....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.

Harrier Wins The Day....

....and some other goodies!

On Conder Pool, a Greenshank was my first since I found four here on 19 October last. Also noted, 85 Wigeon and a similar number of Teal, 55 Mallard, 5 Tufted Duck, 22 Redshank, and 2 Goosander. When I looked towards the marsh I saw a male Stonechat, probably one of the pools wintering birds.

Pulling in at Saltcote Brow Pumping Station, there was a good number of geese in the field, I eventually counted up to 180 Greylag, and saw they were accompanied by the 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose and 2 Pink-footed Geese.

As I passed the field at Clarkson's Farm I could see 3 Cattle Egret, which appear to have lost one of their number, first seen 25 October when four were opposite Lighthouse Cottage. At Cockersand, up to 30 Twite were flighting around Bank House, probably the same flock first seen on Plover Scar 19 October. The Barn Owl seen briefly, initially it was grounded in the field. I saw just one male Stonechat by Lighthouse Cottage, but AC reported a pair on Moss Lane. 

  

A lone Twite was looking lost on the shore below the abbey. Difficult to stay firm in a mini howler and the camera set to zoomed in. I've silenced the wind in the short clip. 

There was three high number records on the day, at least 380 Whooper Swan were spread over four distant fields including a herd off Jeremy Lane. Up to 3,000 Pink-footed Geese were in the air, but the most impressive count was of up to 500 Curlew as an absolute minimum estimate, they were at rest on the mud south side of the Cocker Estuary. I've seen this kind of number here before, but as yet have failed to trace my record....I note the entire January WeBS count for the Lune Estuary in 2021 was 307 Curlew, which was well down on the 5 year average, suggesting a continuing decline of the species...The Birds of Lancaster and District 2021

And Finally.

When I was leaving Cockersand, in fields opposite Abbey Farm on the east side of Moss Lane which is narrow with no passing places and ditches on both sides. A pale grey harrier with white underparts, and contrasting black primaries, it was a stunning male Hen Harrier, but by the time I found somewhere to pull up it was lost to view....N'er mind, my day was already made.

Thanks to Simon Hawtin for his header image of the male Hen Harrier.

Stonechats.

If last year is anything to go by, it gives me much pleasure to think in just four weeks time Stonechat passage will have taken off. By the end of February 2023, I had collated 53 records of 102 individual Stonechats on passage. These records were followed by even more unprecedented records of the Stonechat on spring passage in March. 

During the past four weeks of January, I have collected 37 records of 76 wintering Stonechats. Three of these were of lowland records in the LDBWS recording area not known to be breeding territories, and not known as wintering territories either.

Stonechat spring passage is coming soon....Bring it on!

Redpoll In The Garden.

Mike Atkinson has struck gold - well red actually - when he had Lesser Redpoll visit his garden feeders, including this brilliant full frame portrait of the male....

....and the equally brilliant female.

Thanks for these Mike, much appreciated, and very envious. Lucky you!

The Russian Down The Lane!

The female Pochard remains faithful to Conder Pool, and thinks it is one of the 46 Wigeon I counted with which it mingled. Also noted were 22 Tufted Duck and 6 Little Grebe, with single figure Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbird, and 2 Song Thrush taking berries along the hedgerow, but the male Stonechat wasn't deposed from its top spot on Conder Pool....AC had seen the pair of Stonechat here earlier in the day.

Hen Harrier. Simon Hawtin.

At Cockersand, my third recent sighting of the ringtail Hen Harrier in flight over the stubble field behind Lighthouse Cottage before lost to view over Crook Cottage, almost but not quite knocking 4 Stonechat seen off their throne....Well if I'm going to keep seeing this spectacular ringtail, I'm going to keep posting the spectacular images from Simon Hawtin. 

The c.240 Whooper Swan seen had made return appearance, with 120 in the field at Clarkson's Farm where I only found one of the four Cattle Egret seen there earlier per AC, another similar number of Whooper Swan were distant around Thursland Hill.

