Finching It Again!....Episode 5.

It was to say the least exciting to have my fifth sighting of Bullfinch again in Lancaster Cemetery this week.

This sighting was particularly interesting in that, not only are these excellent records for the location, but the Bullfinch is known to be a shy bird, and doesn't usually show itself on the ground, hardly ever feeding more than a few metres from cover. I'm more acquainted to seeing the Bullfinch extracting seeds from fruit on trees or bushes, small seed-heads and fruits are removed when fallen to the ground which is what was going on here. 

The ground feeding Bullfinch was certainly a first for me, with both male and female collecting seeds found on the grave and surroundings having fallen from the tree which is as yet unidentified beyond it being of the genus Sorbus....Probably Sorbus aucuparia

Fieldfare. Ian Mitchell.

Also in the cemetery a lone Redwing, briefly atop of a tree before flying off. It joins its lone cousin the Fieldfare which I saw at Cockersand 1 December, being the only two winter thrushes I've seen this winter to date.

Williamson's Park.

Birds of note as I wandered through the park, 2 Song Thrush took top spot for me, Mistle Thrush, a Jay, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Wren, a few Wood Pigeon, at least 20 Blackbird, and a similar number of Magpie. To note at the feeding station, up to 5 Dunnock and 5 Coal Tit.

Ashton Memorial. Pete Woodruff.

There there was some attractive colours on the fallen ice covered leaves of the Canadian Maple in Williamson's Park.

Community Spirit.

The Robin putting in an appearance, the Blackbird having a go at the apple, and the Starling and House Sparrows, all showing a little harmony in the garden.

Many thanks to Steve Graham for the header image of four of the eight Caton Moor wind turbines with heads above the mist to create an atmospheric scene, along with the excellent record of 3 Stonechat reported to me whilst up there.

And Finally.

Yes, another Stonechat image....Well what do you expect, this is B2B, and this is a 1st winter male Stonechat at Conder Pool. Classic the bird, excellent the image, thanks to Howard Stockdale.

Twice Round The Block!

During the week I managed a couple of blasts through Williamson's Park and Lancaster Cemetery. This turned out to be another one of my good ideas as I was rewarded with the latest sighting of 4 Bullfinch here again, seen as two male and female. This is my fourth sighting of Bullfinch in Lancaster Cemetery since I found five on 30 October 2014, whilst noting as in Bowland, I've never found Bullfinch here during the breeding season starting late April.

Canadian Maple In Williamson's Park. Pete Woodruff.

Also of note in the park, 2 Jay, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, and Wren, 3 Coal Tit, at least 16 Blackbird, 12 Wood Pigeon, 8 Magpie, and with 6 Chaffinch on beech mast I was hoping to find a Brambling....wishful thinking!

Red Admiral 19 October. Pete Woodruff. 

On the two visits I saw 7 Red Admiral, they were seen as five in Williamson's Park, and two in Lancaster Cemetery....Have you seen the one on Ivy top left of the frame?

Pintail Anus acuta....In our recording area, the Pintail is a passage migrant and winter visitor.

The header image is of 20 Pintail>south off Plover Scar. This is significant in that I'd say it's the first record of such a number at Cockersand in many a year, I've never recorded the species here to date, and I regard the Pintail on the Lune Estuary at best scarce. In my records, 2 female on Conder Pool 25 October 2019 were the first there and not since.

Thanks to Martin Jump for his excellent record breaking image.   

The Damp Squid.

A visit to Harrisend Fell then on to Hawthornthwaite, turned out to be something of a damp squid, but as with any birding, not without interest including a first.

It was a bitter disappointment that I struggled to find just one pair of Stonechat at Harrisend, 7 Red Grouse, and a Magpie calling and flying purposefully south across the fellside below the ridge, in itself something unusual and a first 'Moorland Magpie' for me. On Hawthornthwaite, just 18 Red Grouse seen. 

Stonechat Behavior....I had been on Harrisend 1.5 hour, and was on the return leg before I found the pair of Stonechat providing me with a first record. 

