Short Shift, Short List.

Didn't get out of jail until 1.00pm on Thursday, but managed three hours at Cockersands/Bank End which resulted in my finding another male Stonechat. 

Whooper Swans Gary Jones  

I also got a better estimate of what I now find to be up to 330 Whooper Swans in the area....with 280 counted as they were disturbed - intentionally in my view - from the field they've been in for several days now by the farmer racing through them on his quad bike sending them off and on to the Cocker Estuary, another 50 Whooper Swan were in a field off Moss Lane accompanied by the 'Aussie' Black Swan, an escaped and ornamental waterbird in western Europe. 

Merlin. Chris Batty.

A female Merlin dashing across the Abbey Farm field to perch on a branch, vied with the Stonechat for 'Bird of the Day' but lost my vote - naturally - in the end. At least 1,500 Golden Plover were in a field close by the Merlin when c.70 Black-tailed Godwit went over south, I saw another - the same? - 70 BTG later at Bank End, and another 18 BTG feeding off Crook Farm, 10 Eider and a drake Red-breasted Merganser were off Plover Scar, and a Little Egret seen.

An enjoyable three hours birding, but I was a little more than soggy by the time I got back to the motor, 30 minutes away from it as the tide brought the rain with it....Bugger!! 

With thanks to Gary/Chris for the excellent photographs, and to Brian for the new header of a brilliant bird coming soon to a woodland near you....hopefully.

Bonaparte's Gull....An excellent video, though it shows too large on my screen and the picture is a little distorted, I found no way to have the film shown in smaller format.

Buzzin' In 2013 Part 2.

More selected sightings which kept me buzzing - and my passion growing - during the second half of 2013 from July onwards....most found/my own records but (*) I went to see.

July.

5. 4 Stonechat White Greet.

12. Common Sandpiper Blea Tarn Reservoir.

17. Bonaparte's Gull Heysham Harbour *

22.17 Common Sandpiper (peak count).

22. Painted Lady Cockersands.

24. Curlew Sandpiper Conder Green (scarce adult summer plumage). 

31. 3 Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool (juveniles).

August.

7. Painted Lady Clougha (my second of only two sightings this year).

8. 19 Whimbrel Cockersands.

Whimbrel Martin Lofgren

September.

9. 20 Wheatear Cockersands.

10. 5 Curlew Sandpiper Cockersands.

October.

29. Firecrest Heysham Harbour * 

November.

13. 3 Curlew Sandpiper Fluke Hall Lane (late record in stubble field).

13. c.95 Twite Cockers Dyke area.
19. 15 Bewick's Swan LEGD.

22. 3 Brambling Plantation Lane Abbeystead (scarce this winter).
25. 16 Bewick's Swan Cockersands.

Bewick's Swan Marc Heath 

December.

3. 75 Goldeneye LEGD (peak count this winter).

17. c.450 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD (a good count but only half the number counted on 19 March).

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE TWO WIDGETS BELOW HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY ON TO THIS POST, THEY DON'T APPEAR IN THE DRAFT AND SO I'M UNABLE TO DELETE THEM.

Buzzin' In 2013.

Some selected sightings which kept me buzzing - and my passion growing - during the first half of 2013....most found/my own records but (*) I went to see.

January.

9. 8 Waxwing Conder Green.

15. Snow Bunting Cockersands 

16. c. 20 Siskin Bailrigg.

18. 2 Stonechat Freemans Pools perimeter fence. (An excellent winter record).

29.14 Bewick's Swan Jeremy Lane.

Siskin Richard Pegler

February.

6. c.700 Bar-tailed Godwit Lune Estuary Glasson Dock (LEGD).

6. Smew 'redhead' Freemans Pools *

7. Chiffchaff Fluke Hall.

13. Spoonbill LEGD * 

13. c.600 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD.

17. 2 Stonechat Rossall Point.

18. c.80 Goldeneye LEGD (Peak Count).

19. c.290 Whooper Swan Moss Lane Cockersands (an excellent count).

Chiffchaff Antonio Puigg

March.

8. 3 Lesser Redpoll Stodday.

19. c.850 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD (unprecedented count here).

19. Avocet Cocker Channel.

26. 2 Pintail LEGD (rare here).

26. Stonechat (female) Cockersands.

28. Stonechat (male) Cockersands.

28. 2 Wheatear Cockersands (my first of the year). 

April.

2. 2 Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool.

3. Jack Snipe Conder Pool *

8. 6 Siskin (our garden).

12. Water Pipit Conder Green *

16. Dotterel Cockersands.

Dotterel David Cookson

May.

29. Scaup Conder Pool.

June.

5. 2 - possibly 3 - Cuckoo Tower Lodge area.

7. 2 Cuckoo Cross of Greet.

7. 4 Whinchat Bloe Greet.

17. 5 Little Ringed Plover River Lune Bull Beck.

19. Osprey Public Hide Leighton Moss (almost certainly a Foulshaw Moss breeder).

Saturday Birding....Who Me?

With an adult and three young Little Ringed Plover seen on Conder Pool on Friday, and a text message on Saturday morning from a Fylde birder to tell me they were showing well....I had to see this for myself.

