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!



All a bit Negative!

Snow Bunting. Pete Woodruff.

I thought I'd showcase a couple of  my own photographic efforts this time. The bird above is one I saw on the beach one early morning near Starr Gate at Blackpool a while back now when I became a sort of twitcher for the day and went chasing after the Snow Buntings....how sad is that then!

I was hoping for one at Cockersands today - nothing like living in hope - but unfortunately not, nor did I see anything else of note, though I'm never prepared - despite the title - to be too negative about any of my birding days but the best of  - nothing more than moderate - four hours follows....

For the first time ever I drove past and totally ignored Conder Green as I needed to get to Glasson Dock before the incoming tide swallowed up the Lune Estuary but I needn't have bothered as it was unremarkable save the sight of c.5,000 Knot in the air in panic over 'something', also no more than 150 Bar-tailed Godwit, 455 Lapwing, 20 Redshank and 3 Dunlin were all in view from the side of the Vic Hotel.

At Cockersands where by now the tide had taken over, I did my utmost to 'find something' via a two hour coastal/inland circuit. I noted 5 Redshank were the only birds on Plover Scar representing an all time low number of waders on here and probably a first, a clear indication of the 'emptiness' of my efforts for the day, 12 Eider were around the lighthouse. The other three sightings had a little interest in that last Thursdays c.700 mix of 50/50 Lapwing/Golden Plover were in the very same field again today, the 'finch' flock in/around the set-aside has a mix of c.60 Linnet/Greenfinch (40/20 respectively) which are bloody hard work to assess but which for the time being appear to be about this ratio, and a Little Egret in an inland field/ditch was good, these birds are 'all over the place' but I still can't take the sightings for granted and it's always good to see them.

Well, I can't call any of that anything more than moderate, and here's the other of my photographic efforts to end with....

Eider. Pete Woodruff.

On a national level, Rough-legged Buzzard are still coming through, and there are hundreds - nay thousands - of Waxwings here and there....some are heading your way! 

A Weasel and other things!

Weasel. David Cookson.

I don't ever recall seeing an image of the Weasel taken by someone I know and in any case this has to be the best you'll ever see of a creature difficult to find and see let alone photograph. I think you excelled yourself here David....great stuff, and many thanks.

Notes of interest for today....

There is - and has been for a day or so recently -  a significant movement of Rough-legged Buzzard through the UK. I've done no searching for when this happened last but this one is certainly notable with 'several' birds seen. Locally the bird making a name for itself is a Red-breasted Goose, initially found on Fluke Hall Lane NW of Pilling, and later on Pilling Marsh. On all sightings the bird has taken up the company of Pink-footed Geese. On a personal note, involved with 'other things' but with my birding eyes firmly in place in their sockets, I saw a Little Grebe from a moving car this morning on the River Lune just upstream from Carlisle Bridge, and in the afternoon saw c.25 Fieldfare flying NE over Skerton in Lancaster. There are still lots of Lapland Buntings in the country, and the Waxwings are here and have also been showing themselves in fair number, the nearest of which at the time of writing are/were in Kendal. 



OK, so this post is my latest gap filler until I free myself from the chains of 'other things' and get out birding again. There's some interesting reading about the state of seabirds in the UK which tells us of the good....the bad....and some all time lows in the breeding season of 2010 HERE

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!

Bear Necessities.

Barnacle Geese. Phillip Tomkinson.

In my post yesterday I recorded the excellent sighting of eight Barnacle Geese quite low over  Plover Scar at Cockersands and flying south, it was the best record of the day for me and took the total number of this species to thirty eight in two days birding. I also commented that this number surely indicates birds of wild origins rather that feral birds which is often suspected to be the case in our area....But a serious and tragic story is unfolding, it is a story with more than one edge to it and involves the Barnacle Goose.

There are fears that Polar Bears - which are hungry because of the melting ice in the Arctic which is making the hunt for seals too difficult - are feasting on the eggs of the Barnacle Goose (BG), in itself a serious problem for the birds but it also adds to the fact that a conservation success story is now in serious jeopardy.

In the 1940's numbers of BG had slumped to below 300, today up to 30,000 can be seen from WWT Caerlaverock following the BG's revival through a conservation success story. According to research, last winter saw only half of the expected numbers of BG goslings on the Solway Firth and the reason for this is being placed on the Polar Bears as prime suspects as more and more are gathering around the islands off Spitsbergen where the birds breed, and evidence has been gathered by finding wrecked nests and egg debris and the added advantage of photography showing Polar Bears at nest sites. 

