Probably/Possibly In Bowland!

Grisedale Bridge.

Birds in and around Holme Wood, Willow Warbler atop of gorse by Grisedale Brook, Treecreeper seen in the woods, with Nuthatch and Song Thrush in good voice, Grey Wagtail on the stream, and Sparrowhawk and Raven over Barnacre Reservoir. As I arrived back at the car, a pair of Stonechat on the roadside wall.

Harrisend.

Stonechat Harrisend 24 April. Martin Jump.

With some of my birding - especially in the uplands - seriously curtailed, it was my first visit this year on to Harrisend Fell. So it was particularly pleasing that I found 6 Stonechat here, which has my records to read, three breeding pairs highly probable. Otherwise not particularly riveting here with just 9 Meadow Pipit seen as a low count, but maybe I should note this is only the end of April, 6 Linnet and a Buzzard was over the ridge.

Bombus lapidarius Pete Woodruff.

A Red-tailed Bumblebee queen was looking rather lethargic on Harrisend, and an Orange Tip was my first of the year, and the only butterfly seen on the day.

Hawthornthwaite.

On to Hawthornthwaite Fell, where 2 Stonechat seen were both male, but with females likely on the nest, again my records read two breeding pairs highly probable. 

I have to say, otherwise not particularly riveting here, although up to 10 Willow Warbler were all unseen and singing, 8 Meadow Pipit was another low count, a single Red Grouse and male Reed Bunting seen, with 2 Wheatear and just 3 Sand Martin indicating the colony has not yet arrived, which appeared to be the case in a drive-by at Cam Brow.

There was a little disappointment at Hawthornthwaite, when a female Emperor Moth passed in a rapid fly-by.

The decision to call in to Stoops Bridge at Abbeystead on my way back to Lancaster was an excellent idea as I found 5 Pied Flycatcher there. So according to these observations, a distinct possibility in my book, of four pairs of Pied Flycatcher here this year. A male Blackcap also gave me excellent views.

Avocet.

Avocet Newton Marsh 24 April. Martin Jump.

Martin found and photographed the marked Avocet. Hopefully I may soon get some details about this sighting.

Common Tern.

A Common Tern arrived at Conder Pool this early a.m. Sunday 28 April, 6 days later than 2023. I am grateful to Howard Stockdale for this excellent news. Also good to hear from a contact, a double figure of Common Tern are now present at Preston Dock this morning. 

Some Good, Some Bad....Very Bad.

With my birding driven into a cul-de-sac for the time being, looking through my records I note the Common Terns have passed their anniversary for arrival at Conder Pool being the first show last year was Saturday 22 April.

The list of dates below show the first ever Common Terns to Conder Pool were very late in the season. Despite this late arrival date, they successfully bred at what is now a well established and renowned location in our recording area....

02 July 2014

22 May 2015 

06 May 2016 

08 May 2017

07 May 2018

05 May 2019

02 May 2020

24 April 2021

24 April 2022

22 April 2023

Like myself and other interested birders, I know a small group of people in particular who will be waiting in anticipation for the arrival of these beautiful birds.

The Good The Bad And The Ugly.

Thanks to a contact the good news is, I have the report of a pair of Ring Ouzel in Bowland. This and the sight of a few Stonechat, is the cause of enthusiasm for me to be there before this week is out.

The bad news is, I am aware of tree felling in the area around the bog at Birk Bank. The 'management work' involves not only taking out trees, but machinery being driven across the bog.

This during the breeding season especially for birds, and also damage to the bog which is the location for dragonflies including the rare Keeled Skimmer which only in recent years has colonised Birk Bank Bog, the first being found 9 years ago.

I'm making slow progress with enquiries, but best I leave it to see if the conversation moves forward before I add anything....Watch this space. 

The Header.

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for the header image of the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green. This bird is close to achieving the transformation from winter to summer plumage through 4 weeks....Amazing.    

Short List Short On Inspiration.

