Bowland Birds.

 Birdwatchers Code of Conduct.

I'm well aware of this code, it includes requests to refrain from posting information about breeding locations of rare or locally uncommon species. So for once I have decided it best to do the right thing for the sake of a single bird I found on Friday. Hence, the rather bland title....

Bowland Birds.

Friday continued the theme of being the worst May that I can recall in recent years, the weather being best described as crap throughout. I was in Bowland on a day more reminiscent of 27 March than May, cloudy with a cold northerly wind.

I'm getting closer to being convinced the Redstarts are not breeding in the Ash I found them at on 29 April, having returned there on 19 May, and again on Friday with no sign of activity over a 30 minute watch. Another 30 minutes in the woodland, 4 Grey Wagtail, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, 2 Robin and a Wren.

My visit to one of the many moorland sites I favour, actually put an end to the gloom of the cloudy cold day, when a brilliant male Ring Ouzel with its white half-moon across the breast, took to the wing, to soon go to ground out of sight....For me, it was like a ray of sunshine!

Also seen here, running a close second to the Mountain Blackbird, 6 Stonechat, seen as a pair with at least two young, and two male. A Curlew was circling me in flight alarm calling, obviously with a nest/young in the area. Up to 18 Sand Martin seen, 14 Meadow Pipit, and a Kestrel was, not for the first time, the only raptor seen in Bowland in 5 hours.

On my way back to Lancaster, a pair of Pied Flycatcher feeding young at the nest, 3 Treecreeper, Chiffchaff and Blackcap heard.

As I turned off the camera after filming from the road bridge, a Kingfisher flew past me upstream.

Stonechat.

I note the interesting report of a male Stonechat at Conder Green on Thursday 27 May. The record prompts the question, what's a Stonechat doing at Conder Green at the end of May? One thing for sure, it's another first for the location....Unless someone would like to correct me!    

Woodland Therapy.

I have given over my header to Geraldine Stockdale, to feature the excellent image of the Skylark....Thank you Geraldine, this is much appreciated. 

I was in the good company of Ian on Thursday, and gained a couple of hours therapy in Holme Wood, albeit from a birding point of view, the theme of the day seemed to be 'that's another one that got away', with lots of movement seen in and around the fully leaved canopy, but ended in birds disappearing from view.

But the air was full of woodland birdsong, including multiple Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Blackcap a male of which gave good if brief views.

Willow Warbler Grisedale Brook. Pete Woodruff.

I reckon this Willow Warbler escaped the talons of a Sparrowhawk, which flew like a rocket within a few metres of me at waist level, and disappeared into the depths of the gorse bush. I took this photo of the Willow Warbler about 10 seconds later, when it went to perch atop of the gorse.  

A Cuckoo called unseen, but sounded to come from the moorland edge east of Grisedale Bridge.

  

On the way back to Lancaster, we called in to Birk Bank, to find Red Grouse with at least 9 chicks. And at the bog, with the weather being reasonable, there was a mass emergence and 12 Large Red Damselflies were seen as six pairs coupled, also a Green Hairstreak and Holly Blue seen.

Birding....Never fails to produce at least a little interest and lots of therapy.

A Summary Of Conder News.

The latest on Conder Pool, is that the Little Ringed Plovers are a chick down from four to three. There have also been Avocet losses, but the site has been very productive so far, with 11 chicks on Conder Pool, and at least 7 on the River Conder, making a healthy number of 18 chicks in total so far to date.

Upland Birding.

A positively excellent 5 hours plus in the area Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge, during which time I noted 21 species, being an average count here....This is upland birding.

Spotted Flycatcher.

It was the perfect start for me, when just five minutes out of the motor at Marshaw, I saw the first of 5 Spotted Flycatcher on the day, it was followed by two in the Tower Lodge area, and one - possibly two - east of Trough Bridge. 

Just a few minutes later, I saw the first of only 2 Common Sandpiper to be seen on the Marshaw Wyre. Last year I found 7 Common Sandpiper including young, but this was a month on from today on 15 June, so watch this space.

A few Sand Martin seen, including interest being shown at this bank by the Marshaw Wyre just east of Marshaw. I counted no more than 6 House Martin around Tower Lodge.

 

Grey Wagtail 17 May. Pete Woodruff.

The 6 Grey Wagtail seen included this pair nesting in a vent at the lodge. The kindly and understanding estate employee I spoke to told me the plan was to seal the vent, but it was on hold until the birds had left, he had no idea they were Grey Wagtail until I told him.

