Setting The Record Straight.

On Monday 30 March, by chance I spotted a bird through the patio window, in an instant I identified it as a fully feathered and fledged Siskin.

I decided to make a dash for my tripod to make a video of this quite remarkable sight. I was eventually able to combine two videos of the bird in the Willow and then on the feeder.

After I had processed the video's and got to grips with the date and data regarding the Siskin, I quickly realised the significance of a young bird seen on the 30 March, which was at best highly unlikely.

So I was in touch and made enquiries with BTO - British Trust for Ornithology - and received a very comprehensive and much appreciated reply, a few important bits about the issue I have highlighted here.

'It was completely understood why you had thought this bird to have been a 'youngster', being puffed up and downy, and looking lethargic. But several members of the BTO team having viewed the video, the general consensus was that this bird being void of a gape was a adult female Siskin which had probably contracted trichomonosis'. 

The author of this reply told me of a conversation with a another member of BTO involved in Terrestrial Ecology, has given three dates of earliest records of Siskin, one being, '4 live eggs 25 March 2010'.

Conclusion.

The best conclusion I can offer on this issue of a young Siskin in late March in our Lancaster urban garden is....With data I have, the earliest I could expect to see fledged Siskin is the end of April, obviously at least 4 weeks later than I thought one was in our garden on 30 March.

Taking into account, none of the footage could be rated as quality, I fail to understand how it could ever be labeled by anyone as an adult female Siskin, and it's my conclusion that the bird I found in the garden on 30 March was a stunted juvenile Siskin.

I welcome comments that contradict this claim.

Pleasantly Surprised.

I've had two sightings this week which have had my birding motto ring true once again....

Not what you will find but rather what you might

The element of surprise never fails to delight

The Siskin.

Siskin Young. Pete Woodruff.

The first pleasant surprise came in our garden on Monday 30 March in the form of a young fledged and fully feathered Siskin. Right place at the right time had me find the bird looking a little tired in the Willow by the pond. But it was my lucky day, as later it was seen again, this time on the feeder with proof it had already mastered the art of flying.

My enquiries about the significance of this sighting are ongoing, but one thing for sure, I wouldn't have expected to see this bird until around the end of April, the breeding season of the Siskin not starting until early this month....Global warming!

The Black-tailed Godwit.

My second pleasant surprise came the following day Tuesday 31 March, when I had good cause to pay a visit to the Lune floodplain viewed from Bull Beck. Last year I had two excellent sightings here in early April, resulting with my records reading....I found a Little Ringed Plover on the shingle bar, and distant in the sky, there's this large lumbering bird flying upstream, then dropping down out of view....Yep, it was an Osprey.

Black-tailed Godwit. Pete Woodruff. Clik The Pik

No LRP or Osprey today, but an excellent compensation came with at least 400 Black-tailed Godwit distant with 'large gulls' around a flood with Burrow Wood in the background. 

More Therapeutic Than Birds...

....and notes about moorland burns, the bog, the cemetery, and the diver.

Another beautiful calm sunny early February day on Thursday, had me pleasantly sauntering around the Birk Bank area. As I left then car behind me on Rigg Lane, I had been thinking this was going to be a therapeutic day rather than a day for birds, and so it was.

I'm known on B2B to often say, upland birding can produce quality, but not a bag full of birds, today that is something of an understatement. In the 3 hours here I saw just four birds - yes just four birds - 2 Blue Tit and 2 Wren, heard Raven calling high and distant, six times I heard the 'bouncing bark' of Red Grouse, and not a raptor in sight.

Moorland Burns.

I haven't been in the area since last September, and was surprised and puzzled by several small areas with patches of burnt heather....I have no idea what that was about!

Birk Bank Bog.

The old boardwalk has been replaced by a new one running straight out and across the bog. 

With machinery used in erecting the new boardwalk, there has been the inevitable damage to the bog, and there is now a wide ditch on the left side. In the image above, the bottom right hand is the corner of the old boardwalk.

