Think Pink!

Pink-footed Geese Brian Rafferty 

The Pink-footed Geese are back, though my sightings yesterday didn't reflect other claims of 'a massive movement' elsewhere. My records were of 160 on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock with 80 over here going south, and 60 going the same direction over Cockersands.

I got to Cockersands about an hour before high tide, though places like Plover Scar are not the best to be caught in a downpour and I had to spend the next 1.5 hours in the car waiting to see if the constant showers would pass over. By the time I got to Plover Scar the high tide was heading up to an hour past, but the waders - reduced in number - were staying put and I found 3 Curlew Sandpiper still here with a solitary Sanderling, in excess of 100 Turnstone, and 4 Black-tailed Godwit to note, with c.60 Dunlin and Ringed Plover noted as 'a few' by comparison to recent visits here. Six Eider were bobbing up and down like corks off Plover Scar, a single Wheatear seen, and a Little Egret passing the scar fought against the howler blowing today and eventually flew over the end of Sunderland Point towards Middleton. 

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock was relatively quiet, though c.200 Redshank and no more than 20 Dunlin were feeding close by, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, just 4 Wigeon, a Little Egret, and a Red-breasted Merganser appearing to nearly choke itself on a large fish it caught, I'm often amazed at the size of the catch these divers make and manage to down.

A quick look in on Conder Pool on my way back to Lancaster revealed another increase of two with 8 Little Grebe seen, a Little Egret was the only other note I made. 

The Pelagic.

 Manx Shearwater. Paul Foster.

On a nice day in August, with clear skies and a light wind, Paul went on a pelagic trip out of Liverpool. I couldn't resist posting two of his photographic results, this one of the Manx Shearwater....

Great Skua. Paul Foster.

....and this of the Great Skua. Paul's account and images of the day are HERE  

Thanks for allowing me to put your day on Birds2blog Paul, much appreciated.      

Bird Behaviour.

Peregrine Falcon Brian Rafferty

There is a brief account and photographs of a Peregrine Falcon behaving in an unbelievable way. I doubt if there could ever be a rational explanation for what we SEE HERE but mine is that it is an escaped captive bird and a hungry one at that.

I keep a book of personal records containing some remarkable bird behaviour seen on my travels, one of them is an account of a Spotted Redshank (SR) seen from the Eric Morecambe Hide at Leighton Moss in 1998 which I observed feeding alongside some Teal, the SR was noted to be upending immersing its head and neck, the Teal was obviously stirring up a food source and the SR was opportunistically taking advantage of this. I later found this behaviour of SR was known though I had never seen it myself before and not since.

Swallow David Cookson   

I'm quite sure much more will be known about the Swallow today than was the case when one was ringed as a nestling on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border at Low Bentham in August 1918. This individual was picked up dead in South Africa six months later in February 1919 and the aluminium ring was found to have the markings J.M.53 and an address in London, at the time this was the fourth Swallow to have been ringed in Great Britain and later found in South Africa. There is an interesting tale attached to this bird in that, the finding of it dead on a farm in South Africa had the natives all thinking the bird boded ill-luck for the farmer, and considered it to be a clear case of witchcraft for a bird to appear from nowhere with a ring round its leg and to alight on the farm. 

But theres always a record which stands out from all the rest and the one about a Manx Shearwater is one of them, it was the most remarkable 'homing experiment' of all at the time and probably still is.  

Manx Shearwater Dave Appleton  

An adult Manx Shearwater was taken from its burrow on Skokholm off Pembrokeshire, Wales, and conveyed to an airport, into the hold of a trans-atlantic aircraft, and on to Boston, USA were it was released. This truly amazing creature navigated across the featureless Atlantic Ocean in twelve days and was recorded as actually arriving back at the burrow on Skokholm before details of its release reached the island.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler www.arkive.org

Bringing a smile to birding. 

An Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - a MEGA in any birders books - was reported yesterday morning in Fife, Scotland. No doubt the 'twitchers' were filling their tanks for the journey up to Scotland....but by the evening the bird had been re-identified as a Chiffchaff....Mmmmm!   

Delayed Action....

I did get out on Friday with BT but I've had some computer problems to deal with, the consequences of which has been that the post has been delayed. The computer is obviously feeling much better now though I must say I've received no e-mails in the past few days so still problems for my 'wizard' to attend to....But first a couple of birds which turned up on the Marine Lake at Fleetwood last week.

Manx Shearwater. Phil Slade  

Most surprising of the two has to be the Manx Shearwater which appears to be in good health if the photograph is anything to go by and I have no knowledge of it being otherwise.

Red-throated Diver. David Cookson

But not all that much less surprising this summer plumage Red-throated Diver which sadly is no more, though I have it on good authority that the bird appeared ill on its arrival on the lake. Thanks to PS/DC for the images, as ever much appreciated.

I was with BT on Friday and we first went to Knott End where the Sandwich Tern numbers don't appear to have exceeded the c.230 seen her earlier in the migration period on the early date of 29 July, today I found only two. Also of note were 2 Curlew Sandpiper juveniles, 2 Mediterranean Gull both of which were adult, and some uncounted - not much use to the recorders - Sanderling, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, and Dunlin.

I then decided to walk from Knott End to Fluke Hall to meet BT there a couple of hours later. At Cockers Dyke another adult Mediterranean Gull found, and noted 2 Bar-headed Geese over going west, c.3,200 Knot, c.50 Grey Plover some of which retained stunning summer plumage, and estimates of 250 Lapwing, 120 Sanderling, 100 Golden Plover, and similar Dunlin. Between the two locations I counted with caution at least 12 Wheatear which have the habit of flying in both directions causing duplicate counts by passing you in flight more than once, and a single Red Admiral seen. Calling in at Pilling Lane Ends gave us 3 Wheatear and a Little Egret.

I have to record....in all honesty the visit to Cockersands - being a location full of 'western promise' and occasionally excellent results - was too brief and pointless. Sorry BT no offence, but this place needs two hours absolute minimum, preferably three. The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock and Conder Green were also not visited today....So, some 'birding' mistakes made today in my opinion.    

And finally....

Yellow-headed Caracara. Colin Bushell

One of the many bird species CB will no doubt encounter on his current trip to Regua in Brazil. You can keep up to date with him HERE