Out....but nowt about!

Well on the face of it the title will sound just about as silly as it possibly could do, as we're currently surrounded by 'goodies' some of them 'Americans'. But I turned my nose up at 'em to give the rounds - Conder Green/Glasson Dock/Cockersands - a bit of a bashing to no avail....but no complaints.

Razorbill. Peter Guy.

I met PG at Glasson Dock this morning where I gave the Lune Estuary a pretty good grilling for almost two hours to find 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, and noted c.250 Golden Plover as quite a reduction in number as of late, a remarkably small reeve Ruff, up to 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, and at least 6 Swallows south. Other waders here were rather unremarkable today. The juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs apparently showed at 2.00pm about two hours after I left....of course! 

Conder Green has been pretty quiet of late and today was no exception, but Conder Pool has seen an increase with 8 Little Grebe seen today, with the 2 Wigeon summer residents. The circuit was worth the effort if only to find the Common Sandpiper in the creeks. 

I gave Cockersands a pretty good shot from the lighthouse down to Bank End where you need to know - if you don't already - the sun glares into your face, the birds are all silhouettes, and just about the only ID you can achieve is that they vary in size. I saw 5 Wheatear along the length, and noted roosting on Plover Scar at high tide estimates of 650 Oystercatcher, 55 Ringed Plover, 40 Turnstone, 10 Dunlin, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, and a solitary Grey Plover - an uncommon bird here - was off the car park at the lighthouse.

Not the most exciting days birding of my life, but you've just got to get out there....do it....and be rewarded by degrees whilst not dwelling too much on finding the likes of Siberian Rubythroats and Audouin's Gulls. 

And finally....

The Fylde Coast. Peter Guy.

I'm always up for showcasing excellent photography - birds or not - and this is a dramatic one of the Fylde Coast at Blackpool, looks perfect for a sea-watching session to me. Thanks for the images PG much appreciated, and good to see you again today.

The Monarch Butterfly.

'Sweet freedom whispered in my ear....you're a butterfly....and butterflies are free to fly, fly away, high away bye bye'....Someone Saved My Life Tonight. Elton John/Bernie Taupin 1975.

Monarch. Kenneth Dwain Harrelson.

In the past few weeks many rare vagrants from North America have been arriving in the UK mainly as a result of the hurricane season. But by way of a diversion from birds on Birds2blog, a rare butterfly from the other side of the Atlantic has been found on the south coast. The Monarch butterfly is a spectacular creature and was discovered in Dorset on Thursday 29 September, nobody will ever know whether this was the result of the late summer weather we are currently experiencing in the UK, or whether it is the result of the winds from America.

The majority of Monarch butterflies are to be found in North America, but small populations survive in Southern Spain and the Canary Islands. They migrate a truly amazing 3,000 and winter in the Mexican mountains. The last good Monarch year was in 1999 when 'scores' turned up in the UK, this butterfly is regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world, and I wouldn't dispute that. 

Gatekeeper. Steven Cheshire

As a result of the coldest summer for 18 years UK butterflies have suffered badly and the Common Blue ranks as the top loser in the worlds biggest count in 2011, but the Gatekeeper came out as the winner with 52,368 seen in this survey, and an interesting set of figures revealed that three times as many Small Tortoiseshell were recorded in Scotland than in England, though numbers generally stabilised this year after a recent severe decline. Another good result was that of the Red Admiral which enjoyed an excellent summer with numbers up by 98%.

Parts of the UK had a record breaking warm dry spring, but these conditions gave way to chilly temperatures and prolonged spells of rain, and the summer of 2011 became the coldest since 1993 resulting in butterflies being unable to feed, fly, find mates, or lay eggs throughout the bad weather.   

Painted Lady. Steven Cheshire

I saw the record of a Painted Lady butterfly on the LDBWS website recently and reckon this takes the total in our recording area in 2011 to nothing much more than can be counted on one hand and includes just one individual which I  found at Cockersands on Thursday 7 July.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!  

The Big Dip!

