Bowland Calls!

Brilliant day Thursday, somewhat spoilt by a strong and chilly east wind which drowned out lots of birdsong, and blew into my face for 3 hours before turning my back on it for the return leg. But it was good to lock up the motor and give the area a good going over.

Marshaw - Tower Lodge - Trough Bridge.

The biggest surprise this visit, was a Spotted Flycatcher seen briefly on a roadside fence post about 1/2 mile east of the cattle grid at Marshaw. 

The earliest Spotted Flycatcher in our recording area was 14 May with no year given in our local annual report. Some Spotted Flycatcher dates worth noting, one was at Beckermet north of Sellafield on 19 April. The earliest ever date in Cumbria was 24 April 1983, the median date being 2 May, whilst the first in Lancashire 2021 was on 1 May, the earliest ever being 14 April 2015....Looks like the 1983 bird in Cumbria has been dethroned! 

I located 2 Pied Flycatcher, both singing males, one at each end of the compound at Tower Lodge. In my 5 hours I found just one Dipper in flight upstream from the green bridge on the Hawthornthwaite track. I saw 3 Common Sandpiper on the Marshaw Wyre, from where a very disappointing result was of just one pair of Grey Wagtail. Hopefully more to come, but with breeding usually beginning late April, maybe that's just my wishful thinking, but I left few stones unturned on the Marshaw Wyre today.  

The 15 Willow Warbler were all heard above the wind whistling through the trees, I reckon possibly twice this number here today. Others included in my notes, the lovely Song Thrush was appropriately in full song, at least 3 Mistle Thrush, 3 Coal Tit, and a Goldcrest. A smart male Siskin hanging from an Alder twig, was good compensation for my failing miserably whilst searching for Crossbill. 

One or two Sand Martin were flighting around this bank, I may have seen birds entering the only two nest holes that looked anything like they may be excavated and occupied in what looks like a very solid and stony bank. There's nothing new in recording just 24 species in 5 hours at this upland location in Bowland, and the only butterfly seen was a Peacock over the stream.

Stoops Bridge.

It was unfortunate that I got into a conversation with someone soon after I arrived here, unfortunate because I consequently ran out of time, but did see a male Pied Flycatcher - five here I'm told including a ringed bird - saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Nuthatch and Chiffchaff.

Stonechat.

I was pleased to have news of the first ringable Stonechat chicks found in Cumbria 21 April, this gives the first egg date of 27 March. With chicks needing to be around six days old, the previous earliest record of a brood available for ringing was 7 April. Conversely, a backward spring delays ringing to the end of the first week in May, a gap of 4 weeks....What a difference a month makes!

Breaking News.

The first brood of the year, five Stonechat chicks ringed this morning at Dean Moor, Cumbria. 

I'd like to express my thanks to John Callion for being in touch with this Stonechat data, also for info on the Spotted Flycatcher in Cumbria. 

Common Tern.

News about 2 Common Tern on Conder Pool yesterday made my day big time.

Common Tern Conder Pool 22 April. Howard Stockdale.

This record means the Common Tern has arrived on Conder Pool 2 days earlier than the past two years on 24 April, and now takes pride of place as the earliest arrival date. 

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the much appreciated heads up and 'snapshot' image. Also thanks to Martin Jump for the excellent header image of the Pied Flycatcher at Tower Lodge.

Raptor Persecution UK.

If you would like to click the link to RPUK in my right sidebar, currently you will find some interesting reading. Even if you have no regard at all for Chris Packham, and I doubt that is the case, or you read the Daily Mail. Either way you can see what crap the Daily Mail and Twitter - including an anonymous user with just 50 followers- really are.