Up And Down.

On Tuesday with my services needed to taxi a family member with a transport problem, the destination being Dolphinholme for 11.00am and collect at 2.00pm the obvious thing for me to do was to go into Bowland and dig around in some nooks and crannies off the beaten track for a couple of hours or so.

Garden Warbler Warren Baker

Nothing spectacular but I did find my first Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. I watched a Mistle Thrush feeding a fledged young, a Robin with a recently fledged young in tow, and saw up to 4 Song Thrush which included a pair also with a fledged young....The day of the fledged young, and very nice too. 

Treecreeper Phillip Tomkinson

I saw a Treecreeper doing what it does best - and as its name implies - creeping up a tree. I also found a perfect location for butterflies and saw my first 4 Comma of the year.

Returning to Lancaster with my 'unpaid' taxi fare, I went off for a brief visit to Conder Green to find c.75 Black-tailed Godwit in the creeks, with 2 Whimbrel on Conder Pool, being a first for the species on here in my records book, and a Whitethroat 'scratching' away loudly on the coastal path.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, c.225 waders gave excellent and reasonably close views, being 160 Bar-tailed Godwit, two of which were in stunning breeding plumage, 50 Knot, which also had four in their brilliant red breeding plumage, 12 Dunlin, and 3 Redshank.

An enjoyable couple of hours up to Bowland, then down to the coast for another hour. 

Thanks to Warren for the Garden Warbler, and to Phillip for the Treecreeper.

More BTG.

Virtually all wintering Black-tailed Godwits in Britain are of the race islandica, the population size of which is estimated to be 47,000, having increased over the past 100 years and showing no sign of levelling out.

There is a strong suggestion that individuals don't use fixed wintering sites or migration routes, born out by multiple sightings of birds ringed on autumn passage on the Wash and recovered at various seasons in Lancashire, together with further multiple sightings of colour ringed birds in Britain, Ireland, France, and Holland.  

Black-tailed Godwit. Martin Jump.

The Black-tailed Godwit has featured highly in my birding this spring. An amazing c.700 were on Conder Pool 17 April, and these and another 200 birds made the total up to at least 900 later the same day on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, good counts were also made around the same period at Cockersands.

On several occasions recently Conder Pool has offered the best of opportunities to get close to the Black-tailed Godwits from the viewing screen and easily read any ringed birds, and I've had the pleasure of finding five such birds with another find forwarded to me.

With the reliable and co-operative Böðvar in Iceland I have been forwarded some excellent histories of ringed birds, including two visiting Porto Alto, Lisboa, W.Portugal, and one visiting six different sites in France. 

Black-tailed Godwit. Martin Jump.

Ringed as chick 13.07.12 Bragholt, Road 811, Hjalteyri, Eyjafjordur, N Iceland.

GW-RY=Green over White ring left leg. Red ring over Yellow flag right leg. 

GW-RYflag 07.11.12 Warren Farm, Talacre, Flintshire, NE Wales.

GW-RYflag 29.03.13 Ladys Island Lake, Co. Wexford, S Ireland.

GW-RYflag 08.07.13 Marshside RSPB Reserve, Merseyside, NW England.

GW-RYflag 28.04.14 Glasson Dock, Lune Estuary, Lanc's, England. P Woodruff.

This bird could be my last one to be found ringed on the Lune Estuary this spring, my best ever for such sightings both in number and ringed birds. 

The two images above are of the Black-tailed Godwits at Newton Marsh, the bottom one of which illustrates a bird of the continental sub-species limosa which has bred in small numbers at Newton Marsh in the past, but egg collectors took clutches and the site was forced to be wardened against this and other forms of predation. Thanks to Martin Jump for the images. 

MMM.

Malta Montague's Murder....But for once I'll spare you one of my 'always justifiable' raging rants. 

Catching up with Chris Packhams visit to witness the Malta Migration Massacre season, I just watched Episode 4 of his video diary. 

