Here & There!

I took advantage of the high pressure sitting over us recently, with a few sunny spells, and lot of murky damp days thrown in, for a little birding here and there.

A couple of hours on the lower slopes of Hawthornthwaite had me find 2 Stonechat, seen as a pair chasing flying insects, my first recorded wintering chats on the fells. Also, 8 Red Grouse were seen as an indication of a healthy stock, and fodder for the shooting industry with their sick Victorian attitudes towards game birds and wildlife as a whole....No apologies for my brief two-liner rant.

On my customary wander around the Lune Estuary on Thursday, notes from Conder Pool included 12 Wigeon, 6 Little Grebe, 2 Goosander, 2 Snipe, and a Little Egret. 

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, up to 1,750 Golden Plover were a sight for sore eyes, they were lined up below Colloway Marsh and put the comment in my last post in to context, when I saw two forlorn plovers on the north side below the bowling green, 'it would have been more expected to have seen at least 1,000 Golden Plover across on the north side below Colloway Marsh'.

At Cockersand, 136 Whooper Swan in the field off Slack Lane were 110 more than my last count of 26 here, and with 110 seen at Braides (AC) the same day, brings the total in the area to 246 Whooper Swan looking more like the expected for mid-November.

Flying south, 25 Pink-footed Geese, and later as I joined the coastal path at Lighthouse Cottage in brilliant sunshine, up to 250 Pink-footed Geese were flying north over the estuary.

Just 15 minutes after I saw the geese flying north in the sunshine, this was the scene at Cockersand which got progressively worse as I trundled along the headland, and remained so until I arrived back in Lancaster an hour later.

Cockersand Mystery.

This photo was featured in my last post, it was taken on 29 October and depicts the Hawthorn hedge laden with berries waiting for the winter thrushes to arrive.

This photo was taken 16 days later, and shows the same hedge void of berries. Perhaps a few hundred undetected thrushes have visited in the space of 16 days, and striped the entire length of fruit!

And Finally. 

I found this impressive looking Fungus in Bowland last week.

The Blusher Amanita rubescens Pete Woodruff

Common throughout much of Europe and Asia, and not quite the status I was hoping for....

Autumn Beech Tree. Pete Woodruff.

....but made a pretty picture on the carpet of autumn leaves below a stunning Beech near Tower Lodge.

Well At Least My Species Count Looked Slightly Healthier This Time!

It was good to find a female Stonechat at the east corner of Conder Pool. In truth the chat added a bit of brightness to an otherwise dull visit, with just two other species present, being 5 Wigeon and 3 Little Grebe.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 2,500 Lapwing were to note, with 350 Wigeon, a Snipe and just 2 Golden Plover looking forlorn, and by way of a change close in on the south shore below the bowling green, it would have been more expected to have seen up to 1,000 Golden Plover across on the north side below Colloway Marsh.

Off Moss Lane, 26 Whooper Swan were the first at Cockersand since I found 13 on 10 October, these were a one day wonder, didn't settle here and moved on. Todays Whooper Swan were accompanied in the field at Clarkson's Farm by up to 200 Greylag.

The Greylag were a bit of a mixed bunch as can be seen in my header image, including an odd one with three juvenile birds.

As I set off for my Cockersand circuit, the Hawthorns are stacked with berries, a larder waiting for the winter thrushes to arrive. 

A few hundred Lapwing, Curlew, and Starling were put to flight by a 'brown' Merlin whizzing over the field, then hedge hopped to disappear from view. Also 25 Black-tailed Godwit flew south, soon followed by 16 Pink-footed Geese over the sea from the west, and inland to soon turn south towards Pilling.

On the way round, I saw 3 Skylark drop into stubble, up to 200 Canada Geese and 125 Wigeon were in and around a flood by Slack Lane, from where 8 Long-tailed Tit were seen. Off Plover Scar, 5 Eider, and when I returned to Bank Houses, 22 House Sparrow were accompanied by 3 Greenfinch.

There are 2 Kestrel to be seen daily at Cockersand this winter, one in the area around Lighthouse Cottage, and one in the Caravan Park area showing its mastery of hovering. 

Tree Sparrow.