This image was taken from what was the corner of the old boardwalk. It shows a ditch where the walk was, but the wall remains in place. So maybe not all bad news for the Common Lizards, which I suspect are currently in hibernation perhaps somewhere in the wall, they could often be seen basking in the sun on the old walk.....It remains to be seen where they will bask this summer.

It is my understanding that consultations where made during the planning for work undertaken to retain the water level at the far end of the bog, dragonflies and butterflies were taken into consideration. My informant concludes by telling me....'the site will have room for everything'.

Lancaster Cemetery.

An hour in the cemetery was well rewarded with excellent views of at least 8 Siskin flighty but briefly feeding on Alders, also equally excellent views of a Goldcrest.

Treecreeper. Pete Woodruff.

But the best bird was a Treecreeper, initially picked up flying from one tree to the foot of another, then creeping spirally up before moving to the next tree, soon to disappear from view on the backside. I stalked the bird to get views again and observed some interesting behaviour, it was motionless for a few minutes, then slowly looked to the left, then to the right, its eyes blinking slowly. 

Great Northern Diver.

The Great Northern Diver remains at Pine Lake, having been present there since it was first recorded last year on 15 December 2024.

Great Northern Diver Pine Lake. John Wallace.

This is the diver I predicted was doomed to die after seeing a line with a Pike fishing rig hanging out of the side of its bill, and a hole the size of a 10 pence piece in the left side of its neck. One birder I spoke with had a genuine suspicion the line was wrapped around the underside of the bird, and thought it was probably unable to fly, and that could well be the case today. Not good for a seabird trapped on an inland lake for 7 weeks unable to return to the sea.

I'm grateful to John Wallace for allowing me to use his excellent image of this bird dated 25 January, showing it to be in pristine and healthy condition.   

Great Northern Diver Pine Lake December 2024 (Facebook)

Hard to believe this Great Northern Diver appears to have fully recovered from the terrible injury inflicted upon it obviously since it's arrival on Pine Lake in December last year.

....And The Pied Flycatchers Tale.

I spent the traditional 5 hour on my trek around the Tower Lodge area and came away with a mix of good and bad feelings. 

But the day started out in good style, when 2 minutes after I arrived at Marshaw I picked up three birds in a line in flight which soon disappeared from view, but two returned over my head a minute later, then one of the two returned another minute later. A lot of 'cu-coo' calls heard throughout this several minutes spectacle which I regarded as some sort of dispute. This sighting resulted in my recording 5 Cuckoo on the day, but it has to be a possibility the two heard later were from the three seen earlier in the day though 1/2 mile away.

On the Marshaw Wyre, 6 Common Sandpiper seen, including two young having soon gained independence and able to fend for themselves.

According to my observations, probably three breeding pairs of Common Sandpiper here this year, also a decent count of 10 Grey Wagtail, and just the one Dipper. A Song Thrush was behind Tower Lodge, where 2 Siskin were noted.

One of the downside of things today was, there are No House Martin at Tower Lodge, though I'm aware that Swallows and House Martins didn't arrive back in the country in their normal numbers during May. So perhaps summer isn't here yet....Not too difficult to believe given the inclement weather.

I found my first 4 Spotted Flycatcher seen as 2 pairs, and the 6 Pied Flycatcher seen, which brings me to the bad feelings....

The Pied Flycatchers Tale.

On a day that was nothing like I expected or was forecast, by the time I left for Lancaster, I had spent the day here in cloud at little more than 11°C and no sunlight.

Although the 6 Pied Flycatcher I found where seen as three pairs within a distance of 80 metres, with two pairs frantically attending nests, and one male seen to take out an insect in flight, in itself an excellent sighting, but I think this area may have suffered the same fate as one in Cumbria.

I was in touch with John Callion a ringer of note in Cumbria. John has been dismayed at the high levels of mortality in some of the Pied Flycatcher nests. A few have had full broods dead, others part broods, sometimes just an individual. The persistent winds have been the result of reduced numbers of invertibrates available resulting in the high level of failure. I note ringers in Durham have had similar findings.

On my visit to Bowland this week, I didn't experience any dead birds in nests like John did, but with the possibility of up to eight breeding pairs here this year, two pairs this time not previously seen, and no activity seen today through 15 nest boxes. I think this area may have suffered the same failure as those in Cumbria.

