Collecting the Nectar Points!!

In excess of 1,000 Nectar points today but had to wait a while to collect them!

Tawny Owl. Phil Slade 

With an excellent photograph of the Tawny Owl to start with. The last time I was at Barbondale on Tuesday 14 June I flushed four Tawny Owls, obviously a family party all sleeping the day off until I appeared on the scene to disturb them....accidentally and unfortunately.

With JB/BT we first called at Freeman's Pools to find a pair of Little Grebe, with Oystercatchers and a single young, and 9 Lapwing on the island, a Reed Bunting was on the perimeter fence. On the Wildfowlers Pool I could just see a Green Sandpiper through a gap in the hedge. At Conder Green the big disappointment of the day was not being able to locate the Little Ringed Plover/s, but a Common Sandpiper, single Black-tailed Godwit, a Reed Bunting, and 3 Small Skipper were of note.

Spotted Flycatcher. John Bateman.

We then headed off towards Bowland, first calling in at Christ Church at Abbeystead to find a Spotted Flycatcher had returned here after all despite this being my fourth/fifth visit here for it to have evaded me, also of note was five active House Martin nests and 2 Greenfinch.

Unknown to me just yet was that I was now off to collect my 1,000 Nectar Points from the Hawthornthwaite Fell track were I found 6 Stonechats, being a male and three juveniles, and a pair. This is my first visit here since 7 April and - having 'given up' on the Stonechats just about everywhere - have not been since, as it turns out....bigger fool me! Also here a Merlin mobbed a Buzzard at a considerable height, 6 Raven sky-danced for at least 30 minutes, and the small Sand Martin colony discovered here about two years ago held six active nests with five young looking out and c.20 adults flying around, there was also still activity at the small Cam Brow colony.

Swallow young. John Bateman.

At Marshaw, a Spotted Flycatcher and Common Sandpiper seen. And up the track behind Tower Lodge by the plantation 10 species found in less than 15 minutes, being a single Lesser Redpoll, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Redstart, a Nuthatch, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin, and 2 Great Tits. A Common Sandpiper was on the stream below Tower Lodge. 

Thanks for the pics Phil and John....Excellent pics....excellent birding....excellent company.... excellent results!