The Meds And The Plovers....Again.

This has to be called part time birding, and part time blogging....

I was in Morecambe Wednesday lunch time, and with my optics a permanent fixture in the car boot I was off to Heysham to check through the gulls whilst the tide pushed them ever nearer on Red Nab. I spent a good 2 hours there, unable to get beyond the outfall because of a barrier in place reading 'No Public Access'.

Mediterranean Gull. Pete Woodruff.

I found 4 Mediterranean Gull, though a Peregrine Falcon put an end to the survey on two occasions, it taking the gulls up to twenty minutes to reassemble back on to Red Nab off the sea, and me having to start all over again. Three of these birds were ringed, but distance, lack of decent light, and the wind, all contributed to the frustration of not being able to read two of the rings beyond one being a green darvic, the other a yellow, though the bird ringed 2P96 was present here again as Sunday, a Common Sandpiper was something of a bonus.

On the pool, a female Emperor Dragonfly was again ovipositing, with two female Broad-bodied Chaser, and Common Blue Damselflies, a Chiffchaff was heard.

Doing the rounds.

I managed to do some of 'the rounds' yesterday, but with not enough hours in a day, and not enough days in a week, birding/blogging can be difficult - if not impossible - at times. Meanwhile, the three Ringed Plover chicks on Plover Scar at Cockersands, were alive and well up to 4.15pm at least when I left, scuttling around finding food for themselves, whilst the adults stood guard, followed them around, and watched their every move.

Disturbed....

Spotted Redshank Phillip Tomkinson

....but not by the sight of the Spotted Redshank on Conder Pool yesterday, having returned to Conder Green after just 8 weeks absence, it was in the company of c.55 Redshank. Also on the pool, 2 Little Grebe in their splendid breeding plumage and a bit of a surprise on here on the first day of July, though one on here on 10 June was an even bigger surprise. I also achieved an accurate count of 12 Common Sandpiper in the creeks.

Disturbance.

But the sole purpose of my birding yesterday was to be at Cockersands for the high tide to try to confirm a suspicion I had on Monday. I parked up at the Caravan Park and walked along the headland towards Plover Scar to be confronted by the sight of someone out on the scar with six hounds, but at least thankful that he appeared to be coming off the scar rather than just arriving there.

Walkies At Cockersands. Pete Woodruff.

I knew he would pass me on the shore as I had seen his familiar van parked up at the Caravan Park. But the worry that he had been out there on Plover Scar became an even bigger worry when twenty minutes after he left and I had had the time to look over the scar to actually confirm my suspicion.

Ringed Plover Marc Heath 

On Monday I had seen a Ringed Plover on Plover Scar behaving in a way that had me thinking it had either a nest or young. It was alert, running in short bursts, looking around intently, and calling. My suspicion was pretty obvious and was confirmed yesterday afternoon when I saw two Ringed Plover adults soon followed by a chick which they followed around guarding its every move. The family soon became three when two more chicks were eventually seen.

These Ringed Plover chicks - only recently out of the nest which they soon leave to feed themselves after hatching - will need all the luck they can get for at least the coming three weeks to escape all manner of natural predation, and certainly can do without people with dogs trampling over this SSSI location.

Something really needs to be done to at least encourage people not to cause this kind of disturbance to breeding birds on the shore. But we're up against it I'm afraid, according to the conversation I had on Monday, a sign had already been erected in the area in the past, but surprise, surprise....it was vandalised the following day, probably by some irate dog owner who didn't like what it said.

So if you plan a bit of birding at Cockersands over the coming weeks, perhaps you'd like to take a look on Plover Scar to see if the Ringed Plover family have survived both the natural and avoidable unnatural dangers until they fledge hopefully by the end of the month. Meanwhile I'm going to make enquiries - again - about this problem and what we can do about it.

Thanks to Phillip and Marc for the photographs, excellent as ever and worthy of a look on 'clik the pik'. 

Common As In Sandpiper!

Snipe Paul Foster 

Other than it's a bird, the photograph has no relation to this post whatsoever, but it's one of those 'can't resist this one' pictures of a displaying Snipe, and probably the best of it's kind I've ever seen....Thanks Paul, brilliant. 

Well if I'm going to see reports of returning birds I've been expecting anytime soon at Conder Green you can bet I'm going to be there to see them for myself.

So there I was yesterday on the viewing platform looking over Conder Pool to soon find that if I'm going to record anything here today I'll need to put in my black book what little I saw, 14 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon, and 3 Little Egret, well you can't turn your nose up at 3 Little Egret can you!