It's over 12 months since I last saw Tree Sparrow at Cockersand where they could been seen regularly, 16 were at Bank Houses on 10 October 2023. Before this, it was 12 months since my previous record of one Tree Sparrow on 1 December 2022, and before this it was another 12 months since my last record of 3 Tree Sparrow on 14 December 2021....The Tree Sparrow is absent from Cockersand!

Whooper Swan.

The species is slow to be seen at Cockersand this winter, 26 Whooper Swan is my best of two counts to date. Last year I recorded 245 Whooper Swan here on 24 November 2023.    

Brief With A Little Quality.

By usual standards it was a bit of a whizz around the estuary surroundings on Friday, but at least there was a little quality about the findings, not least because the sight of up to 2,000 Black-tailed Godwit on the Lune Estuary at Glasson was a delight, also a Mediterranean Gull was amongst the gulls, and a Peregrine Falcon was on the south end of Colloway Marsh, recommended if you'd like to see one regularly there, or on the hunt and putting a few thousand waders to flight.

As I was leaving, 6 Whooper Swan flew upstream by me, before swinging south towards Conder Pool or Jeremy Lane I thought.

Thirty minutes later, it was my second guess the swans had chosen and settled on a flood on Jeremy Lane.

Little Owl At Cockersand.

On 28 November 2023, a visiting birder I met opposite Cockersand Abbey, was searching for a Snow Bunting. In a conversation he pointed towards Bank Houses and told me of a Little Owl he had seen on an out building there. In amazement, I told him this was the first Little Owl for Cockersand in 9 years when I had found one at Abbey Farm on 28 November 2014.

I never did find the owl the birder reported to me, but 9 years later on 25 October 2024, I connected with a Little Owl in the very same area he talked of 11 months ago.

Historically, the Little Owl could be seen regularly for many years on the derelict barn, now converted and called Bank House Cottage.

Action In The Garden.

Our resident Robin is friendly, bold, and very entertaining, following anyone digging in the garden. Also on Friday, a flock of 12 Long-tailed Tit worked their way through the garden, and our first Coal Tit in 11 months paid a visit. 

Thanks to Martin Jump for the excellent header of Little Owl.

News From The Bog!

Odonata enthusiasts in particular, may be interested in the news that the boardwalk along the perimeter of the bog at Birk Bank, has been removed and relocated from the corner of the old one, straight across to the east side.

On the positive side, this may be good news for the dragonflies and insects, in particular the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary with its partiality to Marsh Thistle.

And Finally....An Owl At Cockersand.

It was good to find 2 Grey Wagtail on Conder Pool yesterday, they were collecting insects on the tern raft for several minutes, and according to another birder had been doing so earlier in the day when he called in. A rare sight, I don't recall the last time I saw Grey Wagtail on Conder Pool. Other notes from a stock taking exercise, 112 Mallard, 45 Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck, 5 Goosander, 10 Little Grebe, and a Grey Heron.

On the Lune Estuary, up to 2,000 Black-tailed Godwit, half the number disturbed and flying downstream, with a 'white' individual amongst them but not discernible in the video. An adult Mediterranean Gull was ringed on the left leg, unreadable at the distance, but looked white or possibly very pale green with a metal ring on the right leg, otherwise gull and wader numbers were low.

At Cockersand, despite the effort made for a circuit, there was little to report, and the 13 Whooper Swans of 10 October obviously decided to move on. However, I did manage to log 3 raptor species, with a Buzzard atop of a telegraph pole, a Kestrel which thought it was a Merlin zipping at a metre height over a stubble field before hovering, and a Sparrowhawk. As I left Cockersand, a Barn Owl flew across the road in front of the car and over the Bank Houses paddock.  

Little Owl.

In company with Andrew Cornall on Monday, Ian Mitchell had good views of the Little Owl in residence at Cockersand, and in the circumstances with poor light, achieved a decent image of the bird....Thanks for this Ian, it is much appreciated.

Little Owl. Ian Mitchell.

According to my records, this is the first record of Little Owl at Cockersand for 10 years, with one last seen at Bank Houses 10 November 2014. I also found a Little Owl at Abbey Farm on 31 October 2014, at the time I thought this was the Bank Houses bird having a day out as I had never found one at the farm ever before or since.

