Back To Bowland.

My first visit of the year to the Marshaw-Tower Lodge-Trough Bridge trail, came with something of a surprise and a shock thrown in for good measure, and by the time I had completed my 5 hour mini-marathon, I had counted 14 nest boxes which have been erected over the length of c.2 miles between Marshaw and beyond Trough Bridge. 

In my opinion 14 nest boxes is one thing, but some placed in locations like the one illustrated above in one of the many lay-by's along this stretch is another thing.

But I reminded myself that this is the kind of crap I photographed in this AONB which I'm almost certain to find again during the summer months....Here's hoping it isn't under a tree with a nest box nailed to it.  

I found 4 Pied Flycatcher, three male all singing around nest boxes, and a female. Eight Mistle Thrush, a surprisingly low count of only 6 Willow Warbler, at least 8 Siskin were moving restlessly through the tree examining the cones.

Breeding Mistle Thrush At Marshaw. Howard Stockdale.

With 16 Mistle Thrush seen in three visits to Bowland recently, this one with obvious evidence of breeding, I am getting the feeling they are doing well here this year. 

Common Sandpiper Marshaw Wyre. Howard Stockdale.

On the Marshaw Wyre, 4 Common Sandpiper were seen as two pairs, a Dipper flew upstream, and 4 Grey Wagtail.

There was no sign of any House Martin having returned to Tower Lodge as yet, but as I walked up the track from the lodge to the moors, a Cuckoo was heard along the treeline beyond the plantation. 

The days five star award goes to the Woodcock, stood quietly on the wall behind the lodge, giving me another chance in a million to follow Tuesdays thrush duo.

When I arrived back home, our first 3 Swift of the summer were over the house. Thanks to KT for this excellent record. I also have a report that a healthy number of Swift have arrived, with some around nest boxes at property in Fairfield thanks to a member of the Woodruff clan. 

Stonechat.

Stonechat Hawthornthwaite. Ian Mitchell.

Really pleased to have received some much appreciated Bowland records on 10 May....

Trough Bridge area, a pair and male Stonechat per Andrew Cornall

Hawthornthwaite Fell, 7 Stonechat per Simon Hawtin.

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for his images of Mistle Thrush and Common Sandpiper at Marshaw, and to Ian Mitchell for the Hawthornthwaite Stonechat.

Bowland Abstract.

The Cuckoo is a Red Listed bird of Conservation Concern in the UK. 

Having heard a Cuckoo calling at Marshaw on Thursday afternoon and being 23 June, is my latest date for hearing a Cuckoo calling anywhere, and was quite unexpected. The surprise about hearing this Cuckoo calling in Bowland, came about by learning that six other Cuckoos from the BTO satellite tagging project, have already crossed the English Channel and are now in France. So some obvious variation in the strategy of migration south from the UK for Cuckoos.

Some added interest about this remarkable species, comes in the form of a Scottish Cuckoo, who has flown 462 miles from breeding grounds in Perthshire, to the Dutch coast. This bird is now on a Nature Reserve in South Holland, and further interest is, that in 2021 this same bird was in the Netherlands, and remained there until 4 July, when he moved swiftly south through Germany and Italy, arriving in Libya 4 days later on 8 July, and arriving in sub-Saharan Niger 2 days later on 10 July.

Bowland Abstract.

Some interest for me in Bowland on Thursday, was finding 4 Spotted Flycatcher to add to four other birds I found on previous visits, but didn't connect with this time. A lone male Pied Flycatcher was active around the compound at Tower Lodge, 9 Common Sandpiper were on the Marshaw Wyre, and a Woodcock seen.

A Curlew was calling in the compound at Tower Lodge, on its behaviour, I felt it may have had young close by. The bird had something attached to both legs which I was unable to identify....See for yourself in the cropped still from the video. 

I saw my first Painted Lady today, with one at Marshaw, and another at the foot of Hawthornthwaite, where I also found 4 Stonechat, probably two pairs, but all separated by a little distance.

Good numbers of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary are still being seen on and around the bog at Birk Bank, and I'm grateful to Martin Jump for his excellent header image of one captured there during the week.

Banded Demoiselle. Pete Woodruff.

At St Michaels on Wyre yesterday, in 200 metres downstream on the River Wyre, up to 20 Banded Demoiselle including six female, a female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing, and a Red Admiral.