A tour around the estuary on Friday produce a short list lacking in inspiration, not least of which was obvious on my visit to Conder Pool. But there's never anything at all lacking about the sight of 2 Little Ringed Plover on a near island. Also present on the pool, 4 Avocet, a Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot were roosting with 45 Redshank, and 34 Oystercatcher which was a good count here for the little black book.

Little Ringed Plover.

Not know as a gregarious bird, outside the breeding season they are mostly found in singles or in small flocks rarely exceeding ten. But Ian Mitchell observed and filmed some territorial behavior between four birds on Conder Pool, which ended with a serious altercation between two of them....Excellent stuff Ian, thank you.

At Cockersand, a Barn Owl showed hunting a field on the north side of Bank Houses, but it was soon lost to view. Three Shoveler were seen as two drake and a female in the large ditches at the junction of Moss and Sack Lane, they all soon took off. In the stubble field off Slack Lane, I noted 16 Shelduck, and during my circuit 3 Swallow in singles flew north, and a Wheatear was on the shore opposite the abbey.

Wheatear Cockersand. Pete Woodruff.

The power of storms combined with high tides, has caused this large section of the headland at Cockersand to collapse. There are another three sections to the south which have also collapsed onto the shore. The sea must have been within inches of breaching here this time.

The Nuthatch, Tits, And Hedgehog.

I was really pleased to have found this local Nuthatch again this week. According to my records, these are breeding for the third consecutive year.   

The bonus for this years sighting was, as I got into a position out of sight and hidden under a tree to record the bird, a male Nuthatch was in song close by. After listening to the serenade, the female continued plastering to reduce the crevices as protection against the elements and possible predators....Fascinating stuff!

In the spilt second I stopped filming, the Nuthatch was entering the nest hole.

Garden Wildlife.

We get occasional visits by the Long-tailed Tits, and it was a pleasure to have three in the garden yesterday.

It was also pleasing to see the Hedgehog roaming through the 'long grass' of our lawn. Although always a little worrying to see out in daylight, visually it appeared fit and well.

Spotty In The Spotlight!

It took me about an hour to find the Spotted Redshank in the creeks at Conder Green, finding this bird again was the culmination of a decent haul at Conder Pool on Friday. In the two weeks since I last saw the Spotted Redshank, it has transformed into breeding plumage by half, at this rate it will be in full summer dress in under three weeks. 

Whilst recording some footage of a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull, I had a lucky break to find when I opened the film on the computer, unknown to me, 2 Little Ringed Plover had come on the scene to make a pleasing little threesome video.

Two Cattle Egret were present but soon flew off, they appeared to have some orange tone, particularly to the crown. Also present were 8 Avocet, a Common Sandpiper and Greenshank, 3 Back-tailed Godwit, up to 250 Redshank, 200 Knot and 2 Stock Dove. Seen from the viewing platform, at least 8 Swallow were flighting around Conder Green Farm, and eventually came over Conder Pool.

A check of the canal basin at Glasson Dock proved little of interest, but a walk to the churchyard at Christ Church found 2 Chiffchaff, one giving good views in the wooded area here.

At Cockersand, 8 Wheatear were in the field by Cockersand Abbey, the same 120 Linnet as seen 26 March were in the field by Lighthouse Cottage, 8 Eider were off Plover Scar, 22 Whooper Swan were the only winter remnants seen lingering distant in fields behind Bank End Farm. I saw just one Small Tortoiseshell on Slack Lane.

Garden Birds.

 

On Friday we had the pleasure of a visit to our garden feeders by a stunning male Siskin, but its rating was reduced to second place by the brief appearance of a Chiffchaff the following day, but it made a return visit 2 hours later to give good views. This is the second garden record, the first being seen Tuesday 20 September 2022. I hadn't realised these bird was found in the garden at opposing ends of the year. 

Good News.

To lift us out of the depression of wet and windy weather we have been enduring....

