Raptor Persecution and....

....three Americans!

I think you may be interested in THIS where you can also link to the government press release on the subject. The request to the RSPB now is....please make a move in the direction of the government to bring this law to England and Wales post haste, where the problem of persecution continues and - in my opinion - possibly gets worse.

There are three American birds to note in the UK at the moment one of which was found on 31 October in the south east of Ireland at Tacumshin in Co Wexford and is a Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus hudsonius - previously Marsh Hawk - and is the American race of the Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus in relation to which the males plumage is darker, as is the females which is more rufous in colour. Another is an American Bittern (AB) in Cornwall, apparently access to the location of the bird is closed after Sunday for some reason. This bird is superficially similar to the European Bittern but is slightly smaller and has several differences some subtle, I think if one ever pops briefly out of the reeds at Leighton Moss you'll need to be pretty smart to claim it as an AB. On a local level the most famous AB has to be the one found at Marton Mere, Blackpool in January 1991 which almost completed a four months stay there until May. The third is the long staying Green Heron also in Cornwall.

Please take a look at the video of the Northern Harrier which is over 3.5 minutes long, but stick with it as it is quite good, only the man near the end of the video worried me a little though he confesses to only taking photographs but I was uncomfortable about him. 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!

Northern Parula.

Northern Parula. Tiree, Inner Hebrides Sept 2010. SP.

On 25 September a Northern Parula was found on Tiree, Inner Hebrides, this bird created some interest for me for a few reasons. The Northern Parula (NP) breeds in the eastern half of N.America, and winters from Mexico south to Nicaragua, and from southern Florida south through the West Indies.

The first record of NP in Britain was as recent as 44 years ago on Tresco, Isles of Scilly in October 1966 when a man and his wife told a visitor at the same hotel they were staying in of a mystery bird they had seen earlier in the day feeding with Goldcrests, rushing off to the location described to him he eventually caught a glimpse of the bird which instantly solved the mystery and he claimed the bird to be a NP. However, there had been an earlier record of the species than this one, it was of a bird seen and caught on board a ship in September 1962, but this individual died after the ship had docked at Southhampton in Hampshire. 

The NP is unmistakable amongst the American Wood-Warblers and is often regarded as the prettiest of them all, small and multicoloured. This individual is unusual in that most - if not all - previous vagrants to the UK have been in S.W.England and S.Ireland, though one was found dying in Wigan, Lancashire in November 1982.   

You can read about this bird, when, where, and how in the finders article on the RBA website. 

On a personal level....

Stonechat. David Cookson.

I never tire of seeing excellent photographs of any subject in particular those of birds, and certainly would never do of the Stonechat. I'm desperately overdue visiting many upland location favourites of mine to keep tabs on the species, that said, the prospects of birding anywhere for me are not looking good at the moment but I'm doing my best to change that situation. Thanks for the photograph DC, looking forward to seeing you sometime again soon. Also thanks to SP for the NP photograph.  

Not Much Fun.

Twite. Phil Slade.

I thought I'd made a big mistake this morning, by the time I reached Conder Green it was raining and I spent the first 30 minutes doing one of those staring through the windscreen routines wondering if I should be doing something more useful with my life, but it cleared up and I managed to complete the three hours I had to spare to devote to my birding before having to be back in Lancaster by 3.00pm, though I'd have to  regard today and it's weather as not much fun. I didn't see any Twite like the one in the photograph above but expect to I will somewhere soon. Thanks for the pic Phil.

I didn't get to do the circuit at Conder Green so only half the task achieved today, on the pool I counted 10 Little Grebe, and a Goosander was the only other bird of note, come to think of it was probably the only other bird....full stop! In the creeks the Spotted Redshank obliged as did a Little Egret. The platform overlooking Conder Pool was as far as I got today and I was off to Glasson Dock where a quick check over the canal basin gave me my first Goldeneye this year, 3 Little Grebe were of note on here.

On the Lune Estuary where the tidal and flood water were still covering much of the area 155 Golden Plover, a solitary Bar-tailed Godwit, and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser were all I noted before taking cover from the second of a few showers I had to dodge today.

I decided if I was going to have to go through another sulking period I may as well do it at Cockersands whilst I see if it clears up again which it did for just enough time to estimate 40/35 Greenfinch/Linnet at the set-aside whilst a Snipe went over and a Little Egret was seen on Plover Scar. In one of the Abbey Farm fields I became a dedicated recorder for a while and counted c.750 Lapwing, 125 Redshank, 450 Curlew, a few as yet uncounted Brown Hare are showing in this area again now. Driving down Moss Lane a small raptor seen briefly in flight down a ditch was almost certainly the 'possible' Merlin seen in the area on 18 October....next time I'll nail this bird!

I was out of time....I'm sick of birding against the clock!  

