Saturday Birds.

Weekend birding is a rare event for me, but last Saturdays decision to go for it turned out to be a good one, if only because.....

Corn Bunting Simon Hawtin 

....I found a Corn Bunting at Cockersands, being the first one I ever saw in our recording area despite all my years of birding, the bird was found on a roadside fence post on the east side of Abbey Farm. Searching through the past ten years of local annual reports the Corn Bunting has been regularly seen in our recording area, all have been at Cockersands with the exception of three sightings, two at Sand Villa and one at Braides Farm, though two years had no reports, and one year the species got no mention.

Whitethroat. Howard Stockdale.

Also noted at Cockersands, 3 Whitethroat included one collecting nesting material, good views of a Sedge Warbler presumably nesting as it was scolding as I watched and I got a good sound recording of this. I saw 5 Skylark, and saw three young Lapwing bringing my total to five birds this year all in uncultivated fields. Twenty two Eider and a pair of Great-crested Grebe were the only birds I saw on the sea despite several scans from Cockersands Lighthouse to Rossall Point.

Stoat. Phillip Tomkinson @ Wildsnaps

I glimpsed a Stoat at Cockersands crossing the road with prey in it's jaws before disappearing into an overgrown ditch, it appeared to be a young bird, possibly Lapwing and certainly not a mammal as in the excellent PT image above.

On Jeremy Lane, 2 Reed Bunting and a single Tree Sparrow seen. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock I saw six geese, three of which were Greylag having characteristics of the Eastern race rubrirostris being much paler and distinctly cleaner grey, with a pink bill, they were accompanied by 3 Canada Geese, but there's more on these three Greylags in a post to follow, 7 Eider were the only other birds I noted on the estuary.

A Common Tern was over the canal basin at Glasson Dock, probably one of the Conder Pool birds where the female was seen settled into one of the boxes and was later joined by the male. Swift and Sand Martin were over the pool, and a pair of Tufted Duck and Little Egret were present. In the creeks I noted a single Dunlin with Redshank, and on a wander round Conder Green, a Reed Warbler heard, a pair of Reed Bunting and Linnet seen, with House Martins visiting nests at River Winds and Cafe d' Lune. 

All A Bit Thin!....

....and a bit of political stuff.

In addition to the agricultural work I observed on Tuesday, I did note some other bird interest in the area - including the return of the Common Terns to Conder Pool - though it was all a bit thin.

A few Swift and Sand Martin were over Conder Pool, with 2 Little Egret noted. A wander along Jeremy Lane proved little other than the male Reed Bunting on the very same fence post it was on a week ago yesterday, and a pair of Great Tit seen.

Perhaps the title of the post should have been 'A Wander' as another one around Cockersands had good views of a a Whitethroat which was in full song despite being in a bush bent by the strong north westerly, a Sedge Warbler and 6 Skylark seen. Between an almost wader'less Crook Farm and Cockerham Sands CP I saw a Wheatear, and Little Egret was over Plover Scar.

Not much pen and paper needed there then. There are several places I want and need to visit, but until the weather settles down I have no intentions of doing so.

The Skylark.

Skylark Jan Larsson

Here's a comment I received to my last post 'Here To Stay....Gone For Good' regarding the demise of farmland birds....in this case the Skylark. 

Silage, which appears to be the crop being taken off the field in your picture, is a traditional and important source of food for farm livestock in the winter. Unfortunately it has to be cut around about now, when the grass is lush and green and obviously, when some wildlife is using the same field. Presumably you are suggesting that the farmer in question should not actually farm but should simply sit back and admire the view, while his income and valuable food for his livestock disappear. He will now possibly allow the grass to re-grow and hope for a later hay crop off the same field, or even graze it - both, in order to maintain his living. 

In a perfect world, farmers would never touch their fields, wildlife would multiply and all naturalists would be happy but unfortunately farmers and the country, need farmers to farm and unfortunately it does come into conflict with wildlife, especially now that habitat becomes more and more compressed by massive housing estates.

It's unfortunate the comment includes a remark that I suggested....'the farmer shouldn't actually farm, but sit back and admire the view, whilst his income and valuable food for his livestock disappear'....It is actually not true that I made any such suggestion, and the comment that the crop needs to be 'cut around about now' is a little vague in what it really means, I think it is probably implying precisely when birds are breeding in the field....Silage cutting in May....excuse me!! 

Briefly....I conclude from these comments that we are all supposed to sit back and admire the view, to watch these intense farming methods continue to bring about these drastic declines of farmland birds. 

