September.

September has been a decent month for me in the past, and some searching through the records has turned up a little interest out of the little black book.

I have to divert from September to start with the oldest, and note the record of a Lesser Yellowlegs I found on the Eric Morecambe Complex at Leighton Moss on 18 October 1995, this was the first record in our area of this North American wader, it was followed by the second Lesser Yellowlegs found at the same location 2 years later on 12 September 1997 when this time I was in company with John Leedal. These two birds were the first of four more seen over the years....

Banks Marsh 6 February 1999

Eagland Hill 14 September 2002

Glasson Dock 24 September 2011

Conder Green 23 August 2015

Black-necked Grebe Juvenile Len Blumin@Flickr 

September continued to be good for me, in that I found a juvenile Black-necked Grebe on Conder Pool 1 September 2008, this bird obliged for 17 days, and was last seen on Conder Pool on 18 September.

Honey Buzzard Martin Lofgren@Wild Bird Gallery

Just 18 days after my Black-necked Grebe, I was coming back down Clougha Pike whilst doing my Stonechat survey of the area, as I reached the top of Birk Bank, on 19 September 2008 a Honey Buzzard gave me 90 seconds of pleasure as it flew by me south. 

My sighting was a part of an influx of Honey Buzzard in our recording area in 2008, thought to have been displaced Scandinavian migrants. It was one of 10 records including the first of these, which was of a juvenile female having been ringed and solar-powered satellite transmitter fitted at the nest in Scotland. This bird was known to have roosted overnight on the Cumbria border on 13 September, crossed the English Channel to France, then over the Straits of Gibraltar. It reached southern Morocco by mid-October, but by mid-November the transmitter was still at the same remote location in the Atlas Mountains, suggesting that it had become detached, or the bird was dead.

I spent many hours along with John Leedal staked out in the Rusland Valley in Cumbria watching Honey Buzzard during the early 2000's, mostly fruitless hours, but we did have our days, and we had them close one day on which I made an excellent recording of one bird calling reminiscent of Grey Plover....Halcyon Days. 

Red-throated Diver.

I was intrigued by the report on LDBWS website, of a Red-throated Diver swimming upstream in the River Conder on Friday morning. I've no doubt this sighting was seen as questionable, but I was in touch with Malcolm Sole about his report, he gave me some more details and further claimed the bird to be in winter plumage. If this wasn't the case, then the question has to be....what did Malcolm see in the creeks at Conder Green on Friday morning?  

Another Field Day.

The field waders at Cockersand were reduced in number yesterday, but still a few hundred birds in all fifteen fields I checked there, including 420 Black-tailed Godwit which never fail to impress me, similar number of Curlew and uncounted Redshank, Dunlin, and Turnstone, with Golden Plover reaching four figures still in their favoured field viewed off Slack Lane, and of 3 Grey Plover seen, one was also unusually in a field, and 2 Snipe flushed out of the ditches.

Red-throated Diver off Plover Scar 18 January. John Whittle.

The bird of the day with Mega status at Cockersands, was the Red-throated Diver off Plover Scar around the high tide, excellent views though difficult to keep up to as it was diving constantly.

Up to 225 Oystercatcher were the only waders on Plover Scar at near high tide, and notably odd, not a single one of them made a move when a Sparrowhawk came on the scene over the scar, to cruise out across the estuary in the direction of Sunderland Point, 25 Eider and 2 Great-crested Grebe were off here. The Cockerham Sands female Stonechat was playing hard to find and I had to search half way to Bank End towards the east end of the Caravan Park, before finding it on and around the marsh minus any sign of it's mate the 1st winter male, nor did I find the male at the lighthouse end yesterday.

Other notes on the return route, 2 Tree Sparrow were at Bank Houses, in and around the fields, 7 Stock Dove, 7 Reed Bunting, 5 Skylark, and I watched at least 30 Meadow Pipit drop into a field, 3 Knot were seen on the shore as the tide dropped off by Crook Farm.

I had no intention of attempting to count again, but claim the swan herd - the nearest of which could be seen close by off Moss Lane, and the farthest down at Bank End - still stands at around 250 Whooper Swan. On Jeremy Lane, 4 Bewick's Swan were with 92 Whooper Swan.