Little Owl 10 July 2020. Pete Woodruff.

This Little Owl was a surprise find at the junction of Green Lane and the Kirkby Lonsdale Road 4 years ago. I managed this grab shot from my car with traffic behind me....I've not seen a Little Owl anywhere else since.

Wheatears Depart....Whoopers Arrive.

A most rewarding sight on Conder Pool Thursday, was that of a Wheatear which behaved obligingly, feeding then preening giving opportunity for a pik, but unfortunately too far off for my digital camera. Also, 3 Meadow Pipit with presumably a few others flighting around the east corner of the pool. I managed to count 12 Little Grebe, with at east 8 Long-tailed Tit working their way through the hedgerow, and the Kingfisher put in an appearance on the purposely placed perch by the sluice.

Short on time, I didn't give justice the Lune Estuary deserved on the visit here at low tide, and despite a large gathering of gulls, I found just the one Mediterranean Gull, but it was good to see up to 450 Golden Plover, with 220 Black-tailed Godwit also to note. 

Two more Wheatear were seen at Cockersand, in a poor year for me. I have only 5 Wheatear records to my name in 2024, the first being 2 Wheatear at Cockersand on 29 March, and what will probably be my last on Thursday 10 October. 

Also at Cockersand, the first 13 Whooper Swan have returned to winter, they had settled in the field at the Moss Lane/Slack Lane junction. These swans arrived here 15 days earlier than the first 120 Whooper Swan I found last year on 25 October in the Thursland Hill area.

Mottled Grasshopper. Pete Woodruff.

I found another Mottled Grasshopper at Cockersand, perhaps not as uncommon in the north as I had thought. Butterflies seen, it was good to find another 2 Small Tortoiseshell here again, also a Red Admiral, and 8 Large White.

Better Late Than Never.

In a spell of decent dry but windy weather last week, I decided to put in a couple of brief appearances at Conder Pool and Cockersand to take a look at Plover Scar over a high tide.

Conder Pool.

Both sites were a little short of anything to inspire, the first visit to Conder Pool was a non-starter as it turned out to be a management day. A tractor of sorts was in the east end, with a robotic mower cutting the grass bank on the south side, the resulting birdless pool was no surprise, but calling back 2 hours later, 16 Greenshank were present, with 14 Little Grebe to note.

Cockersand.

Not particularly overjoyed with the Plover Scar experience, but good to see 125 Turnstone, 36 Dunlin, 21 Ringed Plover, 12 Oystercatcher, and a lone Grey Plover which took star prize in my book, 25 Eider were off Plover Scar. 

Fourteen of the twenty five male and female Eider in various dress, were on the choppy sea.

Insects.

There was some interest with insects, including the welcome sight of at least 6 Small Tortoiseshell at Cockersand. This sighting was very welcome as the Small Tortoiseshell has two expert opinions that I have been in touch with, both agree the species could have had a population crash.

Not one of the Cockersand butterflies, this one was on Verbena in our garden in August 2022.

A female Common Darter was on the footpath briefly before flying off over the fields, probably my last of the year. But this was my second sighting of a coastal dragonfly, a male Common Darter seen here at Cockersand on the shingle, by an amazing coincidence 11 years ago to the day on 4 November 2013.

Eristalis Tenax. Pete Woodruff.

I found a large number of hoverfly had emerged, presumably on account of some warm weather. I made up to a three figure count of Eristalis sp.

Mottled Grasshopper. Pete Woodruff.

I also found an interesting insect on the shingle in front of Bank Houses Farm. The best suggestion I have is that it is a Mottled Grasshopper....I'm not 100% on this ID and any other suggestions are welcome!

Short List High Counts....Well Two Counts!

I managed a couple of decent estuary counts this week in an area I'm slowly becoming familiar with.

Conder Pool.

With the usual difficulty of counting birds on the surface one minute and diving the next, after several attempts I eventually arrived at 20 Little Grebe. This is not an all time personal highest count, last year I had 22 Little Grebe here 24 September. But both my records pale into insignificance, with 32 reported at Conder Green 3 years ago on 25 September 2021, a record I'm not holding my breath to be beaten by anyone any time soon.