With all this negativity behind us, and as a self confessed Stonechat nerd, I found it heartening that JC has recently had four pairs of Stonechat, all with healthy full broods of five....Alleluia! 

The Header.

Although obligingly posed, it's a pity the Spotted Flycatcher was on barbed wire for some pictures....N'er mind, you can't win'em all! 

The Up's And Down's of Bowland.

A fairly good day in Bowland on Tuesday, which produced some notable positives and a few negatives, including I have yet to find my first Spotted Flycatcher here.

The most positive news being, as I found 4 Pied Flycatcher in the Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge area - one of which was at a natural nest hole - my records now read, there is a distinct possibility that there are currently 10 breeding pairs of Pied Flycatcher at two Bowland sites, both of which I have visited twice....To be continued.

Dipper Marshaw 21 May

Having kept the Marshaw Wyre in my sights for most of the walk, other breeders here today were a Dipper up and down the stream with food in its bill.

Grey Wagtail Female Marshaw Wyre 21 May

I had a better result than my last visit on 9 May, when I found 9 Grey Wagtail today with food collecting individuals seen. On the downside, I connected with just one Common Sandpiper, but I'm convinced two pairs here this year. A Siskin was in the same view as the sandpiper on the Wyre at Marshaw, from where I heard a distant Cuckoo, probably the Tower Lodge bird which I never heard again throughout my 4 hours here.

More evidence was Curlew individuals calling, an indication of probably 6 breeding pairs. A singing male Blackcap was around the Tower Lodge area, with 2 Mistle Thrush as opposed to nine on my last visit, also 2 Treecreeper seen.

Stonechat Hawthornthwaite 21 May 

A relatively brief visit to Hawthorthwaite was rewarded by a nice pair of Stonechat, with at  least 14 Meadow Pipit and 3 Red Grouse to note.

Sand/House Martin.

My records were going to read none over and around Catshaw Greave on Hawthornthwaite today, but I did eventually see 3 Sand Martin as I arrived back at the car. But I've yet to see them this year at the Cam Brow site.

After two visits, the House Martin remains absent from Tower Lodge, and I note just one bird seen 25 May last year. I have seen none to date at River Winds and the Railway Crossing Cottage at Conder Green. 

Back To Bowland.

My first visit of the year to the Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge trail, came with something of a surprise and a shock thrown in for good measure, and by the time I had completed my 5 hour mini-marathon, I had counted 14 nest boxes which have been erected over the length of c.2 miles between Marshaw and beyond Trough Bridge. 

In my opinion 14 nest boxes is one thing, but some placed in locations like the one illustrated above in one of the many lay-by's along this stretch is another thing.

But I reminded myself that this is the kind of crap I photographed in this AONB which I'm almost certain to find again during the summer months....Here's hoping it isn't under a tree with a nest box nailed to it.  

I found 4 Pied Flycatcher, three male all singing around nest boxes, and a female. Eight Mistle Thrush, a surprisingly low count of only 6 Willow Warbler, at least 8 Siskin were moving restlessly through the tree examining the cones.

Breeding Mistle Thrush At Marshaw. Howard Stockdale.

With 16 Mistle Thrush seen in three visits to Bowland recently, this one with obvious evidence of breeding, I am getting the feeling they are doing well here this year. 

Common Sandpiper Marshaw Wyre. Howard Stockdale.

On the Marshaw Wyre, 4 Common Sandpiper were seen as two pairs, a Dipper flew upstream, and 4 Grey Wagtail.

There was no sign of any House Martin having returned to Tower Lodge as yet, but as I walked up the track from the lodge to the moors, a Cuckoo was heard along the treeline beyond the plantation. 

The days five star award goes to the Woodcock, stood quietly on the wall behind the lodge, giving me another chance in a million to follow Tuesdays thrush duo.

When I arrived back home, our first 3 Swift of the summer were over the house. Thanks to KT for this excellent record. I also have a report that a healthy number of Swift have arrived, with some around nest boxes at property in Fairfield thanks to a member of the Woodruff clan. 

