The Cetti's Warbler.

Fallow Deer. Brian Rafferty.

With no photographs of the Cetti's Warbler the excellent one of the beautiful stag Fallow Deer is good enough to headline today's post. You can keep up with Brian HERE 

I see the excellent news of a singing Cetti's Warbler (CW) found in Northhumberland yesterday, evidence of the species expansion northwards taking a giant leap whilst creating the hope the bird will winter there and be the forerunner of colonisation there.

The first CW to be found in GB was in March 1961 in Hampshire with breeding confirmed in 1972. In our county of Lancashire the first record is of confirmation in November 1990 at Marton Mere of a bird heard singing there the previous month, this bird stayed at Marton Mere until late March 1991. At Leighton Moss a bird was seen in late October 1995 and trapped and ringed there two days later, coincidentally this bird stayed here until March 1996 an almost identical length of time as the first recorded one did at Marton Mere,  this/another bird was found at Leighton Moss later the same year in October 1996. 

Yesterday at Fleetwood Nature Park two CW were trapped and ringed, and news on the LDBWS website in the 'Sightings' section says the fourth CW this autumn was trapped and ringed just a couple of days ago making the news on this species improving and becoming more exciting by the day it seems. I have no idea of the current national status of the CW but by 2006 there was a figure of 1,400 singing males, numbers being up on the figure of just over 1,000 in 2004.

It's always good to see something positive happening in the bird world both around us and worldwide, and whilst its easy to read that most CW's are to be found in the south of England, SW and East Anglia, it's also good to see they are now in places nearer home like Marton Mere, Fleetwood Nature Park, north at Leighton Moss, and now even further north in Northhumberland....where next! 

Landart by Richard Shilling. 

I've often been thanked for pointing people in the direction of Richard Shilling's Landart from Birds2blog and these are two recent additions to his ever growing collection, 7 Dogwood Colour Strips on the left, and Autumn Beech Sun Curtain. If you don't already know about Richard, he takes no materials with him on his mission's and collects all he requires to create his art from around the location, he never ceases to amaze me and a visit HERE as a relief from the birds is recommended to see for yourself.