With the weather half decent on Monday and no wind, I thought the best idea was to do a stroll through some ideal habitat for the odd Yellow-browed Warbler to turn up perhaps, sounding like a 'proper birder'....not before time!!
Old railway routes given back to nature always make for ideal habitats for birds, there's one in the Lakes which can/could turn up numerous Wood Warblers in a season....not in October of course. So of I went from the bus station in Lancaster to dawdle, stop, look, and listen along the coastal path to Glasson Dock. Well, I was kidding myself really, to do this lengthy stretch any justice for 'finding' birds would take you a full long day at least....but I did my best and managed to collect at least 50 species, most of which I expected to find and I'm not going to labour the list on here, but notable were as follows....
Old railway routes given back to nature always make for ideal habitats for birds, there's one in the Lakes which can/could turn up numerous Wood Warblers in a season....not in October of course. So of I went from the bus station in Lancaster to dawdle, stop, look, and listen along the coastal path to Glasson Dock. Well, I was kidding myself really, to do this lengthy stretch any justice for 'finding' birds would take you a full long day at least....but I did my best and managed to collect at least 50 species, most of which I expected to find and I'm not going to labour the list on here, but notable were as follows....
A Jay flew across the River Lune from St Georges Quay to Ryelands Park, a few minutes later a lone Goldeneye was seen on the river.
Will you help save Freeman's Wood
I arrived at Freeman's Pools to note 10 Gadwall and 3 Little Grebe. The flood at Aldcliffe has now become a lake large enough to take boats - well almost - as has the wildfowlers pool where I saw 5 Little Grebe of note, and by the time I got to Conder Green - adding to the 50 list along the way - I'd seen 7 Little Egret.
Looking over the marsh at Conder Green. Pete Woodruff.
At Conder Green I found 2 Spotted Redshank and noted 3 Snipe and a Goosander. On Conder Pool I found the number now in a double figure and counted 10 Little Grebe and a Goldeneye, by which time one of those unfriendly showers which come down by the bucketful had arrived and I had to dive for the cover of a small bridge over a culvert.
Conder Creeks. Pete Woodruff.
I got a little fed up of waiting for the rain to cease so I hot-footed it to Glasson Dock to find a juvenile Scaup - the recent female now disappeared - on the canal basin, by which time....my bus was coming!
Birding days like this are all very well but, there's no way I'm being weighed down with a telescope and tripod for a six mile hike. OK, you don't need a telescope to find passerines hiding in the bushes, but birding otherwise with half your optics left at home....I'm afraid it's a bit like going out without your pants on.
Footnote.
A quick search revealed all the websites I found about Freeman's Wood - including the link above - were badly out of date....Anyone out there have any updated one's as Birds2blog might generate some support.
Footnote.
A quick search revealed all the websites I found about Freeman's Wood - including the link above - were badly out of date....Anyone out there have any updated one's as Birds2blog might generate some support.
I still live in hope of one day finding a YBW Pete, :-)
ReplyDeleteOne day Warren.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could find a bookie to take a bet from me, who'd be the first to comment on a post on Birds2blog!!