The male was atop of a gorse bush, the classic view of an upland Stonechat. The bird soon took to the wing and was seen to be in pursuit of a female, flight was fast and direct until the female changed direction, then soon went to perch, followed by the male going to perch close by her. This was soon followed by the female taking off again, with the male in hot pursuit to repeat a similar pattern, the pair going to perch again.

Having spent 15 minutes watching this pair of Stonechat, during which time this behaviour was repeated at least ten times, covering quite a large area of about 100 square meters, before I left them to it.

I was in touch with John Callion about the Stonechat observations at Harrisend on Tuesday, and he asked if I had any evidence of a third bird involved, in which case the male was seeing off an intruder. In fact I saw no other bird throughout my observations.

In our correspondence, John passed on to me some pretty impressive records, one of which was c.130 nestling Stonechats ringed this year. John added a footnote to this, within 10 miles of his house approx 40 nestlings were colour ringed this year, at least six of the broods successfully fledged, yet no colours on any of the six wintering pairs close to him have been seen....Fascinating.

The other equally impressive record from John, was of 74 Wood Warblers - 13 adult and 61 nestling - colour ringed in the Borrowdale Valley this year....Need to get myself into Cumbria next year.  

In The Garden....A Goldcrest graced our plum tree and conifer yesterday morning.

The counter on B2B reached a viewing count of 2167 views for one post recently. To each and everyone, my little Robin friend 'Bob' and I would like to wish you....

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS   

Keeping Up Appearances!

In my attempt against mental instability and my world of diminishing birding. I was off armed with bino's round my neck and camera in pocket, and went for a wander through the Lancaster Cemetery and Williamson Park, from where there was excellent if slightly misty views from the Ashton Memorial over the north side of Lancaster to the distant Lakeland mountains over Morecambe Bay.

This turned out to be another excellent idea, if only because I found a stunning male Bullfinch in the cemetery. This is my second record of Bullfinch at this location, I found five here on 30 October 2014. These represent the only two records of Bullfinch seen in Lancaster Cemetery east of Lancaster at SD 491619  

I will be keeping an eye on this, although 7 years between my sightings, I now reckon the Bullfinch is resident in this area in which to my knowledge no-one does any birding and I only visit occasionally, but that's going to change, and I need to find them here in the summer months. 

Some thoughtful bird lover has put four feeders up in the cemetery which had attracted a mix of up to 20 Blue Tit and Great Tit, a Nuthatch and Robin soon joined them as I watched. Also seen in the cemetery, at least 8 Long-tailed Tit and a Treecreeper. Other notes on the wander, 2 Jay one of which was seen of in aerial combat by 2 Magpie. 

Eight Rooks were in the rookery by the entrance to Williamson Park, they were quite noisy and you would have thought it was at the start of the breeding season in March by their behaviour.

Good numbers of birds at the feeders in Williamson Park, including Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Coal Tit, 3 Dunnock, and 2 Robin. Fourteen Black-headed Gull were accompanied by Mallard on the pond. I liked the reflections of the surrounding landscape in the video.

All in all, an enjoyable couple of therapeutic hours on Friday.

A Little Pre Christmas Routine.

Definitely not routine in a boring way, but a wander on Monday around the Lune Estuary before Christmas, started by finding Conder Pool having just five birds present, 2 Magpie, a Goosander, a Grey Heron, and the semi-resident Lesser Black-backed Gull. Oh yes, and a lone Redwing on the berries. In the creeks, 7 Little Grebe included five down the channel almost out of sight towards the Conder mouth, 82 Mallard and up to 120 Teal were also noted in the creeks.

At Glasson Dock, estimates on the Lune Estuary, 2,500 Golden Plover, 850 Black-tailed Godwit, 550 Common Gull, 350 Dunlin, 120 Redshank, 75 Curlew, and the lone Bar-tailed Godwit seen last Thursday.