Off I went on the circuit, only a couple of strides into it and what's this....one flew by, another, another, then four more, then five, that's a total of 12 Common Sandpiper in the creeks with c.120 Redshank. It's always good to do a circuit at a place like Conder Green, but today's was a little unproductive I have to say, though it was good to find the scaffolding and ladders have been removed from Cafe d' Lune where there are 5 House Martin nests, a Whitethroat put in a brief song around here.

On Jeremy Lane I heard a Sedge Warbler, and on Moss Lane a Whitethroat. At Cockersands, 24 Eider off Crook Cottage were seen as 15 female and 9 young, seven waders was the sum total on Plover Scar at high tide, a Grey Plover, a Ringed Plover, 3 Oystercatcher, and 2 Dunlin. A 'few' Sand Martin flew past me on the headland, and another brief burst of song from a Whitethroat at the far end of the horse paddock at Bank Houses.

Small Tortoiseshell. Copy Permitted.

At least 60 Small Tortoiseshell and a single Red Admiral seen today at Cockersands.

Disturbance.   

Walkies On The Marsh. Pete Woodruff.

I had a very interesting conversation with someone yesterday who is trying much harder than I am in attempting to halt the disturbance of birds on the coast in areas like Cockersands where professional handlers are taking up to 15 unleashed dogs at a time on to Plover Scar and further out on to the sands which can often cause mass disturbance to hundreds - sometimes thousands - of birds. 

Other than this person is finding it heavy going in trying to get an authority to budge on this issue, I'm not at liberty to discuss details, and don't have the permission to name names on Birds2blog at this point and in any case certainly never do, but I reckon lots of visitors to this blog will have a good idea who this authority is.

I'm considering lending a hand here and there's more to come on this, including an incident I observed on Plover Scar following the conversation so....watch this space.  

Mediterranean Gulls etc....

....and another prediction result.

Mediterranean Gull Simon Hawtin   

Another compromise yesterday when KT suggested we took a trip to Morecambe. I suggested - well insisted really - we first took a trip to Heysham to watch the tide push the birds ever nearer on Red Nab. The result being 7 Mediterranean Gull seen including one marked 2P96. This is a Heysham ringed bird following its release from being tangled in fishing line on the north harbour wall at Heysham Harbour.

Emperor Dragonfly. Stephen Burch.

A look in at the small pool we passed on our way to Red Nab was rewarded by excellent views of a male Emperor Dragonfly patrolling the pool, whilst we also had excellent views of two female Emperors ovipositing, the only Anax to do so without the male. Also on the pool, a female Broad-bodied Chaser, and a good number of Common Blue Damselflies.

Common Sandpipers at Conder Green.

Common Sandpiper Simon Hawtin

To follow the Spotted Redshank, another Conder Green prediction came to fruition when 15 Common Sandpiper were there yesterday, following comments in my Sunday post that....'The Common Sandpiper at Conder Green will also build to a double figure count over the coming weeks'....obviously should have read 'over the coming days'.

Thanks to Stephen and Simon for the images, always much appreciated.

A chat, a shank, an orchid, and a warning.

Stonechat Ana Minguez 

Since the beginning of 2014 I've collected 69 individual Stonechat records of wintering, migrating, and some with evidence of breeding birds. Only 7 of the 69 are my own records, a clear indication that in the areas I cover the Stonechat has made little and in some cases no return at all since the harsh winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11, but it is good that these records show that something of the opposite has taken place elsewhere.

Some of these records I have collected from the various local websites, but the majority have been sent in to me all of which I am very grateful. The latest set of records I have recieved were sent to me by a contact who has collated an excellent 36 territories within our recording area and for which I must add my appreciation.

There's no doubt the two harsh winters brought considerable mortality to our resident Stonechats which would bring about the ascendency of the migrant population which will maintain and increase numbers until the sedentary population regains the advantage which usually happens within 3-4 years following prolonged severe spells, and according to the records I'm collecting we're seeing that this is happening now, the irony here being....not in my territory it isn't.

The Shank.

Spotted Redshank Arkive 

The Spotted Redshank I predicted in my last post would soon return to be with the Redshank I counted on Thursday at Conder Green had apparently arrived the following day Friday 27 June, having only been absent from here for a mere eight weeks, and will probably winter here until the end of next April. The Common Sandpiper at Conder Green will also build to a double figure count over the coming weeks too, an area only usually surpassed by the Shard Bridge area for the species count on autumn migration. 

The Orchid.

  Common-spotted Orchid. Pete Woodruff.

On a wander through our local Williamsons Park recently it was good to find a decent show of Common-spotted Orchid on Fenham Carr where a wild meadow has been planted out.

The Warning. 

