Marshaw Delivers.

With the weather more settled now and some good sunny days, I was off to Bowland again on Tuesday to get an update on the state of the birds between Marshaw and Trough Bridge via Tower Lodge.  

       Siskin. David Cookson.

OK....This is about just five birds, but they made it a decent start to the visit, and I'm talking quality not quantity here. 

Birds need water to drink, and they bathe in it on occasion's too, and as if to will the birds to come to me, I had been stood on the iron bridge leading to the grit road over the Marshaw Wyre only a few minutes when a pair of Siskin dropped in on the stream, briefly bathed and were off. Only a few more minutes later I picked up 2 Lesser Redpoll atop of the pines which also dropped on to the stream to drink. But better was to come, when I saw a movement in the trees in the small plantation, I initially thought I'd found my first Spotted Flycatcher of the day, but it was a female Pied Flycatcher which gave me excellent views when I went after the bird and found it flitting around in the plantation.

Dipper. David Cookson. 

Also on the Marshaw Wyre here, a small number of Sand Martin with Swallow, the four Common Sandpiper including two young - which I saw on my last visit here seven days ago on 23 June - were seen again with another adult found upstream from here. Also a various points of the Wyre, 4 Dipper included a young bird, and 4 Grey Wagtail.

Of the 25 species seen in five hours, others of note were from four sightings of Spotted Flycatcher up the track from Tower Lodge, to eliminate duplication I reckon I saw three birds which were seen as a pair and single bird. A total of 4 Nuthatch, no more than 4 Willow Warbler, 3 Coal Tit, 3 Mistle Thrush, a Dunnock, and a Treecreeper seen. Two Jackdaw were feeding two young at Marshaw, and the only raptor was a lone Kestrel.

Thanks goes to DC for the Siskins and the Dipper in flight with a tasty meal in its bill.

Ian Kinley.

Some visitors to Birds2blog will have known Ian, and I was sorry to hear that he had died. I only met Ian on a couple of occasions, but he was readily recognised as a nice man who was a well versed and dedicated Cumbrian birder who will be sadly missed by those who knew him, and especially birders who were always close to him.