The canal basin at Glasson Dock produced the 2 Pochard drake again, with a drake Goosander, and of the new peak count of 21 Goldeneye, sixteen were on here, the other five on the Lune Estuary. A quick check of Conder Pool on the way back to Lancaster, 62 Mallard, 25 Curlew, 20 Wigeon, and 12 Redshank.

The Barn Owl.

Brian Rafferty has been recently seeing Barn Owl again, in particular at Cockersand. 

Barn Owl. Brian Rafferty.

I had an interesting conversation with a farmer yesterday, in which he volunteered some info about a successful breeding season last year, in which five young were successfully fledged.

I'm grateful to John Whittle for forwarding me his image of the Red-throated Diver as promised, nice one and thanks again John. Also another big Thank You to Brian, for his excellent Barn Owl image, one of many he achieved recently in our area Here  

Apparently A Good Afternoon!

If you happen to like wet and windy weather, then you've probably been a very happy chappie this week. I hate wet and windy weather, and have been a very unhappy chappie this week, unable to pursue my birding. But it's looking good at the moment this morning and given half a chance....I'm off.

So I picked out at random one of my little black record books to discover quite a decent good afternoons birding I had 15 years ago to the day on 12 December 1999. Apparently it was a day I had decided to check out the birdlife along the promenade at Morecambe including a wander down the Stone Jetty to see a Velvet Scoter. The bird was first picked up flying south towards the jetty soon landing on the sea to give good views to facilitate identification of the bird being a juvenile. Also from here I saw a female Long-tailed Duck, a Red-throated Diver, and 2 Grey Seal making the visit along the jetty a well rewarded one.

Coming off the jetty to what was then called Bubbles Groyne - don't know what it's name is these days if it has one - to find a Purple Sandpiper, and Spotted Redshank there. Further along the promenade from the Town Hall slipway I saw a female Common Scoter to round of the visit nicely....That's what I call 'Apparently A Good Afternoon' at Morecambe.

Continental Crusaders.  

Swallowtail. Marc Heath.

There's an interesting article on the Birdguides website about an influx of exotic continental species into the UK this summer, in which my man from Kent has his excellent image of the Swallowtail butterfly well deservedly published to accompany the article Continental Crusaders  

Common Blue Damselfly. Marc heath. 

Another perfect example of Marc's excellent work is that of the Common Blue Damselfly at sunrise. Thanks for all this Marc, much appreciated.

Harbour & Bay.

On Tuesday I decided to give Heysham Harbour another visit and on getting out of the motor it was good to hear the first bird in song being the Song Thrush. Most birds seen on my way to the sea wall were in song....

Robin Noushka Dufort

Robin

Blackbird

Dunnock 

Wren

Greenfinch

As I approached the outfalls I was disappointed to see them void of birds even though the high tide was three hours away. But I spent a good hour at the south wall to see a Red-throated Diver flying into the bay some distance off the harbour mouth. However, this bird obliged and came down on to the sea hopefully for me to get a better look, but it then behaved unobligingly and promptly dived to soon disappear behind the north wall.

Guillemot at Heysham Harbour. Janet Packham.

In the harbour I saw a Guillemot around the power station water intake, and watched a Kittiwake flying around the harbour mouth.

Scaup at Middleton. Janet Packham.

I decided it was time I went to see for myself the long staying drake Scaup on Middleton Pond. I doubt if I'm on my own in thinking this is likely to be the same individual present on the canal basin at Glasson Dock in November/December 2013. In my brief visit I also noted 2 drake Pochard.

A walk along the promenade from Broadway to Teal Bay at Morecambe was healthy and very pleasant on a good sunny day, but it was a struggle to find a pair of Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Great-crested Grebe, and probably the only 2 Goldeneye anywhere in or around Morecambe Bay to the exclusion of the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock. I made a decent count of 56 Eider.

And finally....Stonechats again. 

