Dull And Dreary Barbondale.

I'm tempted to call the birding dull and dreary as well as the weather. When I visited Barbondale on Thursday the weather was certainly dull and dreary, more reminiscent of April than June. As for the birding....well I can never quite refer to birding as dreary.

As I drove towards the footbridge to park up, a Jay flew across my path. The first bird I saw soon after I got on to the footpath was the Cuckoo which I had seen on my first visit here on 7 May but not since. Lucky to see this bird as ten satellite tagged Cuckoo's have already left the UK, seven of which are now in France, two in Italy, and another having moved on from Italy and into Slovenia....Amazing stuff.

I found just one pair of Pied Flycatcher still feeding young, hopefully they might successfully fledge as the weather forecast sounds good with a heat wave on its way apparently. But the breeding Pied Flycatchers have suffered badly at some locations, no big surprises there I would'nt' think.

Green Woodpecker Antonio Puigg  

I heard a Green Woodpecker 'yaffle' just once briefly, saw/heard just 3 Willow Warbler, heard a singing male Blackcap, a 'few' Long-tailed Tit, a Treecreeper, a female Reed Bunting carrying food in its bill, and a Kestrel.

Barbon Beck. Pete Woodruff.

It took me two hours to find a Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Grey Wagtail were on Barbon Beck, one of which did me a good turn by attacking the flycatcher which was out of my view behind one of the large stones in the beck, it flew into a nearby tree and promptly started to shake itself and preen, it had obviously been disturbed from bathing.

Every ground nesting birds nightmare a Stoat ran across the path ahead of me, 2 Painted Lady butterflies didn't represent an invasion but good to see all the same.

Some negatives at Barbondale this year....I've personally found no Whinchat, Tree Pipit, or Wheatear in four visits, seen just one male Stonechat on 7 May and not since, and today I saw not one Redstart.

The Cuckoos.  

You can keep up to date with the Cuckoos having said goodbye to the UK Here