This is serious!

More to the point....very serious. I'm not going to 'get out' again today and staring at this monitor is definitely not good for the mind or soul but that's what I'm doing right now. So to help combat the ill effects all this is having on me I did the following research with my thanks to John Wilson who allowed me access to the LDBWS Annual Reports from the societies birth in 1959....

I did some 'digging' into the archives and as always came up with some interesting results from the 1990 LDBWS Annual Report. I also decided to give Lamberts (Lancaster) Ltd a plug with the front and back cover of the report from 20 years ago.

The year was noted in the report as an interesting one which included a Night Heron, Serin, and singing Marsh Warbler all at Heysham. Other notable records included a mass arrival of 95 Black Terns at Leighton Moss on 2 May which represented the largest number recorded in the area but which was a fraction of the in excess of 1,000 recorded in North-West England as a whole.

There was two attempts of breeding by the same pair of Mediterranean Gulls both of which ended in failure. Other negative news for 1990 was the no breeding success of 'terns' or Bowland raptors the latter which thankfully has now changed for the better  in 2010. Another record which had a particular interest for me was that of a Black Stork which many observers saw soaring over Leighton Moss. Five years later this is a species which I myself had the good fortune to find in flight over Little Fell Lane east of Lancaster on 24 April 1995. More interesting records appeared in this report with up to four Black Grouse recorded on Beatrix Fell, and two pairs near Hollins. This was the year my birding friend JB had the the good fortune of finding a White-winged Black Tern at Leighton Moss and then earned himself some honour in pursuing the bird to Dockacres, and then went on to Heysham to alert fellow birders who were there out of 'telephone' circulation which resulted in a large number of people having cause to be grateful to John for his efforts regarding this sighting and getting the news out. Of course I take particular note that no breeding records of Stonechat were discovered in 1990. It was noted in this report that a Subalpine Warbler found in Freeman's Wood in Lancaster in 1989 had been accepted by BBRC. 

To end, I note my name is absent from this report as of course it will be, a clear indication of my 'late' arrival on the birding scene....How I will always wish I'd have taken an interest in birds many years sooner than I did. 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!  

Mainly Pictures.

Collage. Pete Woodruff.

I came across these four pics during one of my regular rummages through things bird connected and put them together the result being to make this pretty awful collage, but never mind they are three interesting birds and a nice summer visitor the Wheatear at the bottom right. I didn't think it important enough to dig out dates but the bird at the top left is the Green-winged Teal which took up residence at Marshside a year or two ago. The bird top right is the Night Heron which did a bit of roaming around some years ago and at one point turned up on the small lake at Lancaster University. And the interesting partial albino bird is an Oystercatcher I found one day at Fluke Hall, I initially saw the bird in flight over the high tide here and for a moment thought I was looking at an immature Little Gull with the birds odd black and white markings and not yet noted the bill, it soon came down in the field where I got this photograph.

Kestrel. Phil Slade.

I'm a sucker for excellent photographs and couldn't resist this brilliant one of the hovering Kestrel from Phil. I'm also always up for plugging a good blog to view and THIS is definitely one.

Marsh Harrier. Gary Jones.

Still the sucker, and here's another one from Gary who recently achieved this excellent image of the juvenile Marsh Harrier on a visit to Leighton Moss, and also....

Tawny Owl. Gary Jones.

....got this one of the Tawny Owl which Gary regarded as a bonus to his visit and he has to be right on that one being an excellent bonus. Please consider giving Gary's website a visit HERE

And finally....I got a text message by a man I know from the Fylde who told me of the return of the Hobby (seen 2 July) at Pilling Marsh this afternoon but unfortunately couldn't respond to the call but consider this....On Friday 9 July a week after Phil's sighting of the Hobby I included in my post the necessity  of a stake out here when I found in excess of 300 Swallows over the field and at rest on the fence posts adjacent to Fluke Hall Wood, I reckon this bird has discovered a food source and probably returns here on a regular basis....Mmmmm!