The sole purpose of a brief visit to Cockersand on Monday, was to find the Stonechats either at the Caravan Park/Lighthouse Cottage or both, which unfortunately ended in failure, but it was interesting to see the report of a pair of Stonechat on Monday in the field by the church at Cockerham, per Fylde Bird Club.

At least 350 Curlew seen at the Cocker Estuary, and c.150 Whooper Swan in the field to the north behind the Caravan Park were seen as a number which looked reduced by something like 100 here for several weeks. At Clarkson's Farm, 3 Bewick's Swan were with 28 Whooper Swan.

Still at it at Cockersand, seven at a time. Clik the pik and see. 

Golden Moments.

Another short - but I was raking about for 5 hours - and sweet job!

I was tempted to say Tuesdays birding was a little quiet, but then if I was to report seeing in excess of 1,000 Golden Plover at Cockersand, that would make the comment a bit of a nonsense. There was at least 750 in a field to the south of Abbey Farm, 175 to the north, and 125 in a field off Slack Lane.

When the sun eventually came out, and the wind dropped too in the late afternoon, it shone some brilliant light on to the plovers in the field south of Abbey Farm to give a stunning golden carpet effect to the birds which twice left the field to fly low over my head to create a 'whoosh' of 1,500 beating wings as they went out over the shore to turn and return to the field....Golden Moments to savour.

Curlew. Howard Stockdale. 

There was also the good number of 550 Curlew in a field at Cockersand today. An excellent count in one field for a species in the Red on the UK Conservation Status list. One of the most rapidly declining birds at a near 50% fall in number, even exceeding this in Wales and Scotland. If like me you've been lucky enough to have heard the evocative bubbling call of the Curlew when on the moors in Bowland, it stays with you forever. 

Only c.50 Whooper Swan were in view at Cockersand today. On Conder Pool, 6 Little Grebe, 6 Goosander, 4 Snipe, 18 Curlew, and 4 Wigeon. Up to 80 Teal were in the creeks. A bit of a howler in the face made the Lune Estuary hard work, but only 350 Golden Plover of any note, with 32 Tufted Duck and 2 Goosander on the canal basin.

In Greaves Park this Thursday morning, 4 Jay together were closely accompanied by 6 Magpie.

In the header, a large number of gulls follow the small fishing boat in Morecambe Bay. Also I was grateful for the excellent set of images Howard sent me yesterday, of which the most appropriate for this post was the Curlew. Clik the pik, the light reflecting on the bird is quite something.

OT.

On a suggestion by the team, more occupational therapy was required. So armed with a pair of binoculars I could turn the therapy into a welcome spell of birding with KT through Williamson Park on Friday....Chocks away!

An influx of at least 12 Blackbird were attracted to berries on a beautiful Yew at Fenham Carr, they were accompanied by 2 Redwing and 2 Goldcrest, with 2 Robin seen, and a small number of Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch. Most impressive was the 9 Nuthatch seen/heard on the visit.

Comma Lancaster Cemetery 26 October. Pete Woodruff.

Four October butterflies seen on a brief wander through Lancaster Cemetery on Quernmore Road, 2 Comma and 2 Red Admiral all pristine individuals on Ivy. Not many birds seen, but a Song Thrush is an excellent record in any birders notebook these days, and up to 12 Magpie and at least similar Wood Pigeon. 

This was OT at its best.

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A Ring-necked Parakeet was reported seen in flight over Freehold on 14 October. Presumably the same bird had been heard three days earlier at the University of Cumbria, and I'm belatedly and reliably told of a bird heard again from St Peter's Road around the cathedral last Sunday 21 October.

Ring-necked Parakeet. Warren Baker.

Almost certainly, this is the same bird heard twice since the first sighting, and possibly still in this area.

Weather Or Not!

I had reason to pay a visit to Lancaster University yesterday, and decided to do it on foot from Bowerham, via Hala Carr and Bailrigg Lane. Complete with bino's round my neck, to note, 7 Blackbird, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Robin, and a lone Long-tailed Tit.

