Earlier than usual.

Nuthatch. Brian Rafferty

Yesterday was a little earlier than usual but I thought as the weather was holding good I'd give a look in on Holme Wood from Grisedale Bridge and down the Grisedale Valley. Last year on 11 May I found a male Pied Flycatcher in the wood, but - although this part of the wood is ideal for any number of woodland birds - I found it pretty quiet this time and didn't see/hear the Garden Warbler I expected to....as for the Wood Warbler, I didn't really expect but certainly lived in hope but to no avail.

Treecreeper. Phillip Tomkinson

In the two hours here I recorded just 13 species being, at least 18 Willow Warbler, 6 Chaffinch, 4 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Pied Wagtail, a Nuthatch, surprisingly only one Robin, Coal Tit, and Wren, and much less surprising just one Grey Wagtail which was on the dam, a drake Mallard was the only bird on the reservoir, and a Buzzard overhead. I watched a Treecreeper collecting nesting material to return to the nest site several times.

Common Sandpiper. John Bateman

Against my better judgement I then headed for the Tower Lodge area but first called at Marshaw....OK so far, and was rewarded by 3 Common Sandpiper back on territory with some disagreement and eventual display between the three which I found interesting. But the observations I hoped for between Marshaw and Trough Bridge were dashed when I discovered in excess of twenty cars fully ladened with c.100 humans of all ages dotted throughout the area, all having rejected the call of Blackpool and putting paid to Grey Wagtails, Dippers, and Common Sandpipers having any chance to breed on the stream - which runs the entire length of Trough Bridge to Marshaw - with this kind of disturbance however innocent and unintentional it is.

An initial look at this photograph may have you wondering what it's all about, but if you look closely the rope is blue and is the kind of human fun the birds really cannot deal with, this particular type of 'Tarzan' rope is numerous in the Trough of Bowland in particular around the Tower Lodge area and the one illustrated here is actually above a Grey Wagtail nest site from where I watched a pair taking food to young last year....not this year I fear!

Thanks to BR/PT/JB for the photographs.