Bowland Again....My Kind Of Birding.

My kind of birding in Bowland with some good results, and I had the good company of Martin Jump for my second visit in six days.

Mistle Thrush Fledgling. View Full Screen.

Over my two visits 23/28 April, I've notched up 23 true thrushes, being 19 Mistle Thrush, including a family of 2 adult and 3 fledglings found in the woodland strip on the track from Tower Lodge, a Song Thrush, and the bonus of 3 Fieldfare, being the first late April birds I've ever recorded. Also here, a pair of Blue Tit were seen copulating. 

Having failed to find any on my last visit, it was good to see 5 Common Sandpiper, seen as 2 pair and a lone bird. A count of 10 Willow Warbler was two up on the last visit, 2 Pied Wagtail and 2 Meadow Pipit seen, and a Kestrel was being mobbed by Lapwing over the lower moor of Hawthornthwaite at Marshaw.

I think my hopes for some tree breeding were dashed today, when I found a pair of Pied Flycatcher in the same area a male had been seen flitting around the trees last week east of Tower Lodge. The pair were in an area where one of the recently erected and branded FOBMG nest boxes.

Whilst the Common Sandpipers made up for a blank day on the Marshaw Wyre 23 April. Today, after a combined 9 hours, no Grey Wagtail seen here yet....not good. I found 15 Grey Wagtail here last year, on 14 May 2020.

Dipper Abbeystead 28 April. View Full Screen.

On my way back to Lancaster, I paid a brief visit to Stoops Bridge at Abbeystead. I was rewarded there by good views of a Dipper, and heard a Chiffchaff in full song.