Med Gull Spectacular.

Mediterranean Gull.

When I arrived at Conder Pool on Wednesday, someone was leaving the viewing platform, a nice man not serious about birding and just passing by I think. I said hello and asked if there were any Mediterranean Gull here, he answered saying he'd not seen any.

Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 25 June. Pete Woodruff.

To my amazement, the first birds I saw were 7 Mediterranean Gull which were seen as 5 adult and 2x1st summer. It only took a few more minutes for me to pick up a total of 17 Mediterranean Gull, 8 adult, 7x2nd summer, and 2x1st summer birds.

I sensed a male following a female with a little posturing here....

Fourteen Mediterranean Gull in the video below....

I thought I was hallucinating, and I reckon the next birder to visit Conder Pool the following day thought he was too, when he found a total of 29 Mediterranean Gull....I think it'll be a while before this record is beaten! 

Avocet & Common Sandpiper.

It didn't take long for another spectacle to develop, that of a line of 42 Avocet at the back of Conder Pool, and when I panned right of the Avocet, 6 Common Sandpiper were also lined up along the back of the pool.

Common Tern.

Mainly focused on and distracted by the gull fest, I made no count of adult birds, but noted 15 Common Tern chicks on the raft, which included one young bird exercising it's wings.

Dragonflies.

Emperor Dragonfly Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

On Saltcote Pond, a lone Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling, occasionally egg laying around the edge of the pond, also up to 14 Common Blue Damselfly including some pairing.

Butterflies.

Ringlet. Pete Woodruff.

Nothing spectacular about these, as I saw just one Red Admiral, but 10 Ringlet lifted the gloom, and takes my sightings of this species to 16 Ringlet seen on two days, with six more seen at Birk Bank on 20 June.    

Glasson- Conder Green Circuit.

Reed Bunting, 3 Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, and 6 Sedge Warbler.

And Finally.

Ian Mitchell kindly sent me a couple of images....

This of an Elephant Hawk Moth

And one of a Large Yellow Underwing.

Ian says 'I was playing around trying to photo this moth in flight'....I don't think you need to try much harder Ian.

The Header.

Howard Stockdale does it again, this time with another excellent header image of 42 Avocet, perfectly lined up for a photograph and an accurate count on Conder Pool this week. 

I would like to take this opportunity, to thank all those who joined me - and some who later hindered me - in reporting this amazing record of 17 Mediterranean Gulls, which I found on Conder Pool on Wednesday 25 June.   

Mainly Dragons....

....but with some bees, a few notable butterflies, some chats, and a few other birds.

Grisedale Brook.

Grisedale Brook. Pete Woodruff.

Along the classic acidic upland stream that is Grisedale Brook, I spent a couple of hours looking for, but only finding one Golden-ringed Dragonfly, it was seen briefly flying upstream from Holme Wood, and despite waiting several minutes for its return, it failed to do so.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly Grisedale Bridge July 2022. Pete Woodruff.

Something of a disappointment today, in that I found just the one compared to 12 Golden-ringed Dragonfly here 2 years ago on 14 June 2023. 

Bird sightings were a bit sparse, but at least it was good to see a male Stonechat. Otherwise, a Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Goldfinch seen. A Buzzard was overhead mobbed by Carrion Crows. Butterflies were a Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell, with 3 Red Admiral and 2 Small Heath.

Hawthornthwaite.

Bombus monticola Hawthornthwaite 18 June. Pete Woodruff.

I was pleased to find a Bilberry Bumblebee on Hawthornthwaite on Friday. Last year I found 5 Bilberry Bumblebee 2 days later than this one on 20 June 2024 at Birk Bank.

Bombus sylvestris Hawthorthwaite 18 June. Pete Woodruff. 