Stonechat.

Stonechat Hawthornthwaite. Ian Mitchell.

Really pleased to have received some much appreciated Bowland records on 10 May....

Trough Bridge area, a pair and male Stonechat per Andrew Cornall

Hawthornthwaite Fell, 7 Stonechat per Simon Hawtin.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for his images of Mistle Thrush and Common Sandpiper at Marshaw, and to Ian Mitchell for the Hawthornthwaite Stonechat.

Spotty In The Spotlight!

It took me about an hour to find the Spotted Redshank in the creeks at Conder Green, finding this bird again was the culmination of a decent haul at Conder Pool on Friday. In the two weeks since I last saw the Spotted Redshank, it has transformed into breeding plumage by half, at this rate it will be in full summer dress in under three weeks. 

Whilst recording some footage of a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull, I had a lucky break to find when I opened the film on the computer, unknown to me, 2 Little Ringed Plover had come on the scene to make a pleasing little threesome video.

Two Cattle Egret were present but soon flew off, they appeared to have some orange tone, particularly to the crown. Also present were 8 Avocet, a Common Sandpiper and Greenshank, 3 Back-tailed Godwit, up to 250 Redshank, 200 Knot and 2 Stock Dove. Seen from the viewing platform, at least 8 Swallow were flighting around Conder Green Farm, and eventually came over Conder Pool.

A check of the canal basin at Glasson Dock proved little of interest, but a walk to the churchyard at Christ Church found 2 Chiffchaff, one giving good views in the wooded area here.

At Cockersand, 8 Wheatear were in the field by Cockersand Abbey, the same 120 Linnet as seen 26 March were in the field by Lighthouse Cottage, 8 Eider were off Plover Scar, 22 Whooper Swan were the only winter remnants seen lingering distant in fields behind Bank End Farm. I saw just one Small Tortoiseshell on Slack Lane.

Garden Birds.

 

On Friday we had the pleasure of a visit to our garden feeders by a stunning male Siskin, but its rating was reduced to second place by the brief appearance of a Chiffchaff the following day, but it made a return visit 2 hours later to give good views. This is the second garden record, the first being seen Tuesday 20 September 2022. I hadn't realised these bird was found in the garden at opposing ends of the year. 

Good News.

To lift us out of the depression of wet and windy weather we have been enduring....

The first Common Tern of 2024 returned to Heysham Harbour on Friday. An area which has the benefit of being comprehensively monitored....Heysham Bird Observatory

Large Red Damselfly Teneral Female Phil Larkin

The first dragon for North Lancashire was at Brockholes on Thursday, a Large Red Damselfly.

Common Carder Bee. Pete Woodruff.

And I have been finding my first bees, with this Bombus pascuorum on Thursday at Cockersand. 

Mainly Godwits & Gulls.

Well mainly godwits and gulls on Conder Pool on Monday, because I'm still waiting to find my first migrant despite a couple of hours spent at one of the best locations for the first Wheatear in our area at Cockersand, though I note just a few miles south down the coast, AC found his first two Wheatear at Fluke Hall....wrong place wrong time for me it seems!

I was pleased to see the godwits still hanging on at Conder Pool, though reduced in number, with at least 2,500 Black-tailed Godwit, they were accompanied by a lone Bar-tailed Godwit and up to 200 Knot, a sight not to be ignored, and one not surpassed by me, as a wader not regularly featured and rarely in a three figure number on the Lune Estuary let alone on Conder Pool. Another bird seen hanging on at Conder Pool and the estuary, was a Greenshank. 

As for the gulls in the title....Up to 150 Black-headed Gull on Conder Pool as a noisy screeching colony, probably 75 pairs looking to nest here. 

At Glasson, I never tire of finding 5 Shoveler here, seen as three drake and two duck. Eight Avocet seen again and still not seen by myself on Conder Pool. At the south end of Colloway Marsh and spreading north in the distance were c.3,500 Pink-footed Geese.

On Jeremy Lane a chance meeting with J.C.W was a stroke of luck, when a female Merlin was seen mid-distance....Nice.