My other notes included the surprise find of a female Goosander on the Marshaw Wyre, at least 12 Willow Warbler mainly heard, 9 Mistle Thrush, 8 Curlew behaving like breeders, 6 Robin, 5 Wren, 2 Nuthatch, and 2 Meadow Pipit.

Pied Flycatcher.

Pied Flycatcher 17 May. Pete Woodruff.

My search resulted in finding 8 Pied Flycatcher, a male was at Marshaw, a pair and a male at Tower Lodge, a male east of the lodge, and a pair and a male east of Trough Bridge. These sightings had confirmation of breeding at two sites, and with lone males seen without females being on the nest, I concluded that there are probably six pairs of Pied Flycatcher in this area of Bowland. 

The day came to an interesting end as it had started, when I spotted from a moving car, a stunning male Stonechat on a fencepost near Jubilee Tower. And calling in to the bog at Birk Bank, in the hope I might find my first Large Red Damselfly on the boardwalk.

Large Red Damselfly 17 May. Pete Woodruff.

Whilst looking for the damselfly, I saw the Tree Wasp digesting wood for nest construction.

Tree Wasp Birk Bank 17 May. Pete Woodruff.

Conder News.

On Conder Pool, 4 Little Ringed Plover chicks this morning 18 May.

Godwits Conder Pool. Howard Stockdale.

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for the image of the Bar-tailed Godwits with Black-tailed Godwits.  A first for Conder Pool, with one bird in advanced breeding plumage.

Also thanks to Martin Jump for his Dipper at the nest feeding young. The bird in my header, but disappointingly saw none on my visit to Bowland yesterday. 

Weather Permitting!

I've not had a days birding since Thursday 5 May, and it hurts for me to have to say that I'm in danger of suffering from a bout of depression. 

But hey....Wildlife always has something to interest, and one of a few events this week for me, was a couple of visits to check out the cemetery Nuthatch nesting in the Cypress tree. The video shows, first the female enters the nest hole, and doesn't emerge, the male then visits the hole, it doesn't appear to have food to offer the female, but something white shows at the nest hole, there's no exchange, and the object in the females bill disappears back into the hole with what appears to be a fecal sac....See for yourself. 

View videos Full Screen

Lancaster Swifts.

I saw my first 2 Swift yesterday 14 May high over our Bowerham garden. At least 8 Swift were in the Fairfield area where they breed annually, and I spotted 2 Swift from a moving car over Ashton Road.

Garstang House Martins.

To follow finding Tree Sparrows nesting on 9 April, there was another pleasant surprise for me at Garstang yesterday, when I found 6 House Martins with nests and one under construction, under the eaves of business property behind Booths in the town centre. 

Garden Bees.

Common Carder Bee in the garden performing acrobatic skills on Water Avens.

White-Tailed Bumblebee performing and briefly dangling from Aquilegia in the garden.

The next few days may see me avoiding any depression from lack of birding....Weather permitting.

Edit.

Not wanting to hide behind my errors....I was grateful to an admin at BWARS for the correction to the bottom video in the post, which I claimed to be White-Tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum which is how I have decided to leave it in the title above. It is in fact a Small Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum.

The Birds And Bee.

Four healthy Avocet chicks emerged from the nest on Conder Pool Thursday morning, they were surviving into their third day on Saturday. 

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for the excellent footage he sent me....View the videos Full Screen.

I made no total counts on this visit, but note there are several Avocet on nests. Also noted, 4 Common Tern, 2 Little Ringed Plover, and a Common Sandpiper which obliged and came feeding close by.

At least 250 Knot and 52 Black-tailed Godwit were in the creeks with 2 Greenshank. On a wander round the circuit, singing Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting upstream from the road bridge, 4 Greenfinch in trees by the Stork Inn. Hirundine numbers generally appear low to date, but 8 Swallow were around Conder Green Farm, and 2 House Martin had arrived back at River Winds, with 2 Chiffchaff at the picnic area. In the field by Saltcote Brow at the north end of Jeremy Lane, 3 Wheatear.

My visit to Cockersand was never going to be called eventful today, but a healthy number of Lapwing on territory, look set to have a good year here. For the first time in my records, I've seen no agricultural activity recently, and not a tractor in sight....yet! 

My only other notes were, a White Wagtail with Pied Wagtail on the spoil heap by Lighthouse Cottage, with a pair of Reed Bunting seen, and the lone Whimbrel in my header and the video below, on the ebbing tide at Plover Scar.

Satellite Doves.

The Collared Doves decided to nest on the bracket behind the satellite dish on our neighbours house, the two young were roosting there last evening.

And Finally....The Bee.

Bombus pascuorum. Pete Woodruff.