The Bilberry Bumblebee was accompanied on the same patch of Clover, by what I believe to be a Forest Cuckoo Bee. Strange, because its name seems to indicate other than moorland, but this is a bee that can be found in a variety of other habitats too. I was of course also pleased to find 4 Stonechat which were seen as two breeding pairs alarm calling and behaving like they had young around, also 2 Painted Lady seen.

Birk Bank Bog.

Birk Bank Bog. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to find the bog now replenished and holding water, there are distant pools around the middle, and certainly more water along the side of the boardwalk than I saw on my visit a month ago on 16 May, and where most of the action was on Friday.

Even more of a delight was finding 4 Keeled Skimmer, they were eventually seen as coupled pairs. Also present, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser. With Large Red, Blue-tailed, and Azure Damselfly.

Keeled Skimmer Birk Bank Bog. Pete Woodruff.

Butterflies seen, 6 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Red Admiral, and Small Tortoiseshell.

The Lancaster Orchids.

Southern Marsh Orchid. Pete Woodruff.

Brilliant to find up to 100 spikes of Southern Marsh Orchid again this year. Also in the area, 25 Common Spotted Orchid, and a decent count of 6 Ringlet butterfly.

Purple Hairstreak.

Purple Hairstreak. Ian Mitchell.

Steve Graham found 2 Purple Hairstreak atop of an Oak on Wednesday 18 June, and claims them to have been 3 weeks earlier than he expected, and his earliest ever record.

Wool Carder Bee. 

Wool Carder Bee Haslam Park 18 June. Martin Jump.

The Wool Carder Bee was rare up to the 1990's when the first records came from Heysham and Hornby in 1992/93. Until this time, this bee wasn't common anywhere in GB, but has spread to Scotland considerably since, where there are records which were confined to the south east 20 years ago.

Excellent find in Preston. Well done and congratulations Martin. 

The Header.

The excellent image of two adult and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull on Conder Pool certainly qualified for the header image. Thanks to Howard Stockdale.

And Finally.

Common Tern Conder Pool. Ian Mitchell.

Just as I was about to publish this post, in my inbox up pops another excellent image of a Common Tern. In the message, Ian Mitchell says....'it looks like this Common Tern has bagged itself a good sized Sand Eel'....Can't disagree with that, and many thanks for sending it to me, much appreciated Ian. 

Winmarleigh Moss.

Something of an adventure in the week on a visit to Winmarleigh Moss with Steve Graham.

For starters you have to find somewhere to park, as the Lancashire Wildlife Trust website says....'no parking near the site'....is a bit of an understatement I reckon. But we overcome the parking problem and set off for the adventure on to this huge 90 hectare site which has difficult access due to numerous drains and tussock vegetation requiring care to be taken over this the best lowland raised peat bog in the region. However, you can safely transect along the bank by Crawleys Dyke.

Raptors seen, 2 Buzzard, 2 Marsh Harrier, and a Kestrel. At least 4 Stonechat seen, with a pair behaving like they had hidden young, a few Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit, with a Willow Warbler in a small wooded area, and a Corn Bunting.

Five species of dragonfly were seen, with Four-spotted Chaser, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and Large Red Damselfly.

Steve's top target at Winmarleigh Moss was a butterfly species, but the visit was a disappointing one in this regard as we saw just 2 Large Heath, perhaps a tad too early, but 2 Large Skipper was a little compensation, and a Speckled Wood was the only other butterfly seen from just three species.

Butterfly Conservation.

Five butterflies seen on a hot sunny day at a 90 hectare site with perfect habitat in June, brings me to note....2024 was one of the worst years on record for UK butterflies. For the first time ever, more than half of our butterflies species are in long term decline, and notably with 85% of the population living in urban areas.

This causes Butterfly Conservation to ask....Will you help us to raise £20,000 to begin one our most ambitious Wild Spaces projects yet....Glasgow Wild Spaces   

Summary.