At Cockersand there was little to surprise despite spending two hours and doing the circuit there, and from this experience no wintering or passage Stonechat here today. But the milder sunny weather, coupled with the Lapwing showing off its spectacular alternating flight of rising and diving, twisting and turning with territorial song, and the accompanying flight song of the Skylark, gave the feeling of spring turning to early summer. Otherwise, numbers were at around 350 Whooper Swan spread over three fields, 35 Linnet were flighty over fields.

Sunday 17 March.

A pleasant walk along the promenade, was rewarded with 33 Brent Geese seen off the children's play area at Heysham. And a female Siskin pays regular visits to our garden feeders. Our resident female Blackbird is nest building, and spent several minutes yesterday collecting material, then spent another several minutes frozen.... 

I was a little puzzled by this behaviour.

Sparrowhawk.

The images are credited to Mike Atkinson who sent me these two seen in his garden recently.

An interesting note, I'm not sure there is any connection with the sex of the bird, but as perfectly illustrated here, the Sparrowhawk's eyes change colour with age from yellow in younger birds to red with maturity....Thanks Mike, much appreciated.

A Little Subdued On The Estuary.

To say the 4,000+Black-tailed Godwit were still on Conder Pool on Monday, is the obvious contradiction to the title of this post. But although on a nice sunny early March day albeit too windy for my liking, around the Lune Estuary was generally quiet on the sightings scene, with little possibility of finding any early migrants.

*Three Sand Martin reported yesterday Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve....LDBWS 

As I started to make a video, the godwits were spooked by something eyes right, necks stretched and flew off. 

The only other notable thing about the visit to Conder Pool, was a lone Bar-tailed Godwit in the midst of the godwit mass. That said, 4 Buzzard were together over the woods to the NE of Conder Green, seen as a group probably from nearby territories, a common social pattern and behavior by the Buzzard soaring in spring. 

Off Moss Lane, a Cattle Egret was with 75 Whooper Swan, and at Cockersand, a Merlin took off from the footbridge over a ditch on the north side of Bank House, and flew over the field behind the caravan park. I saw just the one female Stonechat, a lingering wintering bird along the bulrush ditch off Slack Lane.

Garden Birds.

Excellent news for the Woodruff's when 2 Robin were seen in the garden, one collecting moss with thoughts of breeding, the other taking a bath. Also, a Siskin continues to make occasional visits to the feeders.

And our resident Blackbird was serenading in the moonlight at dusk yesterday, not quite in full voice, but pleasant all the same.

Stonechat Passage.

With some excellent Stonechat data, AC was in touch to report 20 Stonechat he has seen since mid-February, and points out the difference of 40 seen this time last year....Thanks Andrew, much appreciate your enthusiasm.

The Header.

Flying the kite on the beach at Sandylands on Sunday with his kids. A friendly man who agreed with me, Lancaster City Council has pulled the plug on this years Catch The Wind Festival. The festival is the highlight of the summer season in Morecambe attracting up to 20,000 visitors....Dumped by a bunch of muppets.

Thanks to the friendly man for his brilliant Owl Kite in my header image.  

The Godwits And The Owl....Déjà vu.

The Conder Pool Godwits.

A few years back I had the amazing experience of seeing the huge number of 2,500 godwits on Conder Pool. I was not expecting to see a repeat again on Monday, but did have an even more amazing one, when I found a number there which equaled those I have been seeing lately, the last time being 9 February on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, when up to 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit graced Conder Pool once again.

Black-tailed Godwits Airborne Over Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

The godwits were accompanied by at least 50 Dunlin and a few Knot....Another magical first for me, with 10 Tufted Duck and 3 Little Grebe to note. 

On Jeremy and Moss Lane, a combined count of 475 Whooper Swan, also 4 Cattle Egret were in fields at Clarkson's Farm, which have now entered their 5 month stay in the Cockersand area. Five Reed Bunting and a Wren were on the marsh, c.550 Golden Plover were in the field by Abbey Farm, and a decent count of 25 Grey Plover were on Plover Scar as the tide ebbed. I found just one female Stonechat along the bulrush ditch off Slack Lane.