A RBA MEGA alert this morning at 9.40am was of an American Kestrel in Suffolk, south of Felixstowe at Languard NR, but by 12.40pm it had been re-captured as an escaped bird with a metal ring on its leg.

Waxwings....again!

Bohemian Waxwing. Mike Watson.

No apologies for another post about the Waxwing, though you will notice this time I decided to give the bird its full and proper name. The race which we see here in the UK are from Scandinavia and carry the scientific name Bombycilla garrulus. The first record of Bohemian Waxwing in Britain is of a bird 330 years ago in January 1680 at York. Today the birds are regular winter visitors to the UK which vary in numbers from a 'few' in some years to c.10,000 as is the record for the winter of 1995/96.

There appears to be a pattern of the influxes with first arrivals in eastern Scotland and north-east England and this seems to have been the case this year. If you look through the old records of Oakes, he reports large influxes into Lancashire at both sides of the turn of the 19th century noting most to be in the north of the county. He documented what he called 'the most important visitation' during the severe winter of 1946/47 when we get a mention in our area of a bird in Cockerham in December followed by a build up in numbers when 200 were in Carnforth at the end of the month.

Bohemian Waxwing. David Cookson.

In recent years there have been some interesting ringed recoveries, an example being of two birds ringed in October 2004 in Aberdeenshire both of which were seen in Barrow in December, these two birds have the added interest of being seen at the very same location as Mike Watson's, David Cookson's and Brian Rafferty's birds, observed and photographed as seen on Birds2blog, two more birds from the same catch in Aberdeenshire were also seen in December in Burnley, one of which was later seen in Buckinghamshire in January 2005. These records clearly show the speed at which these birds can move through the country.

Thanks to Mike and David for letting me put these photographs on here, please visit their websites - which can always be linked from my sidebar - for excellent records and photographs both here and further afield.         

Wot no Waxwings!

Waxwing. Brian Rafferty.

Well the title and the photographs for today's post was never easier 'cos I ain't seen none yet and BR  - who has - took some pictures with a difference in that they show the Waxwing with wings spread to give us some of the finer details of the birds spectacular plumage like....

Waxwing. Brian Rafferty 

....these two do. Great stuff as always Brian with my thanks.

As for me, well I went off on a 'short shift' to check if anything was happening at Conder Green, Glasson Dock and Cockersands that I didn't know about only to discover nothing was, but....it's gotta be done!

Conder Pool appears to be down to 6 Little Grebe at the moment, with 2 Wigeon and 3 Tufted Duck amounting to a quiet scene which the Kingfisher illuminated by putting in an appearance. On the circuit I found a Rock Pipit and wondered how many may have been lurking on the marsh along with the Snipe waiting to be put up by a 10mtr tide, 2 Snipe were the only waders of any note, and a Reed Bunting seen. The best bird here was the Grey Wagtail I found which quiet amazingly is my first here since 28 January 2008 twenty one months ago.

At Glasson Dock I noted c.650 Golden Plover none of which resembled an American Golden Plover the 'possible' of which was reported yesterday, c.5,000 Knot and 250 Bar-tailed Godwit were also of note.

At Cockersands I decided to take a close look at the 'finches' here again and got some conclusive evidence that there are probably up to 200 birds in the area as the ratio today was c.80 Greenfinch, 10 Linnet, and 6 Chaffinch, the Greenfich/Linnet ratio being round about the opposite on Thursday last. Three Reed Bunting and a Grey Plover were the only other birds noted as by now I was once again out of time....and here's me thinking the days of running out of time were behind me! 

For the past few days I've been watching a Coal Tit from our kitchen window, this bird is taking seeds from a feeder and on Saturday morning whilst I was in and out of the room a few times I estimated it visited the feeder up to 70 times in thirty minutes and took them off obviously to bury/store them somewhere and flying off in three different directions to do so. Whilst I'm not suggesting this bird spends the whole day doing this kind of 'work' as it blatantly isn't and couldn't, but the bird and this behaviour fascinates me.   

Its Saturday....

....and as usual my birding is sidelined by 'other things' - yes there are 'other things' in life - and I have to get on with them like it or not. But never mind all that....

Please take a look at the video below whilst making sure you treat yourself to some more excellent photography, video's, and sound recording's on Hugh Harrop's Shetland Wildlife website, including the recently added Isabelline Shrike video which brilliantly illustrates why this bird is also known as the 'butcher bird' and which you can see along with others via the link from this Lapland Bunting video. My thanks to Hugh Harrop for allowing us to share these.

Lapland Bunting from Hugh Harrop on Vimeo.

Notes.