In my opinion, you would need to spend several hours at Winmarleigh Moss, and even then would only scratch the surface and probably miss finding lots of what's on offer here if you was going to do justice to it. Personally, after a couple of hours walking along Crawleys Dyke, and humping optics - binoculars, telescope, and tripod - weighing 6kg, was a bit much!

Pilling Lane Ends.

Calling in at Pilling Lane Ends, there was clear evidence of the decline of butterflies as mentioned earlier, when we saw just 5 Meadow Brown and a Common Blue, a little more encouraging was 5 Small Skipper....I think Steve might have done better than this!

But feelings were good when we saw a large number of spikes of Orchid. Steve sent photographs off to an expert in the field, to arrive at the ID of a mix of Southern Marsh Orchid and Northern/Hybrid Marsh Orchid.

White-tailed Bumblebee.

This White-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum was found lethargic on the garden bench, it spread its wings a couple of times but was unable to take off. I gave it sugar and water on a saucer to drink, but it remained motionless for a while and I feared it was dead. For an hour or more I kept checking regularly, but the next time it was gone. 

Pool And Pond.

Pleasantly checking Conder Pool and Saltcote Pond on Friday. Mostly cloudy, though a few sunny spells, and at best a chill wind on a day not unlike 6 March as opposed to it being 6 June.

Conder Pool.

I counted 22 Common Tern on the raft, with up to 5 chicks visible underneath the adults. I also counted 21 Black-headed Gull chicks on the raft today, and harmony seems to reign between the terns and gulls, but who knows if that will last....Time will tell!

My count today was of 16 Avocet, with only two on Conder Pool, and 14 on the creeks marsh including the only two surviving young. 

Little Ringed Plover. Pete Woodruff.

Throughout two visits to Conder Pool today, I had several sightings of Little Ringed Plover, but never saw more than two together. Also of note was a Little Grebe in breeding plumage, seen as a first record on Conder Pool for me. The Little Grebe doesn't breed here to my knowledge.

Other notes from Conder Pool, a drake summering Wigeon seen again, with 3 Tufted Duck and a lone Black-tailed Godwit.

Saltcote Pond.

Ruddy Darter 20 July 2023. Martin Jump.  

As can be seen in my header, Saltcote Pond is an attractive little pond, one of the nicest anywhere in our area. The pond's claim to fame being the location were Martin Jump found a rare Ruddy Darter 2 years ago on 20 July 2023. The Ruddy Darter is the second rarest regular breeding species in Lancashire. 

A male and female Broad-bodied Chaser and up to 12 Common Blue Damselfly, with a Chiffchaff and a singing Sedge Warbler was skulking in the Reedmace here.

As I walked around the edge of the pond I spotted a pair of Common Blue Damselflies in tandem. The female appeared to be completely submerged, but as I got closer, the male released the female and flew off. I soon convinced myself this female floating on the water was drowning, in an attempt to rescue I broke of a Reedmace leaf and managed to encourage the damselfly to the edge and out of the pond clinging to the leaf. 

It was a female Common Blue Damselfly of the blue form, not an uncommon form, but are often outnumbered by greenish and brownish ones.

Common Blue Damselfly blue form. Pete Woodruff. 

Drying out its wings was a first for me, as I've never before seen a damselfly at rest with opened wings....Looking away for a second to check the camera settings, it had flown off.

Four Probable's In Bowland!

Probable: Something that is true and is likely to happen, but not certain.

Based on my observations in the Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge area 7 May/2 June equaling 10 hours. I have collated what my records read as probable breeding records in the area. 

Pied Flycatcher.

There are three breeding pairs of Pied Flycatcher in the area this year, all in nest boxes, with one box seeming to have been vacated and young fledged....Well they did fledge on Springwatch!

One of those million to one chances, when a Pied Flycatcher came on to the fence to perch next to a Swallow with food for young, the flycatcher bears a metal ring on its left leg.

Spotted Flycatcher.

