Bird Of The Day.

With blogging time allowance for me at the moment virtually non existent, here's today's bird of the day, the rest may have to wait until Wednesday to be reported.

Water Pipit. Conder Green 4 April. Pete Woodruff.

Bird of the day today was the Water Pipit giving excellent views on the stones in the creeks at Conder Green. The bird was in near summer plumage showing it's blueish-grey head and pale supercilium, virtually unstreaked below, the peachy tinge to it's breast showed nicely.

What a pity I didn't do better with my photographic attempts, from six shots this was the best I could do, but as record shots go....maybe not too bad.

Then There Were None.

It was one of those one off days in spring on Thursday, when we get a nice sunny calm day which has you realise it's that time of year. I was off to Harrisend, reluctantly because I thought the most part the lower end of the fell would be one huge sponge needing wellingtons to cross the run off ditches, as it happens I managed to cross them with some detours and care.

Despite receiving e-mails from contacts about Stonechats at various locations in Bowland, I found not a single bird on Harrisend and can't pretend not to have been disappointed at that. It will be interesting to get on Clougha and Birk Bank, hopefully to find this is not going to be the case up there again this year.

Meadow Pipit. Antonio Puigg @ Pasión por las aves

Otherwise Harrisend was all a bit bleak, though at least 30 Meadow Pipit were easily counted, with lots of chasing one another around, a lone Buzzard was soaring above, a Kestrel hovering, a Curlew was heard with it's fluty, melancholy whistle, and a Wren heard delivering it's amazingly loud song.

On Hawthornthwaite I soon picked up a distant Stonechat which was put up by two people ahead of me on the track, after they had disappeared into the wilderness so had the bird and I never saw it again. Another soaring Buzzard and hovering kestrel seen, 2 Red Grouse, at least 8 Meadow Pipit, 7 Pied Wagtail, and a Curlew, 2 Brown Hare are the first I ever saw here, in fact I don't have any previous records to mind in Bowland, but I read on a website....'the upland pasture fringe of the Forest of Bowland seems to be an important habitat for them'....that's news to me, must find out more.

Chaffinch.Warren Baker @ Pittswoodpatch 

The feature of a brief visit between the woodland strip and the plantation behind Tower Lodge was that of 8 Chaffinch, with 3 Robin, and a Great Tit all that was on offer. My third Buzzard of the day flew across as I approached Jubilee Tower on the way back to Lancaster.

Stonechats in Bowland.

It was hardly the most exciting of birding days for me on Thursday, but great stuff all the same, though too early in the year for anything conclusive about the Stonechat in Bowland. However, the species still hadn't returned to Harrisend last year in anything like the numbers of the past, and looking back through records over the past ten years, I found nine Stonechat on Harrisend on 5 April 2007, and in fact had a peak count of 12 Stonechat later in the season on 2 July, they were seen as 3 pairs and 6 juvenile. Last years breeding season on Harrisend was at least decent, with 8 birds seen as 2 pairs with 2 juveniles on 4 September.

With thanks to Antonio and Warren for their excellent images, and to Ana for the Ring Ouzel header image, brilliant bird, brilliant image....WOW! 

Seek And Ye Shall Find....

....didn't work for me on Wednesday!

Swallow Simon Hawtin

But I did see my first Swallow of the year when a single bird flew north and low across the field as I walked beyond Bank Houses at Cockersands, otherwise, it was a 'migrants what migrants' day....I didn't see my first Swallow last year until 13 April at Glasson Dock.

On Conder Pool....surprise, surprise, a Little Grebe still on here, my first since 15 March since when I thought they had all departed, though my last one on Conder Pool in 2015 was on 14 April. A Goosander was hauled out, a single Black-tailed Godwit and a few Redshank included some display behaviour.

On the Lune Estuary, c.150 Golden Plover were well camouflaged on the mid-distance weed covered shingle, c.50 Black-tailed Godwit, a drake Shoveler was interesting with the remaining c.100 Wigeon here, and a Red-breasted Merganser noted.

More desperation set in with me again at Cockersands, c.250 Golden Plover were flighty over the Abbey Farm fields, and believe it or not, a single Greenfinch and Meadow Pipit were the only passerines to catch my eye.

Apparently.... 

The 18 January Lune Estuary Little Stint put in it's sixth appearance yesterday, it was seen from the Conder Green car park at high tide. Thanks to IH - his third sighting - and RBA for 'Getting The News Out'.

Siskin. Noushka Dufort @ 1000-Pattes 

And some excellent news from our Lancaster garden yesterday was that of a smart little male Siskin on our feeders again, follows five here on Sunday morning 13 March.

Thanks to Simon and Noushka for their ever excellent images.

It's April now....Let the show begin!  

