Well Blow Me Over....Twice!

I was a bit slow off the block on Friday and got to Conder Green at 11.00am to find the area quite the opposite to my visit here on Tuesday when I referred to the circuit as 'quite lively'. Today I noted just 3 Whitethroat, 3 Reed Bunting, and a pair of Linnet.

Little Ringed Plover Noushka Dufort  

But I put in one of my regular return visits - when possible - to an area already visited on the day, a practice which has so often paid off with me by finding something I missed the first time round....Lesser Yellowlegs springs to mind. Well blow me over, five hours after my first visit here, and at least a month late, a Little Ringed Plover was on Conder Pool. Food for thought on this one....has the bird only just turned up here, has it been skulking in some little hidden corner and escaped the attention of everyone these past few weeks, does it have a mate, has it bred on the pool, does it have young....Mmmmm!

Timed to be at Cockersands Plover Scar for the high tide, after panning through no more than c.160 waders, I noted around 80 Ringed Plover and Dunlin, 10 Eider were off the scar, and I was pleased to find a ringed Herring Gull - yes I do check the gulls - here for its fifth showing to me. This bird is almost 8 years old and was ringed on 1 July 2006 on the Ribble Estuary.

Curlew Sandpiper Brian Rafferty 

But wait a minute, what's this then, well blow me over....again, its an adult Curlew Sandpiper in breeding plumage, an excellent spring record and not many of those in a pound. 

One or two birds of interest on a wander, a Wheatear was still on the headland, 5 Whitethroat seen included three on Slack Lane, 7 Tree Sparrow included two young, a pair of Linnet and a singing Dunnock noted.

With a bit of effort required, yet another enjoyable and educational six hours birding.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. 

Many thanks to Isidro Ortiz for the excellent LSW image in the new header. When did you last see a LSW, or more to the point....have you ever seen one!

The disappearing act!

But first a brilliant photograph.

Gannet David Cookson

The Gannet and its offspring showing the art of photography at its best....Great stuff DC, much appreciated.

I don't reckon to know the up to date facts about the High Speed 2 rail line, it may well be underway or in the pipeline for all I know, what I do know is that in excess of 20 ancient woods need protection along the route of this speed-rail line. Another example of the kind of destruction faced by more ancient woodland in need of protection is that of more than 80 acres from a quarry in Kent, and there will be many more examples we don't know or hear about. 

Ancient woodland has formed part of our landscape since the Ice Age. In the 21st century it now covers less than 2% of the UK with lots of them - along with the animals that rely on them for survival - still under the threat of airports, new roads, and leisure facilities. Over 40 species associated with woodland died out in the UK last century and many more are at risk today in the UK which is one of the least wooded places in Europe. Only 12% of the UK's landscape is wooded compared with an average of 44% in other European countries.

Nearly 50% of the ancient woods that survived until the 1930's has since been lost or damaged by agriculture, development, or planting by non-native conifers for commercial forestry. A wide range of birds nest inside the cavities of the older trees and are dependent upon them for the bulk of their food. The Lesser-spotted Woodpecker needs a large territory full of insect-rich wood, a reduction of this is leading this bird to the brink of extinction and I wonder if the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker is perhaps one of the first casualties of our modern landscape. 

And finally....

Black Starling. Ana Minguez

The Black Starling, I love the contrasting colours between the birds yellow bill, red legs, and black plumage, and....

Thekla Lark. Ana Minguez.

The Thekla Lark, both of which - unless you travel outside the UK - you may never see. Thanks to Ana Minguez for the brilliant photographs. 

The LSW.

For the majority of birders in Britain today the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (LSW) is a rare sight, more to the point, to birders in our area in north Lancashire it is at best a highly unlikely sighting. You may well be thinking this goes for other species including the Willow Tit, but the claim of one within the LDBWS recording area recently changes things a little.

It is interesting that the LSW benefited from the spread of Dutch Elms disease in the 1960's - something good comes from everything - the old saying goes. The fungus that lead to the death of the Elm trees was spread from tree to tree by Bark Beetles which provided the LSW with an abundance of food, another benefit was that as a result of the dying Elm they could excavate the decaying trees for the purpose of nesting.

The LSW today is a very scarce bird in most of its range throughout Britain, and there are very few locations where it can be found with any reliability, especially in the north. Last year the species was added to the list of bird species by the UK Rare Breeding Birds Panel seen as the only way to provide effective monitoring. I'd suggest there would be no challenges made against the agreement in general that the extinction of the LSW may not be far away in Lancashire.

As for the Willow Tit - perhaps also on the brink of extinction - the sighting mentioned above in the past few days in the LDBWS recording area always give hope. 

Now the customary Picture Gallery with a trio I just could not resist....

Hobby Paul Foster    

I can't tell you how envious I am of PF for having the opportunity to see and photograph the Hobby at Lakenheath. Just take a close look at this truly amazing bird and flying machine looking like an overgrown and coloured Swift, those wings....WOW!! 

Golden Oriole Paul Foster

Still green with envy of PF and his Golden Oriole, a bird I'm possibly never likely to see in my area in the north of England. Thanks for these two excellent images Paul they are much appreciated.

Bee-Eater Antonio Puigg

Continuing on the envious theme, a brilliant close up of the Bee-Eater, the third of three birds, two of which its not likely I'll see unless I move outside my area, and the other - the Hobby - doesn't carry any guarantee with it. But always worth remembering....you can't always predict the birds. Thanks Antonio, much appreciated.

Many thanks to WB for the new header and brilliant image of the Spotted Flycatcher, a bird well up in my top ten list of favourite summer visitors to our shores. 

