The Birk Bank Bombus.

I was struggling to make a decision on Friday, but my mind was instantly made up by a call from Ian Mitchell who told me about a find he'd made.

I was off hot foot to Birk Bank, to find an area gifted with a small carpet of Common Bird's-foot-trefoil, one of the food plants of the 2 Bilberry Bumblebee Bombus monticola I found, having foraged the Bilberry, then moving on to other food sources such as the bird's-foot-trefoils, thistles and heathers.

Large Red Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

A visit to Birk Bank bog produced at least 20 Large Red Damselfly with a few mating pairs seen. Any other dragons to be seen here will have to wait until my next visit, even though the conditions were good today, the season has yet to take off at this excellent acidic site....I'm increasingly getting worried here!

On a couple of hours wander I noted a relatively low number of up to 10 Willow Warbler, a Garden Warbler, Tree Pipit, 12 Meadow Pipit, and saw Raven and Buzzard over the ridge.

Common Lizard. Pete Woodruff.

Although I noted 4 species of bees, the insect count otherwise was poor, with just 2 Small Heath butterfly, a Little Emerald moth, and 2 Common Lizard on the boardwalk at the bog.

Forest Cuckoo Bee Bombus sylvestris. Pete Woodruff.

And Finally.

Green Tiger Beetle. Pete Woodruff. 

I was struggling for a header pik, but Ian Mitchell came to the rescue with his Hooded Crow found on the return journey back to Lancaster from Walney NR last week....Much appreciated Ian.

Quality If Not Quantity.

Hard to know where to begin with notes from a richly rewarding circuit of Birk Bank and surrounding area, with at least three sightings of stand out quality.

Bombus monticola.  

It really does have to start with a bumblebee that has always been uncommon in Lancashire, and one that I yearned to find and was eventually fortunate to do so, it was the sight of the enigmatic Bilberry Bumblebee. 

The footage is a combination of mine and Ian Mitchell's. I have yet to ID the plant the Bilberry Bumblebee was on in the first section of the video, but in the second, the food plant was Bird's-foot Trefoil, with a Cuckoo calling in the distance.

Cuckoo.

Soon after I crossed Ottergear Bridge, one of 2 Cuckoo seen/heard today, flew by me and promptly landed atop of a tree, it was pursued and mobbed by a Tree Pipit which put the Cuckoo to flight....I saw neither of these birds again.

Birk Bank Bog.

In the video, of 2 Keeled Skimmer male seen, this is the one with the black mark on the left side of the abdomen previously seen on 5 June. Each time the second male came on the scene, it was immediately chased off, and returned to precisely the same spot on the same perch every time it moved off. Replies to my query about the mark, two experts agreed that it is the result of a scratch against undergrowth, or more likely caused during mating. 

Also on the bog, at least 6 Four-spotted Chaser and a good number of Large Red Damselfly with many coupled, also at least 20 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Butterflies were in the unbelievably low bracket again, with just 2 Speckled Wood in my book today.

And The Rest....

Five singing male Blackcap, a Garden Warbler by Gragg Wood, also in this area, an adult Song Thrush was accompanied by a juvenile, and the expected and ever present Willow Warbler singing in good number.

Scorched Wing. Pete Woodruff.

When I found this moth, I instantly thought it had burns to its wings. Imagine my surprise to learn it's a Scorched Wing....Never heard if it, another first for me.

Saturday 10 June.

Fifteen minutes on the bank of the River Wyre downstream from St Michaels produced at least 50 Banded Demoiselle. Also good views of a male Blackcap, a Whitethroat, and 6 Speckled Wood....Great stuff. 

And Finally....

Andrew Cornall reports to me, 3 Keeled Skimmer at Birk Bank on Friday, including pairing and egg laying. This is the peak count to date of Keeled Skimmer at Birk Bank bog. 

Also Friday, Ian Mitchell's image of the Keeled Skimmers, clearly shows the cause of damage to the males abdomen during mating.