The bunting currently reported around Plover Scar, gave me a bit of a run-around. I saw 2 Twite foraging the detritus on the scar, and gave up on the bunting, but as I went through the kissing gate, I saw a bird flying around, by the time I reached the abbey I saw it was a Snow Bunting flying off towards Plover Scar and calling, but I made a fruitless chase after the bird. My other Cockersand notes were of at least 200 Curlew in the field north of Abbey Farm, 9 Greenfinch, and 92 Pink-footed Geese over >south.

As I headed to Cockersand earlier in the afternoon, the field off Jeremy Lane, which had held large numbers of geese for a fortnight, was deserted. But when I drove back down the lane 3 hours later returning to Lancaster, there was up to 80 Greylag back in the field....is this my lucky day?

The 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons with a white facial blaze and pink bill and breeds in western Russia, had recently latched on to the large gaggle of Greylag Geese which - though noticeably smaller - it resembles. 

The Rewind.

I've been perusing through my 2017 records, and pulled out some random finds and seen, and included my breeding records of the Stonechat which sadly doesn't make such good reading. In fact the records don't even mention Clougha, which - rightly or wrongly - I have abandoned as our once local stronghold in the same way the Stonechat has. I also visited Barbondale three times and found not a single Stonechat there. The Dalton Cragg record (*) credited to Bryan Yorke.

Eight Stonechat breeding records - 20 young - in 2017....Disastrous.

17 May Hareden, a pair and 2 young.
19 June White Greet, a female and 2 young.

03 July Foulshaw, a male and 4 young.

12 July Birk Bank, a pair and 2 young, a male, and a female. Four visits May - August.
12 July Harrisend, 2 male, a female, and a young.

17 July Hawthornthwaite, a male, two female, and 7 young. 

14 Sept Dalton Cragg, a pair and 2 young *

15 Sept Hawthornthwaite, a pair and one young. Five visits May - Sept.

Five December Lowland Stonechats.

10 Dec Heysham Half Moon Bay, 1st winter male and female.
11 Dec Crook Cottage Cockersand, 1st winter male.
22 Dec Off Caravan Park Cockerham Sands, 1st winter male and female.

Other notable birds found in 2017, and (*) not my credit.

20 Jan Conder Pool, Great White Egret. *

27 Jan Pilling, Red-breasted Goose and 10 White-fronted Geese. *

27 Jan Knott End, Black Redstart. *

03 Feb Conder Channel, Conder Green, Little Stint. 

17 Feb Moss Lane, 22 Bewick's Swan.

17 Feb Lune Estuary, Glasson, 46 Goldeneye peak count.
24 Feb Cockerham Marsh, 2 Shorelark. * (Andrew Cornall)

27 Feb Plover Scar, Snow Bunting. 

06 Mar Jeremy Lane, 6 Stonechat.

23 Mar Deep Cutting Lancaster Canal, 2 Little Owl. *

24 Mar Cockersand, Lapland Bunting.

10 Mar Conder Pool. 2 Avocet.

08 May Conder Pool, 2 Common Tern.
25 May Barbondale, 11 Pied Flycatcher.

25 May River Lune Bull Beck, 6 Little Ringed Plover including 3 chicks.
31 May Sykes Farm Bowland, 15 House Martin nests.
31 May Langden Brook, pair Ring Ouzel.
14 Jun Tower Lodge area, 6 Spotted Flycatcher.
19 Jun White Greet, 3 Stonechat, Bloe Greet 3 Stonechat.
12 July Birk Bank Bog, 3 Keeled Skimmer.

04 Aug Conder Pool, drake Scaup.

26 Sep Lune Estuary Glasson, 18 Ruff.

06 Oct Cockersand, 14 Ruff.
23 Oct Cockersand, adult male Stonechat.
02 Nov Crimbles, 2 Ruff on flood.

A decent selection of records, and if my birding this year is anything like as good as the last was, I'll be well happy.

Quality Geese And Grebe's.

Red-breasted Goose/White-fronted Geese. 27 January. Pete Woodruff.