You've seen my post The Disappearing Act and seen some of my band of excellent photographers images deleted from Birds2blog, so here's the warning. If you keep your pictures in and use Picasa, before you decide to clean up your computer and delete any of the pics you think you no longer need to keep in Google + Photos, make sure you read the following info....

Doing so will remove the album and its photos from all Google products, including Picasa Web Albums, Blogger and others.

Birds2blog With Pictures!!

A little sarcasm creeping in in the title.

Common Sandpiper Martin Jump 

The first sign for me of a returning bird yesterday at Conder Green when I found a Common Sandpiper in the Conder channel downstream from the old railway bridge, though I did see two birds here on 27 May which at the time posed the question....late arrivals or early returners. Also on an otherwise day of 'routine stuff', I noted c.150 Redshank in the creeks - there may be a black one here with them any time soon - 22 Lapwing sought peace and quiet on Conder Pool, with the two resident drake Wigeon, a 'few' Tufted Duck, and three healthy looking young Oystercatcher. A quiet circuit produced 3 Reed Bunting, some House Martin activity around the Cafe d' Lune where I still don't like the look of scaffolding with ladders pointing towards one nest, and a Little Egret on the marsh. 

On the quiet Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Little Egret. Geese were represented by 17 Canada Geese, 5 Greylag, and 5 Pink-footed Geese which took me by surprise as an unusual late June record.

Grey Plover Brian Rafferty 

With nothing to write home about at Cockersands, I was spurred on by thoughts of 'just got to keep on looking'. I found 3 Grey Plover as a pleasant surprise and seen as non breeding first year birds accompanied by up to 140 Oystercatcher. Three Great-crested Grebe were off Plover Scar, 4 Wigeon were of note in the Cocker Channel, a 'few ' Tree Sparrow and House Martin were around Bank Houses, a recently fledged Chaffinch came out of and fluttered itself along the hedgerow, at least one Skylark continues to flight song here, a Snipe by a ditch in the field, and 2 Whitethroat, one of which is almost certainly nesting in the lighthouse cottage garden, and several Swift moving south during the visit.

Meadow Brown Urban Butterfly Garden

Two female Meadow Brown were the only butterflies of note save the few reliable 'whites' seen.

Thanks to Martin/Brian/Urban Butterfly Garden for the images, excellent and much appreciated.

DISAPPEARING ACT!

THE MARTIANS HAVE LANDED AND AS YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF ARE TAKING MY IMAGES OFF BIRDS2BLOG.

THIS IS NOT FUNNY AND I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH BLOGGER TO INVESTIGATE.

AND AS IF TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE MY BIRDING HAS BEEN DERAILED TOO....

LIFE'S NOT FUN ANYMORE!!

The Tale Of The Flycatcher.

Spotted Flycatcher Brian Rafferty 

On my way home from a thoroughly enjoyable days birding in Bowland on Tuesday 17 June, the last call I made was at a church near Abbeystead. This country church must have one of the most breath taking views of any other church in the land, and from its door in the porch you can take in the beauty of the Bowland Fells around Hawthornthwaite and beyond.

Though not for a few years now, this church in the past had a thriving House Martin colony, I once counted up to sixteen nests around the church, built on both sides of the building. The church also has an almost guaranteed pair of Spotted Flycatcher breeding here annually, so whilst it wasn't much of a surprise for me to find them back here today, the sight of a bird in the trees by the bungalow associated with the church was no less exciting than ever for me....I love the Spotted Flycatcher, but little did I know the next surprise was waiting for me at the front of the church.

As I stood at the back of the graveyard to see if any House Martins were present here this year, I started to approach the porch and got within a few metres to glimpse a bird staring at me inside the porch which in an instant took to flight and into a tree close by. Putting my binoculars on to the tree I soon picked up the bird which to my surprise - amazement even - was a Spotted Flycatcher, this bird was nesting in a bowl at the top of a small pillar by the left of the church door inside this small porch. I had no intention of causing this bird anymore stress or disturbance and left immediately.

It was now a duty for me to alert the vicar of this church about my discovery, so that I could inform of the importance of trying to give this bird the protection it was entitled to particularly as a declining species so as to offer it the best chance of a successful conclusion to its choice of unusual breeding location in the small porch of a country church. I left a message for the vicar at the vicarage which is in another village, with a friendly being who was obviously interested in what I had to say, giving them my telephone number and e-mail address. I am to say the least rather disappointed one week later to have heard nothing from the vicar though I expected otherwise. 

I passed all this info on to a fellow birder who I knew would be interested, he duly visited the church a few days later to report to me that there was no sign of either the Spotted Flycatcher or the nest, though I understand some material was found on the floor which 'could' have been a part of the nest.