Catching a bus at the University back to Lancaster, I paid a visit to Lancaster Cemetery - now there's a thought - via Williamson Park, which apparently has at least 131 nest boxes until I got fed up of counting....The ultimate of an ambitious and optimistic project it seems. 

Rewards in the cemetery were, a Great spotted Woodpecker, Jay, and Grey Wagtail, also 11 Blackbird, 5 Robin, 2 Blue Tit, a Coal Tit, Great Tit, and a Kestrel, On a short cut home through the University of Cumbria campus I found up to 10 Long-tailed Tit.

The Jay and the Magpie.

Jay. Simon Hawtin.

A man in the cemetery came up to ask me what I was looking at, I told him....'an attractive and colourful bird called the Jay'....to which he said....'oh they're all over the place in here'....I reckon he'd confused the Jay with Magpie of which there was a few in the cemetery.  I'm finding Magpies in good number at various locations, no less so in the Glasson/Thurnham/Cockersand area, where John Bateman often commented their presence here was always in large number, in fact I got a parliament of 15 there recently.

Spring Is Here....

Wheatear. Simon Hawtin

.....but not in the air, and definitely not on the ground. 

A Wheatear was reported Wednesday in sand dunes by Fleetwood Marine Lakes, only two days later than the earliest ever spring record of Wheatear in Lancashire 15 years ago on 26 February 2003, the mean arrival date being 10 March....I reckon being caught up with the Beast from the East and Storm Emma, this bird will be thinking it read the wrong script!

Stonechat. Mike Atkinson.

A text to tell me of 5 Stonechat - four new birds - at Ocean Edge saltmarsh this morning was very much appreciated, and an excellent excuse for yet another image of these little gems....Thanks Mike.

Thanks also to Simon Hawtin for his Jay and Wheatear images.

Williamson Birdlife.

Nice day on Saturday, and with no birding since Wednesday I was off for a walk through Williamson Park and on to Lancaster Cemetery . 

Not excactly a birding Mecca our park in Lancaster, but between here and the cemetery I noted, 16 Blackbird, at least the same number of Magpie and 3 Robin. In the cemetery, it was good to find my first 50 Redwing with small flocks very mobile from tree top to tree top, also an excellent count of 7 Nuthatch including three close together calling loudly in an excited call, a Goldcrest and 6 Long-tailed Tit were in trees by the cemetery entrance.

The Bullfinch.

Bullfinch. Geoff Gradwell.

Whilst in the cemetery on Saturday I recalled seeing my first ever 5 Bullfinch here 3 years ago on 30 October 2014, never before and not since. Always the chance I might connect with some again today which didn't happen, but checking through my records I noted another interesting sighting in 2004, when I made the following comments....'The most interesting Bullfinch I ever found was of four seen at Birk Bank car park on Rigg Lane 1 November 2004. I saw four here again three weeks later on 22 November when my records read that they were all male, almost a month later I made a third visit to Birk Bank on 18 December to find 8 Bullfinch and made my claim to have heard the distinctive 'toy trumpet' call of the Northern Bullfinch'.

I don't  recall ever seeing Bullfinch in our area of Bowland before, but it is interesting to note that 2004 was the year of a massive invasion of continental Bullfinch into Britain around mid-October when exceptional numbers were reported mainly in Scotland and along the east coast of England around mid-October.

Thanks to Geoff for his excellent Bullfinch composites, and to Richard for his equally excellent Redwing header.

There's a problem with the text background colour in this post which I have yet to rectify, but will have disappeared by the next post.

A Mooch Through The Park.

Autumn Leaves. Pete Woodruff.

A carpet of fallen autumn leaves make a colourful array in Williamson's Park where I went yesterday to see what birdlife I could find. A couple of hours mooch in the park, and an hour in Lancaster Cemetery produced 12 species, the two best counts being 24 Blackbird and 13 Magpie.

Williamson's Park. 

During the visit a few small birds rocketed into the trees to be lost forever, but I saw at least 16 Blackbird, 6 Magpie, 6 Robin, 3 Coal Tit, a Blue Tit, Great Tit, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, and Goldcrest.