Housebound....With A Gull!

Off the birding road since last Friday, I was looking through some old posts on Birds2blog and copied this one which I posted on 5 April 2009 and thought it would help the blog overcome the gap with a little interest until my birding takes off again tomorrow....hopefully.

Ross's Gull.

The recent report of a Ross's Gull at Lytham St Annes on Sunday 22 March prompted me to recall the bird in 2008 which first presented itself at Marton Mere on 31 March and was found at Lytham St Annes on 18 April and continued to make many a birder happy until it was found dead on Friday 16 May. I have recently made enquiries about this birds demise, it had been noted by one expert to be regarded as unwell mainly because it had failed to show any sign of advancing summer plumage and also that a close approach was allowed by the bird. 

I myself enjoyed excellent views of this beautiful and enigmatic creature including some good photo opportunities which my second rate photographic equipment failed to deal with very well resulting in the images shown above having a 'bleached' effect resulting in the lack of plumage detail and falsely showing the bird to be a 'wholly white' individual.

In the 70's when my photographic interests were at their peak and my birding was in its early days I joined a group called Postal Portfolios and the chance of a lifetime presented itself to me in the form of a direct descendant of James Clark Ross (JCR) - Dr Shelagh Ross - who I eventually met and had a meal with at a rally in Kent the date of which escapes me. Sadly I lost contact with this person along with the winding up of my photo interests but am currently trying to re-establish the friendship.

The Ross's Gull was one of the great ornithological mysteries until 1905 when the Russian explorer Alexandrovitch Buterlin discovered the main breeding area only just within the Arctic Circle on the Kolyma River delta of Eastern Siberia. If JCR had still been alive it is unlikely that anyone would have been more surprised than he who undoubtedly associated the bird only with ice and snow.

Another intriguing piece of history related to James Clark Ross, was when he claimed to have found a new species of diver....

Around 1830 during his 4 year Arctic voyage he obtained three specimens of the then unknown White-billed Diver. Unfortunately Edward Sabine - of Sabine's Gull fame - who was with him on the voyage, persuaded JCR that these birds were very old males of the Great Northern Diver. The species wasn't rediscovered until 20 years later when Edward Adams found it in Alaska, the bird was first described by English Zoologist George Robert Gray who commemorated it to his friend Adams, hence its Latin name Gavia adamsii. The bird really should have been the Ross's Diver....never mind there is a Ross's Seal, the range of which is confined entirely to the pack ice of Antarctica.

Little Stint....Yes Please!

Sparrowhawk Gary Jones

Three 'good things' stand out about this post, one of them is above, a brilliant 'pic with a difference' of the sparring Sparrowhawks. I wasn't prepared to wait any longer to put this one up....Thanks for allowing me to Gary.

But the best 'good thing' to stand out was the Little Stint....Yes Please! which put in it's fifth appearance - three for me - on Friday. First found in the Cocker channel 18 Jan (PW), and seen the following day on the far bank of the River Lune from the bowling green at Glasson Dock 19 Jan (PW), then found off Conder Green car park 28 Feb (IH), and again off the bowling green at Glasson Dock 13 March (IH), and once again off the bowling green 25 March (PW). I had good views of the bird today, but driven off the mud by the well advanced incoming tide, it flew off downstream and out of sight.

Otherwise, if I'd have been birding on a productivity bonus today I wouldn't have been paid out very much....On Conder Pool, a Spotted Redshank - now showing signs of breeding plumage - was in the company of 26 Redshank, also 2 Goosander, 5 Tufted Duck, and a solitary 'left behind' Wigeon. Two Black-tailed Godwit were in the creeks, and a smart little male Reed Bunting seen. 

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

On the Lune Estuary, I noted at least 160 Golden Plover and 350 Black-tailed Godwit, which brings us to another 'good thing' to stand out about this post which is the excellent in flight shot of the BTG's....Thanks for this Howard. 

Desperation set in at Cockersands, I found Wednesdays 450 Golden Plover in an Abbey Farm field, and saw 6 Tree Sparrow at Bank Houses, if you want to see Tree Sparrow go to Bank Houses, 9 Brown Hare was today's count on the round.

The End.

Wheatear....Yes Please!

Wheatear Marc Heath 

It had to have been a good day at Cockersands on Wednesday, following a gaze into the crystal ball which told me I was going to, I found my first Wheatear, it was on the kissing gate post near the abbey. My first Wheatear in 2015 was found nine days earlier on 14 March at Cockersands. Thanks for the image Marc....nice one.