This queen Common Carder-Bee spent a little time on Water Avens by the pond in our garden. 

The Hat Trick!

Waders continue to give a good show at Conder Green, with up to 250 Knot hanging on there, and 80 Black-tailed Godwit in the creeks.

 

At one point on Conder Pool, 7 Common Tern were present in the morning, and my best of several counts was 17 Avocet. A Little Grebe was in breeding plumage, 2 Greenshank, a Little Ringed Plover, and a Tree Sparrow was in the hedge by the viewing platform. The lone Pink-footed Goose remains here. New blood was in the form of Greylags with 7 goslings still surviving, a pair of Mallard have 11 chicks, and the Canada Goose has at least one chick in the nest on the small island.

In a recently ploughed field at the north end of Jeremy Lane, 8 White Wagtail and 6 Wheatear. 

There was an obvious fall of Whinchat yesterday, birds have been seen at several locations recently, with 11 and 8 reported on two websites, and including my third stunning male Whinchat in eight days, this one at Bank Houses....Not an Oscar Best Film nominee, but good enough for my records.

Around Bank Houses and Abbey Farm, a few more Swallow than of late, also plenty of Skylark with their incessant rolling whistling song-flight. Listening carefully, you might hear the occasional imitations of Swallow and even Green Sandpiper in the variation of the Skylarks song. A lone Tree Sparrow was the first I've seen at Cockersand in 5 months. Butterflies of note, 3 Green-veined White.

Good 'Start' To A Good Day!

Friday got off to a good start for me, when, enroute to Harrisend for end of April chats. I found a pair of Redstart, obviously breeding in the trunk of an Ash....Watch this space.

In the tree next to the Ash, a pair of Lesser Redpoll, with a Mistle Thrush close by. 

Andrena cineraria Pete Woodruff.

A small aggregation of Ashy Mining Bee were on the dry sandy path, from where I found them emerged from their burrows. A robust and distinctive mining-bee, unlike any other species in Lancashire with its ashy-grey appearance.

On to Harrisend where I found 6 Stonechat, seen as a pair and four male. Whilst I gave all the male birds a few minutes to see any females, I can't record as such, but I reckon there are five breeding pairs on Harrisend to date.

But better was to come, following one at Cockersand last Tuesday, I came across another stunning male Whinchat which was still around the same fence post on my return two hours later....A bit of Harrisend magic this time.

A Cuckoo was calling frequently whilst I was on Harrisend, it was in the Nicky Nook area, from where I hear the bird near annually. Also noted here, 34 Meadow Pipit, 4 Willow Warbler, 3 Wren, a pair of Linnet, a single Red Grouse, and 2 Buzzard soaring overhead with periods of interaction. Butterflies seen, 3 Peacock and 2 Green Hairstreak. 

On Hawthornthwaite, I found 3 Stonechat, a pair and a lone female. Also, at least 20 Sand Martin flighting around Catshaw Grieve, 16 Greylag flew low and east, 12 Meadow Pipit, 2 Wren, 2 Red Grouse, and 2 Buzzard. Butterflies, 4 Peacock, and a Brown Hare seen.

Garden Siskins.

A pair of Siskin enjoying the offerings of our feeder.

No aplogise for the repeat in my header, at least a slightly better pik than the Cockersand Whinchat.

News From The Pool.

Avocet colour flagged 6V, is one of last years back on Conder Pool. 

   

This Sunday morning, 5 Common Tern were on Conder Pool, with this pair displaying. If I was this female tern, I would be well pleased with this excellent offering.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for images and updates on this excellent news for Conder Pool.

Conder & Cocker.

Conder Pool continues to oblige when Sundays single became a double with 2 Common Tern present. Other interest was, the high concentration of Avocet which continues to increase, and the season getting off to a good start.

Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

I saw just one Little Ringed Plover. The Black-tailed Godwit remain in decent number, some of which are well advanced into stunning breeding plumage. The Greylags now have seven goslings in tow.

Knot Conder Pool. Howard Stockdale.

The Knot also remain in numbers not seen on Conder Pool before, their status here is at best an occasional visitor in single figures, some of these birds are attaining their breeding pale brick-red plumage.

In the creeks, a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull was with Black-headed Gulls, 4 Greenshank, and a Common Sandpiper, and a wander around the circuit had a Cetti's Warbler briefly heard, a Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, and Reed Bunting.

At Cockersand, the star of the show was seen, when a Reed Bunting caught my eye coming out of a reed lined ditch, I saw another bird distant perched upright, and looked a bigger bird than the one I was hoping it would be, but climbing over the gate and walking through the field to get closer, I found it was a bit of Cockersand magic to make my day, it was a brilliant male Whinchat.