Norfolk Hawker Marc Heath

It is with interest, that I note the Norfolk Hawker is expanding North. A male was found this week on 26 June at Amberswood Common, Wigan. Thanks to Marc for his excellent image of one of 64 he found this week in Kent on 22 June.

Upland Wanderings....

....and some interest in the garden.

On a beautiful calm spring day, it was good to get myself on Harrisend for 3 hours on Thursday, to find 6 Stonechat, seen as two pairs and a lone male and female, almost certainly having mates which I failed to see and make four 'probable' breeding pairs to date on Harrisend.

At least 13 Meadow Pipit seen, 2 Wren, 3 Dunnock including a male displaying to a female, 3 Red Grouse, and a male Reed Bunting, which was initially tricky alongside a male Stonechat, both in the far distance, 10 Greylag overhead flying west.

Five of fifteen 7-Spot Ladybirds. Pete Woodruff.

I found 15 7-Spot Ladybirds in four small clusters on Gorse, and saw 2 Peacock butterflies.

Two hours on Hawthorthwaite, produced 3 Stonechat, seen as a pair and a lone male. Also, 8 Red Grouse, 7 Meadow Pipit, and 3 Wren. The bonus bird was a Woodcock, flushed and flew about 400m to go down by Catshaw Greave.

I was grateful for the report of 2 Barn Owls seen on Wednesday, one of which was reasonably obvious to have been the same one seen by me at and around the foot of Hawthornthwaite on 20 January, the other seen at the woodlands at the bottom of Cam Brow. Reasonable to suggest perhaps these two Barn Owls are a pair....Many thanks for this Simon.

   

Interest In The Garden.

There was a lot of enjoyment to be had in the garden this week, with visits by Bees, Butterflies, Birds, Hoverflies, and a colourful if nasty little critter.                          

 

With some video footage made, a visit to see the Reed Bunting in a Brookhouse garden was a success. A bit of a surprise, and not the bird to be found on your feeders on a regular basis, and not one I'm expecting ever on mine in urban Lancaster.

European Hoverfly. Pete Woodruff.

The Eristalis pertinax found in our garden, developed into something a little more interesting, in that I discovered the larva of this hoverfly is the Rat-tailed Maggot, one of which was seen in the garden pond last year....The larva's name doesn't conjure up anything of beauty does it!

Tree Bumblebee on Pussy Willow 

 

Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Pete Woodruff.

 

As the most familiar bumblebee, this Bombus terrestris was basking on Camellia in the garden, unfortunately giving a rear view only.

Yellow Dung-Fly. Pete Woodruff. 

And the nasty colourful critter which I couldn't miss, is the golden-furred male Yellow-Dung Fly on the branch of a Willow in the garden yesterday.

Footnote.

Hard to believe in the 21st century, but as my experience has clearly shown, you can spend 5 hours in the Forest of Bowland like I did today - often spending much more time than that - and not see a single bird of prey....Hen Harrier, Red Kite, Merlin, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Short-eared Owl, Kestrel.  

Armchair Birding.

Around and about, and goings on in the garden....The photographs will look even better if you clik the piks.

Conder Pool.

The Sheep Problem Conder Pool 2019. Pete Woodruff

It wasn't good news to hear a pair of Common Tern have suffered a nest failure on Conder Pool, but  good to hear the sheep have now been removed. Last year I had on good authority in a letter....'the sheep were not supposed to go on the surrounds of Conder Pool until late July to reduce disturbance to breeding birds'.

On a more positive note, a pair of Common Tern have taken up on the pontoon now, hopefully a pair of Black-headed Gull already breeding on there, will have fledged young before the terns have hatched, hopefully avoiding a repeat of last years horrific attack by the adult gulls, when the young terns were lucky to have escaped with their lives....just. 

Interesting to note, the Common Terns had two chicks hatched on the pontoon a year ago yesterday on 13 June 2019. Despite the excellent spring weather, and May being the sunniest month on record, things are running late with the Conder Pool terns, but not as late as their first ever visit to Conder Pool, when they didn't arrive here until 2 July 2014.

Bowland. 

 
Woodcock Howard Stockdale 

More good news received from a favourite haunt of mine was a Woodcock at Marshaw. I had two Woodcock here on 21 February 2018, and previously saw two more in the plantation behind Tower Lodge on 18 March 2015. 

Dipper Juvenile Howard Stockdale 

A juvenile Dipper and Common Sandpiper were seen on the Marshaw Wyre.

The Orchid Wander.