The first Common Tern of 2024 returned to Heysham Harbour on Friday. An area which has the benefit of being comprehensively monitored....Heysham Bird Observatory

Large Red Damselfly Teneral Female Phil Larkin

The first dragon for North Lancashire was at Brockholes on Thursday, a Large Red Damselfly.

Common Carder Bee. Pete Woodruff.

And I have been finding my first bees, with this Bombus pascuorum on Thursday at Cockersand. 

Black-tailed Godwits.

It was an absolute pleasure to keep seeing vast numbers of Black-tailed Godwits on the Lune Estuary over recent weeks, even more pleasurable that I found in excess of 4,000 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool on more than one occasion. Another record which Conder Pool produced and wasn't to be sniffed at, was 200 Knot on 18 March, a number not previously recorded in my book, as wasn't up to 1,500 Knot on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock on 29 March.  

Black-tailed Godwit Conder Pool 26 February. Pete Woodruff.

Although it is only the first week of April, I'm convinced this is already going to have been one of my personal highlights of 2024. 

Icing on the cake came on 29 March, when I found a small group of Black-tailed Godwit quietly feeding on the shoreline below the bowling green at Glasson Dock. It was my lucky day, two of the godwits were colour ringed, the histories of which were kindly forwarded to me by Boddi in Iceland.

Of the two birds, the one marked Red over White Left Leg, Green Over Orange Z Right Leg, was the most interesting in that it hadn't been seen in our recording area until my sighting on 29 March on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock.

Ringed 13 June in South Iceland 2023, it was first seen a month later on 15 July on the Wirral, Merseyside, from where it had 17 sightings, until seen again with 4 sightings from 24 February 2024 at Burton Mere on the Dee Estuary. The bird was not seen again until I found it on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock on 29 March....23 records.

The history of Orange over Red Left Leg, Green over Yellow Flag Right Leg.

Throughout 12 years since this bird was ringed, from 62 records 55 were collected in our recording area of North Lancashire. The 7 records OOA are listed here...

Ringed 6 July 2012 N.W.Iceland

25 April 2014 N.W.Iceland

27 April 2015 S.W.Iceland 

22 August 2018 Lytham Jetty Ribble Estuary

3 September 2020 Crossens Marsh Ribble Estuary

27 August 2021 Hale Lighthouse Mersey Estuary

20 August 2022 Frodsham Marsh Mersey Estuary

29 March 2024 Lune Estuary Glasson Dock 

Thanks to Boddi and Richard du Fue, both having played their parts in recording these records and subsequent histories.  

The Short List!

A short list on a restricted visit, with nothing much to shout about on a recent blast around the Lune Estuary, but I did find my first 2 Wheatear at Cockersand....well where else, seen together from the path above Plover Scar, from where I noted 82 Dunlin, 55 Ringed Plover, and 46 Turnstone.

On the Lune Estuary as viewed from Glasson, 23 Avocet were distant upstream from the Conder Estuary. More obliging were 86 Black-tailed Godwit a few were feeding below the bowling green as the tide came in, some looking smart in their advancing rufous breeding plumage, and two of which were ringed. Other interest here was up to 1,500 Knot, a number of which I don't ever recall seeing on the Lune Estuary here before, also 4 Eider were of note. 

I'm grateful to Richard du Feu and to Boddi for their help in recording the Black-tailed Godwits. I look forward to seeing the history of both these godwits from Boddi in Iceland.

Woodchat Shrike.

Todays plan was to mow the lawns, but the weather had other ideas. So to find something to fill the gap, I looked through my records of 10 years ago, to find anything of interest in my birding for 1 April, but the best I could find wasn't until May 2014.

On this day I had intended to walk the embankment south from March Point, to return via the footpath towards Lancaster.

Bank Pool From Dawson's Bank. Pete Woodruff.

Having walked just a few hundred metres, I spotted a bird atop of this tree....

Woodchat Shrike Aldcliffe 8 May 2014. Jo Bradley.

....it was instantly recognisable as a stunning male Woodchat Shrike....My passion for the birds had gone through the roof once again!