I set off this morning in good 'birding' spirits with the intention of stepping outside my kind of birding, to spend the day looking for 'other peoples birds' with Glasson Dock, and Arnside the priorities, and a look in on the Eric Morecambe Complex at Leighton Moss to see if I could prove the 'regulars' simply weren't doing the job right. It all ended about seven hours later with a massive - in twitching jargon - 'dip', but I wouldn't have it any other way, I would'nt  be remotely interested in birds if they were always there to order....would you?

I was on the job at Glasson Dock and spent a full 2.5 hours watching the tide come in and push the birds ever closer until the mud was eventually covered and I left minus the Lesser Yellowlegs despite grilling c.200 Redshank coming and going - and others - until I was blue in the face just managing in between to log three adult Mediterranean Gulls, take note of c.650 Golden Plover and 45 Bar-tailed Godwit. 

Forty minutes later I'm in the Eric Morecambe hide to take note of 14 species including at least 500 Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, a Ruff, and not very common on the complex, a single Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit, not everyone realises these are two of  'one or two' species of wader not all that regular/common on here. A solitary Pink-footed Goose was of note.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Brian Rafferty

Now I'm about to join some seasoned birders already in place when I arrive at Arnside as the tide ebbed, but despite allowing myself about one hour here I/we found no sign of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, nor....

Pectoral Sandpiper. Dave Appleton.

....any Pectoral Sandpipers and had to leave by 3.30pm only to see the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Little Stints, and a Yellowlegs species reported there later....Oh Dear!!

Marsh Tit. Mike Watson

Three Little Egret were on the marsh, and a Marsh Tit was nice in the wooded area behind were I was stood on the embankment at Arnside, a very localised breeder in our area and mainly restricted to the Lune Valley, Silverdale/Arnside, and south-east Cumbria.

The sting in the tail....

The Lesser Yellowlegs was reported on the Lune Estuary, Glasson Dock at 6.10pm....Oh Dear again!! 

I met a nice couple in the Eric Morecambe hide today, but despite seeing them at Leighton Moss on and off for c.150 years I still don't know their name, but they know who they are and I know they look in on Birds2blog on a daily basis which I much appreciate.....good to have seen you again today 'nice couple'.

Thanks to BR/DA/MW for the photographs which are much appreciated. 

Yesterday....

....all my troubles seemed so far away. Well they didn't really, but we'll leave that one there if you don't mind.

Common Lizard. Marc Heath

No appropriate 'birdie pics' again so a couple of non-birdies with thanks to Marc for the Common Lizard.

It was good to get out yesterday with JB and to work around the tide. We first did a trespass into Fylde territory where the tide had beaten us to it and was lapping against the sea-wall. But I did a wander NE along the esplanade and beyond to find 2 Mediterranean Gulls both of which were adult.

Pilling Marsh was almost under water though the just under 10m tide left some of it exposed. I thought a 'brush up' of counting skills might be useful and estimated 2,500 Pink-footed Geese, 1,000 Shelduck, 330 Curlew, 40 Lapwing, 30 Golden Plover, and 25 Redshank, all represented rather low figures in the wader category, 800 Teal and 35 Pintail. Two Peregrine Falcon put on a brief show of ariel skill, 7 Little Egret were together as were 7 Wheatear. Yesterdays 5 Whoooper Swans were in the field still with the Mute Swans opposite Sand Villa off the A588. A visit to Bank End to see just about everything in silhouette with a blinding sun in your face, produced 2 Little Egret and 3 Goosander of note. 

A visit to the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock didn't produce 'The American' but I note it was reported at 4.38pm after we had left, and again at 6.15, as I write there is no mention of the bird so far today Wednesday. I noted a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull and up to 650 Golden Plover. At Conder Green the number has now increased to 7 Little Grebe on Conder Pool where the bonus bird was another adult Mediterranean Gull with c.100 Black-headed Gulls, a Greenshank and 3 Goosander were in the creeks.

And finally....

Norwegian Maple Autumn Fire Wheel. Richard Shilling. 

A long overdue - on Birds2blog - Landart creation by the man who certainly can do it. If you don't already know about this artist can I tell you....what you see in the picture above is natural, nothing in any of his work is transported in his pocket to any of his chosen locations and is made up entirely of natural materials....the mind boggles at such creativity. Thanks Richard brilliant as ever.