Thanks to Andrew Cornall and Ian Mitchell along with many others, for continuing to keep in touch with me, usually overloaded with interesting records and images. 

Also some excellent news from Steve Graham, when he reported a male Keeled Skimmer around the runnel at Ottergear Bridge 5 June. And Pat Waring who reported 2 Common Sandpiper chicks at Marshaw 4 June.

I'm also grateful to Martin Jump for his excellent Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary header, and for his good company this week.

A Decent Day Around Birk Bank.

The weather is settled now, and with warm sunny days in the forecast for the foreseeable future, I was off to see if the conditions were good enough to bring out the dragonflies on and over the bog at Birk Bank, they were being recorded everywhere else it seems.

Four Spotted Chaser Ovipositing. Pete Woodruff.

Although virtually impossible for accuracy, I found at least 30 Four Spotted Chaser, seen at long range at the east end of the bog viewed from the boardwalk, also a similar number of c.30 Large Red Damselfly, and an excellent count of 10 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, whilst recalling Steve Graham had recorded 51 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary here in June 2021. Also noted at and around the bog area, 2 Green Hairstreak, a single Common Blue, a Small Heath, and Common Lizard. 

Common Lizard. Pete Woodruff.

On a wander around, a Broad Bodied Chaser took me by surprise over the runnels at the west side of Ottergear bridge.

Red Grouse Young. Pete Woodruff.

A young Red Grouse crossed the path ahead of me, it was reacting to the call of a female with at least three other young eventually seen scurrying off. Birds were incredibly sparse, with the exception of at least 20 Willow Warbler mostly heard, a Cuckoo heard to call several times, a Garden Warbler gave great views as it checked out the gorse around Cragg Wood, a Tree Pipit parachuted onto a tree on Littledale Road, and a Song Thrush was on Rigg Lane.

Bilberry Bumblebee.

Ian Mitchell had the good fortune to find a Bilberry Bumblebee on Bird's-foot Trefoil at Birk Bank on Wednesday, an excellent record. 

The Bombus monticola has always been an uncommon species in Lancashire, more or less confined to northern and western parts of the UK, and almost entirely restricted to upland areas in Lancashire.

Bilberry Bumblebee. Ian Mitchell.

I also saw the red tail of a bumblebee at Birk Bank on Tuesday, but failed to keep up with the creature before disappearing from view. Based on Ian's sighting the day following my visit, I have noted a 'possible' Bilberry Bumblebee in my records.

Bowland Blue Birds.

Followers will be aquainted with the 'Blue Birds' of Birds2blog, and in 2018 I was rewarded with one or two pretty good ones on my Bowland visits, though three to Hawthornthwaite produced not a single Stonechat.

Feb 21. A winter wander around Marshaw - Tower Lodge - Winfold Fell produced 2 Woodcock of note. 

April 18. Two months later was better rewarded by 2 Ring Ouzel on the west side of Hawthornthwaite, always good to find your own away from the birding hot spot of Langden.  A pair of Stonechat were on the east side of the fell.

May 2.    At Barbondale, 4 Stonechat were seen as two pairs, and 4 Tree Pipit noted. 

May 15. At Birk Bank, 3 Stonechat seen as a pair and lone male, 13 Willow Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Tree Pipit, and 5 Buzzard.

May 23. Three Pied Flycatcher included a pair found nesting in a tree hole, a juvenile Crossbill seen drinking on the Marshaw Wyre, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Blackcap, a Siskin and Repoll seen, House Martin nesting at Tower Lodge.      

May 29.  At Barbondale, the peak count from three visits this year was 10 Pied Flycatcher, also 4 Redstart, a Garden Warbler, and Spotted Flycatcher.

June 5. At Harrisend, a male Stonechat, Cuckoo, and 4 Buzzard. At Stoops Bridge, Abbeystead, 2 Garden Warbler, and a Spotted Flycatcher, and at Christ Church, 4 House Martin nests active, and 2 Buzzard soaring overhead.