Other notes from Conder Pool, 8 Greenshank, 2 Snipe, and 2 Wigeon were my first of the winter, also c.50 Swallow flew through with some taking on water.

Not many opportunities for piks today, so I grabbed the chance of 6 Greenshank with one of the vanguard Wigeon putting in an appearance.

Lune Estuary.

From the bowling green at Glasson Dock, I picked out 11 Mediterranean Gull in reasonably close proximity. This was certainly a personal best ever count here on the Lune Estuary and was followed by the decent count of up to 550 Golden Plover which can be compared to the Morecambe Bay WeBS count of just 205 Golden Plover in September 2023....Lancashire Bird Report 2023

Also in my notes from the Lune Estuary, 2 Greenshank, 12 Wigeon, and 2 Goosander.

Two Peregrine Falcon were at the south end of Colloway Marsh - two distant dots in the video - one of which took to the wing to fail miserably at taking out one of two Lapwing as an easy choice for a meal, before returning to the spot in the video where I first found it.

A short walk along the canal to Saltcote Pond and return to Glasson, had me see a surprise Migrant Hawker on the coastal path, it was patrolling trees at a height of 6 metres in 14°c and dull, cloudy, and breezy conditions, probably my last of the year.

Mystery bird in my kitchen?

On Tuesday afternoon, Lynn Woodruff walked into her kitchen at Brookhouse to be confronted by the surprise of a lifetime. I subsequently received an e-mail with a phone photo attached, the title being 'Mystery bird in my kitchen?'....No mystery to me as it was instantly recognisable as a Wheatear.

Wheatear. Lynn Woodruff.

In Lynn's absence, the bird had flown in through the open kitchen door. In a panic Lynn also opened the windows, but the bird eventually escaped flying back out through the door to freedom. But the bad news about this little tale, the bird appears to have a length of string attached to its leg. How come you ask yourself, and why on earth did a Wheatear find itself trapped in a house and perched on a pressure cooker on a shelf in Brookhouse?

Twice Around The Estuary.

Thankfully with the summer making a surprise return this week - well it turned up for a few days once before didn't it! - I managed a couple of days around the Lune Estuary, and had an hour to spare to check out the bog at Birk Bank at the end of the second one.

Conder Pool.

Best of the pool was the sight of 2 Whinchat on and around the long grasses at the east end. The male Whinchat obviously a cinch to ID, two days later the female at the distance and not very obliging, not quite so obvious. The Kingfisher delighted the gathering photographers of which I met five over my two visits, staked out and living the dream for a good pik. The Kingfisher obligingly and repeatedly perched either on the goal post or on the water level measuring post. It's a pity the light wasn't at its best for some footage when it caught a large fish for lunch.

There was a decent count of 15 Greenshank and 15 Little Grebe on Friday, with 2 Snipe noted. Also 12 Migrant Hawker recorded past the viewing screen over the two visits.

Migrant Hawker Conder Green 19 September. Howard Stockdale.

Cockersand.

Not for the first time I botched my visit, arriving only 30 minutes before the high tide and barely just a few metres of Plover Scar above water.

No more than 60 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover and one or two Turnstone were there to entertain me on what remained of Plover Scar today, but 48 Eider were of note off here.

Up to 150 Wood Pigeon were in and around three Wheat fields, and I don't get to record 65 Rook very often, seen today in a field east of Abbey Farm, though I did see a corvid mix of at least 500 Rook/Carrion Crow/Jackdaw grounded on the mud on the Lune Estuary at Glasson on 17 October 2019, of which I reckoned at the time 50% were Rooks.

Birk Bank.

A pleasant hour spent at the bog showed 12 Black Darter including two pairs in tandem, also a male Common Darter. But the pleasant hour turned even more pleasant and surprising, when I spied towards the eastern end of the bog, 2 Emperor Dragonfly both male....Certainly wasn't expecting that!

Black Darter Male Grit Fell/Ward's Stone 19 September. Ian Mitchell.

On the subject, Ian Mitchell reported to me c.15 Black Darter including ovipositing, found on a pool on the hike midway between Grit Fell and Ward's Stone.

