For the Record.

Little Stint. Pete Woodruff.

Well the title - I couldn't think of another - refers to the record shots of the 3 Little Stints today off the esplanade at Knott End, probably the most obliging 'stints' I've ever seen, also whilst here 2 Little Egret which are almost everywhere these days and it's quite amazing how blase you can become about anything over time.

Little and Large. Pete Woodruff.

Just two of the birds in this shot with big brother HG close by. I was with JB today and we had made a very brief visit to Conder Green where we did nothing at all serious but made a quick scan of the pool were I noted just 6 Little Grebe and 4 Wigeon before we shot off to Pilling Lane Ends to find up to 10,000 Pink-footed Geese on the marsh and had no opportunity to grill them because the 'Rambo types' had taken to Fluke Hall Lane with their armoury and immediately they opened fire it was bye bye PFG. At Cockers Dyke were I found 2 Curlew Sandpiper and a Little Egret just in time before another one of those 'doggy numskulls' had the same effect as the previous bunch at Pilling and put everything in sight to flight including c.24 Snipe which had obviously been hidden from view on the marsh, a favour of sorts we could well have done without....thanks a lot 'numskull and Rambo's'.

I'm always very hesitant to call any birding dull, but to be honest Cockersands was little more than that today though the visit could hardly have been called a serious one but 12 Eider were off Plover Scar as were 4 Red-breasted Merganser, and the c.30 Greenfinch were still in the set-aside area, one day I'll make the concerted effort to count these birds.

On the Lune estuary at Glasson Dock I found an adult Mediterranean Gull again, a Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, a solitary Snipe, the c.400 Golden Plover and c.180 Bar-tailed Godwit numbers were both down again today, and would you believe it we suffered our third disturbance of the day when a Peregrine Falcon true to form put up everything in sight and gave me excellent views in doing so. I didn't mind this final act of disturbance, nothing unnatural about this one and I can accomodate a PG anytime, a Red Admiral in pristine condition seen here.   



Up and Down!

Lune Estuary. Pete Woodruff.

A perfect day for checking out the bird-life 'up' on Harrisend - and the disappointment I hadn't been able to do so in September - followed by a visit 'down' to Conder Green/Glasson Dock where I picked out an adult Mediterranean Gull with mainly c.550 Black-headed Gull which you can just about pick out - if you try really hard - in the pic above on the sand bank on the Colloway Marsh side. Also noted were 4 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, a Snipe, c.500 Golden Plover and c.180 Bar-tailed Godwit both of which were down in number compared to recent visits here. On Conder Pool a Kingfisher flew on to the outlet giving views down to a few metres, I counted 11 Little Grebe, the 3 Wigeon, and a Common Sandpiper. I was only being a 'half time' birder today and reluctantly had to forsake the circuit this time.

Earlier on Harrisend, an excellent visit in that I found 11 Stonechats today and at times I had the feeling once again they were 'all over the place'....well sort of,  but being October now where they were from is anybody's guess and doesn't necessarily indicate birds on their natal site. Also of note a flock of 15 Linnet flew SW, and I noted at least 40 Meadow Pipit going South in the two hours I was here, a Buzzard and Kestrel, 2 Wren, a Robin, Reed Bunting, 4 Red Grouse, and a solitary Swallow over made me think perhaps a good idea if it read the script.

A couple of things finally....

Beckett Park. Linda at kirkstallcreatures

An excellent atmospheric shot of Becket Park in Leeds. I can never resist brilliant photography, birds or otherwise....Many thanks for this Linda it really is a super shot.

And although this is a fact it is also very funny regarding the Wheatear which is not derived from 'wheat' or in any sense of 'ear' but is a 16th century corruption of 'white' and 'arse' referring to the prominent white rump found in most of the species.

The Barnacle Goose.

Bean Geese. Pete Woodruff.

No pictures of Barnacle Geese and this is just about as poor a photograph of three Bean Geese as you could imagine....well, it is one of mine! But take it from me these are definitely three of four Bean Geese on Fluke Hall Lane on 2 March 2009. So at least the pic is one of 'geese' and I was pleased to find two Barnacle Geese on Pilling Marsh last Friday with at least 10,000 Pink-footed Geese and some brief notes about the Barnacle Goose follows. 

