Before The Break.

The title of this post should have been 'Good Afternoon Part 3', but I thought that would have been too boring and repetitive, and perhaps would have lost me some visitors to B2B....Just saying!

But before the break in the weather, it was in fact my third good afternoon session, and although Conder Pool was a little underwhelming, the day was no less rewarding than the first two.

Conder Pool.

First to note, was that the Common Terns have deserted Conder Pool. I understand the last sighting was Friday 21 August, void of checking my records, this sounds like an average date for their departure.

Just four species of birds noted today, a Spotted Redshank, 8 Ruff, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, and 13 Little Grebe.

Speckled Wood. Pete Woodruff.

A Speckled Wood seen through the viewing screen.

Saltcote Pond.

The or another Common Hawker seen again, also an Emperor Dragonfly, Brown Hawker, and 6 Common Darter. 

Painted Lady. Pete Woodruff.

Butterflies, a Painted Lady and Common Blue. 

Birk Bank.

Black Darter. Pete Woodruff.

On and over the bog,  a Common Hawker seen again, one here 7 August. Also 4 Black Darter and 4 Common Darter were all male. 

Roe Deer. Pete Woodruff.

As I came away from the bog I saw a Roe Deer, it was staring me in the face within 15 metres through the branches, but a pity it decided to move off as I fired the shutter. Also seen, was a male Stonechat in the same area I found a breeding pair on 15 July.

Garden First.

A little something of interest in the garden recently. 

Scorpionfly. Pete Woodruff.

When I first clapped eyes on this one I thought I'd found a dragonfly in the garden, it was a Scorpionfly.

 

The Header.

I was struggling again for a decent header image of my own, but Marc Heath came to the rescue with some stunning Red-veined Darters which have had a good season and bred for the first time on his local patch in Kent this year....Thanks Marc much appreciated.

....But First The Bad Bit!

Based on the weather being not as good as forecast, although it was bright, there was cloud most of the day, with an annoying cool breeze which wouldn't bode well for dragon hunting. I was tempted to title this post Another Wrong Day, but decided that would be a little too boring for three posts in a row....So here goes.

Let's get rid of the bad bit first....The only Keeled Skimmer I saw in two 30 minute visits to Birk Bank bog was a deceased male.

Keeled Skimmer Male (Deceased) Pete Woodruff.

OK, everything reaches the end, but there's no way I wanted to see a dead dragonfly today, and certainly not a Keeled Skimmer, a species that has only colonised Birk Bank bog since it was first discovered here 10 years ago in August 2015 by local birder Steve Graham. I've seen them every year since then, but there's no question I was gutted at seeing this one having expired today.

Now here's the good excellent bit....I saw 3 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, including a 'buy one get one free' moment, when two settled together for a photo-shoot.

Golden-ringed Dragonflies Birk Bank 6 August. Pete Woodruff.

Also, a stunning male Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling close to the boardwalk.

Common Darter. Pete Woodruff.

Six Common Darter male were all basking on the boardwalk as they do, and 2 Blue-tailed Damselfly seen.  

Whilst watching the dragonflies I spotted some interaction between two raptors which kept coming in to view over the ridge above Birk Bank. Difficult to keep up to, but managed some brief record footage of 2 Peregrine Falcon. Later in the same area, a soaring Buzzard. 

Also seen from the boardwalk, a bird flew out from a Mountain Ash, to my great surprise and pleasure, it was a Green Woodpecker. This was my first since I last found one here 4 years ago in April 2021, previously a Green Woodpecker was found here in July 2020....Three in a row at Birk Bank.

Sundew Birk Bank. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to find the Sundew still thriving here, with several clusters found below the north end of the boardwalk.

Common Darter. Pete Woodruff.

Sightings on a wander from the bog to Ottergear Bridge. A Common Darter female seen from the path up the bank on bracken was difficult for an image for ID. 

Did you know, bracken is thought to be the most common plant in the world and is found on all continents except Antarctica. 

A Roe Deer was seen in a field off Rigg Lane, and it was great to find the breeding record of a family party of 4 Stonechat. A male Common Darter was on Ottergear Bridge, and butterflies noted along the way, a Painted Lady, 2 Small Copper, a Holly Blue, and Meadow Brown.

