Positive And Overloaded!

There's some positivity in this post, and it's difficult to know were to start, but this being Birds2blog, it has to be with the Stonechat.

Stonechat Young. Howard Stockdale.

To date I have collated some encouraging breeding records, 10 of which are confirmed, and 26 probable, not all of which are in our recording area, but of little distance outside, and some of which are at lowland locations not previously known to me as breeding sites.

Martin Jump has paid multiple visits to the Cam Brow colony, and has concluded there are up to 10 active nests and as many as 30 Sand Martin in the air at any one time. More interest from Martin was, a peer over the wall into the field opposite the plantation on the Catshaw track, he counted up to 50 Curlew feeding together as a flock. 

Windswept Female Stonechat. Martin Jump.

Martin also collected a record of Stonechat at Grisedale Bridge, where he suspects the female is sitting on a second brood....Excellent stuff.

Bilberry Bumblebee. Pete Woodruff.

It was satisfying to see an e-mail informing me that the Birk Bank/Clougha Bilberry Bumblebee records had been accepted. I'm grateful to Ian Mitchell and Ben Hargreaves for records and acceptance respectively....Scarce in Cumbria

A report from Conder Pool yesterday, claims 13 Mediterranean Gull of three age groups, 22 Common Tern including 8 chicks, and 14 Avocet including 4 juvenile....LDBWS Sightings

Ian Michell captured Blue Flag CJ....

....and a record shot of three juvenile Avocet, all marked and currently on Conder Pool.

I'm grateful to everyone who has contributed to this post - their names are appropriately credited - and to Ian Mitchell for his stunning header image of the amazingly aerobatic Common Terns.

Red Turns Gold!

Handsomely rewarded for a visit to a couple of my Bowland hot spots, namely Grisedale Bridge where mutt-minders abound, and Cam Brow, where at this time of year, sun worshipers flock....there's the pun!

The nicest surprise was, despite drawing a blank on two previous visits to Grisedale Bridge 29 April and 13 May, this time I found a male Redstart exactly one month later on 13 June, in precisely the same location it had been the two previous years.

But the Redstart which previously prospected the Ash, and the Nuthatch previously nested, haven't chosen to do so in  this year.

The bigger surprise was, in one hour downstream from Grisedale Bridge to Holme Wood, I counted 12 Golden Ringed Dragonfly which included accounting for duplication. This record equaled my count of 12 on 11 July 2022. I also noted 3 Small Heath, and as I arrived back at the motor, a male Stonechat greeted me atop of Gorse.

Young Sand Martin can be seen in the video at the left hand nest.

A wander along the side of Cam Brook from Cam Brow to the Hawthornthwaite Fell track, Sand Martin were at the colony, where no more than four nest holes were active, 2 Golden Ringed Dragonfly and a Common Hawker were seen over Cam Brook.

Hawthornthwaite Fell. Pete Woodruff.

An hour on the fell track drew a blank for Stonechat, but definitely not the sheep. The c.14 Sand Martin colony were in the air up and down the brook, with 4 Meadow Pipit one carrying food, and 2 Small Heath noted. A Kestrel here was the only Bowland raptor seen all day.

Garden & Fairfield.

It was good to see our resident Blackbird had introduced an offspring into the garden yesterday, and was showing the Starlings some aggression. Also a young Dunnock seen and being fed by the parent....There is a colony of up to 30 Swift present and breeding in the Fairfield area of Lancaster.

Birk Bank.

Keeled Skimmer Pair. Ian Mitchell.

From the ever reliable Andrew Cornall. On Friday, 12 Keeled Skimmer, 8 male/4 female, including pairing and egg laying. This is an all time highest count on Birk Bank Bog. Well done Andrew....Rock On!

Conder Pool.

Mediterranean Gull 17 June. Howard Stockdale.

An adult and 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull were present yesterday morning on Conder Pool with thoughts of breeding....apparently not, they soon departed, but four were present at one point.

Thanks to Martin Jump for the Golden Ringed Dragonfly header image. 

Hit & Miss!