Stonechat Martin Jump 

The Stonechat passage moves on apace, and I was more than a little pleased to find This Record And no less pleased to find a record of six Stonechats on Lytham Moss Monday 3 March on the Fylde Bird Club website. A personal thank you to JR/FB for reporting these sightings. This years local migrant Stonechat records stand at 14 and that represents a good spring passage in my little black book.

My thanks to Noushka for the Robin, and to Janet - Heysham Observatory - for the Guillemot and Scaup images, and Martin for the Stonechat, they are all excellent photographs and much appreciated.

Fifteen Days Later.

Fifteen days after my last birding day and I was off on Thursday, not exactly like a shot - it was 10.30 before I escaped - but I was soon on the viewing platform at Conder Green. I had no choice to go further than the platform, the tide was well up and 20 minutes after I arrived I had to leave as the tidal water was in the lay-by lapping up against my wheels. It was a big disappointment I had to cut and run as the place was alive both on Conder Pool and the flooded marsh with 14 species of at least 900 birds....circa (*)

Teal 400 *

Redshank 200 *

Mallard 150 *

Wigeon 100 *

Black-tailed Godwit 10

Curlew 8

Goldeneye 6

Tufted Duck 6

Little Grebe 5

Oystercatcher 3

Spotted Redshank 2

Common Sandpiper

Goosander

Little Egret

Turnstone David Cookson

On Plover Scar at Cockersands with the tide 30 minutes past its height of 10.30m, 145 Turnstone was a decent count, with up to 200 Oystercatcher, 6 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 2 Grey Plover, and a single Redshank. Thanks to DC for the excellent portrait of the Turnstone, and the new header Red-throated Diver.

Hopelessly looking into the sun, on the Cocker Estuary in excess of 800 wildfowl in silhouette were mainly Wigeon, with Mallard, Teal, and Pintail of note. Off Crook Farm, c.350 Wigeon, a Goldeneye and drake Red-breasted Merganser noted. A single Tree Sparrow seen around Bank Houses can't possibly be alone in the Cockersands area, also 15 Greenfinch seen here again. 

Three hours at Cockersands ran away with my time and daylight and I covered only a fraction of the areas I set out to today, and when I got to Glasson Dock my time and the light was gone. Ten Goldeneye were a good count on the canal basin with a male and female Pochard seen. On the Lune Estuary 16 Goldeneye were the only birds counted, but also present with no significant numbers save the Lapwing.... 

Black-tailed Godwit 

Bar-tailed Godwit 

Knot

Golden Plover
Dunlin

Lapwing, 

Red-breasted Merganser.

Barn Owl. Martin Jump.

MJ took this photograph almost 12 months ago at the end of January, he appropriately titled his post A Ghostly Encounter which contains nine brilliant images of the Barn Owl in a mist.

I'm told of a Barn Owl hunting fields behind Abbey Farm on Thursday 15 minutes after I left the car park at Lighthouse Cottage. Taking into account the plight of the Barn Owl at the end of 2013, this is excellent news....Thanks for the info on this AC.

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

The LRP Twitch!

Argyll Sunrise. Colin Bushell

It would have been great to have got up this morning with a sunrise like this one CB had in Argyll recently and head off out for a days birding, but not so here in Lancaster where it was dull and grey and I didn't have the day to myself for birding anyway. But I did head off out on a local 'twitch' - yes I do it sometimes - having been given the tip off from a contact about two LRP's on Conder Pool Tuesday morning, as it turned out they either left for better things, or they were in hiding, so in twitching jargon  I 'dipped' but did see a Spotted Redshank and Greenshank before leaving for Aldcliffe with thoughts that if I 'needed' to see LRP's this was going to be my best bet. With limited time before having to be back home by mid-day the plan was to do a circuit at a crawl for a couple of hours but the weather had other plans and it was reduced to a walk from Aldcliffe to Freeman's Pools where I did in fact find 2 Little Ringed Plover and noted a drake Shoveler and 2 Goldeneye on here.

All in all a bit of a miserable episode in my birding life. Still....you can't win'em all can you!

Couldn't resist this one to follow on from yesterdays 'Hobby' and you won't be able to either, and there's another three you can view here too.



And if you'd like a Red-throated Diver as your desktop background an invite to do so is HERE: