The Godwits And The Owl....Déjà vu.

The Conder Pool Godwits.

A few years back I had the amazing experience of seeing the huge number of 2,500 godwits on Conder Pool. I was not expecting to see a repeat again on Monday, but did have an even more amazing one, when I found a number there which equaled those I have been seeing lately, the last time being 9 February on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, when up to 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit graced Conder Pool once again.

Black-tailed Godwits Airborne Over Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

The godwits were accompanied by at least 50 Dunlin and a few Knot....Another magical first for me, with 10 Tufted Duck and 3 Little Grebe to note. 

On Jeremy and Moss Lane, a combined count of 475 Whooper Swan, also 4 Cattle Egret were in fields at Clarkson's Farm, which have now entered their 5 month stay in the Cockersand area. Five Reed Bunting and a Wren were on the marsh, c.550 Golden Plover were in the field by Abbey Farm, and a decent count of 25 Grey Plover were on Plover Scar as the tide ebbed. I found just one female Stonechat along the bulrush ditch off Slack Lane.

The Cockersand Barn Owl.

 

As I started the circuit, I came across the Barn Owl in the field by Bank House Cottage. By something of a coincidence, the owl took off and behaved pretty much the same as it had done on 7 February, it was in my sights for an hour and a half, crisscrossing the fields, hunting the hedgerows and ditches, before flying past me enroute back to Bank House Farm, having once again flown at least 3 miles in it's pursuit of prey.

If you have 3 minutes to spare this is an interesting and informative video ....

The Bowerham Bullfinch.

Bullfinch. Mike Atkinson.

I am grateful to Mike Atkinson for sending me the image of the male Bullfinch in his garden recently, whilst telling him we wait in anticipation of the first visit to our own garden just around the corner from him.

A female Siskin obliged the Woodruff's with a visit to the garden feeders this morning, but appeared alert and not feeding during the recording.

New Arrivals....Long Stayers.

Monday wasn't quite the day I was hoping for weather-wise, with grey skies and a chilly wind, because of which I abandoned my planned traditional circuit of Cockersand, to backtrack to Glasson for my second look at the Lune Estuary and Conder Pool.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, three sightings in particular grabbed my attention, 1) 9 Avocet were feeding in a tight group with bills sweeping side to side, before flying off upstream to disappear from view, 2) the huge number of up to 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit seen on the Lune Estuary today, seems to continue increasing apace, with an all time record of 4,600 reported here on Sunday 18 February LDBWS, 3) a leucistic Dunlin was seen briefly with a few other waders before soon flying off, unfortunately no camera at the ready to record the little beauty. Also to note, at least 350 Redshank and 75 Golden Plover. 

With a hair cut and other management work since my last visit 7 days ago, on Conder Pool a good record was of a pair of Shoveler at best irregular here, c.120 Black-headed Gull have certainly taking a liking to the new look landscape, no doubt in due course many of them will take over and dominate the islands to breed. Also noted, 45 Teal, 36 Redshank, 24 Snipe, 4 Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Grebe, a Greenshank and Goosander.  

Garden Birds.

Robin. Pete Woodruff.

Best news from the garden, we had 2 Robin yesterday 20 February, with much interaction between them, 2 male/2 female/a pair....who knows! A Siskin has made three appearances since the first female seen 9 February, and we also have 2 Dunnock and a Wren visiting regularly.

Young Garden Dunnock. Pete Woodruff.

Hoping the Dunnock breeds again in the garden this year as they have in the past.

Stonechat.

To add to the 6 Stonechat seen at Fairhaven Dunes on 13 February FBC, it's beginning to look like the spring passage has taken off, and I agree that 4 seen at Fluke Hall by AC on Monday were definitely a start to the spring passage of the Stonechat.

The Header.

The 4 Cattle Egret found in the field opposite Lighthouse Cottage on 25 October 2023, are still being seen in the area and are now 4 days short of their 4 month stay. Many Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the excellent header image of one of them.

Conder Pool Shank Day!

Over the hour I spent at Conder Pool, up to 650 Redshank assembled there to escape and seek refuge from the high tide surge. I was chuffed to have found another personal all time record on Monday, and I became even more chuffed to find the Spotted Redshank and a Greenshank in the pack, a lone Black-tailed Godwit was also present. Also to note, 75 Wigeon, 4 Goosander, 5 Little Grebe, 3 Snipe, and 3 Tufted Duck. An Oystercatcher appears to have taken a liking to the old square pontoon, early days but perhaps planning on breeding there as it has in the past.

As I approached the junction of Jeremy Lane/Moss Lane, 3 Cattle Egret and 4 Little Egret were in the field accompanied by several hundred gulls.

 

At Cockersand, only a small patch of Plover Scar was visible above the high tide, and little joy on the circuit especially in a bit of a howler on the headland. I was surprised to find the fields deserted of waders at the height of a 10.30 metre tide, and I found not a single Stonechat, but it was good to find 8 Rock Pipit on the shingle as the tide dropped.

Sand Hopper.

Sand Hopper. Pete Woodruff.

Following on from finding Rock Pipits on the shingle at Cockersand, I made an interesting discovery when I found an abundance of Talitrus saltator on and around the same area of shingle. With some afterthought I'm convinced the 8 Rock Pipits, which were in close proximity of each other, were feeding on them.

Summer Visitors.

The first migrants have arrived on UK soil with a Wheatear seen 6 February in Shropshire, and a Sand Martin seen 10 February in Kent. And I have a suspicion that the Stonechat spring passage has taken off with 6 Stonechat seen at Fairhaven Dunes on 13 February....Thanks to AC for passing on to me this excellent news.

And Finally.

Didn't get any piks today, so struggling for a header I thought the ferry 15 minutes out of Heysham and into the Irish Sea, made a cool shot.

....And More Spectacular Numbers!

Following my disappointing last visit to Conder Green on 30 January. Conder Pool reclaimed its first place in the title race for best local birding site of its kind on Wednesday when I found the 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose there with 82 Greylag.

The Conder Pool grebes are dispersing, with just 3 Little Grebe seen today. They usually start to move off the pool and into the creeks in January, then on to the River Lune before disappearing for the summer. Also to note, 17 Wigeon, and 12 Tufted Duck. As a note of interest, the hedge along the canal towpath between The Mill and Glasson, which in part runs along the back of Conder Pool, is being laid. 

Notes from the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 3,250 Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, a relatively low count of 120 Golden Plover, 5 Goldeneye, and a drake Goosander. 

From a moving car along Moss Lane, c.25 Fieldfare. At Cockersand, everything I found today was seen at the caravan park end, and included just one female Stonechat seen on the marsh, but Ian Mitchell reported a pair by Lighthouse Cottage.

Together with excellent views of a Barn Owl, I had the pleasure of a Merlin rocketing over the marsh, and later a Hen Harrier ring-tail. A flighty flock of c.50 Linnet, 4 Reed Bunting, and a lone Greenfinch. My best ever count of at least 700 Curlew were seen, with 250 in the field behind Lower Bank House, and at least 450 on the mud south side of the Cocker Estuary. 

I have repeatedly said, this is by far the best area to find large numbers of Curlew, and doesn't reflect the Red Listed status of the species around the Cockersand/Cocker Estuary area. My other best ever count of the day, was of the 3,250 Black-tailed Godwit on the Lune Estuary....Seen as another magical moment for me. 

Garden Siskin.

Siskin. Mike Atkinson.

It was a pleasure for the Woodruff's to see a female Siskin on a feeder in the garden on Thursday. Only the fourth such sighting in 14 years living here....Yes it's a bit scarce in Lancaster!

Thanks for Mike Atkinson for the image, which added some interest and colour to B2B.

Disturbance.

A site of SSSI is a formal conservation designation. Usually it describes an area that is of particular interest to science due to the rare species of fauna and flora it contains.

I initially decided not to publish this picture of a man out on Plover Scar, complete with camera and mutt. But following conversations I've had about unnecessary disturbance, including the Barn Owl/s at Cockersand which have attracted much attention from people who should know better. I'm prompted to publish it now to give some publicity to bird disturbance. 

This 'photographer' was joined on Wednesday by someone with two more mutts, all trampling across the recent Snow Bunting territory on Plover Scar, and much worse was followed by 'two people' with a 4 wheel drive and trailer with a Punt Gun almost at the foot of the lighthouse, a positively vile weapon capable of killing large numbers of wildfowl with a single shot....This area is in one such SSSI.