And finally!

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock in all its glory in glorious technicolour, and with a North American bird re-found here again this afternoon, it was my final trick of the day on my way back to Lancaster having had an excellent days birding. But this bird frustrated me for a while as I had briefly seen a wader with - and looking a little like - the Redshanks though definitely was not one. It decided to take to flight but thankfully just did a 'half moon' to return to the mud-bank behind one or two Redshanks, but it gave itself up eventually to be revealed as a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, the bird showed well between the two white boats in the picture above and was still doing so when I left at 4.45pm. Other notes made here and the rest of the best today without too much waffle....Three adult Mediterranean Gull, a Ruff, Spotted Redshank, up to 750 Golden Plover, the Black-tailed Godwits and Bar-tailed Godwits didn't reach double figures, and a Little Egret seen. 

But the day had started at Fluke Hall where I found a Curlew Sandpiper roosting on an exposed mound of marsh at high tide with 120 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling, and a single Grey Plover. Walking west along the sea wall I saw 7 Wheatear, 2 Tree Sparrow, and 2 Little Egret. At Cockers Dyke I found another Curlew Sandpiper, noted 2 Ruff, 11 Golden Plover and a Little Egret.

On Pilling Marsh with the tide still high, a Barnacle Goose was with c.2,000 Pink-footed Geese as it had been last Friday, and I made estimates off the car park of at least 800 Teal, 200 Pintail, a 'few' Wigeon, 5 Red-breasted Merganser, and 6 Great-crested Grebe. On Backsands Lane a Jay was on the fence post. And pulling in opposite Sand Villa to check the twelve 'swans' in a field, I found 5 Whooper Swans with the Mute Swans.

At Cockersands, an adult Mediterranean Gull was in a field being cut with 'a few hundred' Black-headed Gulls. Off Plover Scar I counted up to 30 Eider, 9 Wigeon, and 5 Red-breasted Merganser. Wader estimates noted, 70 Ringed Plover, 50 Dunlin, and 8 Turnstone. The strangest sight of the entire day was that of 2 Teal roosting on Plover Scar....this is definitely a new one on me!

Please Note.

My e-mail system appears to be ill and I'm not receiving all the messages I expect to. Until my 'wizard' has the time to visit me I'm afraid you may have to continue thinking I'm ignoring you....I most certainly am not.

The Lesser Yellowlegs.

At around 5.00pm yesterday the RBA pager alerted me to a bird which definitely made my eyes light up. I sent a text to a man I know well to enquire if the bird was 'his' - knowing all the time what the answer was going to be - to be told at precisely 5.04pm that 'yes it was'....I was on my way to Glasson Dock to have the bird pointed out to me immediately, though in the hour I spent there the views could never have been regarded as brilliant - in fact it eventually went out of view and has never been seen since - but I was looking at a bird which has become familiar to me, my fifth Lesser Yellowlegs, also noted on the visit were 3 Spotted Redshank.

Lesser Yellowlegs.Dave Appleton.

The Lesser Yellowlegs (LY) breeds in eastern Alaska and across much of Canada, some winter in southern USA and Central America, but the majority winter in the West Indies and South America. The species is an annual vagrant to Britain the most of which are juveniles which occur - as all mine have done - in September and October. The LY used to be a major rarity and the first Lancashire record didn't come until 1965 at Freckleton Sewage Farm. On a personal level my five LY's are....

   18 October 1995 Eric Morecambe complex Leighton Moss.

   13 September 1997 Eric Morecambe complex Leighton Moss.

* 18 October 1997 Banks Marsh

   12 September 2002 Eagland Hill, Fylde.

   24 September 2011 Lune Estuary, Glasson Dock.

* A bird was seen at Banks Marsh in October 1997 and was joined by a second one in December, but thats another story and an interesting one too....perhaps some other time.

Greater Yellowlegs. Dave Appleton.

