Weather Or Not!

I had reason to pay a visit to Lancaster University yesterday, and decided to do it on foot from Bowerham, via Hala Carr and Bailrigg Lane. Complete with bino's round my neck, to note, 7 Blackbird, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Robin, and a lone Long-tailed Tit.

Catching a bus at the University back to Lancaster, I paid a visit to Lancaster Cemetery - now there's a thought - via Williamson Park, which apparently has at least 131 nest boxes until I got fed up of counting....The ultimate of an ambitious and optimistic project it seems. 

Rewards in the cemetery were, a Great spotted Woodpecker, Jay, and Grey Wagtail, also 11 Blackbird, 5 Robin, 2 Blue Tit, a Coal Tit, Great Tit, and a Kestrel, On a short cut home through the University of Cumbria campus I found up to 10 Long-tailed Tit.

The Jay and the Magpie.

Jay. Simon Hawtin.

A man in the cemetery came up to ask me what I was looking at, I told him....'an attractive and colourful bird called the Jay'....to which he said....'oh they're all over the place in here'....I reckon he'd confused the Jay with Magpie of which there was a few in the cemetery.  I'm finding Magpies in good number at various locations, no less so in the Glasson/Thurnham/Cockersand area, where John Bateman often commented their presence here was always in large number, in fact I got a parliament of 15 there recently.

Spring Is Here....

Wheatear. Simon Hawtin

.....but not in the air, and definitely not on the ground. 

A Wheatear was reported Wednesday in sand dunes by Fleetwood Marine Lakes, only two days later than the earliest ever spring record of Wheatear in Lancashire 15 years ago on 26 February 2003, the mean arrival date being 10 March....I reckon being caught up with the Beast from the East and Storm Emma, this bird will be thinking it read the wrong script!

Stonechat. Mike Atkinson.

A text to tell me of 5 Stonechat - four new birds - at Ocean Edge saltmarsh this morning was very much appreciated, and an excellent excuse for yet another image of these little gems....Thanks Mike.

Thanks also to Simon Hawtin for his Jay and Wheatear images.