The Barnacle Goose (BG) has the distinction of having one of the most confused status of Lancashire birds and genuinely wild birds are well outnumbered by the feral breeding population, though the fact that wild birds do occur is proven by several recoveries/sightings of ringed individuals. With these two on Friday being with the large number of Pink-footed Geese (PFG) in Pilling Marsh I just have an underlying feeling I was looking at 'the real thing' but at the end of the day with a species like the Barnacle Goose unless it is a marked bird....who knows!

A search through the history books will show the earliest accounts of the BG to be found in the 17th century, but Oakes wrote of 'large numbers seen in Morecambe Bay' in the 19th century but becoming rarer in the first half of the twentieth, he mentions one with PFG at Martin Mere in 1934, and fifty at Crossens in 1941. The BG remained scarce during the 1950's but began to increase in the 60's and birds presumed to have been wild have been recorded almost annually since 1970. This upturn in the status appears to coincide with that of the wintering population on the Solway which grew from a point as low as 400 in the late 1940's to in excess of 4,000 in the 1970's.

So if I find/see any more BG this or any other winter I'll need to bear in mind, whilst places like Blackpool Zoo and Knowsley Park have free-flying flock's of BG, the next time I see any it'll be as well to bear this in mind.    

Out of the Ordinary.

Bullfinch. David Cookson.

A brilliant photograph of a brilliant bird the male Bullfinch with many thanks to DC.

The out of the ordinary was that I was birding on Saturday, a day I'm usually otherwise preoccupied but not having been out since Tuesday, with today's weather looking good, and a severe feeling of withdrawal symptoms setting in I made the choice between Harrisend and Conder Green and - with time a bit limited - went for the latter where it didn't take long to realise the place had died a death, and true to the unpredictability of birds was void of them almost, in particular the waders and wildfowl of the creeks and channels. On Conder Pool I counted 11 Little Grebe and was tempted to record twelve but despite counting them a time or two - some up some down - I could make nothing more accurate than eleven, also noted c.90 Teal, and 3 Wigeon. The only birds of note on the circuit were c.200 Goldfinch again, in itself an impressive sight to see, a Coal Tit, 2 Swallows over, and a Sparrowhawk. On the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock I made note of 3 Greenshank, c.380 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.650 Golden Plover, and 4 Red-breasted Merganser.

On Pilling Marsh I found 2 Barnacle Geese with up to 10,000 Pink-footed Geese and noted a Little Egret. I decide the 'calorie crunching' walk to Cockers Dyke from Fluke Hall would do me good and was rewarded by 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls at the dyke, and 4 Wheatear, 3 Little Egret and a Kestrel to note on the way.

And finally....

Red Deer. Gary Jones. 

A nice picture of the stag Red Deer from the Grisedale Hide at Leighton Moss where I'd recommend you go if you'd like to see the Red Deer with at least a good chance of doing so....Thanks for the pic Gary.

Keep On Plugging.

OK, so I was faced with a little household problem this morning which seriously interfered with my birding plans for the day, well not so little actually, in fact the problem needed immediate attention, and it not only interfered with my birding plans it actually buggered them up completely for the day....so life's not all that good after all, and to make matters much worse tomorrows weather looks like rhyming with 'trap'....

But here's a pic or two to be going on with....

Marsh Harrier. Dennis Atherton. 

An excellent photograph of the female Marsh Harrier which Dennis captured at Leighton Moss where the birds are well established as summer visitors which breed here. They are scarce but regular as passage migrants at sites beyond the hunting territories of the Leighton Moss birds. Thanks for the pic Dennis.

Kingfisher. Brian Rafferty.

Ah well....we've had Kingfisher pics on here before but not this one I reckon and in any case you never tire of seeing Kingfisher pic's....do you! Thanks for this Brian.

Slavonian Grebe. Phillip Thomson.

Well we ain't had Slavonian Grebe on here before and this image of one is as good as they come. The species is a rare visitor to our area but as I recall one was a long stayer on Pine Lake from 18 October until 10 December in 2009 during which time I enjoyed good views of the bird on more than one occasion. Thanks for this Phillip.

Unfortunately we now have the choice of whether or not to dip into some more 'gloom' but the truth is we all have a duty to 'Keep On Plugging' these terrible crimes against our wildlife and in this case - yet again - our birds, one thing for sure....we can't ignore it. 