More misses that hits on my latest visit to Bowland, which causes more than a little disappointment. But the day started off in good style when I found a Spotted Flycatcher in the small dense and dark plantation at Marshaw, which is where I had also found a male Pied Flycatcher on 25 May, but that bird decided not to hang around there, and hasn't been seen since.

In a list of priority birds around the Tower Lodge area, I found these hard to come by today....

Pied Flycatcher.

I concluded these birds had already dispersed, so no activity around the nest boxes, with the exception of one which was being attended by both adults. But with some combined records from Andrew Cornall and John & Kath Darbyshire, the conclusion was, 4 pairs of Pied Flycatcher have bred here this year.

Watch for the young putting in a brief appearance at the nest hole in the video.

Spotted Flycatcher.

It was by far my worst ever productive visit to this area, having only located the one bird in the planation at Marshaw, and none seen thereafter. But again, the combined records indicate that up to 5 breeding pairs are currently present in the area this year.

Common Sandpiper.

With 5 Common Sandpiper seen today - including an adult calling to a juvenile seen at Marshaw - and others known to be present, I'm confident to record there are up to 5 breeding pairs along the length of the Marshaw Wyre Marshaw - Trough Bridge.

Grey Wagtail.

The best count of my three visits here, was of 8 Grey Wagtail with no idea of breeding successes to date.

Dipper.

Big disappointment with no sightings today, but my records read, possibly 3 pairs have bred here this year. And the question is, are there any 2nd broods to come?

House Martin.

The House Martin breeds at Tower Lodge annually, but there's bad news from here this year. Although I observed a single bird here on 25 May, there are No House Martin breeding here this year....That's nothing short of a disaster in my book.

Best Of The Rest.

There are good numbers of Sand Martin around the Marshaw Wyre at Marshaw, including up to four nest holes active in the bank upstream from the green bridge. Not much 'noise' from the Willow Warbler, but two gave excellent views, and I had single of Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, and a female Mallard with 4 duckling on the Marshaw Wyre.

The paucity of butterflies continues, with 2 Red Admiral, and one Small Heath seen.

Claim To Fame.

As far as I'm concerned, Ian Mitchell has a justifiable claim to fame, in that not only has he recently found one, but two Bilberry Bumblebee, one on the lower path at Birk Bank, and his latest one at the summit of Clougha burrowing its way underground.

I have to subscribe to Coolcut Video Editing to remove the watermark in the video. 

Maiden's Blush. Ian Mitchell.

Add to this, Ian found a Maiden's Blush in his overnight moth trap, being only the 3rd record for V60....Great stuff, keep up the good work Ian.

Thanks to Martin Jump for his dramatic and excellent image of the Buzzard being attacked by three Lapwing and an Avocet.    

Quality If Not Quantity.

Hard to know where to begin with notes from a richly rewarding circuit of Birk Bank and surrounding area, with at least three sightings of stand out quality.

Bombus monticola.  

It really does have to start with a bumblebee that has always been uncommon in Lancashire, and one that I yearned to find and was eventually fortunate to do so, it was the sight of the enigmatic Bilberry Bumblebee. 

The footage is a combination of mine and Ian Mitchell's. I have yet to ID the plant the Bilberry Bumblebee was on in the first section of the video, but in the second, the food plant was Bird's-foot Trefoil, with a Cuckoo calling in the distance.

Cuckoo.

Soon after I crossed Ottergear Bridge, one of 2 Cuckoo seen/heard today, flew by me and promptly landed atop of a tree, it was pursued and mobbed by a Tree Pipit which put the Cuckoo to flight....I saw neither of these birds again.

Birk Bank Bog.

In the video, of 2 Keeled Skimmer male seen, this is the one with the black mark on the left side of the abdomen previously seen on 5 June. Each time the second male came on the scene, it was immediately chased off, and returned to precisely the same spot on the same perch every time it moved off. Replies to my query about the mark, two experts agreed that it is the result of a scratch against undergrowth, or more likely caused during mating. 

Also on the bog, at least 6 Four-spotted Chaser and a good number of Large Red Damselfly with many coupled, also at least 20 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Butterflies were in the unbelievably low bracket again, with just 2 Speckled Wood in my book today.