For comparison the Greater Yellowlegs is in my opinion reminiscent of the Greenshank especially given poor views in poor light. The Lesser Yellowlegs is much more reminiscent of the juvenile Redshank given the same poor viewing circumstances. However, it is a slimmer more elegant bird than the Redshank, its longer neck and attenuated look are good pointers to ID, but its main features are its long ochre-yellow legs. But the ID of both LY and GY are examples of the kind of skills I personally admire and I have respect for the many birders I know with the ability to know what they're looking at, take it from me, only earlier this week a reported LY turned out to be a juvenile Redshank.

I'm grateful to Dave Appleton me to use his excellent images of both these birds.  

The Friday Jaunt.

I recently saw - on Birds2blog - my Fridays birding with JB/BT described as 'The Friday Jaunt'. Looking up the true definition of 'jaunt' I discover its a....'short journey for pleasure'....So I accept that this is as good a description as any other of what I experience each and every Friday with the said two birding friends of mine. As always JB's records will be far more comprehensive than mine that follow and are HERE



Pink-footed Geese. Brian Rafferty

Another sign of the approaching winter was the sight of at least 2,000 Pink-footed Geese on Pilling Marsh this afternoon with which I found a single Barnacle Goose. The frustration of this welcome sight was that I saw at least three neck collars which were too distant to have any chance of reading. A Little Egret also seen here.

Barnacle Geese. Dave Appleton

But we had started about five hours earlier at Freeman's Pools where 6 Little Grebe were counted along with the exceptional number of 11 Grey Heron on the island all standing like hunched sentinels, a Greenshank was on Aldcliffe Marsh. Moving no further than the viewing platform at Conder Green I noted 'the' Common Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, and 5 Little Grebe.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I thought the thing I should do first and foremost is to note the birds absent or in low number the most significant of which is the virtual total absence of Dunlin both here and at Cockersands, Curlew were no more than 40, the Redshank no more than 50. On the plus of note, at least 5,000 Lapwing, c.350 Golden Plover, and a Spotted Redshank.

Greenshank. Dave Appleton

   

At Cockersands where I walked the headland to meet BT/JB at the caravan park about twenty minutes later. No waders apparent which - given time - would have meant a search over Plover Scar to find any, I noted a Wheatear, a Little Egret, and a Sparrowhawk, with c.15 Greenfinch seen again as yesterday. A detour round Gulf Lane produced another Sparrowhawk 'gliding' at speed below a hedge.

So now we're back at the start of the post at Pilling Marsh to discover the aforementioned 'geese' and - unknown to JB and I - this was the termination point and we were on our way back to Lancaster....the 'short journey for pleasure' was over!

On the hunt.

My target bird for today was a Baltimore Oriole at Conder Green, but it turned out to be just wishful thinking and it had already turned up a 'few' miles away on the Scillies.

Blue-naped Chlorophonia. Colin Bushell.

There are some amazing birds turning up here and there in the UK at the moment, but none anywhere near us up here 'int north and certainly not this colourful creature above....amazing, and what about the name.

Some 'hunting' in the area produced nothing significant, but I was urged on as ever by not knowing whats next.

Conder Green seems to have gone into deserted mode and despite a determined circuit I found just c.30 Goldfinch over the marsh, 5 Little Grebe and 2 Wigeon were on Conder Pool....this is becoming a little too repetitive for my liking, even the LG numbers have ceased to increase, but the Common Sandpiper showed and looks set to become the wintering bird here though still time for it to decide otherwise.

On the Lune Estuary, an adult Mediterranean Gull, distant Spotted Redshank, 18 Black-tailed Godwit, c.350 Golden Plover, and even the Lapwing number had dramatically collapsed since 5,000 on Tuesday to a mere 650 today, also 2 Little Egret seen.

The struggle continued at Cockersands where I thought I'd better do some counts to earn myself some credit and noted, c.500 Lapwing, 300 Redshank, 80 Ringed Plover, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, no more than 6 Dunlin and none at Glasson Dock posed the question....where are they, 4 Wheatear, 15 Greenfinch, and at least 30 Meadow Pipit south.

And another 'Brazilian Beauty'....

Green-headed Tanager. Colin Bushell.