Off Crook Farm, 52 Black-tailed Godwit seen, and on Plover Scar at high tide, at least 300 waders included c.220 Turnstone, with 65 Oystercatcher, 15 Dunlin, and 3 Ringed Plover. In and around Bank Houses horse paddock, 10 Tree Sparrow, a Dunnock, Great Tit, and Robin. I put a Snipe up from a field, and saw a Buzzard being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crow. At least 24 Pied Wagtail and 20 Linnet were in a stubble field, and in an adjacent field c.450 Golden Plover with a Skylark in song overhead. I estimated the wintering herd seen from Moss Lane now stands at 120 Whooper Swan.  

Brown Hare Martin Jump 

I saw 8 Brown Hare on my rounds at Cockersands including five 'boxers' together. Thanks for the image Martin....Brilliant.

If I hadn't have found 82 Black-tailed Godwit on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, and the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green, I'd have recorded nothing of note at both. I went off to Aldcliffe on my way back to Lancaster in the hope I could see my first Little Ringed Plover (JC Friday 18 March) but failed miserably. Freeman's Pools was quiet and produced just 2 Goldeneye, and 4 Gadwall, with 3 Snipe on the island but certainly no LRP on there or the flood which was deserted.


The Wildfowlers Pool held a nice little group of 18 Black-tailed Godwit, a good number of uncounted Redshank, and 2 Gadwall. But this was a disappointment as my last visit here on 11 March had the Wildfowlers Pool a brilliant wetlands holding at least 11 species of wildfowl and waders, but the area drying out has considerably changed all that, and an extensive hedge laying programme certainly has. 

Birding, It's My Passion....

....but the Lune Estuary and surrounds appear to be closed down....waiting for fresh stock.

Conder Green. 

Mr Farmer has decided to replace the two cows been on Conder Pool land many months, by putting at least 60 sheep grazing on here....nice one.

I counted little more than 20 birds yesterday, 7 Oystercatcher, 4 Tufted Duck, 4 Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Goosander, and a Cormorant at best unusual on the pool. The Common Sandpiper was the only bird of note in the creeks, it flew upstream from the old railway bridge.

The Lune Estuary.

Black-tailed Godwit. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to have up to 100 Black-tailed Godwit close in from the bowling green, though the photograph of the seven isn't good quality, the birds certainly are and the pic is worth a 'clik the pik' 4 Goldeneye seen, and a pair of Eider again, with a drake Red-breasted Merganser flying downstream. It was noticeable that at least 80 Lesser Black-backed Gull were squat in a group on the far side, with a similar number of Common Gull present.

Cockersands. 

Cockersands was certainly closed down, and despite my customary 3 hours raking around I noted just a few grounded Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail. There are now probably 150 Whooper Swan still lingering, with 100 seen close by from Moss Lane, and maybe up to 50 in the distance of Bank End.

Land Management.

The upland Land Management Team - how polite of me is that - have been out in force in recent weeks, I've seen them with their matches setting the Bowland uplands ablaze. This 'clik the pik' is of a burn on the slopes of Clougha, the LDBWS past stronghold for the Stonechat, but I've noted from the panoramic view from Cockersands, this management lark has been rampant over recent weeks at Harrisend, Hawthornthwaite, Ward Stone and beyond ....nuff said.

Ringed PFG & Other Bit's.

I've had no close encounters with Pink-footed Geese (PFG) this winter, and so have had no opportunities to check for collar marked birds. But on Thursday 10 March I found a PFG on Pilling Marsh with a metal ring on it's left leg. This was a double reward for me, not only was it my first marked PFG this winter, but it was my first ever ringed one, thinking all PFG were collar marked, I had no idea one could be seen with a ring on it's leg.

I was grateful to Kane Brides at WWT for forwarding the history of this bird to me, adding he was pleased to find this individual had been seen as it has only been reported eight times previous to mine and not for 5 years since 2011. This bird was first ringed as a juvenile male 16 years ago, White metal with Black letters TIF on 29 July 2000 at Oddkelsalda, Thjorsarver, Arness. C Iceland.

17 Dec 2000 Wards, Roseisle, Forres Moray, Dick Hewitt

18 Dec 2000 Wards, Roseisle, Forres Moray, Dick Hewitt

28 Dec 2003 Earlsmill, Brodie Nairn, Dick Hewitt

25 Jan 2004 Findatie area, Loch Leven Perth and Kinross, Iain Munro

22 Feb 2004 Turfhills area, Loch Leven Perth and Kinross, Iain Munro

27 March 2004 Gallow Hill area, Loch Leven Perth and Kinross, Iain Munro

09 Feb 2007 Cavelstone area, Loch Leven Perth and Kinross, Iain Munro

28 Feb 2011 Cocker's Dyke Lanc's, Chris Batty

10 March 2016 Pilling Marsh, Fylde Lanc's, Pete Woodruff

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Black-tailed Godwit.