June 12/27. Marshaw  - Tower Lodge - Trough Bridge, 7 Pied Flycatcher included the tree nesting pair, a young being attended by a female at a nest box hole in the wooded enclosure, and alone female seen above Trough Bridge, where a Siskin seen and 3 Redpoll included a young bird being fed. The peak count here this year was of 12 Spotted Flycatcher, 10 Grey Wagtail, 5 Common Sandpiper included a juvenile. A Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush, and Great Tit were all seen feeding young.

June 22. At Birk Bank, 9 Stonechat were seen as a pair with a full brood of five, a lone male and lone female. An excellent 5 Keeled Skimmer were seen on the bog, and included a male and female coupled, and one ovipositing.

Aug 3. Harrisend, 9 Stonechat included juveniles, and 6 Buzzard. On Hawthornthwaite, a stunning male Merlin took off ahead of me and obligingly went to perch the far side of Catshaw Greave on a boulder.

My birding days as I knew them, ended a month later on 2 September. Hopefully 2019 will change all that, and I'd like to wish everyone who kept in touch with Birds2blog and the little interest that it hopefully created....

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS  

A Little Birding Magic.

On Friday I spent the best 3 hours birding I've had in ages, if only because I was at Barbondale at 7.30am on a beautiful sunny and calm morning, and had the place to myself for the entire visit, with just the brilliant ancient woodland, it's birds and their song for company....Magic.

What a difference a few days makes, compared to six birds seen on 2 May, five pairs of Pied Flycatcher were at Barbondale today. Also in my notes, 2 Redstart, one of which I watched being seen off by a male Pied Flycatcher, 2 Tree Pipit, 2 Dunnock, a Song Thrush, Willow Warblers were in ear shot the whole three hours, and a Garden Warbler was in full throttle just inside the plantation. A pair of Stonechat would have been one of the two pairs seen here 2 May.  Butterflies seen, a Green-veined White and 6 Orange Tip.

It was always the plan for me to then go to Newby Moor for the first visit here since 11 May 2017 when I found five Stonechat. On Friday I found none in a three hour search, 6 Meadow Pipit was a continuation of low counts I'm having on uplands this year, 2 Sedge Warbler, a Skylark, male Reed Bunting, 3 Linnet, a Buzzard, Kestrel, and just 17 Swallow in over three hours.  

By the River Wenning below Clapham Station, a singing male Blackcap, a Mistle Thrush, and 3 Orange Tip. Calling in at Bull Beck on the River Lune, primarily to see if I could find Little Ringed Plover on the shingle but did'nt, I did see a Common Sandpiper, and a good colony of uncounted Sand Martin.

Goosander at Conder Green.

I was pleased to see the report yesterday - LDBWS - of a female Goosander with four small ducklings at Conder Green, which seems to confirm a suspicion noted in my last post....'a female Goosander disappearing round the river bend out of sight upstream from the road bridge, try though I may, I was unable to find a viewpoint beyond the bend, it almost certainly had young with it'.

Swift at Kendal.

A decent number of at least 15 Swift were over central Kendal yesterday, seen from the River Kent where 5 Grey Wagtail and a drake Goosander also seen.

Thanks to Richard Pegler for his excellent Ring Ouzel header image. 

Thirteen Months Later.

The last time I was on Clougha was 4 April 2017. There was a time when I would never had thought I'd be saying it was over 13 months since I last went up Clougha, and I had to search my records to see I never checked out the area last year for breeding Stonechat after the April visit. But yesterdays evidence suggests I missed nothing, as I came away empty handed after a three hour survey, and it looks like a second successive year of no Stonechat on Clougha....All a bit depressing.

It was 2hrs 45minutes after I left the car park on Rigg Lane that I found the first of 3 Stonechat on Birk Bank, a male at the west end, and a pair at the east end, so I reckon 2 pairs on here today.