This was my first Whinchat at Cockersand since the last one 4 years ago on 23 April 2018.

Other notes include, 2 Raven, and after seeing small flighty groups several times, 10 Linnet were seen along the headland, from where I saw 2 Wheatear, a White Wagtail, and up to 40 Eider which were off Sunderland Point. In the 3 hours at Cockersand, I saw only 3 Swallow north.

Birding On Your Doorstep....

....but first the Short-eared Owl.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the header image, which shows what looks like what can only be described as a twig protruding from the birds right armpit. I'd suggest this is the possible cause of the inability to fly any distance, and is the reason the owl has remained on Conder Pool for two months now, since it was first seen here on 27 February....I've seen no reports of sightings of the bird in the past few days.

A visit to Lancaster Cemetery was primarily for more evidence that the Nuthatch are breeding in the Cypress Tree. Eventually I got the confirmation, when a bird emerged from the nest hole as I was leaving the site. Earlier I had trained my camera on the tree, if only to get the recording of a bird in the area, with a song new to me. I was confused - nothing new there, as I'm easily confused - but hey, a fellow birder threw in his opinion, and we had a result. 

 

Sound On

....'Song of male Nuthatch a uniform series of loud notes, very variable in tempo, from drawn-out whistling notes slowly repeated, to very short notes rapidly repeated'....BWP

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On my next visit, more evidence of the breeding Nuthatch, when the bird came to the tree and went to the nest hole and appeared to feed a grub to the sitting female.

Other interest in the visit, up to 3 Chiffchaff and singing Blackcap heard, 4 Nuthatch, 2 Jay, and a Goldcrest. Butterflies, 8 Orange Tip, 3 Speckled Wood, and 2 Red Admiral.

Tree Wasp. Pete Woodruff.

Also in the cemetery, this 22cm queen Tree Wasp is common, but with the grand scientific name Dolichovespula sylvestris.

Common Carder-Bee.

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This Bumbus pascuorum seemed to take a liking to the garden insect hotel before flying off.

Common Tern.

Common Tern Conder Pool 24 April. Howard Stockdale.

A Common Tern returned to Conder Pool on Sunday morning, hopefully to breed successfully for the ninth year. It is the second April date for first arrival, quite amazingly on the same April day as last year. The previous six first dates have been in May, with the first Common Tern record for Conder Pool being on a late date in July 2014....

02 July 2014

22 May 2015

06 May 2016

08 May 2017 

07 May 2018

05 May 2019

02 May 2020

24 April 2021

24 April 2022

Negative Turns Positive.

Negatives.

It's rare that I use the word negative to describe any of my birding, but a session in the Lune Valley turned out to be the most negative experience for me in ages.

Sand Martin Bull Beck April 15 2021

At Bull Beck where I had hoped to find Little Ringed Plover and the more guaranteed Sand Martin. I found neither, despite the date being a week later than the 'good number' of Sand Martin seen at the breeding colony last year.

Positive compensation was a Kingfisher whizzing past me downstream, a Common Sandpiper and a Goosander hauled out on the shingle. Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler seen from the footpath.

A wander down the River Wenning west from Hornby, then north-east upstream by the side of the River Lune to Lloyn Bridge, was an even bigger disaster than Bull Beck. I made notes of Willow Warbler, a Goosander on the river, and 5 Orange Tip.

Although I saw perhaps 30 Sand Martin milling around over the river, I saw the remnants of what was a thriving Sand Martin colony for as long as I can remember on the opposite bank on the River Lune. The area is now boulders and grassland. A little further downstream there is plant machinery, and an area marked as a tarn on the OS map known as The Snab is now a skeleton of what it was and has been drained, with not a bird in sight. 

For the time being, I'll make no further comment until I know the facts. Meanwhile question....what's going on here!

Positives.

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for the excellent header image of the stunning adult Mediterranean Gull in breeding plumage on Conder Pool Friday morning.  A bird currently at the head of a list of 'goodies' on Conder Pool in recent weeks, making it the top birding spot on the Lune Estuary including....

Avocet peak count of 19 on 5 April, and one seen with yellow flag 63, was one of last years young. Per Ian Hartley.

Short-eared Owl

Little Gull

Spotted Redshank

Greenshank

Little Ringed Plover 4 

Water Pipit

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Ruff

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Barnacle Goose

So what's next on Conder Pool.

Well, the Common Terns return is imminent, but what will they think of the something like 20 pairs of Black-headed Gull thinking of nesting there....No room at the inn!