Fill Your Boots!

Rigg Lane - Littledale Road - Birk Bank - Rigg Lane.

A good day for a wander on the circuit. I was looking forward to the visit, and would have been even more so had I have know what was in store.

In little more than one hour, and having walked just 1.5 miles I clocked up 6 Garden Warbler, four being along Rigg Lane, the other two either side of the track by Cragg Wood and Cragg Cottage. When I arrived back at the car park on Rigg Lane, one was singing in sixth gear as I enjoyed a butty and a cuppa. Well, what more could a birder wish for, lunch and serenaded by a Garden Warbler....Don't look for it in the video, 'cos it ain't in there.

A Blackbird with two young on Littledale Road was excellent, 3 Stonechat were along the track towards Ottergear Bridge, seen as a pair and a female seen after crossing the bridge. A Cuckoo, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler all heard, and a Song Thrush in the car park.

Butterflies seen were only just into double figures, the best of which was 3 Green Hairstreak, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Green-veined White, Large White and Orange Tip.

Oak Eggar Caterpillar. Pete Woodruff. 

The Oak Egger caterpillar found, will hopefully become one of our largest and fastest-flying moths....but not if the Cuckoo finds it first. 

Bees noted, Red-tailed Bumblebee, White-tailed Bumblebee, and a Common Carder-Bee. From the path towards the bog, 3 Large Red Damselfly appeared to be freshly emerged, and were my first of the year.

Conder Pool.

Uncounted, but probably a double figure number of Avocet with some sitting. I saw just one Common Tern and Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover sitting, 2 Greenshank, best bird was a 1st summer Little Gull in and patrolling the creeks.

Cockersand.

I reckon the Lapwing are having the best breeding season ever at Cockersand, with no farming activity seen for several weeks to my knowledge, and not a tractor in sight. With little effort on my part, in just a couple of fields I saw at least 20 chicks and probably missed seeing double that figure. Pick of the rest was, 6 Wheatear, 3 Sedge Warbler, and a pair of Reed Bunting.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the header image of the brilliant Little Gull.

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I appreciate being given the news of a male Ring Ouzel seen in Bowland yesterday, also 3 Stonechat and a 'few' Green Hairstreak. Another piece of info I found on the Butterfly Conservation Lancashire Branch Sightings, was of 5 Dingy Skipper on the top of Birk Bank on Tuesday 2 May....Interesting!