Red Grouse Clougha 15 May. Pete Woodruff.

Fourteen species noted in six hours on Clougha/Birk Bank included, a lone Red Grouse which was the only one seen, and took me 1hr 30 minutes to find, 14 Meadow Pipit was a low count comparable to the recent equally low counts of 19 on Hawthornthwaite (West), and 11 on Hawthornthwaite (East) 18 April, and only 11 seen on Harrisend 8 May. Two singing Garden Warbler were seen as the best birds of the day, 13 Willow Warbler, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Tree Pipit, and a lone male Linnet. Raptors seen, 5 Buzzard, and 2 Kestrel one of which flew by me with small prey in it's talons.

Green Hairstreak Clougha 15 May. Pete Woodruff.

Butterflies seen, a lone Green Hairstreak, surely more, perhaps I wasn't trying, 7 Orange Tip including a male in pursuit of a female on the wing, probably up to 80 Large White, and a similar number of up to 80 Latticed Heath moths seen....Two visits to Birk Bank bog six hours apart saw it lifeless. 

Birding On The Edge....

....the edge of winter.

It was more like the beginning of March than May when I made my first visit of the year to Barbondale on Wednesday. Dull with a cold wind, but nothing dull about finding 6 Pied Flycatcher, all mobile and behaving like there was no intention of breeding just yet. In fact I had sightings of nine birds over a period of time, including at one point, two males on the same branch with less than a metre between them. But with lengthy observations, I regarded six birds seen as three pairs.

The 4 Stonechat I found take top spot from the Pied Flycatchers for me, they were seen as two pair. The place held a good number of Willow Warbler, singing within earshot pretty much all the time I was there. I heard up to 6 Redstart, but saw not a single one, 4 Tree Pipit, 2 Wheatear, 2 Mistle Thrush, and of the 3 Nuthatch seen, there was some interaction between two of them. A stunning male Grey Wagtail was on Barbon Beck, where up to 6 Swallow were flying up and down.

Quite a good number of Chaffinch were notable in the area, and 3 Small White butterflies were seen on a day when the weather had me thinking it unlikely.

The Barbondale Stonechat.

When I first started to visit Barbondale a 'few' years ago, if the Stonechats were ever present there I certainly never saw them. But I did begin to find them, eventually in double figures, for example....13 including juveniles on 15 August 2005, and 19 including juveniles on 24 August 2006. Since then numbers fell away to nothing as had been the case historically, until - with the exception of a lone male on 7 May 2015 - today's was the first multiple sighting here since I saw a pair six years ago on 29 May 2012.

Stonechat. Ana Minguez @ Naturanafotos

Nothing short of a brilliant record in my book. Hopefully signs of a come back for the Stonechat at Barbondale, and certainly warrants another excellent image on Birds2blog....Thanks Ana.

Catchers & Chats.

Thursdays hunt was for the Flycatcher and the Stonechat. 

At Barbondale I found 5 Pied Flycatcher, they were seen as a pair, two male, and a female, but despite my hanging around to pair up the single birds I failed to do so, but reckon three pairs here to date.

Redstart Brian Rafferty 

Twenty two other species in the 2.5 hours here included, 4 Redstart all male, 4 Robin, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Wren, a singing male Blackcap, Tree Pipit, Wheatear, Treecreeper, and a Mistle Thrush. Two butterflies seen were a Small Copper and an Orange Tip.

The plan was that I now went to Newby Moor, another former chat stronghold where my records show that I notably found 11 Stonechat on a cold winters day nine years ago on 12 February 2008, I have doubts that number will ever happen again during the breeding season let alone in mid-winter. 

Today's visit to Newby Moor was my first since 27 May last year, and I was pleased to find 5 Stonechat, being two pairs and a lone male for the fifteen minutes I had it in my sights waiting for a female to show. Also of note, at least 20 Meadow Pipit, 4 Willow Warbler, and 2 Reed Bunting. On the River Wenning below Clapham Station, a Grey Wagtail, and a little less expected 2 Redshank. I also saw 7 Orange Tip in as many minutes, and a Red Admiral was my first this summer.