But in fact where possible, farmers have been urged to revert to spring-sown cereals, and to leave stubble fields for winter foraging, not solely to the benefit of the Skylark I might add. Where this was not feasible they are encouraged to leave unplanted patches within the crop to provide nesting and feeding habitats in the summer. The key to these conservation measures are agri-environment schemes - Environmental Stewardship's - whereby farmers are paid to maintain appropriate wildlife habitat. I see little if any evidence that any of these schemes are a roaring success, or even taken on by farmers, but do find lots of evidence that they aren't.

I'd sooner be birding!....But for a combination of reasons unfortunately can't.

Thanks to JL for the Skylark, and to BB for the Common Tern header....Excellent and much appreciated Jan/Bob.

Here To Stay....Gone For Good.

Here To Stay.

It was good to find both of the Common Terns on Conder Pool again on Tuesday. 

Common Tern. Conder Pool. 26 May. Pete Woodruff.

Following their arrival here last Friday they are obviously here to stay and hopefully to breed for their second year. When I arrived at the pool and first saw them, the bird on the right of the picture above was inside the right hand box of the ones in place on the island....Brilliant stuff.

Gone For Good.

Of all our birds, the Skylark epitomises the dramatic fall in farmland bird populations more than any other.

Towards the latter part of the 20th century - maybe more than for any other species since the Whitethroat in the early 1970's - alarm bells began to ring when a drop of 60% in numbers of Skylark was shown and an intensive study began into the decline.

I've seen and heard the Skylark at Cockersands on every visit made there recently, and when I was there again on Tuesday I did my own study, one which I do each year around this time and in particular at this location, which cost me absolutely nothing save a couple of hours of observations and with no science or intense study necessary. These were observations anyone could have done on a visit to the countryside in thousands of locations up and down the land, all with the same result. 

May Harvesting. Pete Woodruff.

This huge field was one of at least six I found having been cut, machine placed into neat lines ready....

May Harvesting. Pete Woodruff.

....for the man and his army of tractors and trailers, to hoover up the grasses, along with all the nests, eggs, or young the Skylarks would have had.

The results of the lengthy, costly, and intense scientific studies....'seem to be largely due to the adverse effects of changes in agricultural practices'....well there's a surprise!!

For a little more impact 'clik the piks'....they're quite good. 

Back In The Spotlight.

To be honest I wasn't fit to be out on Friday, and I actually played my part as a so called birder only by half. I was well on the way down with a virus of sorts and by now I'm almost on the deck with it....but enough of this irrelevant dribble for a birding blog.

The Conder Tern.

Common Tern and nest box. Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

Common Tern. Conder Pool. 22 May 2015. Pete Woodruff.

It was nothing less than an absolute delight to find a Common Tern back on Conder Pool on Friday afternoon - a nice surprise - and was the first bird I saw on an otherwise almost deserted pool. 

The Common Tern is known for it's site fidelity and this one was within a couple of metres of last years nest, one past record of site fidelity within the species is of a pair faithful to the same site for 17 years which only came to an end when one of the birds died. At one point my bird on Friday was joined briefly by another, but by then I was viewing from the fence at the west end of the pool and I actually missed it's arrival to join it's mate, but I reckon it almost certainly came in with a fish and presented it to her in early courtship behaviour which takes place on the ground. 

The Common Tern can begin egg laying in mid-May, though last year they didn't arrive on Conder Pool until eight weeks later in mid-July yet still had a successful breeding season here....so it's fingers crossed for a second excellent breeding record on Conder Pool in 2015.

Other sightings noted. 

Something of another spectacle was of at least 100 'hyrundines' hawking over Conder Pool in the murky damp mist of Friday afternoon, half this number were House Martin, with Sand Martin, Swift, and Swallow. About 6 House Martin were flighting around the River Conder/River Winds/Cafe d' Lune area but I saw no nest activity at either of the properties.

Driving along Jeremy Lane a bird on a fence post had me jumping to attention, until it turned out to be a Reed Bunting. At Cockersands, a large number of waders were again in the Abbey Farm field distant as last Tuesday, I estimated up to 500 Dunlin, and 150 Ringed Plover. Plover Scar was deserted at high tide, and having seen a Wheatear I had to admit to defeat in the cold, misty, damp conditions.

This brief trip out last Friday was well rewarded by the reappearance of the Common Tern to put Conder Pool back in the spotlight yet again. 

B'dale Revisited.

I like to keep my eye on things in the early summer at Barbondale and made my second visit there this year on Thursday in weather more reminiscent of March with grey skies, a cold wind still blowing, and not a glimpse of sun to be seen....this can't possibly be good for breeding birds.