THE WAR CONTINUES

Yesteryear.

Water Vole. Phillip Tomkinson.



I reckon this to be the best image of a Water Vole I ever saw or am ever likely to see. Thanks for this Phillip it is a brilliant and much appreciated photograph of a scarce creature lots of us are not likely to ever see without or even with an intense search.

A good day for doing one of those searches through old records on which I picked out a couple of birds I'm hoping to find/see this winter, though if the past 'one or two' are anything to go by I won't be holding my breath. There are some gaps in any accuracy in the following 'short but sweet' notes, but it's been 'a while' since I last saw a Smew but in the yesteryear there was the time when you could visit what was then called Dockacres and see a smart drake which wintered here - and wandered to other areas - for 'many' a consecutive year. Though there is now evidence of a decline in sightings of this species in the UK, once was the time when the record book was dominated by occurrences at Leighton Moss and Dockacres where the Smew was almost annual since 1990. I myself was delighted to find a drake Smew had returned yet again to Dockacres on 22 November 1992, and again later on 21 December I found a/the bird on the River Lune at Snatchems opposite the Golden Ball, then six days later by Greyhound Bridge. The following year a drake Smew gave me an even greater 'buzz' when I discovered it had paid a visit to Blea Tarn Reservoir on 5 March 1993, I remember this morning with relish as I'd gone to the reservoir on my way to work and enjoyed what turned out to be one of those special birding moments of which I've experienced many a one since.

In the winter of 1992/93 I recorded a total of eleven Brambling locations, this was in the days when I drove a car parts delivery van for a living, something which turned out to be the best in 'the world' when it came to a job of work and a growing passion for birds becoming an unbelievable combination. A record of the Brambling which  I recall with pleasure was collected on 5 December 1995 when I came across a flock of at least 300 'finches' below a superb Beech Tree opposite Levens Park the greater majority of which were Brambling with Chaffinch's, how could I ever forget a sighting like this plus the fact they were eventually scattered by a Sparrowhawk.

The Brambling winters in widely separate areas from one year to the next with little apparent site fidelity to wintering sites, and both this species and the Smew are well overdue to 'put in an appearance' in our area and I'd like to think this will be put right this winter.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!     

In the Negative.

Birk Bank. Pete Woodruff.

You don't get class photography if they're mine but this one illustrates a bit of sunlight which came down at my feet on the top of Birk Bank this afternoon and lasted about ten seconds to brighten up an otherwise dull day in more ways than one.

Nothing to celebrate up here today as my five hour search for the Stonechat ended in disaster with not a single bird found. Without labouring the issue too much this is the first time in more than ten years I've turned up a blank on the Stonechat in the Clougha/Birk Bank area, the ten years represents at least 132 visits and consumed up to 600 hours so I learned a bit about the species in that time both here and at about twelve other upland locations. On the United Utilities Estate in Bowland the Stonechat population fell by close on 50% in 2009....you'll have gathered I'm not a happy chappy at the moment.

As I got out of the car 6 Swallows went over south and were the only ones seen, raptors were one Buzzard and a Kestrel, 6 Redpoll went 'bouncing' overhead, I heard just 2 Wren, and 16 Meadow Pipits erupted out of the bracken and flew towards Cragg Wood, and taking into account duplicate counting I saw at least 23 Red Grouse. Well it's the end of September now and upland birding doesn't offer you a long list of birds and you often have to be content with scant reward for some bloody hard work, but not as scant as today....but it's gotta be dun!

Red Grouse. Pete Woodruff.

The lone Red Grouse showing the height and ruggedness of its habitat. And finally....

In a recent post I was 'shouting my mouth off' about the Greenshank becoming the next species to winter at Conder Green. Well this turns out to be some Birds2blog rubbish as instead of relying on my weak memory recall I should have consulted my records - which I have done now - to find the species has done so at this location for the past three winters....I think I'm on the wrong medication! 

I suggest- no actually insist - you take a look at Richard Shillings latest post HERE and be shocked at what he saw in a beautiful Lakes valley. 

Never A Dull Moment....

....but it came quite close today.

Little Grebe. David Cookson.

I put David Cookson's excellent photograph of the Little Grebe in my sidebar recently but as they came in to the reckoning today I thought I'd like it in the post too.