Another Wrong Day....Definitely not, quite the opposite actually, it developed into more like an excellent day in my book.

Conder Pool.

An update from Conder Pool has me gutted once again, when I learn that just the one young from three Little Ringed Plover has survived. Just the one piece of good news out of this is, all being well the bird should fledge in the coming week....Here's hoping!

Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool 30 July. Howard Stockdale.

Assuming this young bird is the sole survivor from the same pair, it is the result of 5 attempts to breed, and that's from a species which usually lays 4 eggs in the breeding season, which although not likely this year - though she did lay 3 eggs this last attempt - would make it a pitiful 20 eggs laid from this female.

I'm grateful to Howard Stockdale for regularly keeping me up to date with matters relating to Conder Pool. 

....And A Raptor To Boot!!

My visit started at Conder Pool....well where else.

There were 87 Wigeon present, with 9 Little Grebe, and a lone Snipe. A Roe Deer in the long grasses at the east end of the pool represents a first record for me on Conder Pool. 

The good number of 345 geese on Conder Pool 1 December had relocated, in fact a record of precisely 499 were reported, being 409 Greylag and 90 Canada Geese on Glasson Marsh 5 December. All was revealed about the absence of geese from Conder Pool, when I found a similarly large number of Greylag and a lesser number of Canada Geese on Jeremy Lane.

Fieldfare Moss Lane. Howard Stockdale.

Driving along Moss Lane, a flock of around 50 Fieldfare were the second flock I've seen from a moving vehicle in the past week. I have yet to have good views of any winter thrush this winter.

 Stonechat Cockersand. Martin Jump.

At Cockersand, a pair of Stonechat were working their way along the marsh towards Crook Cottage. My best encounter by far this year was at least 2,500 Pink-footed Geese in fields between Lighthouse Cottage and Abbey Farm, but with binoculars only I found nothing 'odd' amongst them. Also in the field by Abbey Farm, up to 150 Black-tailed Godwit seen, and on a wander around, 14 Snipe took to flight out of ditches and damp areas.

As I arrived back at the Caravan Park from the circuit, things progressively got better and more exciting. First a Stonechat was on the marsh edge, then a Barn Owl flew through the gate by Lower Bank House and promptly flew back and out of sight. But best of the day - after the Stonechat - was yet to come.

Flight of Dunlin off Plover Scar. Martin Jump.

I spied a Merlin perched distant on a post in the middle of the marsh, the raptor soon took off to take out a Dunlin which it immediately dropped, at which point 2 Carrion Crow on the shore and having witnessed this, seized the opportunity to pounce and started to pluck the unfortunate Dunlin.

Thanks to Howard and Martin for their excellent images, they are much appreciated.

March Migrants.

Having had one of my worst weeks for birding in many a year, Birds2blog came close to having a seven day blank, but it was salvaged by an attempt to see a few birds on Wednesday along the coastal path between Aldcliffe and Glasson Dock.

The day turned into a near flop, but I did see my first Wheatear of the year on the flotsam at high tide, a stunning male, though not a Rock Pipit in sight. Also scurrying across the floating flotsam towards me, was what I regarded to be an unmistakable jet black Water Shrew, which unknown to the unfortunate creature, turned out to be heading towards its demise. The shrew disappeared below the bank, but 15 seconds later it reappeared between the teeth of a Weasel to disappear once more below the bank on the other side of the footpath.

I aborted my plans and wandered back to Lancaster via the embankment along Aldcliffe Marsh, to see 8 Snipe along the way, exploding into the air ahead of me. As I walked along the path parallel to Freeman's Pools, a stag Roe Deer was resting by the central reeds.

Ring Ouzel Cockers Dyke 23 March. Paul Ellis.

In addition to the early arrivals of Sand Martin, Swallow, and Wheatear in the March Migrants in my last post, a male Ring Ouzel was found on Thursday. This bird was seen one day after the first spring arrival of a Ring Ouzel at the Verne, Portland Bill on Wednesday 22 March, where the first spring Willow Warbler was seen on Tuesday 21 March the day before.

Some other interesting early arrivals and on the waiting list in our area....