I found just one pair of Spotted Flycatcher on this visit, but in fact there are 4 pairs. This is a record to which I have to add this note....Barry Dyson was in the area the day before me on Sunday 1 June, and reports three pairs of Spotted Flycatcher and a Dipper seen....So now the records read, 4 pairs of Spotted Flycatcher, and a Dipper feeding young on the Marshaw Wyre.

Thanks to Barry for getting in touch with me and for these records, they are much appreciated. 

Common Sandpiper.

I recorded 4 pairs of breeding Common Sandpiper, with one pair having young at one location, out of sight and adults alarm calling.

Grey Wagtail.

Grey Wagtail. Pete Woodruff.

I'm convinced there are no more than 3 pairs of breeding Grey Wagtail on the Marshaw Wyre. Last year I had a peak count of 10 Grey Wagtail here in mid-June.

Crossbill.

Following my 16 Crossbill seen west of Tower Lodge on 7 May, Andrew Cornall found 5 adult and 7 juvenile Crossbill today 2 June at Trough Bridge. 

Thanks to Andrew for this excellent record.

House Martin/Dipper.

There are no House Martin at Tower Lodge again as was the case last year, and with the Marshaw Wyre barely out of my sight throughout both visits, it was good to see it in good flow once again. However, as opposed to Barry Dyson's record, I found no Dipper throughout the 10 hours spent in the area.

The Runners Up.

I counted just 16 species during my visit on Monday, the ones to note being....c.50 Sand Martin up and down the Marshaw Wyre at Marshaw, 5 Mistle Thrush, just 4 Willow Warbler, 3 Treecreeper, 3 Wren, a Coal Tit feeding young, and a Cuckoo heard at the east end of the woodland strip above Tower Lodge, where the Swallow are nesting in a shed in the compound.

 

Large Red Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

I was a little surprised to see a Large Red Damselfly come to rest at my feet behind the plantation at Marshaw. The camera auto focused on the vegetation rather than the damselfly, but good enough for the record.

Two Weeks Later.

A decent days birding two weeks after my last. 

Conder Green.

My count of 23 Common Tern didn't reflect the full and accurate picture, with 17 and the possibility of 19 nests currently. My count of 18 Avocet didn't reflect the full picture here either, with just 5 seen on Conder Pool, and 13 seen in the creeks where I saw just one of the only four surviving chicks. 

I saw 2 Little Ringed Plover which have also suffered predation on two earlier attempts to breed. Interestingly, I observed one LRP creating a scrape, then promptly sitting to give the impression there was going to be a third attempt to breed.

Not the best of news from Conder Pool....Obviously a serial predator at large on Conder Pool this year, seeing just a handful of Black-headed Gull chicks, and in excess of an unbelievable 100 Black-headed Gull nests lost.

I am grateful to Howard Stockdale for giving me an insight into the disaster at Conder Green this summer.

But excellent for me, was that two of the four 2nd summer Little Gull found last Sunday, had decided to linger here until I could get to see them....Alleluia!

From the viewing platform, through binoculars I could count at least 7 House Martin nests at River Winds.

Saltcote Pond.

I was pleased to find 12 Common Blue Damselfly, and 2 Blue-tailed Damselfly, also 3 Broad-bodied Chaser, seen as two male, one trying to see the other off, zipping around the pond at lightning speed.

Broad-bodied Chaser Male. Pete Woodruff.

Later a female Broad-bodied Chaser seen ovipositing....

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

....and a second rate image of a Blue-tailed Damselfly of the form Rufescens obsoleta

Glasson Canal Towpath.

A 1/4 mile wander along the canal towpath for dragons was a blank, but I noted a Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, and Song Thrush. Up to 12 House Martin were over the canal and fields....Don't know what that was about, perhaps late arrivals?

Picture Gallery.

I was pleased to receive three images recently, all duly credited, and welcomed to hopefully keep B2B interesting....Please view Full Screen for best result. 

Mediterranean Gull Conder Pool 1 June. Howard Stockdale.