The Cockersand Barn Owl.

 

As I started the circuit, I came across the Barn Owl in the field by Bank House Cottage. By something of a coincidence, the owl took off and behaved pretty much the same as it had done on 7 February, it was in my sights for an hour and a half, crisscrossing the fields, hunting the hedgerows and ditches, before flying past me enroute back to Bank House Farm, having once again flown at least 3 miles in it's pursuit of prey.

If you have 3 minutes to spare this is an interesting and informative video ....

The Bowerham Bullfinch.

Bullfinch. Mike Atkinson.

I am grateful to Mike Atkinson for sending me the image of the male Bullfinch in his garden recently, whilst telling him we wait in anticipation of the first visit to our own garden just around the corner from him.

A female Siskin obliged the Woodruff's with a visit to the garden feeders this morning, but appeared alert and not feeding during the recording.

New Arrivals....Long Stayers.

Monday wasn't quite the day I was hoping for weather-wise, with grey skies and a chilly wind, because of which I abandoned my planned traditional circuit of Cockersand, to backtrack to Glasson for my second look at the Lune Estuary and Conder Pool.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, three sightings in particular grabbed my attention, 1) 9 Avocet were feeding in a tight group with bills sweeping side to side, before flying off upstream to disappear from view, 2) the huge number of up to 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit seen on the Lune Estuary today, seems to continue increasing apace, with an all time record of 4,600 reported here on Sunday 18 February LDBWS, 3) a leucistic Dunlin was seen briefly with a few other waders before soon flying off, unfortunately no camera at the ready to record the little beauty. Also to note, at least 350 Redshank and 75 Golden Plover. 

With a hair cut and other management work since my last visit 7 days ago, on Conder Pool a good record was of a pair of Shoveler at best irregular here, c.120 Black-headed Gull have certainly taking a liking to the new look landscape, no doubt in due course many of them will take over and dominate the islands to breed. Also noted, 45 Teal, 36 Redshank, 24 Snipe, 4 Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Grebe, a Greenshank and Goosander.  

Garden Birds.

Robin. Pete Woodruff.

Best news from the garden, we had 2 Robin yesterday 20 February, with much interaction between them, 2 male/2 female/a pair....who knows! A Siskin has made three appearances since the first female seen 9 February, and we also have 2 Dunnock and a Wren visiting regularly.

Young Garden Dunnock. Pete Woodruff.

Hoping the Dunnock breeds again in the garden this year as they have in the past.

Stonechat.

To add to the 6 Stonechat seen at Fairhaven Dunes on 13 February FBC, it's beginning to look like the spring passage has taken off, and I agree that 4 seen at Fluke Hall by AC on Monday were definitely a start to the spring passage of the Stonechat.

The Header.

The 4 Cattle Egret found in the field opposite Lighthouse Cottage on 25 October 2023, are still being seen in the area and are now 4 days short of their 4 month stay. Many Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the excellent header image of one of them.

....And More Spectacular Numbers!

Following my disappointing last visit to Conder Green on 30 January. Conder Pool reclaimed its first place in the title race for best local birding site of its kind on Wednesday when I found the 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose there with 82 Greylag.

The Conder Pool grebes are dispersing, with just 3 Little Grebe seen today. They usually start to move off the pool and into the creeks in January, then on to the River Lune before disappearing for the summer. Also to note, 17 Wigeon, and 12 Tufted Duck. As a note of interest, the hedge along the canal towpath between The Mill and Glasson, which in part runs along the back of Conder Pool, is being laid. 

Notes from the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 3,250 Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, a relatively low count of 120 Golden Plover, 5 Goldeneye, and a drake Goosander. 

From a moving car along Moss Lane, c.25 Fieldfare. At Cockersand, everything I found today was seen at the caravan park end, and included just one female Stonechat seen on the marsh, but Ian Mitchell reported a pair by Lighthouse Cottage.