28 Feb Little Ringed Plover Hampshire.

1 Mar Osprey Hampshire.

2 Mar Whinchat Isles of Scilly.

12 Mar Yellow Wagtail Norfolk.

12 Mar Hoopoe Cornwall.

18 Mar Sedge Warbler Hampshire.

19 Mar Hobby Dorset.

20 Mar Common Tern Cornwall.

Conder Pool Common Tern.

An interesting record to be noted, the first ever Common Terns on Conder Pool, didn't arrive until the late date of 2 July 2014, they successfully raised two young and were last seen at Cockersand on 14 September.

Conder Pool Avocet.

On Friday *30 Avocet were present on Conder Pool, a record which developed into an interesting discovery. The book of wisdom, and papers written about the age of Avocet before breeding is 2 years. However, last year on Conder Pool two Avocet chicks were colour marked with flag codes in 2021. These birds were both female, and were paired up to breed on their return to Conder Pool as yearling's in 2022, both pairs hatched 4 chicks each....Maybe time to update the literature!

*A report of 39 Avocet on Conder Pool Saturday per FBC.

Disaster...Well A Bit Of One!

I called the visit to Harrisend, Hawthornthwaite and deeper into Bowland a disaster, but I have to say that is a bit of an exaggeration, perhaps a disappointment would be more appropriate. But a few hours birding without the sight of a single Stonechat, did tempt me to call it a disaster.

I've not been on these two fells since 18 October, when I found a total of 15 Stonechat. Since then these birds have retreated to the lowlands, mainly on the Fylde coast, including Cockersand where a peak count of 8 Stonechat was made recently as the best ever winter count here. 

I was in the good company of Martin Jump on Thursday, and 2.5 hour on Harrisend has to be labelled a disappointment, but not totally....it never is.

Roe Deer Harrisend. Martin Jump.

Two Roe Deer seen at a range of 80 metres had to take top spot on the visit, they were seen 30 minutes later bounding off in the opposite direction and away from us. Also seen, 2 Raven, 2 Red Grouse, and 3 Buzzard. On Hawthornthwaite, Buzzard and Red Grouse were the only sightings. Martin took note of at least 8 Wren heard on the day.

Star Jelly.

Lets be honest, a frog has to take credit for a first and interesting record made on Hawthornthwaite Fell on Thursday.

Star Jelly. Pete Woodruff.

Void of anything scientific, or the folklore of which there is much surrounding it, here's the simple explanation and the most plausible theory of what we found on moorland on Thursday....This is frog spawn and reproductive organs, regurgitated by a predator that has taken and eaten a frog. On contact with water the mucus jelly has expanded in the stomach and the predator has vomited, leaving a perfect example of Star Jelly.

Black Redstart/Bullfinch/Little Owl.

Black Redstart Cockersand 26 January. Ian Mitchell.

Thanks to Ian for the excellent image of the long staying Back Redstart at Cockersand, and to Colin for reporting another brilliant record of 2 Bullfinch he saw on Rigg Lane on Friday, these follow my record of 2 Bullfinch seen on Rigg Lane on 24 October last year. Thanks also to Martin who found a Little Owl as he drove toward Oakenclough on Thursday late afternoon, seen as a scarce and declining breeding bird in our area.

Thanks also to Ian Mitchell for the brilliant header image of the Golden Plover at Cockersand....Note the stunning plumage detail. 

Some You Win....Some You Lose!

Birding didn't quite pan out as I had hoped it would on Friday, the weather wasn't as good as the forecast, and the birds were generally not obliging mainly because they weren't there, though the waders at Glasson made something of a contradiction to that remark.

River Conder After The Rain. Pete Woodruff.

On arriving at Conder Green, I spent the first 20 minutes on the viewing platform sheltering from a downpour. Thanks to the late Ian Pinkerton for putting in the planning application, and thanks to FBC for the erection of the said shelter complete with roof.

Conder Pool West End Looking East. Pete Woodruff.

Hard to believe it was heaving down just 15 minutes before I took this picture, when Conder Pool was virtually void of birdlife, but a Ruff was in the creeks with 6 Greenshank.