Not all doom and gloom, as a 2nd summer and adult Mediterranean Gull were on Conder Pool this morning.

Macro Ant'ics. Martin Jump.

Martin Jump said he's been 'playing around with the macro lens'. I told him this is impressive macro work, and I reckon the ant is nothing less than razor sharp here.

White Ermine. Ian Mitchell.

The spectacular White Ermine moth, perfectly posed on the flower bud.

Garden News.

Leaf Cutter Bee Megachile centuncularis Pete Woodruff

A couple of nice bees in the garden recently, as yet not verified.

Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum Pete Woodruff 

Along The Canal And On The Bog!

Conder Green- Galgate.

Based on my experience with the 'early'ish' Banded Demoiselle at Bull Beck last Monday, I decided to do the canal walk Conder Green-Galgate which is where I found 16 Banded Demoiselle on a section of the canal on 14 August last year.

But there was no repeat surprise this time, as I found just 4 Banded Demoiselle, seen as three male and a female, all singletons at three locations along the towpath. Other odonata sightings were a little sparse, with 5 Common Blue, 3 Large Red, 2 Blue-tailed Damselfly, and 3 Common Darter male.

Butterflies were also sparse, with 6 Orange Tip, 2 Green-veined White, and a Peacock seen. Birds finding their way into the little black book, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, a Song Thrush, and a female Mallard with 12 ducklings. I saw just a lone Swallow in the 3 hours on the towpath....Where are all the Swallows!

Birk Bank.

On Friday, it was a must that I visit the bog to see if there was any life there. I wasn't disappointed, but neither was I ecstatic about what I saw. There was no more than 3 species of dragonflies, with a total of 20 individuals seen.

Broad-bodied Chaser. Pete Woodruff.

There was plenty of activity amongst 4 Broad-bodied Chaser including a female, at least 6 Four-spotted Chaser, and 10 Large Red Damselfly. Butterflies seen, 6 Small Heath, 2 Green Hairstreak, and a Common Heath moth.

Green Hairstreak. Pete Woodruff.

Common Heath. Pete Woodruff.

Birds seen, the Willow Warbler has quietened down now they are busy with established territory and breeding, with 18 males heard, 4 Linnet, 2 Mistle Thrush, a Buzzard over, and a male Stonechat on guard duty around a nest site.

Red-legged Shieldbug. Pete Woodruff.

I was pleased to find this Pentatoma rufipes nymph. Following its next moult, it will become a large brown Shieldbug charecterised by its distinctly red legs. It was in the shade on an Oak Tree, hence the dark picture.

Birk Bank Bog.

I remain unimpressed by the current state of the bog which - to make matters worse - is heading towards drought conditions.

This photograph shows the only water on the bog which will become little more than a damp area in the coming weeks until it rains. The area to the left corner of the boardwalk, is where Keeled Skimmer could be seen patrolling the runnels which are no longer there, and where I watched a Golden-ringed Dragonfly ovipositing last year. As I see it, I don't think we will be seeing any results from the efforts by that dragonfly.

This is the view across the center of the bog. From this viewpoint I observed an Emperor Dragonfly over a pool on several ocassions last year. You can see, that ramblers have created a path over what was the bog, as a shortcut to join the track to Clougha.

Worth Noting....The Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator is not generally known to be found on upland habitat in Bowland, but I have had records accepted at Hawthornthwaite and Birk Bank in 2024. 

Banded Beauties And Others!

On Monday we visited our daughter who lives in an area that includes the beautiful Lune Valley. As an interlude, I decided to use the visit as an opportunity to spend a couple of hours around the River Lune at Bull Beck, a decision which turned out to be quite rewarding.

Coming off the footpath, going down to the track running east and above the riverbank, I soon saw something blue resembling a butterfly in flight and instantly recognisable. Walking on about 50 metres, within a few minutes I had counted at least 16 Banded Demoiselle, and managed to get a couple of shots of a female, but had no success with the males.