Whinchat at Newby Moor. 

In addition to being a Stonechat stronghold, Newby Moor was also good for Whinchat, and in the days when I was in the area on a regular basis I collected records during the summer each time I visited. Some peak counts for Whinchat here included, 15 on 2 Aug 2000, 7 on 4 Aug 2001, 10 on 3 Aug 2002. These kind of numbers of Whinchat certainly cannot be found around the Newby Moor area today and my recent visits here have produced no sightings at all including today's.    

Thanks to Richard for the excellent male Pied Flycatcher header, and to Brian for his equally excellent male Redstart.  

The Other Borrowdale.

There is a sizeable area of beautiful unspoilt land to the north of Kendal, sandwiched between the M6 near Tebay and the A6 near Shap. It is dominated by the Lake Districts ‘other’ Borrowdale which cuts a deep wide swathe through the hills.

Mike rang me on Sunday evening to ask if I was birding on Monday, he asked if he could come along, and perhaps we could pay a visit to Borrowdale....well of course we did.

I don't think 21 species was a good result for the four hours here, but most notable was the healthy count of a least 20 Willow Warbler with a good number of Chaffinch also notable, 4 Redstart were all singing males, a Tree Pipit gave itself away singing atop a tree, and a Treecreeper seen with nesting material escaped me before I could see where it went with it's beak full.

Wheatear. Pete Woodruff.

A Wheatear was on the wall by Borrow Brook along quite a length of which was a small colony of Sand Martin, 2 Dipper seen. A Great-spotted Woodpecker was in flight, and 2 Green Woodpecker heard, a Buzzard was the only raptor seen.

Coming back to Lancaster, we decide to shoot off to Conder Green to find it good that the Common Tern pair have returned to Conder Pool for their third year, they have joined the Avocet pair breeding here for their second year, in the creeks up to 45 Black-tailed Godwit.

The first Swift over Bowerham seen this morning.

Long Time No Birding.

A week out of birding is a long time for me, so it was good to be out again yesterday for the first time since last Wednesday, to take a closer look around the Lune Estuary. I didn't spend too much time at Conder Green and moved no further than the viewing platform at the pool, I wanted to get to Glasson Dock before the tide took over.

On Conder Pool, 6 Little Grebe, 4 Snipe, 2 Goosander, and a few Oystercatcher which were making a commotion piping loudly like spring was here. I called back to Conder Green five hours later to find the Spotted Redshank in the creeks and to have excellent views of a Barn Owl quartering the marsh.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, an impressive c.1,500 Bar-tailed Godwit with a similar number of at least 1,500 Knot. The best count this winter was of 52 Goldeneye which upgraded the count of 34 made on Tuesday 2 February, also 2 Red-breasted Merganser. A Merlin and Peregrine Falcon were hunting the area whilst I was here, and up to 1,250 Pink-footed Geese were on Colloway Marsh. A Great-crested Grebe and 22 Tufted Duck were noted on the canal basin.

From Moss Lane, 7 Bewick's Swan were in a field west of Gardners Farm at SD441543, and c.350 Whooper Swan were more obliging than of late grouped in fields south of Moss Lane, another 5 Whooper Swan were in the field and around the flood south of the Caravan Park, where at least 750 Curlew were seen again, with a single Bar-tailed Godwit, a few uncounted Redshank, 3 Little Egret and a Brown Hare. I could see up to 250 Curlew at Bank End from here roosting over the high tide.

Rock Pipit. Pete Woodruff.

Two Rock Pipit were on the tide wrack, and in and around Bank Houses horse paddock, 7 Blackbird, 6 Tree Sparrow, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Reed Bunting, a Robin, and a Sparrowhawk seen.

Turnstone. Pete Woodruff. 