Common Spotted Orchid. Pete Woodruff.

The wander with KT for an update on the local orchids was rewarded by up to 44 spikes of Common Spotted Orchid including this variant white. No sign of any Bee Orchid yet, flowering from early June. I'm beginning to wonder if 2020 isn't going to be a year for them here. A couple of butterflies were braving the not too perfect weather, a Red Admiral and the Meadow Brown was my first of the year.

From The Garden.

View Full Screen

Our now resident Carrion Crow was joined by relatives this week, with six being on the rooftops opposite one day. I can't work out what's going on with these birds hanging around a residential area, particularly the resident bird been here two months now.

Three pairs of Blackbird visit our garden daily, and we've had two new young in the garden this week, so four to date is a good result this year, also a young Dunnock was a welcome sight, the adults have been around all year. The Coal Tit still continue to entertain, collecting seed from the feeder and burying them all over the garden and beyond with their amazing behaviour, the pair emptied the sunflower feeder in a day. I watched them this morning whilst having my 'snap, crackle, and pop', one of them flew from the feeder to the same area of the garden twenty times in ten minutes non-stop. 

Thanks to Howard Stockdale for the much appreciated e-mail this week, with news and images attached.

A Wader Moment In Bowland.

Though it was a good sunny and windless day on Wednesday, it was a generally dull day for me in Bowland, not least because I found no Stonechat on my first venture of 2018 on to Hawthornthwaite Fell, though I reckon the two seen on my last visit on 27 December and previously 15 November, were keeping their heads down and in hiding from me this time.

Red Grouse Richard Pegler 

On the way up to the summit, the sum total of birds seen on this visit were 20 Red Grouse and 2 Wren. Driving away from here I saw a single Fieldfare in flight at Cam Brow, and a Kestrel perched was the only raptor seen all day. 

In three and a half hours between Marshaw and the foot of Whinfold Fell where I saw 8 Red Grouse, I found just 11 species, including a Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the Marshaw Wyre.

The other seven....

Blackbird

Chaffinch

Coal Tit

Lapwing

Mallard 

Robin

Wren

The Woodcock.

Woodcock. Noushka @ 1000-Pattes 

At Marshaw a moment of excitement came when a bird flushed just a few metres away from me, then just 30 seconds later a second bird also flushed and flew away....they were 2 Woodcock in a small damp woodland clearing.  As a bird of crepuscular habits, I was lucky to see these two daylight birds, but I recall going to Birk Bank with John Ledall one early evening before dusk many years ago to watch the Woodcock roding over the treetops.

By coincidence my last Woodcock seen was also two birds, and also in the same area of Bowland, one in the plantation at Marshaw, and later another in the plantation behind Tower Lodge 3 years ago on 18 March 2015.

Thanks to Richard and Noushka for their respective images.

Friday 23 February.

I escaped yesterday, but had only got to Conder Green before a call back home to attend a problem ended the day for me, but I had seen 6 Little Grebe, a Goosander, and the Common Sandpiper in the creeks, with a Kestrel hovering overhead. 

Black-tailed Godwit.

Black-tailed Godwit YR-GY Flag. Courtesy of Böddi. 

I found my first marked Black-tailed Godwit at Cockersand last Thursday, it was feeding in a field by Abbey Farm with Curlew, the bird was marked as a chick on 4 July 2012 in NW Iceland, my sighting is only the third since then, it having been seen twice one week apart in Ireland....

YR-GYflag 04.07.12 Reykholar, NW Iceland

YR-GYflag 02.09.12 Rahasane Turlough, Co. Galway, W Ireland

YR-GYflag 09.09.12 Rahasane Turlough, Co. Galway, W Ireland

YR-GYflag 29.12.16 Lune Estuary, Cockersand, Lancashire, NW England

I'm grateful once again to Böddi my man in Iceland, for his prompt attention to the report of this Black-tailed Godwit, and for forwarding the history, also for the image of this bird which hasn't been seen since September 2012 a little over two months after it's ringing.

On the subject of waders....

Despite ongoing serious declines, waders like the Golden Plover, Snipe, and Woodcock are still on the shooting for fun list. A moratorium needs to be imposed to established if this level of shooting is sustainable. Personally I think it should be banned forthwith, but we'll leave that for another time. 

Perhaps you would take a look and sign a petition in place Here

Duped By The Weather.