Yesterday I decided to shoot off down the A588 again and into Fylde territory. A good idea, as the roaming Red-breasted Goose was soon found in a field off Backsands Lane with 10 Russian White-fronted Geese and c.150 Pink-footed Geese.

Black Redstart. Knott End 28 December. Richard O'meara.

Turning off Fluke Hall Lane and into Wheel Lane, I spotted a Fox running through the field to cross the lane and enter the field opposite, it appeared to have a small prey item between it's teeth. I was on my way to Knott End for my share of the Black Redstart which gave excellent views below the Waterfront Apartments where it has spent the most of it's time since it was first found here by Richard O'meara a month ago on 28 December 2016. A short walk along the length of the esplanade was rewarded with up to 200 Sanderling and uncounted Ringed Plover, Knot, Redshank, and Dunlin. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, I noted 18 Goldeneye, 25 Black-tailed Godwit, a lone Bar-tailed Godwit, and a drake Red-breasted Merganser. At Conder Green, the Spotted Redshank was in the creeks, and I watched 7 Snipe drop on to the terrace at the back of Conder Pool.

The Conder Little Grebe.   

I counted 14 Little Grebe at Conder Green yesterday, this is the first double figure here since I saw eleven two months ago on 28 November 2016.

My day had started with quality geese, and ended with quality grebe's.

Many thanks to Gary for the Blackcap header image, and to Richard for the Black Redstart....Both rated excellent in my book, and much appreciated.

Pedigree Geese.

Red-breasted Goose. Braides 18 January. Chris Batty.

With thanks for a call yesterday from AC, I shot off from home at around 2.30pm, to drive 6 miles south on the A588, and have good views of a Red-breasted Goose (RBG) in a field between Braides and Sand Villa, the bird was in company with 8 Russian White Fronted Geese, 4 Barnacle Geese, and c.1,500 Pink-footed Geese....Geese with pedigree's. 

The RBG and some others were in a field by the junction of School Lane and Jeremy Lane this morning.

Thanks to Chris Batty for his image of the RBG, with a Russian White-fronted Goose and Curlew to the left, and the rear of a Pink-footed Goose to the right. 

A RBG on the Fylde on 14 October 2010 was the first record of the species accompanying Pink-footed Geese on the Fylde, and roamed around the area until last seen at Ridge Farm on 31 January 2011.

This is my second RBG, my first was on the sea off Cockerham Sand Caravan Park, with Wigeon and Teal on 8 January 2014, but although my sighting was in the water all the time I viewed it, this bird was know to have been a ringed individual recorded as an escapee.   

The Black And White Twitch.

Although chasing other peoples birds isn't the norm for me, finding myself in Carnforth on Monday afternoon with some business finished the obvious choice was to head off to Cote Stones to see the Black Redstart, but on arrival at the location and with not a soul or bird in sight I soon realised I had a twitchers 'dip' on my hands. 

Eurasian White-fronted Goose. Chris Batty.

So off I went about a mile down the road towards Silverdale to turn down the track and go under the railway bridge to look west into the fields where I eventually found 5 Eurasian White-fronted Geese in company with c.150 Greylag as viewed through a telescope like a jelly on a plate in an cold westerly howler....well that was fun!

An adult White-fronted Goose is easily distinguished with it's white facial blaze and black belly barring, and in favourable conditions is separable from the Greenland race by being slightly paler, and with a pink bill as opposed to the Greenland orange bill.   

A visit to the Allen Hide overlooking the salt marsh - which by now was almost totally submerged beneath a 10m tide - produced, a Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, 10 Snipe, a single Turnstone was noted with Redshank and Dunlin, a few Pintail were with Wigeon and Teal, a Red-breasted Merganser, and at least 12 Skylark seen.

From the Eric Morecambe Hide I saw at least 350 Black-tailed Godwit, and in the far distance I could just make out an Avocet, presumably one of Sundays two new arrivals here. 

Robin. Pete Woodruff.

From the path to the hides, this Robin posed nicely for me whilst I practiced any photographic skills I might have, ending quite an enjoyable three hours 'hide hugging' to be honest. 

Thanks to Chris for his excellent image of the Eurasian WFG.