On the headland, 65 Turnstone, with 2 Knot and a Dunlin had assembled here over the high tide. 

It was good to be back to see the birds of the Lune Estuary again today, with the excellent variety it has to offer, along with some impressive wader counts, and the peak of 52 Goldeneye.

Dull And Dreary Barbondale.

I'm tempted to call the birding dull and dreary as well as the weather. When I visited Barbondale on Thursday the weather was certainly dull and dreary, more reminiscent of April than June. As for the birding....well I can never quite refer to birding as dreary.

As I drove towards the footbridge to park up, a Jay flew across my path. The first bird I saw soon after I got on to the footpath was the Cuckoo which I had seen on my first visit here on 7 May but not since. Lucky to see this bird as ten satellite tagged Cuckoo's have already left the UK, seven of which are now in France, two in Italy, and another having moved on from Italy and into Slovenia....Amazing stuff.

I found just one pair of Pied Flycatcher still feeding young, hopefully they might successfully fledge as the weather forecast sounds good with a heat wave on its way apparently. But the breeding Pied Flycatchers have suffered badly at some locations, no big surprises there I would'nt' think.

Green Woodpecker Antonio Puigg  

I heard a Green Woodpecker 'yaffle' just once briefly, saw/heard just 3 Willow Warbler, heard a singing male Blackcap, a 'few' Long-tailed Tit, a Treecreeper, a female Reed Bunting carrying food in its bill, and a Kestrel.

Barbon Beck. Pete Woodruff.

It took me two hours to find a Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Grey Wagtail were on Barbon Beck, one of which did me a good turn by attacking the flycatcher which was out of my view behind one of the large stones in the beck, it flew into a nearby tree and promptly started to shake itself and preen, it had obviously been disturbed from bathing.

Every ground nesting birds nightmare a Stoat ran across the path ahead of me, 2 Painted Lady butterflies didn't represent an invasion but good to see all the same.

Some negatives at Barbondale this year....I've personally found no Whinchat, Tree Pipit, or Wheatear in four visits, seen just one male Stonechat on 7 May and not since, and today I saw not one Redstart.

The Cuckoos.  

You can keep up to date with the Cuckoos having said goodbye to the UK Here 

Despite All My Wanderings!

Willow Warbler David Cookson

I'm told of a local bird recorder in East Anglia who has referred to....'a worrying lack of Willow Warbler locally this year'....a feeling I've had myself in and around our area.

The 'Missing' Gallery.

Not to be seen as a suggestion of the decline in the numbers of these three species, but just that despite all the hours of wanderings, I've yet to connect this summer with the Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, and the Tree Pipit.

Lesser Whitethroat. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery

Last year I had seen a Lesser Whitethroat on 10 June at Conder Green - I actually saw a report of one there yesterday - as a migrant breeder in our area, mainly restricted to the coastal fringe.

Garden Warbler Jan Larsson 

A Garden Warbler was at Stoops Bridge in Abbeystead on 17 June last year where I see at least one almost annually, a fairly common migrant breeder in our area. 

Tree Pipit Antonio Puigg  

....and a Tree Pipit at Barbondale on 29 April 2014, where I've neither heard nor seen one in three visits to Barbondale this summer, and didn't find one on my Clougha/Birk Bank visit last week. The Tree Pipit is an uncommon and declining breeder, and is a species on the Red List, all of which has contributed to my not seeing one yet this year. 

Thanks to David/Jan/Martin/Antonio for the excellent gallery, and to Warren for the brilliant Redstart header.

I'd sooner be birding!....And when I can, perhaps I'll eventually catch up with these three, but time's running out, the summer solstice has past.  

Up A Lazy River.

I took a look in on the River Lune at Bull Beck yesterday to find no Little Ringed Plover where I had found five there on all three visits I made in 2013. 