Minutes after I arrived at Glasson Dock to look over the Lune Estuary, though I didn't pick out the culprit, I'd say it was a Peregrine Falcon put something like 4,000 waders into the skies, some of which disappeared downstream and never returned. Those that did settle again were spread far and wide, and I made no attempt to count, but initially I estimated a four figure mix of predominantly Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot, with a mid-double figure of Golden Plover, and a lower figure of Black-tailed Godwit. Also noted, 2 Avocet were at the Conder mouth, a single Snipe, a pair of Goosander, and 16 Little Egret. A Small Tortoiseshell was basking on the whitewashed wall at the Victoria Hotel.

On Jeremy Lane from a moving car, 10 Whooper Swan, and on Moss Lane, a Great-spotted Woodpecker flew ahead of me, and c.30 Whooper Swan I saw recently remain in the field at Clarkson's Farm.

Looking North From Cockersand. Pete Woodruff.

By the time I got to Cockersand the weather had made a nose-dive, from flat calm and sunny, to cloudy, windy, and threatening rain. Not the conditions to set off on a 2 mile hike around Cockersand with nowhere to hide....Some you win, some you lose!

The Parish Of Aldcliffe.

On a brief visit, a buck and doe Roe Deer seen amongst the trees on the perimeter of Freeman's Pools....Nice.

Thanks to Ian Mitchell for the header image of the three Avocet, still on target to winter on the Lune Estuary. 

The Mixed Bag.

A bit of this and that in this post....The main purpose for a visit to Birk Bank was to find my first odonata of 2021, well I've been late finding just about everything else this year, so why not dragonflies! 

The boardwalk was in need of repair, several sections of it were collapsed and had left dodgy wide gaps. The guys were doing a good job, and whilst there could be no evidence of disturbance, Radio One and Jay-Z with a Hip-Hop mix at a large amplitude certainly wasn't a good combination for the area and couldn't possibly have contributed to finding dragonflies. But anyhow, lets move on to see what else was on offer here today....

Three Cuckoo were heard calling, including one with a notably high pitched first syllable. From Rigg Lane, I timed a Cuckoo calling almost continuously for 15 minutes, during which time it clocked 540 calls at 36 per minute. At least 21 Willow Warbler mainly heard only, but good views of two, 5 Blackcap, 5 Meadow Pipit, 4 Mistle Thrush, with one obviously feeding young somewhere, a Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, and a Buzzard overhead. Six House Martin were over Cragg Cottage, but I saw none approaching the property at any time.

Cragg Wood. Pete Woodruff. 

The River Conder - and sometimes the Golden-ringed Dragonfly - flows delightfully through the equally delightful Cragg Wood from where I glimpsed a Roe Deer. 

On the day, I counted 9 Large White, and with the exception of a Speckled Wood, surprisingly I saw no others in 5 hours and perfect weather....But the Painted Lady has arrived!

Cream Wave. Pete Woodruff.

Confusable this one, but I'm sticking to this being a Cream Wave moth until someone corrects me, it compensated me perfectly for the dearth of butterflies.

Bowland/Conder Pool.

I've had good news passed on to me by AC in Bowland, where he found 6 Spotted Flycatcher, also a pair of Pied Flycatcher feeding young at the tree nest hole I recently found, plus a male with the female seen last week at Trough Bridge.

From HS, as at Thursday last, 15 Avocet young and 6 Common Tern nests at Conder Pool. The bad news here being, the date for the re-intro of livestock is 16 June, when there will still be unfledged young and eggs in and around the nests. 

Redstart Holme Wood. Howard Stockdale.

The Holme Wood Redstarts are due to have young fledge in the next few days. I reckon Howard Stockdale will be the first to know when that happens.

Thanks again to Martin and Howard for news and images, as always much appreciated. 

And Finally....

Juvenile Dunnock. Pete Woodruff.

We were delighted to find two fledged Dunnock in our garden this year, a first and probably nested in our neighbours garden, and are now about three weeks old.

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.

Not much to show....

....for my efforts today, but....

Skylark. David Cookson



I heard 3 Skylarks at Cockersands today including one singing its heart out off the headland in a bloody cold stiff westerly, also noted here on a circuit - much reduced in enthusiasm due to the aforementioned westerly and not producing very much - 10 Eider, a Wheatear, male Reed Bunting, a drake Pintail was the 'surprise of the day' in the ditch running between fields seen from the road past Bank Houses, what this bird was doing there is beyond me, 12 Brown Hares included four out on Plover Scar, and 2 Whooper Swans still with Mute Swans from Moss Lane.

