The first of May!

Well it was the first day in May that at least tried to be a little more like it should be at this time of the year, but didn't try hard enough, although there was many sunny spells the wind chill bordered on ridiculous. It was a day on which I wished I could have performed some kind of magic and visited several locations I'd love to have visited in one day, in the end I settled for five hours intense searching in the Marshaw - Trough Bridge - Whinfold Fell area which rewarded me with what follows....

Within ten minutes of leaving the motor I was disappointed in only seeing singles of Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, and an unbelievably close encounter with a stunning red male Crossbill within a few metres of me, I'm pretty sure this bird was accompanied by another but they had done a disappearing act before I could clinch the second bird, the bet was that there were more but if there was I didn't connect with them. I also heard 2 Cuckoo calling together, that's three Cuckoos so far this summer none of which have I seen. I saw at least 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Common Sandpiper, 8 Grey Wagtail, 10 Mistle Thrush, 3 Dipper one of which was a juvenile, 2 Dunnock, a Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Coal Tit, and Goldfinch. On the fringe of Whinfold Fell I flushed a single Red Grouse, and counted c.12 Meadow Pipit. 

On the day I found a pair of Pied Flycatcher, only the second sighting of the species in my birding years anywhere in this area, last year a pair bred elsewhere in this area and I watched a young fledged bird being fed in late June. The pair seen today will be good news for whoever is responsible for the nest box scheme which I discovered has been set up in the area, as these two were showing an interest in it....No publicity on Birds2blog about the whereabouts of nest box schemes, but no secrecy attached to this one regarding the choice of location. 

There was the now usual 'Human Remains' left littering this outstandingly beautiful area, bottles/lager cans/cigarette packets etc,etc, but I failed to get any pictures of them this time but.... 

  

Spot The Difference. Pete Woodruff.

You'd stand accused of loosing your sense of humour if you failed to see the funny side of one of these signs, put up by some 'joker' with his/her Blackpool 'Kiss Me Quick' hat on and stencils in the car.

A look in at Stoops Bridge produced no sighting of Pied Flycatcher, but a male Blackcap seen, a pair of Great-spotted Woodpecker feeding young at a nest hole with a third bird seen later, 2 Dipper, and 4 Mistle Thrush. My record book reads....A good days birding. 

Wot no birdy pics!!