Picture Gallery.

The header image is a 22 year old from my file labeled 'Golden Oldie Birds'. The Long-billed Dowitcher at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve in October 1998, courtesy of the late John Leedal. 

Whilst I plan my next bid for freedom, I selected a few piks taken over the years, but don't expect any world beating images, they only just got past quality control.

1.   Snow Bunting Plover Scar

2.   Whinchat Newby Moor N.York's

3.   Spotted Flycatcher Bowland

4.   Wheatear Bowland

5.   Black Redstart Fluke Hall

6.   Eastern Black Eared Wheatear Fluke Hall

7.   Skylark Fluke Hall

8.   Blackbird Home Garden

9.   Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool

10. Turnstone Plover Scar

11. Snipe Conder Pool

12. Brent Geese Heysham

13. Little Owl Roeburndale

14. Purple Heron Eagland Hill

    

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Stonechats.

My records to date now stands at 95 Stonechat since I found 18 on Caton Moor 2 months ago on 26 August, mostly in Bowland, with some records taken from local websites. This is a good indication that the species has had a good breeding season in 2020, though I tried twice without success to contact the RSPB, to find out what their records - if any - showed to get a handle on numbers in Bowland.

Black-tailed Godwits. 

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I was grateful to Howard Stockdale for the video of the Black-tailed Godwits, including this one ringed OL-RZ, Arnessysla, Austurey, Iceland, 4 July 2012. The bird has collected 58 sightings, none of which were in our area until this one at Cockersand Wednesday 20 October. Otherwise it favoured Essex and Merseyside, and was seen twice back in Iceland in June 2013 and August 2018.

Conservation.

Below is an excellent post I copied from a website which touched on one of my favourite subjects on conservation and farming practices. I'm also aware of some ongoing local and bigger conservation issues which I intend to follow. 

'34 Fieldfare were a welcome sight this morning, these Scandinavian travelers on their annual visit to forage on the winter berries, however the dreaded hedge munching machine had other ideas and has now destroyed all the food that was lying in wait to keep our visiting Fieldfare well fed along with many others that would have foraged on same, no need to look very hard for the demise of wildlife when this goes on country wide, modern farming practices indeed' 

The Hawker Mile.

I walked the canal towpath yesterday, a little in excess of a mile, from the basin at Glasson Dock to The Mill at Conder Green, and recorded at least 54 Migrant Hawker, including six coupled pairs, recorded as 'at least' because I probably missed more out of view behind the tall reeds along some sections of the canal, presumably this years adults, combining with migrants to cause a late summer surge in numbers, also 4 Brown Hawker, seen as two pair coupled.

Conder Pool held 3 Greenshank, 20 Little Grebe, and a Snipe, in the creeks, 2 Common Sandpiper. Two House Martin were still around River Winds, and Swallow seen around Conder Green Farm.

On the Lune Estuary, 11 Greenshank, c.960 Golden Plover, there was similar numbers of c.350 Redshank and Lapwing, and c.50 Curlew, Dunlin, and 2 Black-tailed Godwit.

Ten Long-tailed Tit worked their way through our garden this morning.

Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica Antonio Puigg. Clik the pik

No piks for the post, but wouldn't Antonio's male Black-eared Wheatear have added a little more colour to Fluke Hall recently!