And The Rest....

Five singing male Blackcap, a Garden Warbler by Gragg Wood, also in this area, an adult Song Thrush was accompanied by a juvenile, and the expected and ever present Willow Warbler singing in good number.

Scorched Wing. Pete Woodruff.

When I found this moth, I instantly thought it had burns to its wings. Imagine my surprise to learn it's a Scorched Wing....Never heard if it, another first for me.

Saturday 10 June.

Fifteen minutes on the bank of the River Wyre downstream from St Michaels produced at least 50 Banded Demoiselle. Also good views of a male Blackcap, a Whitethroat, and 6 Speckled Wood....Great stuff. 

And Finally....

Andrew Cornall reports to me, 3 Keeled Skimmer at Birk Bank on Friday, including pairing and egg laying. This is the peak count to date of Keeled Skimmer at Birk Bank bog. 

Also Friday, Ian Mitchell's image of the Keeled Skimmers, clearly shows the cause of damage to the males abdomen during mating.

Thanks to Andrew Cornall and Ian Mitchell along with many others, for continuing to keep in touch with me, usually overloaded with interesting records and images. 

Also some excellent news from Steve Graham, when he reported a male Keeled Skimmer around the runnel at Ottergear Bridge 5 June. And Pat Waring who reported 2 Common Sandpiper chicks at Marshaw 4 June.

I'm also grateful to Martin Jump for his excellent Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary header, and for his good company this week.

A Lune Circuit.

A most enjoyable circuit of the River Lune, Halton - Crook O'Lune - Halton, in the good company of Steve Graham.

There is a good colony of House Martin, with at least 20 nests at one location in Halton where we started our walk. At least 5 Common Sandpiper were on the river, with Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtail including one young being fed, and a Little Egret at the weir. As the walk progressed, 4 Song Thrush, a few Sand Martin, and 2 Blackcap. Another surprise was, just 2 Willow Warbler heard in song throughout the 2.5 hour circuit, a Swift was in view briefly over the Crook O'Lune as we made our turning for the return.

Another first for me, was a Treecreeper creeping up the tree as they do, it eventually gave good views sunbathing with wings spread in the fork of a tree. Chiffchaff heard, and Goldcrest seen, and on arrival back at Halton, a singing Garden Warbler.    

Find of the day was in the odonata camp, with a Banded Demoiselle above the river on the return leg.

I was privileged to be invited for refreshments at Steve's before continuing our day with a visit to Birk Bank primarily for dragonflies. On the garden pond, a pair of Broad-bodied Chaser included the female egg laying, several Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.

Keeled Skimmer.

If you're fortunate enough to find pairing Keeled Skimmers, you've got to try to get some footage haven't you! 

In the video you hear Steve explaining to me, of the two males we saw, it's the one with the 'scratch' that is paired with the difficult to see female, but its wings can be seen below the males abdomen.

At Birk Bank, 3 Keeled Skimmer, also at least 8 Four-spotted Chaser with Large Red Damselflies and 14 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. On the bird scene, a Cuckoo heard, Raven over Clougha, and a singing Blackcap, and as we made a move to leave, a Roe Deer was at the back of the bog.

Regarding the paired Large Red Damselflies which landed of Steve's shirt, I can only suppose the lower individual is either a female variant, the variation relates to age, or the female may have been egg laying under water which has led to her tail segments being worn....Just thoughts.  

A rewarding day, the enjoyment of which was only dampened by the paucity of butterflies, the total count of which came to a staggeringly low count of 22 of just 3 species, 9 Common Blue, 7 Speckled Wood, and 6 Orange Tip, and included a walk through the beautiful Hermitage Field Community Meadow at the Crook O'Lune where unbelievably we saw not a single butterfly.

Bilberry Bumblebee.

 

Ian Mitchell sent me a short video of his record of the Bilberry Bumblebee at Birk Bank. Although the bee was difficult to keep up with, there's the bonus of a Cuckoo calling in the background....Great stuff, great record, well done Ian.

Odonata....Game On!

Also a few birds and even fewer butterflies.