The weather was dull and the birding barely raised itself above that level either, though I'd find it difficult to regard any birding to ever be really dull, but Conder Green was a big disappointment today, the creeks were deserted and the circuit actually drew a blank. Conder Pool produced a couple of interesting records in that the Common Sandpiper seen is surely the one going to winter here, and 11 Little Grebes come within one bird of equaling last years peak of twelve, also noted on here a Snipe and the 4 Wigeon....aren't they ever going to meet up with the relations on the River Lune! 

At Glasson Dock, the Lune Estuary here goes under water on the incoming tide pretty quick and about to be 'pushed off' were a Spotted Redshank, and Greenshank, c.580 Golden Plover were similar to last Thursdays number and I'd estimate 4,500 Lapwing here, a Little Egret was again in it's favoured area below Waterloo Cottage.

At Cockersands what was left above water of Plover Scar held a count of 32 Turnstone - never an easy species to catch up with - and circa's of 120 Redshank, 90 Oystercatcher, 50 Dunlin, and 2 Little Egret, 10 Eider were on the sea. At least 30 Greenfinch are still attracted to the set-aside and a similar number of 30 Goldfinch in the area. From Bank End 6 Little Egret were on the marsh and a Great-crested Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser were of note on the Cocker Estuary.

Ahhhh well....birding isn't all about finding an Empidonax Flycatcher! 

And finally....

Little Bustard. Paul Foster. 

This photograph of the Little Bustard's in Portugal has the quality of an excellent painting in my opinion. I'm impressed and thanks for letting me put them up here Paul. 

Another RS Gallery

Maple Leaf Lantern.

If ever I need to fill a gap and brighten up Birds2blog at the same time there's one place I can always take a look and that's at Richard Shillings Landart website....OK you may ask 'whats this got to do with a birding blog' well nothing at all actually but so what, everything can become a bit tedious at times and a change is as good as a rest. Well you can never fail to be impressed when you see some of the things this man gets up to with his creative mind running in 5th gear and I was really taken in by this his latest creation above, and....

  

Doodle on a Rock-Concentric Maple Leaves.

I was with this one too....Richard has a new book out 'Transcience' and I recommend you take a look at his website HERE to get an idea of what the book contains and to keep up to date on what he's been creating recently.

Thanks for these two photographs Richard, and you're really going to have to put up with my Songs of Praise as you never fail to bowl me over with your art and I reckon you do the same to most if not all my visitors.

And finally....

Before you view the video below I'm asking you if you are going to attend this years 'Scilly Season' soon and more to the point planning your first ever pelagic trip, if you are then I'd suggest you leave Birds2blog without watching it but if you can't resist the temptation you must note this is on board a huge ocean going liner and not some small craft with a handful of birders on board....make your choice now!! 



The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good!

A MEGA in Norfolk.

Now I'll need to be careful here as this is well outside my range in terms of knowledge and I'm putting myself in danger of being shot out of the sky by the professionals if I say too much and don't proceed with caution.

The pager news this morning was of a Empidonax Flycatcher at Blakeney Point in Norfolk. Early news suggested the bird to be either a Willow/Alder or Acadian Flycatcher but is now considered to be a presumed Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. What I do know about these birds is that they are known to be 'notoriously scary' when it comes to separation for ID and perhaps the earliest report naming three of the species and ending up with the current 'presumed' one is a clear indication of this. Apparently the best feature is the song of the bird which I'd suppose is one nobody is going to hear on Blakeney Point in Norfolk but I was impressed with the video above.

Then at 6.23pm comes the news of a Northern Parula on Tiree, Argyll. This one follows a bird at Brownstown Head in Co Waterford, Ireland on Sunday 5 October 2003, the bird was eventually caught, ringed, released, and was never seen again.

The Bad and the Ugly....Tragic in fact.

Malta has been shamed yet again by its illegal bird hunters who have blasted a number of Spoonbills this week which were passing through the islands on migration from Europe to Africa. Only nine of an original twenty two birds have escaped the attentions of these hunters and were able to continue their migration to Africa. Dr Andre Raine of BirdLife Malta said....'the targeting of protected birds during the night invariably takes place every time rare species roost on the islands, this is clear indication of just how ridiculous the illegal hunting situation is in Malta, and its about time the Maltese government accepted that here we have a serious conservation problem'....A polite and diplomatic man if you ask me.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!