Yesterday started off well and looked like being the best day this year so far. Because of this I was enthused to take myself off to Bowland primarily to see if any Stonechats had taken up territory, though to be honest a little early. But no sooner had I arrived at Harrisend Fell than the sun disappeared behind the clouds never to be seen again all day....I had been duped.

However, I was soon spurred on by finding a pair of Stonechat, but the enthusiasm slowly waned as time progressed and they were to be the only two I would see all day. Also of note, at least 12 Meadow Pipit, a Buzzard and Raven over, a distant butterfly before the sun disappeared was almost certainly my first Peacock this year.

By the time I reached Hawthornthwaite Fell the day had descended into cloudy and grey, half way up the track having seen 12 Red Grouse and 2 Wren, I decided to change the plan and came back down to go to Marshaw. 

Woodcock Jan Larsson 

Between Marshaw and Tower Lodge over two hours I struggled to find nine species, but I was pleased with one of them being Woodcock, I saw two birds, one behind the plantation at Marshaw, and the other over the plantation behind Tower Lodge, 2 Treecreeper seen, 3 Coal Tit, a Great Tit, Robin, Wren, Blackbird and a Mistle Thrush, the only raptor was a kestrel.  

Art on the uplands. 

Stonework. Pete Woodruff.

This is an excellent piece of artwork seen on Harrisend. I'd love to know the amount of effort - with all the material gathered from the surrounding area - and the time it took to finish this. I hope someone who knows about this will see it on Birds2blog and get in touch with me to tell me about it at stonechat4@gmail.com 

Osprey.

Osprey Jan Larsson

An Osprey was over Middleton south of Heysham this Thursday morning at 9.40am, then 10 minutes later was seen NE over Torrisholme at 9.50am.

Thanks to Jan for the excellent images. 

A Rewarding Return.

Looking East. Pete Woodruff. 

I paid a return visit to Barbondale today, a place that oozes with the beauty of the English countryside with its ancient wet woodland, and - even more importantly for me - is an excellent birding location in its own right. I always did maintain that return visits anywhere often payed dividends and today proved that point perfectly. With some field-craft, some patient standing about, and three hours to do it in I found 10 Pied Flycatchers, an all time record and excellent reward. I was also rewarded by seeing the 1st summer 'brown' male - previously recorded this month - feeding the female, some PF behaviour I've not witnessed before. 

Looking West. Pete Woodruff. 

I also found my first Spotted Flycatcher here today, and after two previous unsuccessful visits found a female Whinchat, noted 5 Tree Pipit, just 4 Redstart two of which were female, 2 Wheatear, 2 Dipper, a Reed Bunting, Grey Wagtail, and a Buzzard.

Barbon Beck. Pete Woodruff.

I've not finished with this place and will be back for more, I never settle for just the one visit to Barbondale and to be honest there's a distinct possibility of twelve Pied Flycatchers here this year as today I may have overdone it on the caution for duplicate counting and reckon two males I saw were unconnected to the ten recorded....we'll see! 

Birk Bank Cotton Grass. Pete Woodruff.

The Cotton Grass on Birk Bank bog is beginning to look good though most of my photography leaves much to be desired and this attempt doesn't do the scene justice I'm afraid.

I decided to give the top of Birk Bank a look over but was left disappointed with the best bird being a Woodcock which heard me coming and flushed from a distance, 2 Red Grouse noted, and a young Mistle Thrush seen at a distance, a Brown Hare was also of note. In Crag Wood a Blackcap heard in song, and on Rigg Lane a Garden Warbler gave me decent views, and a Buzzard over.

I've left my whinge until the end....The weather today was pathetic with lots of cloud and a cold westerly with gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour at times....'More like March than May'. 

National News.

In Ayrshire up to 1,000 Long-tailed Skuas past Saltcoats Harbour again today.

One million....and two!

I found two Brambling today....nothing compared to this estimated 1,000,000 in Basque country, Northern Spain....seeing is believing....turn the volume up!



I also managed a half decent pic of one of my birds but not until I'd done a circuit of Conder Green which achieved little save a Woodcock which escaped me in the split second I had it in view before I could get a 'positive' on the bird which is noted as 'an almost certain', 4 Little Grebe were alongside a drake Goosander in the creeks, as was a Grey Plover, 12 Chaffinch were noted on the coastal path. Conder Pool remains surprisingly almost frozen save a Mute Swan in an area not much bigger than itself.   

