The Stalker.

I note the Purple Heron is still at Eagland Hill this Sunday morning, though to be honest I was fearing the worst for this bird. Having seen some literature indicating some unrest about it's presence there by the natives, and the 'twitchers' becoming an increasing nuisance for this quiet but very busy and extensive farming community. This culminating in a report of the bird having an injured and bleeding leg on 20 January....Mmmmm!  

Birding is a serious business, but it doesn't always have to be that way, so here's something of a lighter look at it....

Two videos I made of the Purple Heron at Eagland Hill, stitched together with sound added. This is a way around the limit of 100mb for uploading films on to Birds2blog. Link to The Stalker 

Edit.

Perhaps the link above doesn't work without the inconvenience of applying for permission. This 50 second video is shorter and is within the 100mb limit for uploading.

WATCH FULL FRAME

I was pleased - delighted even - to hear from Howard to tell me of two pairs of Stonechat he had seen on Abbeystead Lane on Thursday, when he chose to return home from a trip into Lancashire via the scenic route through Bowland....a good choice with an excellent result. 

Stonechat Abbeystead Lane 23 January. Howard Stockdale.

I'm hoping normal service birding will be resumed tomorrow Monday....But who knows!

A Twitching Double.

A text to AC on Friday morning to ask if there was any news on an Iceland Gull seen on Thursday at Knott End was negative, but resulted in a good day for both of us when he suggested I met him at Eagland Hill.

 VIEW FULL FRAME

The weather was perfect with calm sunny conditions, and a Purple Heron was out in the open in a field opposite Birk's Farm and giving excellent views with the bonus of a Barn Owl flying over the herons head, to return complete with a vole in it's talons. Also, up to 30 Corn Bunting close by, they were up and down on to the telephone wires in varying numbers.

On to the sewage plant on Backsands Lane at Pilling, and more excellent views, this time of a Siberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis, with the advantage of the bird being accompanied by a 'yellow' collybita, as opposed to our bird being overall much paler. Also seen, a Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtail on the beds. In the field opposite the works, c.350 Pink-footed Geese and 230 Curlew. At Fluke Hall, up to 900 Pink-footed Geese, also noted 7 Blackbird in 50m of hedgerow, and a lone Tree Sparrow. 

Over our house on Friday, at least 450 Jackdaw at 4.05pm flew NW towards Aldcliffe. This is a daily occurrence, but I'm struggling to work out where exactly they go to roost. When we lived elsewhere in Lancaster 8 years ago, we saw the Jackdaws gather nightly towards dusk on the  top of the tower block at the then called St Martins Collage - now the University of Cumbria - when they would fly off towards Ashton Hall, where 900 Jackdaws were recorded going to roost on 15 December.

The Purple Heron.

The Purple Heron has the reputation of an over-shooting spring visitor with some even through to October. It breeds as close as France and Spain, but many records are linked to breeding colonies in the Netherlands. I reckon this bird should really be wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, and certainly not in a field at Eagland Hill on the Fylde in January.

The first record of a Purple Heron in Britain was at Middlesex in 1722, but although today it is regarded as an annual vagrant to Britain, the next record didn't come until 88 years later in 1810. Since 1983 the species ceased to be considered by the BBRC, by which time over 700 records had been accepted.    

Picture Post.

I had a conversation on the telephone with Martin Jump yesterday, very informative and much appreciated. Later in the day, two e-mails collided in my inbox, when some images sent by Martin, and some more sent by Howard Stockdale, arrived virtually at the same time....Please clik the piks.

Purple Heron Eagland Hill. Martin Jump.

Martins images where of the Purple Heron which had been at Eagland Hill recently, and still was yesterday.

Stonechat Cockersand. Howard Stockdale

Howards images where of the 'Lighthouse Stonechat' which he found yesterday in the set-aside on Slack Lane. This is great news, as I had not seen this bird despite two visits here, and it had not been seen since 22 December by Andrew Cornall.

Thanks to Martin and Howard for the excellent images.

Bring on the clowns.

In relation to my last post, a couple of piks I thought you might like to see, albeit for all the wrong reasons....You did watch the video I hope.

Unfortunately I gave my vote to put this clown in Westminster as our PM. Although I voted to remain in the EU, I was left with no choice, as any other vote would have made things even worse, as if that was possible. 