If you've already seen this episode then you may as well close this page. If you haven't I ask you do so now if only to see for yourself the devastating effect of having to watch a Montague's Harrier euthanased had on Chris Packham because some Maltese Manic Maggot shot it for fun. 

To say the least I found it bloody hard going....he obviously did....and you will too.   

Sluggish.

....but we had lift off off eventually. 

I was actually going to give the title of this post 'Silent Spring', as I had decided to do the Skerton Bridge - Glasson Dock hike yesterday, and up to getting to the flood at Aldcliffe it was unbelievably just that....well at least 'Silent 2 May'.

Three Linnet and a Greenfinch took me by surprise on the salvaged stonework from the demolition boys on St Georges Quay, and a little further on I saw my first of 4 Whitethroat. But from there on I drew a blank save 2 Wren and the first of 10 Blackbird, most of which were in full song south to Glasson Dock. Then the job bucked up somewhat when I found 3 Little Ringed Plover on the flood and heard my first of 4 Blackcap, one of which was a 'harder to find' female just north of Conder Green.

Lesser Whitethroat Martin Lofgren 

Also to excite, I found my first Lesser Whitethroat which gave me excellent views as it rattled its way through the undergrowth. Along the way 4 Chiffchaff, and at Stodday I saw 2 Whimbrel briefly as they disappeared below the river bank, 2 Little Egret seen, and bringing up the rear, 10 Goldfinch and 2 Long-tailed Tit.

With less time to spare than usual at Conder Green I was able to note at least 75 Black-tailed Godwit feeding in the creeks. Two Coal Tit were on the coastal path, and hard to believe after 4.5 hours I heard the first and only Willow Warbler at Glasson Dock, last Mondays c.160 Bar-tailed Godwit were seen on the Lune Estuary from the bowling green.

Spring Blossom. Pete Woodruff.

There was some beautiful colours to be seen along the old railway route from Lancaster to Glasson Dock today.

And finally.... 

Ploughing Away. Pete Woodruff.  

Yes....if you look closely - 'clik the pik' - there's a Mr Farmer on his tractor in a stubble field yesterday, towing some sort of agricultural machine behind him, and turning young Lapwing chicks into pancakes whilst the adults fly around shrieking in terror....I wonder if he's ever thought of joining the Environmental Stewardship!! 

The Pilgrimage.

Good sunny, warm calm weather, an excellent location, and hopefully choice birds....it had to be my spring pilgrimage to Barbondale on Tuesday.

Cuckoo Marc Heath 

A few minutes here and my first bird was the Cuckoo which was distant at first but came nearer as the day progressed, though despite my efforts I never did see this bird. 

Whinchat Brian Rafferty 

Only a few minutes later and I could here a singing Whinchat, and a few more minutes after I saw what could have been a second bird, but too little time and distance between the sightings to be sure of two birds....the day was looking like being a good one.

A male and female Pied Flycatcher have returned to Barbondale, though they appeared to be unconnected and some considerable distance apart, the male was in full song. 

Female Redstart Simon Hawtin 

I had an excellent seven hours in the area including the brilliant ancient woodland, a walk up the Bull Pot track, and a wander a couple of miles to the east. Twenty two species were noted and included, five Redstart, two of which were females, 7 Wheatear, 2 Tree Pipit, 17 Meadow Pipit, 4 Reed Bunting, and a Grey Wagtail, a Raven and 2 Buzzard were overhead. I also unfortunately flushed a Tawny Owl from its daytime roost in the area I had seen the bird last year.

I also noted only a 'few' Willow Warbler heard/seen in an area I expected to be overrun with them. Of particular note I found no Stonechat, and saw no Dipper or Common Sandpiper, though the latter seems to have been absent from here for a few years now according to my records, it was too early for the Spotted Flycatcher.

The numbers at Barbondale will increase over the coming days/weeks, but from the start on Tuesday I was inspired to think my day was going to be a good day....and it was.

Thanks to Marc/Brian/Simon for the excellent photographs for this post. 

There's a bright golden haze....