Lancaster Cemetery.

A Kestrel in flight with prey in it's talons, 11 Long-tailed Tit flew in procession across the gap between trees, 8 Blackbird, 7 Magpie, 2 Jay and 2 Blue Tit. 

Then There Were Four!

An excellent sighting yesterday at Conder Green was of 4 Avocet, two still on Conder Pool, and two in the creeks, seen from between the Stork and hump backed bridge on the A588.

The same number four featured yesterday when I found 4 Painted Lady butterflies, one flew across the car park at the Stork in Conder Green, one at Conder Pool, and two at Cockersands, one of which flew across my path and out south west low over the sea.

Other notes from Conder Green, one of the Common Tern was bathing in the pool before returning to the island nest site, a Kestrel was hovering over the pool, 3 Little Egret were in the creeks, and a Shelduck was with eight young down the Conder Channel. 

Eider. Pete Woodruff. 

At Cockersands, as I arrived 23 Canada Geese took off from around Plover Scar and flew out of sight towards Glasson Dock, 13 Eider were close in. On Plover Scar at high tide little more than 30 waders, with 16 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, and a lone Knot. The predictable Tree Sparrow and Goldfinch were around Bank Houses, 3 Whitethroat and 3 Skylark noted on the circuit, with good numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin in the area, two of which landed on the road and were seen to take insects.

Other butterflies today, all seen at Cockersands, a pair of Common Blue, a Red Admiral and Peacock.  

Magpie. Pete Woodruff. 

This fledged young Magpie was screaming and flapping it's wings on the top of the hedge at Cockersands, for some reason it made no attempt to escape my attentions and was still there when I left.

Avocet and Common Tern at Conder Green. 

By my reckoning, the young Common Terns which swim soon out of the nest, could be seen before the end of next week 18 June, and the Avocet chick should be putting in an appearance similarly by 18 June. 

....And An Interesting Record At Aldcliffe.

So off I went again on Wednesday brimming over with enthusiasm and went directly to Cockersands, hot footing it to Plover Scar see if it would produce anything at high tide to find estimates of 160 Oystercatcher, 65 Turnstone, 50 Redshank, 3 Curlew, a single Grey Plover, and a completely out of context Wren. As I was about to leave, c.250 Golden Plover came down on to the scar, with another 150 Golden Plover seen later flying inland over the caravan park. As I drove away from here down Moss Lane I saw a hovering Kestrel, a hedge hopping Sparrowhawk, and Fieldfare unable to count from a moving car.

On Jeremy Lane, an adult Whooper Swan was with Mondays 16 Mute Swan, interesting that a single adult Whooper Swan was with Mute Swans at two sightings on Jeremy Lane last year in November. On Bodie Hill at Glasson Dock I saw a congregation of 15 Magpie, a first for me in such number, and on the canal basin, 9 Goldeneye was an additional one to Mondays count. On the Lune Estuary, up to 700 Golden Plover and 300 Dunlin, with 8 Snipe noted, also a drake Goosander and Mondays Little Grebe seen again. 

At Conder Green, a drake Goldeneye was on Conder Pool, with 5 Goosander, I found only 4 Little Grebe on here with two in the creeks. By now it's 3.30pm and I'm birding in half light....I'm going home! 

Black Redstart. 

Black Redstart. Fluke Hall 25 March 2005. Pete Woodruff.

I met a lady at Cockersands on Wednesday, a stranger, and had an interesting conversation which turned even more interesting when she casually said she had recently seen a Black Redstart at Aldcliffe. Whilst talking, this person had given me the impression she knew her birds to some extent. Apparently living in Bowland, she was well aware of the Hen Harrier story in much detail. After some polite questions from yours truly about the bird at Aldcliffe I was convinced she had indeed seen a Black Redstart there about mid-October, it seems the bird was on a fence post as she approached Freeman's Pools and was immediately identified, well after all, what else could it have been I asked myself. 

A chance meeting with this person, you have to wonder how many birds are 'missed' in this way.