The hat-trick!

I got out birding yesterday for the third time in over five months - not good for the soul - and managed an excellent six hours in the Conder/Glasson/Cockersands area.

Scaup. Copy Permitted.

I had to be back in Lancaster by 1.00pm, so to get my six hours in I was at Conder Green by 6.30am....and that's what I call living. The very bird in the pic above was the first bird I recorded in my little black book today, the drake Scaup was on Conder Pool in the company of 14 Tufted Duck, also noted on the pool, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Wigeon, and 3 Little Grebe. A circuit produced 3 Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, and a Little Egret all in the creeks.


Viewing the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock it was interesting to note at least 250 Shelduck here, a similar number of Curlew were too distant for comfort as were c.160 'godwit' which I took to be Bar-tailed Godwit. The estuary was otherwise pretty quiet with barely a double figure of 'gulls' to be seen and not a Goldeneye in sight. 

Black-tailed Godwit David Cookson 

Off Bodie Hill I counted 45 Black-tailed Godwit and 65 Wigeon. Thanks to DC for the excellent image of the BTG.


So by now I've used up three of my six hours, the next three I spent at Cockersands, during which time took in one or two nooks/crannies and an enjoyable circuit. I think my best record here was the sight of 15 Grey Plover, a number unheard of in my book and a scarce species here though regular in low single figures, or have I been visiting Cockersands at the wrong time for all these years. Also of note on a quiet Plover Scar as the tide came in, as counts go these are pretty accurate, 45 Knot, 18 Turnstone, 12 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, with Oystercatchers unchecked, 19 Eider were by the lighthouse.

Wheatear Phil Slade 

On the circuit, having found a Ruff on a flood, with my back to another field I had been thinking the field behind me is good for the species I was really 'out to get' today, and yes....2 Wheatear were excellent on my day of escapism, in another field up to 650 Golden Plover were resting quietly. I have no idea of the numbers in this area at the moment but I only saw 2 Tree Sparrows today. I know I'm not the recorders friend on this one but a 'few' Meadow Pipits were noted, as were Skylarks, about eight of the latter. Thanks to PS for the Wheatear.

And finally....

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker Tony Duckett  

Just to annoy the 'local' birders who won't have seen one in years in our recording area and beyond - if ever - another cracking little photograph of the cracking little Lesser-spotted Woodpecker....Thanks to TD and Regents Park Birds.

Chats in the park....

....and theres more, but not Williamsons Park!

Stonechat. Tony Duckett. 

Since I recently found Tony Ducketts blog covering the Royal Parks Regent/Bushy in London I've discovered a dedication to patchwork worthy of commendation. And hey....in Bushy Park yesterday Tony found Stonechats. So, no Stonechats in our area in the North of England, but Stonechats in February in the metropolis.... who'd a thought!  

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Tony Duckett.  

But wait a minute....not just the Stonechat in the capital, but a stunning little Lesser-spotted Woodpecker on the very same day. 

I'm in disbelief, a species disappeared from our area and beyond since the big freeze of last winter - which thankfully may not be going to return this winter - and a species - the latter - a long time extinct in our recording area and beyond. Add to this the staying 'redhead' Smew and I think I'd better keep an eye on this man to see 'whats next' at his Central London location at Regents Park 


                               

Sorry about the large white void, its a video which I don't appear to have downloaded correctly and I can't get rid of it now either. Obviously not as computer literate as I had first thought!

Kestrel. Tim Crossley.

One or two of my contact/birding/photographer friends have been in touch recently and I've received several images including these two of the Kestrels on the verge of fledging last summer. Tim found this family in an old derelict warehouse in the centre of industrial Lancashire. 

Barn Owl. Ian Tallon.

And Ian sent me this excellent one of the Barn Owl. It was good to be in touch again Tim/Ian and many thanks for allowing me to share the photographs, much appreciated.

A 'pecker and a wader.

But first the wader....

Turnstone. David Cookson

An excellent portrait image of one of my most favourite waders the Turnstone, a bird I must say more about sometime soon in a 'gap filler' between my birding. A brilliant photograph David for which - along with the LSW below - I am truly grateful.  

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker. David Cookson

I was prompted to make a few brief notes on the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (LSW) when I found this image of DC's, a bird you'll be hard pushed to find in our recording area in North Lancashire where it bred in the Silverdale-Leighton Moss area during the 1960's and 70's with frequent records during the 80's. In 1978 three pairs of LSW bred at a location on the River Lune with one or two annually until the mid-90's, apart from a single pair at Melling in 2000, no breeding has ever been confirmed in the Lune Valley since. To the south of Lancaster nesting was recorded at Scorton and Street Bridge between the early 1960's and 90's with only occasional sightings since then, the most recent I'm aware of was of a male - at a site I'm not at liberty to disclose on Birds2blog - in the spring of 2003, surely raising the possibility of a breeding foothold of this reclusive little bird.

It is the reclusive behaviour of the LSW which makes the species a difficult one to observe/survey but it has been shown to be restricted to England and Wales having never been recorded in Ireland, in this country it is also absent from the uplands and treeless lowlands. The LSW has declined at sites with a high density of Grey Squirrel, although the Great-spotted Woodpecker is a more likely predator which - if some opinion is to be considered - will also evict LSW from their nest holes.

The combination of a scarce and declining species that inhabits a difficult habitat means that further required research into the LSW will be something of a challenge. With regard to our own recording area I reckon there are isolated pairs of breeding LSW somewhere out there, finding them is another matter, but I've been in touch with someone recently who has told me he's going to take me to a location where he almost guarantees a sighting of the LSW....I'll let you know the result.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!