So in the end....positive thinking, we can only hope that the birds had fledged before my contact visited. But I'm left with a 'niggle' about never knowing what really did happen to the Spotted Flycatcher at this church, and I ponder....why would the House Martins abandon such a healthy breeding colony of sixteen nests at a quiet lonely little country church.

The Rutland Water Ospreys. 

Osprey. Richard Peglar.

Re the above image of the Osprey on the nest at Rutland Water which was posted on Birds2blog recently. Richard - who gives his time as a volunteer for the Osprey Watch at Rutland Water - quite rightly commented to me about the photograph, and it is only right I should post his comments here.... 

....'Please can I mention that the Osprey image was a screen-grab from the nest-cam that I took whilst on duty there. I'd hate anyone to think that I'd been anywhere near an Osprey on a nest, as it would not only be unacceptable but totally illegal too as this is a Schedule 1 protected bird which is one of the reasons that we closely monitor them round the clock when they're breeding'.   

To The Hills....What Again!

On Friday I locked up the motor at Quernmore Village crossroads and returned 5.5 hours later having done my six miles birding hike on Clougha and Birk Bank. 

Despite lots of records being kindly sent in to me that the Stonechat is being found here there and sounds like everywhere, I've concluded that they have not yet returned to what was formerly a stronghold in our recording area in North Lancashire, and found not a single bird again today. Pretty sad that with regard to the Stonechat at least, there will be no purpose in my going up Clougha and Birk Bank for yet another year.

Walking up Rigg Lane on the way to Clougha, I spotted a Curlew stood on a wall and immediately thought there might be a young bird around, sure enough there was a well grown young Curlew, a pleasant sight. Later I collected another excellent record of 8 Red Grouse which were seen as a pair with two young, three young apparently unaccompanied, and later a lone adult, a juvenile Robin completed a trio of young birds seen on the day.

Another two interesting sightings were those of c.200 'corvids' in the air over Birk Bank, predominantly Rook but with Carrion Crow, and at least 20 Mistle Thrush also over and on Birk Bank, both these flocks were seen as post-breeding assemblies. Also to note, 16 Meadow Pipit, 3 Swift were over Clougha summit, 2 Kestrel, with a Willow Warbler and Blackcap in the car park.

Butterflies and Dragonflies. 

Small Copper Warren Baker 

I saw one Small Copper and 5 Small Heath butterflies today. Thank you for the pictures Warren.

Birk Bank Cotton-grass.Pete Woodruff.

The bog below Birk Bank was covered in Cotton-grass, possibly the best show I've ever seen here, and with the sun now at full strength I paid a return visit 4.5 hours after I had passed by on the way to Clougha, and found some dragonflies which were never came close, whizzing around, and were intent on never settling, all to make life difficult for me though I noted they all appeared to be of the same species.

 

Four-spotted Chaser Marc Heath  

I took what notes I could in the circumstances, later studied the reference book, and - void of any chance of me seeing the spots - decided they were at least 20 Four-spotted Chasers. Thank you for the picture Marc.  

All Quiet....

....on the coastal front.

I was back at Conder Green yesterday to find Conder Pool not unexpectedly quiet, noting 23 Lapwing with at least three juvenile, and Oystercatchers with three young, and the 2 Wigeon drake. A Lesser Whitethroat was again skulking in the hedgerow west of the pool, and both River Winds and Cafe d' Lune have just two House Martin nests each this year, though worryingly the latter has scaffolding erected up to within a few metres of one of the nests since I was last here. The Lune Estuary was equally quiet with 4 Eider hauled out, and 3 Little Egret.

On Moss Lane a Whitethroat in song again and at Cockersands, 3 Little Egret were in the Cocker Channel, 3-4 House Martin were unusual around Bank Houses though not nesting at the farm to my knowledge, a 'few' Tree Sparrow were with 15 House Sparrow in a bush by Bank House Cottage, 4 Goldfinch noted, with a Skylark in flight song.

An altogether quiet few birding hours.

Small Skipper Phillip Tomkinson 

With the exception of two other brief butterflies elsewhere which escaped me, 2 Small Skipper at Conder Green were the only ones seen. Thanks to PT for the image.

The Foulshaw Ospreys.

Osprey Richard Pegler 

The Ospreys at Foulshaw Moss now have two chicks in the nest, an excellent piece of local news. 

Richard Pegler offers his services as a volunteer for the Osprey Watch at Rutland Water in the East Midlands. Great stuff Richard, and thank you for the image of Maya, one of the famous Rutland Water Ospreys