Best of the day on Friday, was my finding 5 Banded Demoiselle, the first being upstream from the A588 road bridge at Conder Green, the next one I saw flying purposefully east over the marsh from the coastal path towards Glasson Dock, this one took me by surprise, in unsuitable habitat over a salt marsh. My next were three along the canal between Glasson and The Mill at Conder Green.

I took a look over Conder Pool, where I made no serious counts, but noted up to 6 Common Tern sitting, four on the new pontoon, and two on islands. I noted a Pied Wagtail is nesting underneath the new pontoon. Four Avocet chicks, two of which appeared to be well grown, and at least out of the danger zone from gulls and herons. I picked up three sightings of Little Ringed Plover well separated by time.

There are now a large number of Black Headed Gull young on the islands, probably totaling three figures, with up to 33 in the video on the smallest island to the right of the viewing platform. House Martin and Swallow kept returning to the pool to collect mud with little if any success, the water level on the pool has dramatically fallen through the dry spell which looks set to continue.

Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

Setting off on a circuit Conder Green - Glasson Dock - Canal - Conder Green. A Reed Bunting and 2 Chiffchaff, before arriving at the brilliant Saltcote Pond, where 3 Broad-bodied Chaser were seen. A male was constantly and aggressively in flight to control the pond, and included a pair coupled in flight and eventually oviposititng, also an Emperor Dragonfly, and good numbers of Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Along the length of the canal Glasson - Conder Green. Dragonflies seen, 3 Emperor Dragonfly and another large number probably in excess of 60 Common Blue Damselfly. Birds noted, 3 Reed Warbler and 2 Sedge Warbler.

Large Skipper. Pete Woodruff. 

Butterfly numbers were pitifully low with just 2 Large Skipper, 2 Orange Tip, and a Peacock seen.

Keeled Skimmer. Pete Woodruff.

I have it on good authority, a male Keeled Skimmer was on Birk Bank bog yesterday. An early date for the skimmer here, perhaps mid-June was more to be expected, but given the conditions we are having, perhaps - with the exception of the Black Darter - all the dragons will now be on the wing.

Thanks to Marc heath for the stunning image of the equally stunning Banded Demoiselle.

A Decent Day Around Birk Bank.

The weather is settled now, and with warm sunny days in the forecast for the foreseeable future, I was off to see if the conditions were good enough to bring out the dragonflies on and over the bog at Birk Bank, they were being recorded everywhere else it seems.

Four Spotted Chaser Ovipositing. Pete Woodruff.

Although virtually impossible for accuracy, I found at least 30 Four Spotted Chaser, seen at long range at the east end of the bog viewed from the boardwalk, also a similar number of c.30 Large Red Damselfly, and an excellent count of 10 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, whilst recalling Steve Graham had recorded 51 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary here in June 2021. Also noted at and around the bog area, 2 Green Hairstreak, a single Common Blue, a Small Heath, and Common Lizard. 

Common Lizard. Pete Woodruff.

On a wander around, a Broad Bodied Chaser took me by surprise over the runnels at the west side of Ottergear bridge.

Red Grouse Young. Pete Woodruff.

A young Red Grouse crossed the path ahead of me, it was reacting to the call of a female with at least three other young eventually seen scurrying off. Birds were incredibly sparse, with the exception of at least 20 Willow Warbler mostly heard, a Cuckoo heard to call several times, a Garden Warbler gave great views as it checked out the gorse around Cragg Wood, a Tree Pipit parachuted onto a tree on Littledale Road, and a Song Thrush was on Rigg Lane.

Bilberry Bumblebee.

Ian Mitchell had the good fortune to find a Bilberry Bumblebee on Bird's-foot Trefoil at Birk Bank on Wednesday, an excellent record. 

The Bombus monticola has always been an uncommon species in Lancashire, more or less confined to northern and western parts of the UK, and almost entirely restricted to upland areas in Lancashire.

Bilberry Bumblebee. Ian Mitchell.

I also saw the red tail of a bumblebee at Birk Bank on Tuesday, but failed to keep up with the creature before disappearing from view. Based on Ian's sighting the day following my visit, I have noted a 'possible' Bilberry Bumblebee in my records.