....on the meadow. A song from the 1955 musical film Oklahoma....but before my time. I enjoyed a good six hours birding yesterday on a pleasant sunny and calm day in some territory I think I might get to like.

Spotted Redshank/Greenshank Astland Photography

At Conder Green, 2 Greenshank seen in the creeks today, but I found only one Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper this visit, 18 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon, and a Little Egret also noted. I counted just 40 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool which probably indicates maybe these are the remaining few still to depart for Iceland, they were on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock four hours later where I also estimated, 160 Bar-tailed Godwit and 25 Knot, all too distant for my liking below Waterloo Cottage, also of note, a solitary Whimbrel, a Little Egret, and 4 Eider.

At Cockersands my blood pressure count went into the danger zone when I saw 'a Mr Mutt in a high visibility green jacket with three free range hounds' out on Plover Scar at high tide. I steered clear of this guy and gave him thirty minutes to clear off, by which time c.500 Dunlin and 65 Ringed Plover had assembled on there to roost. By the time I got back to the motor where I found 7 Whimbrel opposite Crook Cottage, I had seen 19 Wheatear, 10 Linnet, 8 Tree Sparrow were in the Bank Houses area....

Whitethroat Simon Hawtin 

....3 Whitethroat, 2 Stock Dove in the stubble, a White Wagtail on a small flood, Reed Bunting, and Skylark.

Thanks to Peter and Susan for the waders - though the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green has now turned black - and to Simon for the Whitethroat....Excellent. 

April Showers.

If I'd have listened to the man on the radio reading out the weather forecast for Friday instead of regarding him as bloody annoying talking about 'rain later in the day' and ignoring him, I might have ended my birding much sooner than I did, instead I ended up a wet Mackerel again in the middle of nowhere.

It was pretty decent when I started the walk planned to reach Glasson Dock from Skerton Bridge to find a Common Sandpiper on the River Lune opposite Lune Road. A Whitethroat was in brambles opposite Luneside Cottages and I saw another later. Two Little Ringed Plover were on the flood and had the entire place to themselves. Before the rain came at Stodday I had heard 3 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, and noted 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Dunnock, and 2 Little Egret.

The rain aside, Friday wasn't building up to ever have been one of my best days birding.

Black-tailed Godwit.  

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

On Conder Pool last week, I was pleased to find my third stunning and elegant Black-tailed Godwit complete with rings, and was also pleased to hear from Howard to tell me of one he found also at Conder Green. His photographs above show the ringed bird in the group, and some editing I made to the image shows the combination well on both legs. 

Both these birds were ringed as chicks in Iceland. Howards bird was ringed on 1 July 2012 at Munadstunga, Road 60 Kroksfjordur, NW Iceland, and has a long history of sightings, including one in Portugal at the same location as my bird - history below - which was in W.Portugal eight weeks prior to my finding it on Conder Pool last Thursday 24 April. 

Orange/Yellow-White/Yellow flag 13 July 2013 Efra Haganes, Fljót, N Iceland.

OY-WYflag 22.02.14 Giganta rice field, Porto Alto, Lisboa,W Portugal.

OY-WYflag 24.04.14 Conder Green, Lancashire, England. Pete Woodruff.

Whilst drafting this post I recieved the following e-mail from Böðvar....'I saw today one of your bird, feeding in wet grassland with 80 birds, the only one with rings'....

So the BTG seen on Conder Pool on 17 April was back in NW Iceland eight days later on 25 April having only been reported twice since it was ringed in July 2012, first at Sunderland Point February 2013, and second on Conder Pool 17 April last week, the history now reads.... 

OR-GYflag 06.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland.

OR-GYflag 07.07.12 Ytri Lambadalur, Dyrafjordur, NW Iceland.

OR-GYflag 28.02.13 Sunderland Point, Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, England.

OR-GYflag 17.04.14 Conder Green, Lancashire, NW England. Pete Woodruff.

OR-GYflag 25.04.14 Holt, Önundarfjörður, NW Iceland.