I marked up 23 species in the three enjoyable and rewarding hours I spent there, most notable was 3 Pied Flycatcher seen as a pair and a lone female, though I suspect there was more evading me as my next visit might hopefully prove, the visit on 7 May produced three pair. Also of note, I found 5 Redstart including a female, and probably heard another three singing males, at least 10 Willow Warbler were seen/heard, 2 Nuthatch included one entering a tree hole, 2 Dunnock, a Treecreeper, Goldcrest, and a number of Chaffinch are notable here this year. A Dipper was on Barbon Beck where several Swallow were hawking accompanied by a lone Sand Martin.

Plan for the day was to go on to Clapham and the Newby Moor area where I've not visited for a couple of years as a previous Stonechat stronghold prior to the two harsh winters starting in 2009/10. But the weather on Thursday held back my enthusiasm for a visit, so I abandoned the idea for another day.

Two Of A Kind.

   Stonechat Brian Rafferty

Jay Gary Jones 

Two 'I can't resist these' in flight shots, both in the 'brilliant' category, the Stonechat with thanks to BR, and the Jay with thanks to GJ. Thanks also to Ana for the excellent Nightingale header, one of which isn't likely to turn up anytime soon up here i'nt north.

Gone With The Wind....

....and the rain.

'If you ever go across the sea to Ireland'. Pete Woodruff.

Yes, I was at Cockersands again on Tuesday, you only have to look at the 'clik the pik' picture above to know that and to see how serious the rain really looked. There was a bit of a howler blowing and cold with it, the rain was rushing towards me and I had to make another of those all to common dashes to hell out of it....my days birding ended with something of a short list.

But before the rain....There was an interesting good number of waders in a field too distant to scan through with any accuracy, but combined with those on Plover Scar at high tide, my estimate was of, 600 Dunlin and 400 Ringed Plover. 

Sanderling. Howard Stockdale.

Also on the scar, a single Sanderling and a male Turnstone looking positively superb in it's summer plumage. I heard a Whitethroat in the Lighthouse Cottage garden, saw 2 Stock Dove, 2 Skylark, and that was my lot for the couple of hours I got in at Cockersands.

At least 50 Swift with a 'few' Sand Martin were hawking over Conder Pool - I had seen good numbers of Swift also over Moss Lane - the Great-crested Grebe was the only notable bird on the pool.

And a bit of a fluke.

 Swift. Pete Woodruff.

When I was taking a pic of the nest boxes on Conder Pool I had no idea this Swift was shooting past in the viewing screen. I was really pleased when I put my shots up on the computer to find this bird perfectly placed in the frame as a bonus. 

Briefly....

....until I can get out birding again, a couple of interesting records.

Raven. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery

I'm reliably informed of up to 40 Raven recently over Cold Stone on Catlow Fell SD7160. I'm personally not sure of the significance of the Raven at this location in the Forest of Bowland, but have to say it sounds an exceptional record, at least in terms of the number of birds. 

Common Tern Martin Jump 

Also an interesting record of a Common Tern at Conder Green seven days ago on 12 May. Interesting in itself....

Nest Boxes Conder Pool. Pete Woodruff.

....but more interesting in wondering if the bird paid any attention to the nest boxes in position on two islands on Conder Pool, placed there specifically in the hope they attract the Common Terns back there again this year to breed as the did successfully last year to rear two young to fledging and create an exciting and excellent breeding record for the area.

The Conder Green Spotted Redshank.

Spotted Redshank Paul Foster

The resident Spotted Redshank at Conder Green has departed, I last saw the bird here on 22 April, it was last seen in 2014 six days later than this years date on 28 April, it returned to Conder Green a little over two months later on 1 July 2014, it will be interesting to see the date it returns this year.

Thanks to two Martin's for the excellent and much appreciated images, and to Paul for his excellent Spotted Redshank which was shot on his recent trip to Cyprus, quite some distance from our bird at Conder Green.

I'd sooner be birding!....and didn't bargain for another gap to follow so soon after last weeks 'off the road' experience.  

Back On The Beat.

It was good to get out birding again on Friday, though the first port of call at Conder Green things were a little quiet with just 2 Goosander, 3 Tufted Duck, a rare visit by the Great-crested Grebe, and a Little Egret all on Conder Pool.

Reed Warbler Jan Larrson  

But I was treated to good views of my first Reed Warbler out on the reed edge just upstream from the A588 road bridge, also 2 Reed Bunting seen here too.

The Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock produced little more than 145 waders which were seen as, 75 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 50 Ringed Plover which represented my best ever count of a species at best uncommon in this section of the Lune Estuary, also 20 Dunlin, 14 Eider, and a single House Martin flew by.

On Jeremy Lane, I failed to find the Whinchat reported to me as having been seen earlier, but heard a Sedge Warbler and Skylark, and saw a Brown Hare.