As for the ever grinning Farage. Here we see him shaking the hand of yet another illegitimate creep.

My point is this, you can't get above and beyond these idiots, the Fox - and don't forget the Hen Harrier - stands no chance of being protected against the bastards who kill for kicks, whilst the Westminster bunch make the rules, then tell everyone to ignore them.

Hopefully I'll be back soon, and Birds2blog will continue with the purpose it was created for, to record the birds I have a passion for.     

Briefly Around The Lune.

Briefly birding again on Monday, and with at least fifty more sheep than birds on Conder Pool, where there was a grand total of 5 Little Grebe, 3 Black-headed Gull, a Little Egret, and a Grey Heron. A circuit of Conder Green produced a similar level of excitement, with 12 House Martin still around River Winds and Cafe d' Lune, and a Common Sandpiper in the channel, which is becoming more likely to be this years wintering bird here with every passing day.

Golden Plover at Glasson 4 September. Pete Woodruff.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, 2 Mediterranean Gull were both adult, a Greenshank, c.500 Redshank and a few Dunlin, with a lone Golden Plover seen close from the bowling green, and of 17 Little Egret counted, twelve were together in a tidal pool up stream from the Conder mouth.

Two Ruff were nice off the Lighthouse Cottage, they were a juvenile male and female feeding with a few hundred Dunlin and fewer Ringed Plover, a Wheatear was by Abbey Farm which was as far as I got today at Cockersand.

Adding a bit of gloss and quality to Birds2blog....

Purple Heron Brian Rafferty

The Purple Heron found 18 August, remains at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve, and can still be seen today mainly from the Grisedale Hide, but occasionally from Tim Jackson Hide....Thanks for the excellent image Brian.

Weekend Birding....Who Me!!

Saturday.

KT agreed we went on a twitch to Leighton Moss on Saturday, and, as opposed to the birder I heard telling another on the path to the Grisedale Hide, he'd had no sign of the bird in the time he spent in the hide, it was our lucky day as the Purple Heron came flying out of hiding within five minutes of our entering the hide, but within 60 seconds it became our unlucky day as a Grey Heron flew at the 'Purple One' which promptly flew back into the hiding from whence it came, never to be seen again....well not by us anyway.

Great White Egret Brian Rafferty

But we did have good views of a Great White Egret at the back of the pool, before paying a visit to the Allan Hide to see a Little Ringed Plover juvenile, a Common Sandpiper, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, and up to 550 Redshank.

Sunday.

I paid a brief visit to Heysham, but didn't have much in the way of rewards, with not a single Mediterranean Gull found on Red Nab or the outfalls, but a record count for me of up to 175 Cormorant on the old wooden jetty.

Butterflies on Buddleia in the Nature Park, 2 Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, 2 Peacock, and 2 Small Tortoiseshell. On the pool, a male Black-tailed Skimmer, and a Gatekeeper nearby.

Tuesday. 

Back at Heysham again yesterday, I found 13 Mediterranean Gull on Red Nab, seen as 10 adult, 2 near adult, and a juvenile, the moulting Little Gull was on Stage Two outfall. 

Conder Pool produced a peak count of 11 Little Grebe, and it was also good to see the female and four young Tufted Duck surviving and still heading for the first successful breeding record of the species on Conder Pool. Two Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail were in the creeks, and 6 Speckled Wood were on the coastal path.

Briefly Birding!

Think we may have had that title before, it sounds a little repetitive, and boring too, but Thursday's birding really was at the lower end of the excitement scale for me. But a couple of scans through at least 1,500 gulls on the Lune Estuary at Glasson uncovered 2 Mediterranean Gull, both adult, one moulting, one in winter plumage, wader numbers were at a low, but a distant Greenshank was good.

Conder Pool held 9 Little Grebe, my best count to date this autumn, by the same date last year - 17 August - 15 Little Grebe were present here. In the creeks, 4 Common Sandpiper, and along the coastal path I found 3 Whitethroat with a juvenile still being fed. A total of 7 Speckled Wood were seen along this path and on Jeremy Lane, where thirty minutes on foot found my tenth Painted Lady. 

The Purple Patch.

