BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND..............................................................................SCAUP CONDER POOL 5 MARCH PAUL ELLIS

Friday 26 May 2017

Pleasant PM With BD On BB.

A bit short notice for BD but his enthusiasm won the day and he came to meet me at Rigg Lane car park just before noon and we went off on a circuit over Birk Bank and back down to the delightful area around Rushy Lee.


Four-spotted Chaser Marc Heath

We hesitated at the bog to see 2 Four-spotted Chaser, and a few Large Red Damselfly some in tandem.  

Birds of the day for me had to be the 3 Stonechat on Birk Bank, seen as a pair and a lone male, but still no evidence of breeding. Thanks to some acute hearing 3 Redpoll went over, one of which came briefly into a tree. With a risk of duplication, 7 Raven - certainly five - was a decent count, whilst 5 Meadow Pipit was a low one, and just one female Red Grouse was also surprisingly low, 2 Song Thrush is always a bird to rate as excellent for me, 2 Swift were over, and a kestrel and Buzzard were the only raptors seen. 

At least 2 House Martin were at the cottage at Rushy Lee, and back on Rigg Lane a male Blackcap in song. On the length of the four hours to get back to the car park, up to 15 Willow Warbler heard.


Small Copper. Warren Baker. 

Butterflies seen were, 2 Small Copper, 2 Orange Tip, a Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, and a worn out Peacock, with good number of Large White mainly in the sheltered sunny Rushy Lee area, moths caught up with for ID were, Brown Silver-Line and Common Heath.

Disappointingly no Green Hairstreak were seen, less surprising for me was no Tree Pipit, I need to check my records, but a few years since I saw Tree Pipit anywhere in this area, and seen no reports of them here either.

Back in the car park at Rigg Lane, a brief conversation with a man armed with camera and tripod, had him telling me of Pied Flycatcher breeding up here 10 years ago....Mmmmm!!   

Thanks to Marc & Warren for their excellent images.  

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