But the Little Ringed Plover at Conder Green continues to cheat me and I found only one juvenile.  But Conder Pool has been invaded big time with 14 Little Egret having taking a liking to the area and present today. Also noted on the pool, Spotted Redshank, Goldeneye, 2 Wigeon, a female Tufted Duck with five ducklings and the threat of a Grey Heron close by. In the creeks I could only find 7 Common Sandpiper and a female Mallard with 12 ducklings, there was at least 25 House Martin around River Winds.  

Bonaparte's Gull ARKive 

So whilst I'm out and about I may as well have another go at the Bonaparte's Gull at Heysham....to no avail, but a Mediterranean Gull moulting to 2nd winter was seen, though hardly an excellent result as double figures are currently being seen here, with 36 Turnstone and 10 Ringed Plover on the seaward end of the old wooden jetty.

 

Grey Seal. Pete Woodruff.

The biggest surprise had to be the sight of a Grey Seal below the seawall, though according to conversations with the local fishermen it seems this individual has been around a while, it plunged at a Sea Bass as it leaped out of the water, it also hauled itself out and onto the sea wall for just 30 seconds.

Little Egret Ana Minguez  

On Monday an overnight roost at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB in Cheshire held a staggering 380 Little Egret.

And finally....  

Large White. Pete Woodruff. 

I thought you may like to see my latest attempt at photography with this Large White butterfly feeding on the Inula hookeri in our garden recently. 

A Whiz Round....

....and a local twitch.

I'm not sure an hour at Conder Green on Wednesday qualifies as 'a whiz round' but I had a little time to spare so shot off there and collected some records which will make the post sound like an old record needle stuck on an old record player, but that's birding, 'seek and ye shall find'....but not always something new.

Little Grebe Noushka Dufort 

The Spotted Redshank was again on Conder Pool, nestled in and roosting with around 60 Redshank, some of the juveniles of which do a remarkable impersonation of the Wood Sandpiper....beware. The smart Little Grebe in it's summer dress was also seen on the pool again, along with the 2 Wigeon drake and Goldeneye. Two Greenshank were in the creeks, and my count of at least 10 Common Sandpiper here is still in tact, but if past records are anything to go by the number will increase in time with 21 seen last year on 23 July.

It may have lasted an hour, but if that's not 'a whiz round' I don't know what is!

And the local twitch....

Bonaparte's Gull Wild Bird Gallery 

An  adult summer plumage  Bonaparte's Gull  was found  at Heysham  on Saturday  13 July, the latest I have on the bird as I write is that it was still present last night - Thursday - at 8.30pm.

I timed a visit to Heysham to coincide with the tide and set the challenge to find the Bonaparte's Gull for myself and avoided the approach to a lone birder already there to ask of its whereabouts. I failed miserably and after about 30 minutes asked the guidance of another birder now on site, the bird was now resting with head tucked in. Its all very well referring to this gull as small, dainty, and a 'miniature Back-headed Gull, but I found this bird resting, at best 'tricky' and at worst a 'nightmare' to identify. The ID of Bonaparte's Gull alive and alert is a different story, in flight it differs from Black-headed Gull at all ages, its pale underwing stands out well and has a white leading edge to the outer wing making my life a much easier one. 

The Bonaparte's Gull is smaller than all other North American hooded gulls, and is unusual with it's tree-nesting habit. Departure from breeding grounds has loose flocks moving along river systems but can often form large concentrations with - for example - peak figures of up to 60,000 at Niagara Falls in October. 

My thanks to Noushka Dufort and Martin Lofgren for the excellent images, they are much appreciated.  

The Gull Problem.

I'd like to think I was considered by others as a 'birder' in the full sense of the word, but unfortunately I don't actually qualify for the title, and I'm not on my own here and reckon a good percentage of birders who visit Birds2blog don't qualify either. 

I'm making this comment based on the fact that the aforementioned 'good percentage' don't - just like me - take the interest in 'gulls' that they should do. I have my own reasons for not taking the same interest in these birds, being that I cannot bring myself to learn the ID skills required to put names to individuals which are immature as opposed to adults which I certainly will try my damnedest to ID in nearly all cases. 

Bonaparte's Gull Tim Kuhn

I think the Bonaparte's Gull is a good example of the kind of confusion us unskilled with gull types can be challenged with. OK this may not be the perfect example, if only because the species is a rare one, though in 1990 there was a peak of at least eleven Bonaparte's Gulls in the UK, and theres always the possibility you'll see a gull at a bit of a distance off the Stone Jetty  at  Morecambe one day and record it as a....

Black-headed Gull Antonio Puigg 

....Black-headed Gull just like me! 

Its all very well to say the Bonaparte's Gull is smaller than the Black-headed Gull, and is rounder headed, shorter necked, shorter legged, and has a slim black bill at all ages, but try achieving some of these characteristics off the jetty at Morecambe, or in even better situations perhaps if you're owt like me.  

Time to get your act together lads, do twelve months study of 'gull' ID, and join the ranks of 'proper fully paid up birders'. As for me....I'm always looking at something else!!

And another thing....I'm off birding tomorrow come what may.