And A Good Time Was Had By All!

Well....only me really, but I somehow enjoyed the birding a little more yesterday, not least because it was good to find up to 295 Whooper Swan at Cockersands, together with at least 12 Bewick's Swan, the birds were spread out over three fields, some of which were distant and inaccessible making the numbers game all the more difficult. Also 7 Whooper Swan, 4 Bewick's Swan, and the Black Swan were in a field off Jeremy Lane, a Little Egret flew out of a ditch here, and in another field c.300 Curlew and 100 Black-tailed Godwit were soon put to flight by some disturbance or other.

Kestrel Warren Baker

A Kestrel was opposite Gardners Farm on Moss Lane, and good root around the Cockersands area produced, estimates off Crook Farm of 350 Curlew, 220 Dunlin, with counts of 55 Black-tailed Godwit, and 35 Knot, with c.150 Golden Plover and 5 Brown Hare in the field behind Crook Cottage. I found nothing of note on Plover Scar, but 24 Eider and 2 Red-breasted Merganser were off here, with a Rock Pipit below the headland.

Magpie Bob Bushell 

A congregation of 12 Magpie was interesting. I remember John Bateman once commented to me about the numbers of Magpie to be seen regularly on the drive from Glasson Dock to Cockersands. On a circuit I noted 12 Greenfinch, 6 Reed Bunting, 6 Robin, and a Song Thrush, 2 Snipe came up out of a field off Slack Lane.

Black-tailed Godwit Noushka Dufort 

On the Lune Estuary, 15 Black-tailed Godwit hung on to what little mud was left exposed as the tide was gaining height, 26 Goldeneye and a Great-crested Grebe were noted, and on the south end of Colloway Marsh a Peregrine Falcon sat quietly on a washed up tree trunk, with just 4 Greylag the only geese seen. 

At Conder Green I confined myself to the viewing platform at high tide to note Spotted Redshank, 11 Little Grebe, 2 Goldeneye, 19 Wigeon, and a Kestrel. 

Thanks to Warren/Bob/Noushka for the excellent photographs.

Five Hours....Five Miles.

Footwork following the River Lune from Skerton Bridge to Glasson Dock on Friday resulted in the Song Thrush being my best bird of the day. Referred to in Lancashire Annual Reports as common and widespread though it's a species on the Red List, but I was pleased to have seen two en-route to Glasson Dock and one in song at Conder Green.

Mediterranean Gull. Copy Permitted.

The day started off well, and included in the 23 species noted in the black book, the first bird was a smart adult Mediterranean Gull with a small group of 55 Black-headed Gull on the river opposite Lune Road, also noted here 3 Goosander. As I approached Freeman's Pools I counted 11 Magpie together in the same area I'd seen twice that number of 22 a couple of weeks ago. Around fifty birds were on the pool including 3 Goldeneye, Mallard were predominant on the island, with Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal present, and a Kestrel hovering overhead, also of interest was 2 Roe Deer on the perimeter. I saw only one Little Egret on the marsh with a 'few' distant Pink-footed Geese.

Noted between Aldcliffe and Conder Green....

10 Robin
8 Blackbird
6 Goldfinch
5 Great Tit
4 Pied Wagtail
4 Chaffinch
3 Greenfinch
3 Song Thrush

Raven Antonio Puigg

A Raven was over the golf course, and c.250 Golden Plover were on the river bank opposite Stodday. In the short time to spare at Conder Green, 6 Goldeneye, 6 Little Grebe, and a Little Egret on Conder Pool. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock 25 Goldeneye, with 12 Goldeneye counted on the canal basin....the bus to Lancaster is coming!! 

Past records of note on this same route in 2012....On 29 November I counted 52 Blackbird, with 22 Robin and 10 Song Thrush on 11 December.

And a garden first....

Lesser Redpoll Martin Lofgren

A Lesser Redpoll had been reliably reported to me on two ocassions on our garden feeders recently by KT and I saw the bird for myself on Friday morning.