Another Stonechat Safari.

Stonechat @ Pegler Birding  

On Wednesday, a half decent sometimes sunny but cool day when exposed to a light wind, a late summer visit had me finding 6 Stonechat on Birk Bank, by something of a coincidence seen in the same combination as my last time up here on 23 July, a pair and two juvenile, and a male and female seemingly unconnected.

Some interest in their behaviour, in that they independently moved around considerably and at times flew some distance, in fact they were all over the place and difficult to keep up with, and in the time I spent with them in view, the distance between my first seeing two birds, and where the six were scattered about when I left was probably in excess of 400m. I've no idea what exactly was going on here, and why all the activity, but it was good to have collected another breeding record of this obviously declining species in Bowland.

Also of note in the area and on the track east side of Clougha, 20 Red Grouse included twelve past me together in flight. It was also good to find five raptors, 3 Buzzard and 2 Kestrel, with a Robin and Wren the only other birds seen in four hours. 

Butterflies seen, 9 Red Admiral seven of which I saw with 8 minutes of each other when the sun put in an appearance at around 1.30pm, and - significant or not - were all flying south east, also 3 Peacock, and 2 Small Tortoiseshell. 

Black Darter. Pete Woodruff.

Forty five minutes staked out on the board-walk over the bog produced a male Black Darter, and at least 4 Common Darter. 

Dead Again!

My being on a grouse moor on Wednesday, has reminded me to post about the latest act of raptor persecution that has taken place on an estate in the Cairngorms National Park. A recently fledged and satellite tagged Hen Harrier has 'disappeared' from there, and the last transmission was made from this bird on - wait for it - 12 August. 

Wonder what the tweedy dressed bastards will come up with when they're questioned about what they might know about all this then.