The Green-headed Tanager makes a couple of colourful little gems entered into CB's records book from his latest trip to Brazil. Thanks for these Colin, much appreciated....colour you could eat, and there are more HERE 

MEGA NEWS.

The latest from a long line of aforementioned amazing birds turning up here and there in the UK is a....Sandhill Crane in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

If at first you don't succeed!

After yesterdays miserable attempt at some birding - rain stopped play - I thought I'd better have another go at doing the rounds again today, a much better one than yesterday which reminds me, I must try to be a little more selective with the choice of wording in my posts as people are taking me too serious when I use words like 'depressing' 'gloom' and 'shouldn't I be doing something better with my life'....all a bit tongue in cheek if you ask me.

I just gave Conder Green a quick look over as I wanted to get a bit further down the road today, Conder Pool held just 5 Little Grebe and 2 Wigeon. At Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary 3 Mediterranean Gull were all adult, wader numbers of note were 5,000 Lapwing and 550 Golden Plover at least, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.25 Black-tailed Godwit, and a distant Spotted Redshank. 

Wigeon. Dave Appleton. 

Pintail. Dave Appleton.

At Cockersands, a stark reminder of the time of year when I found at least 500 Wigeon off Plover Scar with 40 Pintail and 7 Eider, also of note 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Egret, and 3 Wheatear. Thanks to Dave Appleton for the wildfowl images.

Ringed Plover. Brian Rafferty.

From Gulf Lane 3 Ringed Plover juveniles were alone in a flooded field at Cockerham Moss Edge. Thanks to Brian Rafferty for the excellent Rossall Point juvenile. At Fluke Hall I noted a Wheatear, Dunnock, and 2 Little Egret, a Peregrine Falcon flew above c.30 Lapwing in flight ignoring them and continued east, a Red Admiral was the only butterfly seen. A healthy walk from Fluke Hall to Cockers Dyke was well rewarded when I found 3 adult Mediterranean Gull present.

And finally....

Curlew/Snipe. Cliff Raby.

An excellent opportunistic photograph of a Curlew overshadowing the Snipe which was achieved from the Eric Morecambe Hide at Leighton Moss. Thanks to Cliff Raby for this, a much appreciated and perfect illustration/comparison of the two waders involved.

The Washout....

....a couple of gloomy pics, and a stunning one of a bird.

The gloomy pics are both of the early autumn weather we're 'enjoying' in our area, this one was taken by me on Sunday 11 September when the gale wasn't quite as strong as it was the following two days. 

This one I took today at Cockersands early afternoon by which time I'd reached the 'shouldn't I be doing something more useful with my life' mode, this was a washout and I buggered off home. The view is of what you can see - through the mist and drizzle - of Sunderland Point from the Cockersands lighthouse. 

I'd started off in good spirits - which didn't last very long - at Conder Green where the only birds to find their way into the book were, 5 Little Grebe and 'the' 2 Wigeon on Conder Pool, with 35 Teal in the creeks. The circuit proved pretty worthless but at least 80 Goldfinch were of note and perhaps pointed towards the chance of c.300 as in September 2009, and c.200 in 2010.

At Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary where today there was no chance of me becoming a dedicated counter for anybody. Something put panic into probably 9,000 birds, but despite a thorough grilling when they settled down again I noted just 3 Black-tailed Godwit, and the Golden Plovers didn't reach three figures here today. 

The day was illuminated by the sighting of an immature male Marsh Harrier which I saw from Moss Lane giving excellent views quartering the fields. From the lighthouse soon before the weather turned positively grim, some birding from the car produced 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.650 Redshank, 70 Dunlin and similar Ringed Plover....Repent the end is nigh!

And finally....

Grey Phalarope. Brian Rafferty  

You don't get the opportunity very often - if ever - to photograph at close range a bird like the Grey Phalarope was at Lytham St Anne's recently, but BR took full advantage of the situation to achieve a stunning image of this juvenile bird....Thanks for this once more Brian.

Scilly Update.

A Red-eyed Vireo was found at St Mary's here today. One of the commonest birds of deciduous woodlands of North America, it winters in South America, south to Argentina, and is the commonest North American passerine to reach Britain.