I've been contacted by a regular to Birds2blog who has given me some really interesting information regarding yesterdays post 'Clougha/Birk Bank' in which I described the truly magnificent panoramic view from the summit of Clougha Pike on days with perfect visibility. I have been told that on two occasions when he has reached the top to take in the view, he has actually identified two jutting peaks to the left of the Isle of Man as the Mourne Mountains in N.Ireland. It has been suggested next time I'm up on Clougha looking through by binoculars from the summit on a perfectly clear day, that I should look carefully to see if I too can add these mountains to an already amazing sight. Thanks for this BD, much appreciated for your interest in Birds2blog, your comments and info.

MEGA NEWS.

Locally, a Great Grey Shrike was found along the path to the Allan Pool Hide at Leighton Moss on Thursday and a couple of excellent pics can be seen of the bird in the 'Photos' section HERE with thanks to Steven Grimshaw.

Nationally, an 'albatross' species was reported on the RBA pager service flying west past Salthouse in Norfolk at 1.25pm.

And finally....

I could never have believed I would be making this confession on the world wide web, but since the good, the bad, and the ugly have been discarded from The X- Factor I've been glued to the television for in excess of two hours for the past Saturday evening or two. As I like to think of myself of at least average intelligence I find this very worrying and I'm going to have to deal with it as best can, but I tell you what....there's some pretty good talent on there, but following a very tough contest with some very tough and excellent challengers I'm predicting  - at this moment in time - Cher Lloyd to be the winner at the end of it all.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING !

Clougha/Birk Bank.

I put up a new header photograph yesterday and the one above is another showing the stunning view from the top of Birk Bank, in the background are the Lakeland hills though distant and far from clear in this photograph, but if you see it for real it is pretty impressive. The header is one I took on a morning I was heading off to do the monthly observations at one of my most favourite of birding locations on Clougha and Birk Bank primarily to check out the Stonechats there. It was a brilliant morning and went on the be a brilliant day, the scene in the picture came into view as I reached the top of Quernmore Road and was breathtaking as can be seen in the header picture, I just had to take a photograph of this beautiful English countryside.

I've been going to this area on the fringe of the Forest of Bowland for almost twelve years now and the survey takes me anything up to five hours at a dawdle, I enjoy every minute of the visit which has kept me up to date on the status of the Stonechat in the area since I saw a distant bird here in 1999 when the Stonechat was certainly not a bird to be found on a daily basis, I thought at the time that I should give this area a good going over, and I'm still doing so. Although upland birding never creates a lengthy list of birds it has produced one or two bonus surprises over the years, the latest being two Spotted Flycatchers on 26 August and was a first record for me, this species certainly does not breed here and I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time to find these two off passage. I've also seen Honey Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, and Hooded Crow to mention a few, it is also good for finding Whinchat off passage, another species which doesn't breed here anymore and has never done so in the twelve years I've been coming here though it has in the past.

I remember the walk to the summit of Clougha one summers evening with John Leedal, on reaching the top the view was stunning and JL told me how lucky I was in that it was one of those rare occasions when the panoramic view was at its best, with the mountains of the Lakes, Morecambe Bay, Blackpool Tower, Snowdonia in Wales, and the best and the rarest sight of all, the Isle of Man.

If you can appreciate the aesthetics combined with your birding you're on a winner, if you can't you're the looser.

Pink-footed Geese. Gary Jones.  

I was doing another search through my records today, this time it was of neck collared Pink-footed Geese I've seen to date, I was reminded of some of the amazing movements of these birds when you read through their sheets of histories and chose this one to illustrate how one bird inexplicably moves from one place to the other whilst perhaps not being able to understand why it should want to do so. This bird was marked as an adult in 1999 at Nautalda, Thjorsarver, C.Iceland with the collar FLY and during the winter of 2004/05 through observations and collar readings made the following movements....

On 25 September FLY was at Loch Leven in Perth and Kinross.

In just under 4 weeks FLY was seen on 23 October in Holkam, Norfolk.

And 12 days later on 4 November FLY was back at Loch Leven in Perth and Kinross.
Another 16 days later FLY was back in Burnham Market in Norfolk on 20 November.
FLY was then seen 8 weeks later on 21 January at Martin Mere in Lancashire.
And on 11 March was back again at Dowhill, Perth and Kinross.

Pink-footed Geese may make much more amazing movements within the UK during the winter months than FLY did in this example, but did they really have to go to all that trouble and fly all that distance.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!

Half Day Closing!

Brambling. Phil Slade.

The genuine article, the Brambling seen by me yesterday at Cockersands and seen again today by PS. Thanks for the pic's and your co-operation Phil, the bird made my day and the ones in which it was in the company of are developing into an interesting observation as the foot of this post indicates.

Teal. Phil Slade. 

