only 54 greylag were on the marsh - the rest at Carnforth Marsh? 150ish Canadas present.
Tit flock in Freeman's Wood included at least 7 chiffchaff, 2 willow warbler and a goldcrest.
Female sparrowhawk was doing the rounds as was a male kestrel.

Depression's setting in...

The pools around Aldcliffe are at mid-winter levels water-wise, something I've never know in almost 20 years of regular coverage of the area. The lower cycle path is flooded to a depth of around 10 inches in parts.
Unfortunately the avian occupants were somewhat less noteworthy early evening...

Freeman's Pools: 1 little grebe, 2 coot, 1 heron.
Darter Pool: 2 coot
Wildfowler's Pools (and adjacent flooded fields): 70+ mallard, 6 teal, 1 shoveler, 1 little grebe, 1 green sandpiper (feeding in furrow) , 2 snipe, 2 coot, 12 moorhen, 2 little egret.
The Flood: 2 shoveler, 7 mallard, 1 little egret (presumably 1 of the above birds).
Marsh: (very quick scan..) 1 little egret (again, as above).

* Guy McClelland had a further 6 green sandpiper today feeding in the wet field furrows as viewed from the seawall - invisible from the cycle track.

Water, water everywhere...

Following the obligatory soaking en route from work the clouds actually parted just as I reached Freeman's Pools and some sky appeared that wasn't altogether grey. It was actually blue. A colour I'd forgotten existed sky-wise.
Anyhoo - a little grebe was the only thing of note on the very full pools. Looks rubbish for waders at the minute.
Similarly, all the other usual pools were pretty full and pretty quiet with just a single green sandpiper and a couple of snipe on the Wildfowlers' Pools, as well as numerous mallard. The usual release of mallard here in summer by the Wildfowl Association artificially boosts the numbers so it's quite difficult to tell when post-moult wild birds truly start to appear in any number. A single teal was present too.
Meanwhile in other duck news, a trio of shoveler and a female pintail were on The Flood - unprecedented this early on in the year.
The wet fields above the raised path had attracted good numbers of common and BH gulls, but no Meds.
Bumped into Nick, a regular down Aldcliffe, who reported at least 6 wheatear along the tideline.

* Osprey seen over Freeman's Wood/Pools earlier (4.30pmish) by Andrew McCafferty.

Two grebe evening

Both little and great crested (scarce here) grebes on the Freeman's Pools this evening (though sadly not a displaced BN!).
Otherwise very quiet - unless the loud pop of another exploding rear innertube counts...