Inland birds noted at Cockersands were, a decent count of 10 Stock Dove, at least 9 Tree Sparrow were around Bank Houses, 7 Skylark, 6 Goldfinch, and 5 Whitethroat, a Little Egret was on Plover Scar. I saw my second Cockersands adult Lapwing in a field with a lone chick surviving the intensive agricultural practices.

No major surprises, but good to be back on the road again following a short break from the normality of my birding life.

The Cockersands Dotterel. 

Dotterel. Cockersands 8-11 May 2015. Stuart Piner.

I was grateful to SP for sending me a selection of excellent images of the Cockersands Dotterel, and have posted three in flight shots of these brilliant little waders which graced the ploughed field behind the Lighthouse Cottage car park and pleased many a birder over their three day stay.

An excellent follow on record by these five birds....

Dotterel. Cockersands 16 April 2013. Chris Batty. 

....which was a single Dotterel found amongst 275 Golden Plover at Cockersands on the early date of 16 April 2013, this was the first record of the species for the Fylde Bird Club for 13 years.

Thanks also to Jan and Chris for the other excellent images. Please 'clik the piks' to see how good they really are.

Political Correctness.

Having been away for a few days, until I catch up and get back into my birding stride, I'm filling the gap again with some more politics.

The post I published before leaving for London - Sign of the Times - touched on the annual spring massacre in Malta which rages on despite the country being a member of the EU which requires them to bide the laws laid out in the European Bird Directive which they blatantly don't. 

OK....So I don't need to be told there's more than Malta involved here, but read the next few lines, and as far as Malta and it's unfortunate birds which get in the line of fire are concerned you'll see the joke and wonder if any of this will make any difference to the 10,000 'funsters' who have already slaughtered thousands of birds this year so far, thanks to a national referendum that voted to allow them to do so....you couldn't make it up.  

The Law of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds, is the EU’s oldest piece of nature legislation and one of the most important, creating a comprehensive scheme of protection for all wild bird species naturally occurring in the Union. It was adopted unanimously by the Members States in 1979 as a response to increasing concern about the declines in Europe's wild bird populations resulting from pollution, loss of habitats as well as unsustainable use. It was also in recognition that wild birds, many of which are migratory, are a shared heritage of the Member States and that their effective conservation required international co-operation.

But the RSPB are up on their feet again to tell us the European Commission is giving everyone the chance to have their say, and the RSPB need you to add your voice to thousands of others and Defend Nature.

Read all about it and join in the campaign Here  

Wot Birds2blog and no pics!!

Edit.

Apparently there is an error in the link when you get to 'Add Your Voice' which reads....

The client and server don't support a common SSL protocol version or cipher suite. This is usually caused when the server needs SSLv3 support, which has been removed.

So much for trying to have your say and join the campaign!!

Sign Of The Times..

Turtle Dove. Author Unknown.

Malta's spring hunting referendum resulted in the country voting in a national poll to allow the privilege of a few to continue to kill for fun in spring. The rapidly declining Turtle Dove and Quail will be/will have been legally shot this spring, along with other species in their thousands. 

Truly amazing this isn't it, it's all illegal under the terms of the island's membership of the EU, and as such they could be thrown out, but nobody does anything about it, or more to the point maybe doesn't want to do anything about it.  

Quail. Author Unknown.

It is unfortunate that amongst other campaigners, an independent team led by Chris Packham last year to address this issue and to confront the shooters, has had no impact this time, but I'm convinced nobody will be giving up the fight against this tragic situation both in Malta and elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile some slaughtering back home.... 

An interesting thread developed on a local website I visit daily, interesting if only for the one response to a brief comment I made regarding the disappearance of three male Hen Harriers in Bowland recently. 

I've deleted the authors name as I have no permission to publish it and am not prepared to do so without it. Iv'e also deleted the opening comments which are irrelevant to the main subject, but otherwise have copied word for word what was said in the thread but not including the sign. 

Pete Woodruff.

Everyone - birders or not - should be aware that three male Hen Harriers have gone missing from active nests in Bowland.

Anonymous

….but I did notice that beneath the road sign denoting the boundary of the Forest of Bowland ANOB (between Dolphinholme and Abbeystead) someone had added a second handwritten sign which read 'Twinned with Malta'.

Pete Woodruff

This is an excellent piece of info 'anonymous'.

 

The sign you mention is presumably the one depicting the Hen Harrier, which in itself is - and always was - an insult to the species, totally inappropriate, and should have been dismantled years ago. 

Now more bad news. 

More bad news from me is that 'other things' have taken me over for at least four days, but looking like the possibility of a week off the road with no birding/blogging. 

Well, that won't drastically change anyone's life at all....but it certainly will mine.