Purple Heron. Noushka @ 1000-Pattes 

A juvenile Purple Heron was found at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve yesterday afternoon, it was seen from the Griesdale Hide at 1.19pm.

Being the largest reed bed in Lancashire, it's not surprising that Leighton Moss dominates Purple Heron records, since the first in 1970 to the present day, it holds ten records, including one in 1974, which summered from mid-May to the end of July, but this current one stands out as the first juvenile bird, and certainly the first in August, all the others have been adult/1st summer birds, with all records being in May/June with the exception of the last one at Leighton Moss which turned up 21 years ago in April 1996.

The Purple Heron breeds as close as France and Spain, but it occurred in Britain so frequently that by the end of 1982 it was removed from the BBRC Rarities List, and became tipped as a potential colonist, a tip that came good when a pair bred at the RSPB Dungeness Reserve in Kent June 2010.

The current Purple Heron at Leighton Moss is still present today to at least 11.15am. 

Thanks to Noushka for the excellent in flight adult Purple Heron and Cattle Egret header.

Water, water!

By way of a change its the south that appears to be getting most of the rain, and lots of it too, though the recent floods in Wales have also been a disaster. But the floods in April and May had a catastrophic impact on some of Britain's birds in particular on the Ouse Washes in East Anglia home to the largest concentration of nesting waders in lowland England, the floodwaters drowned the nests and breeding attempts of up to 600 waders including the Black-tailed Godwit.

For centuries land drainage took place across the UK, but the Ouse Washes is now the most important stronghold for wading birds including large numbers of Redshank, Lapwing, and Snipe. But the area is used as part of a flood relief system for the River Great Ouse by the Environment Agency, the river flows through three shires to the sea near Kings Lynn in Norfolk. During the summer months the RSPB Reserve Ouse Washes is grazed by cattle which create ideal conditions for ground nesting birds, but in times of extreme wet weather the sluices have to be opened to prevent flooding elsewhere in the catchment of the river, a problem its difficult to see a solution to.

Avocet David Cookson

Conversely, up here in the north of England at Leighton Moss the Avocets are having a roaring success this year and the last I heard there was 33 young with some apparently almost ready to fly....their best year yet at LM. Thanks to DC for the 'pic with a difference' of the Avocet.

And finally, try this for a Spanish trio....

Sardinian Warbler Ana Minguez Corella

The Sardinian Warbler a vagrant to the UK the first record being in 1955 on Lundy, Devon....Thanks Ana. 

Great Grey Shrike Isidro Ortiz

The Great Grey Shrike a mainly winter visitor to the UK the first record of which was claimed to have been in 1544....Thanks Isidro.

Purple Heron Antonio Puigg

And the Purple Heron another visitor to the UK and first recorded in Middlesex 1722 ....Thanks Antonio. 

Birds2blog....again!

Black-eared Wheatear. Paul Foster.

Thanks for this Paul....A couple of interesting points about the Wheatear, 1) They were once classed as a 'thrush' but now considered as Old World Flycatchers, 2) Despite being in areas today for almost seven hours where they would have been expected to be not one was seen.

I was in the company of JB today and had some rewarding sightings. We first called in at Conder Green - well where else - where the tide was well in and rendered the creeks under water but this visit and one six hours later produced on the pool a Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher, 4 Wigeon, c.20 Teal, and I could only find 6 Little Grebe on here today, 3 Spotted Redshank flew off the pool having been hidden from view and appeared to go down on to the channel below the railway bridge, on the later visit a Ruff was in the creeks, and c.220 Goldfinch were flighty over the marsh, an increase in number since I first saw them here a week ago when I estimated eighty birds.

With the tide approaching its height we decided to pay a visit to Knott End which produced two adult Mediterranean Gulls on Preesall Sands east of the esplanade, a Little Egret was seen and I also noted at least 50 Eider and a Great-crested Grebe whose numbers I have noted recently have fallen everywhere I visit. As we passed Sand Villa on the way here a Buzzard was of note the species having expanded south in recent years. On Pilling Marsh and the sands beyond up to 700 Pink-footed Geese, and a Little Egret on the marsh.

At Glasson Dock 6 Curlew Sandpiper continue to make this year an exceptional one for this species passing through our areas, also 4 Spotted Redshank were 'hoovering up' together along the tide-line and 2 Little Egret were on the far side of the estuary.

