BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND......................................................MEDITTERANEAN GULLS CONDER POOL PETE WOODRUFF

Wednesday 15 June 2022

Bowland Mid-April!

Grey clouds and a cold wind in the face, made Monday in Bowland feel more mid-April than June, how the breeding birds are coping in these prolonged cold and windy conditions is beyond me.

This Pied Flycatcher male took me by surprise, not expecting to find it on the Marshaw Wyre about 1/4 mile upstream from Marshaw, and not a nest box in sight. Try to spot the bird whizzing downstream, its a Common Sandpiper.

Twenty three species in 5 hours is about the average around this area in my book, these included 5 Pied Flycatcher, seen as four male and a female, with no young seen from nest boxes presumably already dispersed. But a nice little nest hole I found in an Oak, being attended by a male, much more attractive and pleasing, as opposed to seeing these birds at wooden boxes branded FOBMG. 

With 4 Spotted Flycatcher seen, this year is already a disappointing one for the species, with the area being a stronghold for the flycatcher in the past. My last visit here 17 May gave hope that there could be three pairs of Spotted Flycatcher here this year.

Conclusions according to my observations....There has been five pairs of Pied Flycatcher, and two pairs of Spotted Flycatcher in 2022 in the area around Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge.

Away from the flycatchers, at least 10 Common Sandpiper seen, up to 50 Sand Martin were hawking around the Marshaw Wyre at Marshaw, and upstream to Trough Bridge, I noted 12 Grey Wagtail including young seen. I heard just 6 Willow Warbler and saw 3 Wren, also 3 Robin included a downy young being fed, Great Tit with young, a singing male Blackcap behind Tower Lodge, where House Martin have nests under the eaves, 6 Mistle Thrush, a Treecreeper, and 8 pairs of Curlew.

Two birds vied for star of the show, with this juvenile Dipper on the Marshaw Wyre, and a male Redstart around the plantation at Marshaw, which I spotted through the windscreen as I munched my sausage rolls and a brew for lunch.

My definition of a nice lunch break....Sausage rolls in company with a stunning male Redstart!

13 comments:

  1. If you are seeing the adults this usually means the nestlings are still in the boxes as they all go out of sight out of mind when they fledge, presumably having a quiet time in the canopy pre migration

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    1. Your signing on process (on my IPhone) wouldn’t work with a name!

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  2. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE ANONYMOUS??

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  3. I bet the views are to die for? Some lovely species I would love to see more of down here. Oh for a Kent Dipper. That would have me twitching. Take care.

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  4. Your Pied Flycatcher sequence is wonderful, Pete. Like Marc, I am somewhat envious of the species you have relatively close at hand. Take good care - - - Richard

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  5. What a great list of birds Pete.
    Liked the videos especially the Pied Flycatcher.

    I can sympathise with Anonymous as I always have trouble trying to post a comment using my iPhone for some reason. I have found that if I do it from my laptop as Google Account then there is no problem.
    It displays differently on an iPhone as well, there is no header picture.

    Ian

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  6. Marc....Would willingly swap some of mine for some of yours.

    Thanks for looking in. Take Care.

    Pete.

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  7. Mr Anonymous....Signing in process aside, your excuses are pretty weak, you've already had two chances of adding your name in the comments.

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  8. I'm struggling with my diplomacy here with Mr Anonymous. I wonder why he hasn't done the same as you did, and gone to his laptop/computer?

    Thank you for looking in Ian.

    Regards

    Pete.

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  9. Hi Pete... Lovely video of Deeper and the Pied flycatchers with the nuptial plumage... Happy weekend ahead...

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  10. Thank you Ana....Have a good weekend and summer to follow.

    Mis mejores deseos desde Inglaterra.

    Pete.

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  11. Someone getting a bit excitable here. I use my main computer at home for report writing/entering moth records etc etc. Learnt from experience that if you get ‘distracted’ by social media chit chat you don’t get the task done! So I only use my mobile for social media trawling with the problem ian explained. I should have added I was talking about pied flycatcher - only seen one brood after fledging in 20 years of monitoring boxes and they had literally just come out of the nestbox

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  12. If you want to continue to contribute to all the interest and informative stuff I publish on B2B....No more anonymity please.

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