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock looked brilliant in the light, but nothing brilliant about the bird scene unfortunately with just c.60 Bar-tailed Godwit, 22 Goldeneye,and 3 Little Grebe to note....disappointing being it was at low tide. On Moss Lane an impressive 250 Fieldfare at least were on the masses of berry trees this year.

At Cockersands I noted no more than 15 Linnet as I drove past the set-aside and had no time to check more closely today, a single Eider and Goldeneye were by the lighthouse and another impressive number, this one was of up to 300 Pintail though difficult to get to grips with accurately because of the distance away on the low tide, and the usual unobliging mix with a similar number of Wigeon, also 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Great-crested Grebe, just 2 Grey Plover today were the only shorebirds of note. At the Caravan Park end 2 Brambling were with 9 Greenfinch, and the Banks Houses Little Owl was in the paddock bushes again sunning itself.   

Winter 2009/10

Goldcrest. Warren Baker.

Seeing this photograph of the Goldcrest at an unusual head on angle which creates a quite comical look to this the smallest bird of the west Palearctic which can weigh in at its lowest at a mere 4.5g, reminded me of the reduction in numbers of bird species like this one and the Dartford Warbler since the UK suffered the coldest winter in 30 years when temperatures fell to a lethal -22 degrees centigrade on one occasion at Braemar in Scotland.

Some people were delighted to find birds they were feeding in their gardens which they had never seen before, birds like the Fieldfare and Redwing, not to mention some bigger surprises with Woodcock and Reed Bunting appearing on occasions. 

Based on personal observations at several locations since our last winter I've collected clear evidence of a complete absence of Stonechats at some, and a serious decline at others, and at one location in particular the highest number so far this summer has been a count of nine Stonechats on 22 June, this at a site where a count in the breeding season in recent years could reach in excess of thirty birds. I was therefore not a little surprised to read in a magazine news article recently that initial impressions suggest that many individuals of Stonechat have survived through the winter of 2009/10 and that the bird remains a common sight on heaths, coastal sites, and uplands.

And finally....

 

Marsh Harrier. Paul Foster.

A male Marsh Harrier comes in to land - with undercarriage lowered - into the reed beds at Leighton Moss, an excellent image with thanks to Paul for this, and to Warren for the Goldcrest above.

Cool Man!

Barbondale looking NE from the Bull Pot track.

Still pretty cool today at Barbondale, a must place for me to visit to check out the 'visitors' and 'chat' situation. A couple of my pic's taken here on a previous visit as it looked nothing remotely like this today with a cool - if not cold - breeze and cloudy grey skies but thankful for small mercies as it stayed dry for my birding six hours. I reckon some of the summer visitors will be thinking they made a wrong turn along the way and ended up somewhere near Iceland. The records are below in no particular order.

Records. 

Whinchat 4

Stonechat 3

Redstart 3

Tree Pipit

Woodcock

Wheatear 8

Willow Warbler 9 

Reed Bunting 5

Meadow Pipit 11

Pied Wagtail 4

Mistle Thrush 2

Coal Tit 3

Blackbird 3

Wren 2

Green Woodpecker

Dipper 3

Common Sandpiper 2

Buzzard 3

Notes.

An interesting days birding with birds notably missing, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher and Wood Warbler though maybe the next few days will see these latter two here, the Cuckoo which - void of checking my records - I don't recall seeing here in at least three years, and Grey Wagtail, a species I'm not seeing much of these days and haven't seen at Conder Green for probably a year plus. You can draw your own conclusions on some of the other figures collected at Barbondale over six hours today but a single Tree Pipit, nine Willow Warbler, 3 Redstart, and eleven Meadow Pipit can hardly be regarded as phenomenal numbers over this time scale. 

On the positive side, four Whinchat were excellent but note, the record shows extra caution on duplicate counting as I had sightings of six birds but beware if you see the Whinchat in the Bull Pot track area and minutes later from the track west towards the plantation it 'could' be the same bird. I've observed today and on previous occasions that they commute across Barbon Beck regularly. Just a slight improvement on the Stonechat situation with three birds seen here today but I note with reliable information from the Forest of Bowland that my figures agree more or less with those from there on the decline of the Stonechat.

Looking west from the Bull Pot track.

So I reckon Barbondale was a generally quiet place today, perhaps a visit I'll make here again sometime in May will show some improvement in bird numbers/species and I watch in anticipation for other birders records of visits here and see if they connect with the Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Cuckoo, and Grey Wagtail.