An excellent tour of the coast with JB who will record the day much more comprehensively than me and if this interests you I'd pay a visit HERE to see his account.

And finally....

 

Purple Heron. Phillip Tomkinson.

Thanks for allowing me to occasionally post your photographs on Birds2blog Phillip it is much appreciated. Phillip's website is HERE please take a look at some excellent photography. 

Purple Heron again, and a Stint!

With reference to Saturdays post about the Purple Heron, and having been reminded of my failing body parts, I did have access to a Purple Heron pic after all and my thanks go to one Mr Phil Slade for the image above taken on his recent obviously resoundingly successful and enjoyable holiday in Menorca....Thanks Phil.

Another Fylde birder - as PS above - takes the prize today. As I drew up on to the car parking area at the lighthouse at Cockersands this early afternoon I could see a silhouette complete with tripod and telescope on the skyline opposite Plover Scar, as I identified who this was my pager alerted me to the bird mentioned further down this post and of course the silhouette had to be that of SP.

It was 11.00am before I got to Conder Green this morning though it mattered not as the place was almost deserted, but the Little Ringed Plover at least obliged on Conder Pool by making its presence known here still, hopefully confirming that a breeding programme is still in place, though I never fail to cringe each time I see a Carrion Crow, Grey Heron and Lesser Black-backed Gull on here as I did today. On the circuit the only two birds of note were the Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler both singing in full voice.

As I drew on to the car parking area at Cockersands I could see a pretty large number of what turned out to be in excess of a very impressive 200 Ringed Plover intermingled with in excess of 300 Dunlin, definitely something to keep me occupied for a while I thought, but now SP is bearing down on me to tell me of a bird he's found with this large group of waders and promptly suggests we go down on to the shore and walk towards Plover Scar to eventually have excellent views of a Little Stint. But this bird is something of a scarcity in our area in the spring so there was the bonus of seeing the species in it's spring/breeding plumage of which the last of this scarce spring sighting was a bird at Sunderland Point on 28 May 2008.

An excellent record image of the Little Stint with a Dunlin for comparison at Cockersands this early afternoon. Thanks for putting me on to this bird SP and your mobile calls to keep me up to date whilst separated on Plover Scar....this is what I call friendly birding. 

As Mondays are a 'short shift' of birding for me at the moment I was now running out of time but didn't do so before I'd see at least 2 Sanderling with this large group, and a Whimbrel gave itself away by its pleasant rippling whistle call as it flew off. Though we're heading into the quite June period on the birding scene I'd call this a very rewarding 'half day'.

And finally....

Another of those stunning images David Cookson is adept at achieving, this of the Little Egret in the low evening sun. If you'd like to see more of this kind of photography HERE is the place to go....Thanks for this David. 

  

Purple Heron.

Well this is the nearest I can get to a photograph of the bird of the title being the Little Egret and both members of the group Ciconiiformes. Unfortunately I can't credit this image to anyone as I have no record of the  author so if you thinks it's yours please tell me.

Britain is claiming a first record this year as a pair of Purple Herons have taken to nesting at Dungeness in Kent but hey....these birds are under threat from an airport development here. The Purple Heron visits the UK in small numbers each year usually as individuals but this year a pair have arrived and decided to set up home in Kent. This member of the heron family normally breeds in southern Europe.

A protection scheme has been set up at the site but the potential development of an airport is casting a large shadow over this peninsula and the future of this brilliant location and the wildlife it supports. The Purple Heron isn't on it's own at setting up home in the south of the country as the changing climate pushes birds further north and species like this highlight the importance of places like Dungeness as a haven for displacement due to global warming.

So the Purple Heron - which has been struggling for the last few decades in Europe - is hopefully about to join the Cattle Egret and Spoonbill as first time breeders in Britain and all eyes are on the Great White Egret to become the next in line for this record.

Meanwhile, back at the RSPB camp there is a call for the government to haul in the planning applications for expansion at the nearby Lydd Airport, but wait a minute....the local authority of Shepway District Council consented the applications in the face of recommendations to refuse thereby illustrating that we still have lots of  'idiots' in what they may think are high places and are very dangerous people once they get their uniforms on and who need to be outvoted as soon as possible.