On the almost deserted Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, c.350 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 3 Eider of note. On Conder Pool just one Little Ringed Plover on view whilst I was there, 2 Spotted Redshank will soon have completed their transformation to black, a Common Sandpiper, and 2 Sand Martin over. 

On a circuit of Aldcliffe, a Little Ringed Plover was on the flood whilst Freeman's Pools was virtually void of birds and no LRP's found. A Roe Deer was out on the marsh but soon realised inland provided better cover when it saw someone with a dog approaching, 2 Swallow over, and I noted an Orange Tip and 6 Small Tortoiseshell. I observed a Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff in the space of a few minutes and was able to take note of one significant behavioural trait of the Chiffchaff which is the habit of downward tail-dipping while feeding, the Willow Warbler doesn't do any tail-dipping when feeding but usually with one dip after alighting. The Chiffchaff also bore a metal ring....no benefit to me or anyone else unless/until the bird is netted or found dead by somebody who realises that birds have rings on their legs for a reason!     

And finally....

Cormorant. Cliff Raby

I think we've all seen the Cormorant tussling with something it caught, often with something you feel it can't possibly swallow but always seems to eventually. I watched one recently for up to ten minutes with a flat fish measuring at least 15cm at it's widest point, I thought it would never succeeded in disposing of this catch....but did.

Thanks for the photographs DC/CR, much appreciated.

Never a dull moment!

Ringed Plover. Geoff Gradwell

With no related pics of today's birding - other than they are birds - I decided to showcase a couple of GG's photographs.

My birding never sinks to 'dull' but now and again has a tendency to lean in that direction, but this is not with regard to the company I keep but with the birds I/we sometimes encounter, or more to the point don't encounter. Today was the Friday outing with JB/BT and....yes you guessed it we went directly to Aldcliffe where 4 White Wagtails stood out from the 2 Pied Wagtails on the flood, with 2 Meadow Pipits and 2 Reed Bunting also to note. Down at Freeman's Pools I could only find one Little Ringed Plover perfectly camouflaged on the shingle island, with a drake Gadwall and 2 Goldeneye to note, 2 Roe Deer also put in an appearance along the perimeter of the pool, and 2 Long-tailed Tits seen.

Viewing the marsh at high tide from the picnic area at Conder Green, c.200 Bar-tailed Godwit, at least 400 Redshank, a single Goldeneye on the River Lune, with 4 Red-breasted Merganser, a single Goosander, and I could see no more than 8 Wigeon here today. On Conder Pool, in truth I found nothing more than a Greenshank of note.

From Bodie Hill, 15 Eider seen. On Jeremy Lane 2 Whooper Swans - an adult and two immature - are still hanging on here. On the somewhat brief visit to Cockersands I recorded c.40 Golden Plover on the shingle at the Caravan Park end. Turning in to Crimbles Lane 2 Buzzard were together, and on Pilling Marsh a Little Egret, c.300 Pink-footed Geese was something of a pointless count as I saw several movements of birds already counted which came down to disappear below the seaward end of the marsh no doubt to join countless others already there out of view....And a good time was had by all!

And finally, well almost....

Great-spotted Woodpecker. Geoff Gradwell    

The thing I like about photographs like this one of the Great-spotted Woodpecker, is that the bird is seen in its natural environment and not like it was taken in a museum in a glass case....Thanks for these GG.

And finally....

Quite amazing that I 'stumbled upon' the following note which appears to confirm my claim in yesterdays post about the association between the Dartford Warbler and the Stonechat. Quote....On two occasions in November 1976 a Dartford Warbler (DW) was observed in company with a male Stonechat in a field of Red Clover overgrown with Sow-Thistles. The DW spent much time foraging amongst the thistles, if the Stonechat moved off while it was feeding the DW would perch on a thistle head, call and look around, apparently trying to locate the Stonechat. Once it had succeeded to do so the DW would fly directly to it and the two would perch conspicuously side by side on adjacent thistle heads, the DW would then resume feeding close to the Stonechat....unquote.

I personally think there is more to this account than meets the eye and reckon this skulking Dartford Warbler was using the vigilant Stonechat - which always has good views from its feeding perches, which is a wary bird and noisy when alarmed - as a look-out.

Birds fascinate me in a thousand ways!