But there was never going to be any disappointment here. After all, who could wish for more, when you can film a female Banded Demoiselle, whilst a Garden Warbler sings in your ear....Magic!

Other sightings on a circuit of the area including a length of the river, an estimate of Sand Martin probably reached three figures, a Common Sandpiper seen flying upstream, and a Little Egret dropped in. From the footpath, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, a Garden Warbler, Treecreeper, Dunnock, and 2 Swift over Brookhouse.

Butterflies of note, 14 Orange Tip, 3 Speckled Wood, a Red Admiral, and Peacock. 

Stonechat.

I now have two more breeding records with photographic evidence. 

Stonechat. Howard Stockdale.

Thanks to Howard for his image of the young Stonechat having just been fed the snack of a Red Soldier Beetle.

Stonechats. Ian Mitchell.

Thanks to Ian for his image of an adult Stonechat with young, with evidence there are three breeding pairs at this location in Bowland.

Bowland....Negatives And Positives.

Negatives.

Lets get rid of the negatives first....Over the 5 hours spent in the Tower Lodge and surrounding area this week, I counted 12 nest boxes and found no life at or around any of them, not a single Pied Flycatcher in sight. No Redstart, and no Dipper seen on the Marshaw Wyre. My records also read, no House Martin at Tower Lodge for the second year running, and no Cuckoo. 

Last year I had 3 Cuckoo seen together at Marshaw on 12 June, and observed interaction between the birds. Two hours later I heard 2 Cuckoos calling in the Tower Lodge area but couldn't rule out duplication. 

But it was a pleasing sight to chance upon a male Pied Flycatcher emerging from a natural nest hole rather than a box, though despite my hanging around a few minutes it didn't return. 

Positives.

Now the good stuff....I had a count of 24 species, just about an average count for the area on a spring day. Pride of place for top spot were 2 Spotted Flycatcher which were seen as a pair, and quite an early date for these birds to be here, and already on territory when all others of the species are only being reported in recent days on passage.

Spotted Flycatcher. Pete Woodruff.

But todays two doesn't match the number of 12 Spotted Flycatcher found here 7 years ago in June 2018, when the Tower Lodge area was leading the way as the top spot for the Spotted Flycatcher in our recording area, but hasn't done so since.

Running a close 2nd place were up to 16 Crossbill, they exploded out of the tree as a heavy goods vehicle thundered by, they flew off with their characteristic and explosive 'chip-chip' flight call, the ground at the base of the tree was littered with pine cones.

There was a healthy number of Sand Martin at Marshaw, with House Martin and Swallow around the farm. Other notes on the day, 4 Common Sandpiper might amount to three breeding pairs by the time of my next visit, 5 Grey Wagtail were not particularly exciting in such small number, up to 6 Willow Warbler, a Goldcrest, 5 Mistle Thrush included a recently fledged young, a Song Thrush, and a lone Redpoll.

Butterflies.

A pitiful four individuals, best of which was a Small Copper, with 2 Green-veined White and an Orange Tip.

On my way back to Lancaster, I called in at Stoops Bridge, to find 3 Blackcap, all singing males....Pump up the volume!

Garden Interest.

Large Red Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

Not at all the least interesting was a Large Red Damselfly found near our small urban garden pond, also a Green-veined White, and a Sparrowhawk over. 

Light Brown Apple Moth. Pete Woodruff.

Another nice surprise was the Light Brown Apple Moth. The origins of this moth is Australia, probably accidentally introduced into Cornwall in the 1930's. Today it can be found regularly in many parts of the country.

From The Archives.

Wall Brown. Pete Woodruff.

Looking through my older files I found this image of a Wall Brown. It is the last record of the species, seen at Cockers Dyke 8 years ago August 2017.

My thanks to Simon Hawtin for the header image of the brilliant male Crossbill.