Leighton and Warton

I headed for the west coast with Cain (Holywell Birder) on Friday. After a couple of stops in Carlisle and Penrith so that Cain could attend to some uni work we went down to Leighton Moss.
We didn’t see much on the way down but a female Peregrine keeping up with the car outside Carlisle was good to see.

Although Leighton Moss was quiet by its usual standards, we still enjoyed the close views of Marsh Harriers flying overhead and food passing.
From the Lower Hide a Hobby was flying around, mobbing the groups of Swifts and a female Pochard with just one young left was followed around by three drakes who acted as bodyguards when BH Gulls tried to attack.
We then drove the few miles along the road to the hides overlooking Morcambe Bay where 20+ Avocets were on their nests on the various islands.
On the way back we had a look at the impressive Warton Crag. Amongst the hundreds of Jackdaws nesting on the crag we picked out a Peregrine perched on the edge of the crag.

Today I got the chance to see the Terek Sandpiper- Lifer, at Hauxley. It took me a while to pick out the Sandpiper as it was sleeping with its back turned to me amongst the rocks on the western shore.
Once it was awake and feeding amongst the rocks I could see it more clearly as it bobbed up and down like a common sand. Somebody then let me look through their scope where I got even better views. It is the strangest looking wader I have seen, like a cross between a Greenshank and a Godwit with a bent bill.
Also there was a Pale Bellied Brent Goose swimming along the north shore with 5 Greylags.

In a few hours I will be off to Norfolk/Suffolk until Saturday, maybe I can get a lifer everyday this week!