Along with lots of other birds I didn't count the Teal at Conder Green today with BT, but PS got a nice pic of four in flight. Some excellent news comes out of the visit here today in that one of the first sightings was that of the Common Sandpiper on Conder Pool, not seen since 12 October and which almost escaped my attention but I caught a glimpse of the bird as it disappeared, minutes later it gave me much more than a glimpse as it reappeared from behind the island, also a Little Egret, 7 Little Grebe, 3 Wigeon, 2 Goosander, and a Coal Tit, the circuit was as yesterday unrewarded. On the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock a check through the 'gulls' proved the vast majority to be at least 400 Common Gulls, a Greenshank was the only wader of any note with unusual small numbers of the common ones.

By the time BT and I arrived at Cockersands it was becoming obvious we were going to get 'washed out' but not before making a concerted effort to get to grips with the set-aside 'finch' flock which has now increased in number. After some determination to stay with them the birds were a little more obliging as the pretty awful photograph below shows....no thats not the moon behind them but the eyepiece of my telescope. 

In this photograph you can attempt to count the birds for yourself, not easy I know and I appreciate you can't tell what they are, but you can take my word for it I've 'blown it up' and there are at least 95 birds on this wire.

OK, now this is merely a record shot of the 'finches' at Cockersands, the best I could do in the circumstances and with the abysmal equipment I have, but this gathering at the set-aside here is becoming interesting since I first found them on 14 September when there was c.30 Greenfinch, but since then - and six visits later with varying results - the flock today consisted of a reasonable estimate of at least 90 Linnet and 10 Greenfinch. So, this flock is fluctuating not only in number but also in ratio of Greenfinch/Linnet, and I'm quite convinced there may well have been/is in excess of 200 'finches' in the area making accurate recording difficult....but watch this space as I now have some help on the matter!

I was back home again just after 2 o'clock 'Half Day Closing'....Pooooh!

No Title....

....couldn't think of one!

Fieldfare. Phil Slade.

Always a popular bird around this time of year. I've only seen two small flocks in flight so far....Thanks for the pic Phil, a superb image of the Fieldfare and much appreciated.

The 'Lancaster' forecast I follow said 'white cloud' today, a curious way of describing the weather which in any case was a little out as it was a pretty decent day with some sunny spells and mild with it.

On Conder Pool I could only count 7 Little Grebe today but 2 Wigeon are on here again, also 2 Goosander, a single Tufted Duck, and 3 Snipe to note, these must be one of the most overlooked birds as they are always extremely well camouflaged and crouching, I could very easily have missed them. The circuit was quiet with the creeks almost void of waders save 6 Redshank seen, wildfowl was represented by c.90 Teal and c.45 Mallard, the only small birds along the short stretch of the coastal path I walk were at least 10 Long-tailed Tits.

The Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock was also relatively quiet with a drastic reduction in number since my visit on Monday with c.1,000 Knot, c.125 Golden Plover, and c.90 Bar-tailed Godwit noted. From Jeremy Lane the Little Owl was seen perched on its beam inside the derelict farm building.

At Cockersands I did the circuit from the lighthouse on the basis 'you never know'. I had to walk for two hours and get back to Lighthouse Cottage to be surprised to find a solitary Brambling with the now resident mixed 'finch' flock of c.50 Greenfinch/Linnet of which I have no idea of the ratio, these birds are either highly mobile or down in 3ft of winter seed. The tide was well in here again today, but I did note 2 Grey Plover and c.750 Oystercatcher easy to count on Plover Scar, 6 Eider were off here with 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Skylark were the only birds noted on the road section which brings me to wonder....where do all the Tree Sparrows go, obviously out of my sight anyway.

From Hillam Lane last Thursdays 4 Whooper Swan adults were in the field still, 4 Whooper Swans were opposite Sand Villa, and 2 Whooper Swans - an adult and juvenile - were distant on Pilling Marsh, only c.350 Pink-footed Geese on the marsh today. On Fluke Hall Lane whilst discovering there were only 4 Redshank in the now 'excellent condition' large stubble field, a bird in flight took my eye and turned out to be a smart female/juvenile Merlin eventually giving good views on the ground. A brief look from the slipway at Fluke Hall produced a Little Egret on the beach and 7 Black-tailed Godwit went over going south inland.

I note not having seen the Common Sandpiper at Conder Green since 12 October despite several visits....Mmmmm!        



Waxwings.

Waxwing. Brian Rafferty.

There are two reasons why I have little time to blog today, in the first place the weather, about which if you live in our area I need say no more, and if you don't, well in three polite words....it was raining. The other reason being that I've been involved with one of those 'other things' days.

But just to say if you don't already know, there are thousands of found and unfound Waxwings now in the country, though I must add mainly up north in Scotland, but that won't always be the case, so eyes peeled. And I reckon if you never 'heard' the Waxwing I'd strongly recommend you visit Hugh Harrop HERE but you'll probably have to turn up the volume on your computer speakers, and I reckon the third recording is the best one.

Waxwings. Brian Rafferty.

Thanks for the photographs Brian....Stunning.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!