Barn Owl In The Spotlight....Again.

Out of view to the right in the video is Bank House, and what followed was interesting, whilst also very worrying. 

I made this short video footage at 1.12pm yesterday, the Barn Owl took off 30 seconds after I set the camera to record, at the same time I also took off on my circuit of Cockersand. The Barn Owl was in view for up to an hour as I walked along Moss Lane until I reached the Lighthouse Cottage at 2.25pm. In the hour, the owl crisscrossed every field in the area, and hunted along every ditch and hedgerow, diving to the ground at least six times, and perched on fence posts about the same number of times.

There are things to take into account here, a) the distance the bird flew over the hour must have been up to 3 miles, it had no success in taking prey during this time and distance, b) how long ago was it that the bird had last fed, c) the Barn Owl normally doesn't hunt in daylight or in rain, whilst these birds are seen daily, in itself a concern, d) the recent weather conditions mean this/these birds are suffering, and as things stand with the weather wet, windy, and possibly snow, the Barn Owl looks set to continue to go hungry.

At best, I felt uncomfortable about this sighting yesterday at Cockersand.

Better Late Than Never!

On a nice bright if cold sunny day, Conder Pool was as dull as it gets, with just 2 Little Grebe, a Goosander, and a few Mallard making the total of no more than 20 birds present. Conder Pool rules....but not this time.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson, at least 2,500 Black-tailed Godwit, a couple of hundred Redshank and Dunlin were hanging on to the shoreline as the tide rushed in, with 3 Goosander noted, and then the Peregrine Falcon flew onto the scene.

The Peregrine Falcon caused a mass dread for a few thousand waders, including the Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, and Dunlin, and created a spectacle that lasted several minutes.

At Cockersand, 5 Stonechat seen, a pair in the rough field behind Bank House, a pair at Lighthouse Cottage, and a female along Moss Lane. Seeing 32 Stock Dove come down into a field was a first for me in our recording area, where birds seen in single figures is the norm in my experience. Whilst watching the doves, a Merlin rocketed over towards the estuary, and in the area around Bank House, 45 Linnet was a decent count, with 5 Greenfinch and 5 Reed Bunting seen, 13 Eider were off Plover Scar.

Sandylands Geese.

On Sunday, I'm quietly confident the geese flying silent and in silhouette north>south towards the harbour, were 20 Brent Geese. Earlier a Peregrine Falcon was seen unsuccessfully chasing a small wader, before doing a U turn to fly off inland.

Stonechat At Cockersand.

My header image is of one of the Lighthouse Cottage birds sent to me by Ian Mitchell....Thanks Ian, much appreciated.

This cropped image from Ian Mitchell, is of the same female Stonechat in the header, showing something best described as thin white plastic wire wrapped around both left and right lower leg.

I was in touch with and forwarded this image to a front line ringer in Cumbria, who notes they are both identical in dimension and position, otherwise is as baffled as me....Are we missing something here I ask myself!

Barn Owl.

Ian Mitchell finds a fair share of interesting stuff....Bilberry Bumblebee at Birk Bank in June 2023, including an amazing video of it burrowing on Clougha. The Merlin at Cockersand in October 2023 with some excellent photo and video footage of the bird taking a bath on a flooded stubble field. Two Otter in the Lune Valley in January, and the Stonechats at Cockersand this week, one of which has what appears to be thin white plastic rings on both legs.

Then up to date, a Barn Owl at Cockersand on Thursday 1 February bearing a metal ring on its right leg....What next Ian!

Movements of Barn Owl.

The West Palearctic population is basically resident, though young birds are known to make occasional dispersals, with no clear overall directional trend within Europe.

As a result of Ian Mitchell's discovery of the Cockersand Barn Owl bearing a metal ring. I made enquiries to another front line ringer, this one in Lancashire, about any known movements of Barn Owl, to be told they are usually only over fairly short distances. However, in the conversation I learn of one bird recovered in Lancashire having been marked in Nottingham.

And Finally.

At this point I'm not sure of the significance of the record, but I'd suggest it is a first for Lancashire and beyond. What I do know, is that this bird should have been more likely to be seen in West Africa.

Curlew Sandpiper Record Shots. Ian Walker.

An amazing record of a Curlew Sandpiper on Warton Marsh yesterday 3 February....Ian Walker FBC.