I'm grateful to Böðvar for his prompt attention in supplying me with all the info I wanted with regards to these interesting sightings....Pretty impressive stuff.

And finally, for your entertainment....

Sorry, this might seem like a birding blog gone off the rails, but based on why my birding was aborted on Friday....I couldn't resist the video.

A Decent Bash.

Despite a good - well decent anyhow - 5 hour bash around the OK corral yesterday I didn't find the migrants I had hoped for.

Wheatear Ana Minguez  

But on a Cockersands 2.5 hour circular with diversions, I found at least 28 Wheatear, a few of which were in the Abbey Farm stubble field, in which the farmer had done them and 5 White Wagtail a favour with a recent muck and fly spreading exercise. Two Grey Partridge were a couple of rarities seen, with 6 Linnet, 4 Skylark, 3 Tree Sparrow, and a female Reed Bunting. Off Plover Scar 28 Eider, and I noted 7 Brown Hare during the visit.

There are still at least 150 Black-tailed Godwit in the Conder/Glasson area with 55 on Conder Pool. In the creeks, 7 Common Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Greenshank. I saw my first Whitethroat on the coastal path along with a Speckled Wood and Orange Tip butterfly.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, 95 Black-tailed Godwit, and 65 Bar-tailed Godwit. Fourteen Eider here was a bit of an irony as not too long ago on this very blog I claimed the Eider to be at least unusual on this section of the Lune Estuary as viewed upstream from the bowling green according to my observations, but I have recently been seeing them regular here, obviously no longer 'unusual'.

Otter and Tawny Owl.  

A visitor to the area stopped to talk and told me of an Otter he'd seen on the canal somewhere around the second lock was the best info he offered. Also a Tawny Owl he'd seen along the coastal path by a culvert was the best he offered me on this.

And finally....

Chrysolina Beetle. Pete Woodruff.

An interesting little creature which I found at Cockersands, but confusion has set in on this one. I think Chrysolina menthastri - or Mint Beetle - can be ruled out, not necessarily, but this is scarce in Britain. So the confusion then is between C. hyperici and C. varians, I'm going for the latter. Help....anyone!

Another Trip Down The A588....

....and beyond to achieve a short list.

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

According to Böðvar....on Monday only seven BTG had arrived in his area in NW Iceland, and on Tuesday there was still c.150 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool including another ringed bird, but unfortunately they flew off before I could get to read it, they appear to be favouring a field on the far side of the canal. 

Also of note, 2 Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, and 2 Wigeon looking set to stay the summer here again. A Willow Warbler was in song from the coastal path. On the Lune Estuary, another c.250 Black-tailed Godwit, and c.90 Bar-tailed Godwit. From Bodie Hill I saw 5 Eider.

Linnet Warren Baker

Noted at Cockersands, the 14 April c.120 Linnet still in the Abbey Farm stubble, 6 Wheatear, a Stock Dove, and 2 Little Egret in the Cocker channel.

                          

Swallow Astland Photography 

In all the areas I visited on Tuesday a trickle of Swallow went through, but probably didn't go beyond a total of fifty individuals.

Thanks to Howard for the BTG's, Warren for the Linnet, and Peter and Susan for the Swallow....All round excellent photography.

MASSACRE.

RED IS MY FAVOURITE COLOUR, AND THE COMBINATION OF RED AND BLACK FOR ME....WOW!!

I wanted to do my bit to get this sickening story to as many people as possible, and as far around the world as is possible.

I have even more admiration than usual if I'm seeing a....'celebrity getting his hands dirty'....and this man has done himself proud on this one, and in my view a dangerous one too. But take note he says that for many years he has lobbied the UK's bird charities to campaign to raise awareness about the slaughter of migrant birds on Malta. And that he equally tried to stimulate television programme makers to cover the issue both without success, but no surprise there to me I should add.

Well done the television companies who take him on to present nature programmes, but wouldn't take him on with this much more powerfully important issue.....Read On