Glasson Point had a few Goldeneye displaying nicely but were extremely flighty ... the whirring of their wings carried in the still air ... Great Crested Grebes also performed their display ritual far across the bay ... as the tide dropped a pair of Greenshanks flew over to a sand bank ...
... and a Chaffinch sang heartily from bare twigs in the dull light ...
... the spring sounds were interrupted by Pinkfeet ... first crossing the Solway to the Scottish side before swinging back ... maybe the misty conditions disorientated them ...
The mudflats towards Port Carlisle were occupied by good numbers of Shelduck ...
Similar numbers of Oystercatchers were there ... all the adults now in summer plumage ...
... and the first-summer birds showing their white 'cut-throats' and dark-tipped bills ...
Even on the quietest of days Port Carlisle seems to hold birds ...
An adult Grey Heron looked striking with the bright white forehead that reveals its maturity ...
And one of the now commonplace Little Egrets foraged energetically and successfully not far away ...
Little flocks of Wigeon were scattered around and returned to the water repeatedly to give some nice visual effects ...
More Pinkfeet announced their arrival and flew right overhead ...
With the movement towards spring the numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls are now increasing ... this one looked almost intermedius in the murky light but then showed itself to be one of our local graellsii birds ...
On the Wampool channel as it wended its way across Moricambe Bay there were more flocks of mixed waders ... more Curlew and Oystercatchers here ...
And coming into Anthorn as I scrutinised some very variable Meadow Pipits a little group of Twite suddenly appeared and proceeded to feed in the horse field just in front of me ...
The sound of thousands of Barnacle Geese cut through the air as they fed across the Wampool on Newton Marsh ...
... distantly one of the regular leucistic birds was among the flock ...
On the mud banks by the bend in the Wampool it was a true birdfest ! ... mixed Pinkfeet and Barnace Geese
... all busily doing something ... even a hint of weak sunshine into the mix ...
Gulls occupied one strip of water ...
... mixed Black-headed and Common Gulls ...
... there often seems to be a darker mantled individual among the Common Gulls ... and there was ...
... nothing much to see in the open wing ...
... and other aspects of the bird gave little credence to any thoughts of heinei ... but maybe some eastern genes in the mix from the intergrade zone ...
... it took a passing gyrocopter to stir the goose flock ... they looked and sounded even more impressive as they relocated further into the marsh ...
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