I made no attempt to count Sand Martin but good numbers seen at the colony, a Kingfisher here is always a pleasing sight, 30 Greylag were accompanied by 5 Canada Geese and oddly a lone Pink-footed Goose, a singing male Blackcap was heard from the path. A pair of Stock Dove were on an old barn in the field on the far side of the river, a Brown Hare and a single Peacock butterfly noted.

Swift. Simon Hawtin.

An enjoyable four hour saunter down the River Wenning from Hornby and upstream on the River Lune produced 32 species noted including my first and earliest ever Swift, a single bird over Priory Farm with small numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin around. Two Goldcrest seen included one bearing a metal ring on it's right leg, 4 Goosander were on the River Lune with a Grey Wagtail, and 2 Ringed Plover were on the flood in the field down by the confluence with a few Redshank, 2 White Wagtail and 3 Willow Warbler seen, and a Buzzard soared overhead.

Tree Pipit. Alan Williams @ Arkive

A wander down the path on the opposite side to take in the Hornby Wastewater Treatment Plant had me finding a Tree Pipit there, with 8 Reed Bunting feasting on insects with Chaffinch, and a Treecreeper seen further down the track.

Thanks for the photograph of the Swift Simon, they don't come in big number of the Swift, and certainly not better than this one. 

Sanderling.

I've seen a report of 152 Sanderling at Cockersands today, an amazing and unprecedented number at this or any other location in our recording area in mid-April.

The Final.

No....not the World Cup Final, in any case I have it on good authority the return flight to England has already been booked to follow the next match.

Pied Flycatcher Brian Rafferty

But yesterday was probably 'The Final' visit to Barbondale for me this year, primarily to see the result of the breeding season for the Pied Flycatcher, of which there was four pairs which produced 23 young, only four of which have yet to fledge to have 2014 as the best year yet at Barbondale.

Redstart Antonio Puigg  

I also found two active Redstart nests, both of which were 12ft up a tree and were from sightings of six birds. Six Willow Warbler were quite vocal, a Dipper and up to 6 Grey Wagtail were on Barbon Beck, and a Buzzard soared above. 

Noticeably, despite spending 5 hours in the area I found no Spotted Flycatcher, Wheatear, or Tree Pipit.

Thanks to BR/AP for the images, 'clik the pik' and see how good they really are.   

The Pilgrimage.

Good sunny, warm calm weather, an excellent location, and hopefully choice birds....it had to be my spring pilgrimage to Barbondale on Tuesday.

Cuckoo Marc Heath 

A few minutes here and my first bird was the Cuckoo which was distant at first but came nearer as the day progressed, though despite my efforts I never did see this bird. 

Whinchat Brian Rafferty 

Only a few minutes later and I could here a singing Whinchat, and a few more minutes after I saw what could have been a second bird, but too little time and distance between the sightings to be sure of two birds....the day was looking like being a good one.

A male and female Pied Flycatcher have returned to Barbondale, though they appeared to be unconnected and some considerable distance apart, the male was in full song. 

Female Redstart Simon Hawtin 

I had an excellent seven hours in the area including the brilliant ancient woodland, a walk up the Bull Pot track, and a wander a couple of miles to the east. Twenty two species were noted and included, five Redstart, two of which were females, 7 Wheatear, 2 Tree Pipit, 17 Meadow Pipit, 4 Reed Bunting, and a Grey Wagtail, a Raven and 2 Buzzard were overhead. I also unfortunately flushed a Tawny Owl from its daytime roost in the area I had seen the bird last year.

I also noted only a 'few' Willow Warbler heard/seen in an area I expected to be overrun with them. Of particular note I found no Stonechat, and saw no Dipper or Common Sandpiper, though the latter seems to have been absent from here for a few years now according to my records, it was too early for the Spotted Flycatcher.

The numbers at Barbondale will increase over the coming days/weeks, but from the start on Tuesday I was inspired to think my day was going to be a good day....and it was.

Thanks to Marc/Brian/Simon for the excellent photographs for this post.