Together with excellent views of a Barn Owl, I had the pleasure of a Merlin rocketing over the marsh, and later a Hen Harrier ring-tail. A flighty flock of c.50 Linnet, 4 Reed Bunting, and a lone Greenfinch. My best ever count of at least 700 Curlew were seen, with 250 in the field behind Lower Bank House, and at least 450 on the mud south side of the Cocker Estuary. 

I have repeatedly said, this is by far the best area to find large numbers of Curlew, and doesn't reflect the Red Listed status of the species around the Cockersand/Cocker Estuary area. My other best ever count of the day, was of the 3,250 Black-tailed Godwit on the Lune Estuary....Seen as another magical moment for me. 

Garden Siskin.

Siskin. Mike Atkinson.

It was a pleasure for the Woodruff's to see a female Siskin on a feeder in the garden on Thursday. Only the fourth such sighting in 14 years living here....Yes it's a bit scarce in Lancaster!

Thanks for Mike Atkinson for the image, which added some interest and colour to B2B.

Disturbance.

A site of SSSI is a formal conservation designation. Usually it describes an area that is of particular interest to science due to the rare species of fauna and flora it contains.

I initially decided not to publish this picture of a man out on Plover Scar, complete with camera and mutt. But following conversations I've had about unnecessary disturbance, including the Barn Owl/s at Cockersand which have attracted much attention from people who should know better. I'm prompted to publish it now to give some publicity to bird disturbance. 

This 'photographer' was joined on Wednesday by someone with two more mutts, all trampling across the recent Snow Bunting territory on Plover Scar, and much worse was followed by 'two people' with a 4 wheel drive and trailer with a Punt Gun almost at the foot of the lighthouse, a positively vile weapon capable of killing large numbers of wildfowl with a single shot....This area is in one such SSSI.

An Interesting Trawl.

A very interesting visit to Bowland and the birds of Marshaw - Tower Lodge - Trough Bridge.

My sightings for the day started with a Siskin I found drinking in the Marshaw Wyre by the plantation at Marshaw, from where I saw a pair of Lesser Redpoll and a few Sand Martin of which just one individual was seen to enter a nest hole in the bank upstream from the green bridge.

Birds seen on or around the length of the Marshaw Wyre, where my main interest was with sightings of 3 Dipper at three locations, one of which I reckon had a nest nearby, and was behaving with a small fish like it was food for young. I counted 6 Grey Wagtail with no evidence of breeding or young, also 5 Common Sandpiper with young hopefully to be seen in the coming weeks.

Three pair of Pied Flycatcher are occupying three nest boxes. This male was singing around the box, which I was able to stalk to close range with trees for cover....Pity about the wind pollution in the footage, the bird was singing nicely.

It took four hours for me to find Spotted Flycatcher, two were seen as a pair which eventually took off to see two other birds off which I strongly suspected to be two more flycatchers. If they were, there are only 4 Spotted Flycatcher here this year.

The supporting cast was, 4 Mistle Thrush, a Song Thrush, Long Tailed Tit, and 3 Dunnock. A clattering of 38 Jackdaw flew west, and 10 Willow Warbler were mostly heard, though one gave excellent close views, and in a short watch at Tower Lodge, I saw just one House Martin which eventually entered a nest. 

A Curlew gained maximum height at the top of a dead tree to advertise its territory....Don't recall ever hearing this call by the Curlew.

Banded Demoiselle.

Banded Demoiselle Garstang 27 May. Pete Woodruff.

A saunter along the Lancaster Canal and River Wyre at Garstang, resulted in finding 6 Banded Demoiselle. 

Ian Mitchell sent me an interesting image of a Large Red Damselfly at rest on an exuvia. Along with some comments from an expert, and given it was seen on an acidic bog, I'm suggesting this is the larva case of a Four Spotted Chaser.

Ian struggled to get this image of a Little Emerald being uncooperative amongst the Bilberry. There was an emergence of this moth, of which I also saw c.12 on my last visit to Birk Bank 22 May.

Edit.

Worthy of the edit, this Painted Lady was on Sandylands at Morecambe this afternoon. A rapid flier and strong migrant, they are expected to arrive in Britain in June, this is my first in May.....Make my day!

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.