It was interesting to see the 20 year old BTG LR-Y//W found at Cockersands on 26 February, was seen at Newton Marsh 11 March, a clear indication of how these birds move around, and in this case a bird going further south from the Lune Estuary when it's likely to migrate north to Iceland in a matter of weeks.

Stonechat.

It was good to have the first Stonechat back on territory in Bowland at Bloe Greet 13 March, thanks to JW for sending me this one. 

Migrant Dates.

Some of my migrant dates noted for the Lune Estuary in 2015 - all of which were late one's for me - for comparison arrival in 2016....

Wheatear C'sands 14 March
Sand Martin over Conder Pool 7 April
LRP (2) Conder Pool 7 April
House Martin C'sands 10 April
Swallow Glasson Dock 13 April
Chiffchaff Conder Green 13 April
Willow Warbler Conder Green 13 April
Whitethroat Conder Green 20 April
Curlew Sandpiper C'sands 20 April
Whinchat C'sands 8 May

Wot No Pic's!....But thanks to BD for the header of his Black-tailed Godwit at Salwick recently.

The Black Hole.

With the majority of winter birds having left for their breeding grounds, and the summer birds not yet arrived, birding has plunged into a black hole, though a couple of my notes for yesterday contradict this, Conder Green, Conder Pool, and the Lune Estuary were pretty desolate.

The island of boxes on Conder Pool is being domineered by the Lesser Black-backed Gull pair, whilst 32 Wigeon and 9 Tufted Duck virtually had the pool to themselves, with no sign of any Little Grebe. A Spotted Redshank and a pair of Goosander likewise to themselves in the creeks save a 'few' Teal and no sign of the Common Sandpiper. The circuit produced a Reed Bunting, Great Tit and Blue Tit, with 4 Small Tortoiseshell seen. The Lune Estuary was at low tide, and my notes consisted of up to 100 Black-tailed Godwit from the bowling green, with no sign of any Goldeneye.

Buzzard. Cockersands. Stuart Piner. 

At Cockersands, the local Buzzard was yet again on it's branch in it's tree as it habitually has been for several weeks now, though it does fly as SP's image of this very bird clearly shows. The estimate yesterday was of 200 Whooper Swan towards Bank End as seen from Moss Lane, 3 Linnet and 6 Tree Sparrow were around Bank Houses. The whole place eventually lit up for me when I found 272 Black-tailed Godwit with 18 Knot off Crook Farm.

It's godda get better than this!!

Quote from Bryan Yorke post yesterday 17 March....'The bird migration was non-existent with no Larks crossing, Mipits or for that matter nothing else'....you can say that again Bryan.


Cockersands Corpse.   

Another corpse on the shingle at Cockersands yesterday, this one headless but I'm going for Guillemot.

The Run-around.

I had a bit of a run-around yesterday which started at Fluke Hall to leg it to Cockers Dyke. I saw 3 Small Tortoiseshell and 4 Wren on the way there. Usually an excellent venue for gulls including Mediterranean, few gulls here today though, but there was at least 650 Golden Plover, 300 Dunlin and a Little Egret. In the hedge behind the car parking area at Fluke Hall, 6 Tree Sparrow, with singles of Goldfinch, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, and Linnet.

Back at Conder Green, the flow of the river is back to normal following the 'rainy season' and a Spotted Redshank, 18 Redshank, and the lone Black-tailed Godwit were taking advantage in the creeks, a single Little Grebe was the only bird of note on Conder Pool. On the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock, 15 Goldeneye and a pair of Eider hauled out were my only notes.

Now I was off to Aldcliffe....On the now excellent wetlands that was the Wildfowler's Pool, I picked up another 11 species on here again with up to 50 Black-tailed Godwit, 40 Dunlin, a Snipe, and uncounted Redshank and Lapwing on the wader score. Wildfowl seen were, 7 Shoveler, 6 Pintail, 2 Gadwall, Goldeneye, Mallard, and Teal. On Freeman's Pools, 8 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, and a Snipe bedded down on the island. 

When I got back to the car at Fluke Hall a note was under the windscreen wiper....'Hi Pete, quiet so far for me!....Later I met two more Fylde birders at Conder Green who told me their birding....'wasn't producing much today'....join the club!!

'If today's meagre list of sightings are anything to go by, the quality of the birding's going to take a dip'....A quote from Mondays Portland Bird Observatory website, though looking slightly better yesterday Here with 1,500 Meadow Pipits through as opposed to my one at Fluke Hall.

LUSH.

Ethical Buying....It's In The Bag.

Lush claims to have sold 30,000 bath bombs raising an amazing in excess of £100,000, the profits of which will go to a project to save the Hen Harrier

Lush is in my sidebar as a caring commerce company which sends out powerful conservation messages and fights animal testing....I like to support them when I can.