Emperor Dragonfly.

With abdomen measurements being equal to that of the Emperor at 50-59/61mm, there was only one other species the Birk Bank sighting could have been, that of the Common Hawker. Best diagnostic feature being my Emperor Dragonfly at the distance was the abdomen being distinctly blue, not black with blue spotting, also the patrolling flight was leisurely and certainly not strong, fast, and tirelessly as in Common Hawker.

Having searched the Emperor Dragonfly on iRecord, I found 13 records for September 2024, two of which are later records than mine on 19 September. All the records carry the note....'Date is outside known flight period of Anax imperator'.

Much appreciate the excellent images from Martin Jump who saved me the trouble of looking for a header image, and from Howard Stockdale, Ian Mitchell....Thanks to all.

Little To Write Home About Mother!

Given its recent history, Conder Pool was at best pretty quiet on Friday, with just 60 birds noted in my stock taking exercise. The bulk of the count being 42 Lapwing and 13 Little Grebe, with 2 Tufted Duck, a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Little Egret bringing up the rear. I've reluctantly called this a dull and boringly routine experience, and not what I'm acquainted with for Conder Pool....But that's birding in'it!

The Lune Estuary didn't light any fires either, with up to 550 Lapwing, 155 Curlew, 24 Little Egret, 4 Greenshank, a lone House Martin flyby, and not a Golden Plover in sight. But I did see my first of the winter 120 Pink-footed Geese in two skeins >south. Other than finding them too distant to sift through, I ignored a couple of hundred gulls to the north of the Conder mouth.

Common Darter Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

On a relatively short walk along the canal towpath, 7 Migrant Hawker, 3 Brown Hawker, and a mewing Buzzard over. On Saltcote Pond, 3 Common Darter, one of which provided me with the only pik of the day.

Garden Goings On.

Garden Robin. Pete Woodruff.

A Robin returned to our garden nearly 2 months ago on 18 July after its summer break, and I tracked it down for a pik through the kitchen window yesterday in the plum tree. 

I captured this Dunnock out of the kitchen window too, they have had at least one brood this year with a juvenile>1st winter seen.

We have had some regular butterfly sightings in the garden, with probably 10 Red Admiral and a couple of Peacock seen over a couple of weeks.

Making Hay While The Sun Shines.

With summer days making another brief appearance over the weekend, it was more like finding dragons than making hay while the sun shines. 

A wander along the canal towpath for a little more than a mile east of Glasson Dock to Conder Green, had me collecting a decent count of 36 dragonfly records.

Migrant Hawker 6 September. Pete Woodruff.

A total of 19 Migrant Hawker, with 13 Brown Hawker, and 4 Common Darter male seen. Little wonder that given the record of 19 Migrant Hawker on this stretch of the canal today, saw me find 112 Migrant Hawker along the length from Conder Green to Galgate 12 months today on 8 September 2023. 

Swallow/House Martin. Pete Woodruff.

At one point, there was probably a mix of up to 150 Swallow and House Martin hawking and gathering on the wires on their southward movement.

Small Copper 6 September. Steve Graham.

Worth noting....Steve's image of the Small Copper is one of three he saw while he notes they have been scarce this year. Steve also had a remarkable movement of c.10 Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler through his garden yesterday, with some song heard from both species.

Speckled Wood. Pete Woodruff.

There's no chance of the butterflies making any miraculous recovery this year, and my sightings today reflect this situation, with just 3 Red Admiral and a lone Speckled Wood. But the good news for me is, that I saw a Small Copper by the lock at The Mill at Conder Green, my favourite small butterfly which made my day and was only the second one this year.

A look in at Saltcote Pond, a Migrant Hawker and Brown Hawker were in company with Common Blue Damselfly, and 8 Common Darter including a pair in cop.

Of note on Conder Pool, a Ruff mingled with 12 Greenshank and a similar number of Redshank, also a Common Sandpiper and 4 Teal female were the first seen here all summer, probably birds returning to winter. I failed to find any more than 4 Little Grebe on this visit, but 4 Brown Hawker flew by the viewing screen.

Thanks to Martin Jump for his image of the in flight Southern Hawker from the canal towpath on Friday.