All this is suspected to be connected to climate change which the world is now in the grips of, which is reducing the polar ice-floe, making life difficult for the Polar Bear in the hunt for the seals they feed on and which in turn are being driven by hunger to prey on the nest sites of the Barnacle Goose. 

So, there appears to be a dilemma here brought about by two species of conservation concern which are clashing over the right to survive and is a prime example of the kind of tensions the natural world is experiencing right now in the 21st century, it is to say the least, pretty tricky to know how to resolve this dilemma without the risk to one or both Barnacle Geese and Polar Bears.

Thanks to Phillip Tomkinson for the excellent photograph of five Barnacle Geese in flight at sunrise/set.  

Magnetised!

Lapland Bunting. SP.

This is the bird I was unable to get to see and was at Ridge Farm on the Fylde on 16 October, with my thanks to SP and the permit to post on Birds2blog.

Redwing. Brian Rafferty. 

This is the bird I will get to see, in fact I did so today but only in flight and briefly at that....Thanks for the pic Brian, much appreciated as always.

I'd have liked to have got into the hills today but the weather put me off, in any case the magnetism of Conder/Glasson/Cockersands and beyond drew me once more to the coast....the pull is overpowering!

At Conder Green 3 Spotted Redsank and 3 Greenshank were in the creeks and I counted only 11 Little Grebe on the pool today, c.80 Fieldfare/Redwing in a mixed flock went over. I was unable to do the circuit today and regard Conder Green as only poorly covered. At Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary  things were quiet and only c.200 Knot and 120 Bar-tailed Godwit seen with 2 Black-tailed Godwit, notable this early winter on the River Lune here is the low number with no more than 60 Wigeon in the Conder mouth today.

At Cockersands a roughly 50/50 flock of 700 Golden Plover/Lapwing in the field opposite Lighthouse Cottage and through which a Sparrowhawk flew, the c.40 Greenfinch flock were still around, c.550 Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover, and 12 Eider were all seen without my leaving the motor. I had the best sighting of the day here when 8 Barnacle Geese flew low overhead going south. In two days birding these eight take the count to at least 40 birds which is surely indicative of 'the real thing'.

From Hillam Lane 4 Whooper Swans were in a field with 65 Mute Swans, and 25 Fieldfare in flight over here. At Bank End - where I hoped to find a few hundred 'gulls' to grill but found none - 2 Little Egret on the marsh, a Grey Wagtail and 4 Linnet were noted, 62 Golden Plover were seen from the A588 in a field opposite Braides

On Pilling Marsh 7 Barnacle Geese were with c.5,000 Pink-footed Geese, and although it is usually easy to find a double figure on here these days I could only see 6 Little Egret today with 2 Whooper Swans out on the sands. On a flood on Back Sands Lane 2 Black-tailed Godwit were with 22 Black-headed Gulls. 

From Fluke Hall I walked only half way to Cockers Dyke before backtracking and drawing a blank of anything of note. From the embankment behind Fluke Hall Wood I watched a Peregrine Falcon mobbing 2 Buzzard which were down in the field....great stuff, but I worry for the safety of these two Buzzards if they're regularly preying on the poor unfortunate Red-legged Partridge - which I refuse to record and will never be seen on Birds2blog. A Raven was over the wood and I reckon may have a 'rarity' status here, I don't recall seeing one here before. 

I'm grateful for the contribution in the comments section of yesterdays post 'PFG' pointing me in the direction of the 2009 Lancashire Bird Report in order that I may make a correction to a claim I made at the end of the post when I stated with regards to the Svalbard population of Pink-footed Geese, quote....'there is no 'direct' evidence that any of the Svalbard population have ever occurred in Lancashire'....unquote.

In the report in the section 'Lancashire Ringing Report 2009-2010' there is a record of a Pink-footed Goose which is claimed to be 'One of at least two displaced Svalbard birds in the county during winter 2009/10'.

Since the bird was ringed as an adult in 2004 it was observed/read 26 times in Denmark/Norway/Netherlands/Belgium and finally in Upper Thurnham on 21 February 2010. This record clearly shows my error and brings me to suggest....A little knowledge can be dangerous! 

PFG.

Pink-footed Geese. Phil Slade.

I don't usually like abbreviated words and certainly don't ever like abbreviated names attached to birds and I use them very rarely although as a contradiction this post is an example of my doing so. I think the one which makes me cringe more than any other is 'Gropper' for the Grasshopper Warbler. So I was being a little facetious when I made the title of today's post PFG for Pink-footed Geese. Thanks for another photograph for me to use on Birds2blog Phil.

The Pink-footed Geese are back again for the winter with up to 10,000 which I saw on Pilling Marsh  on 5 October, and figures of twice that number recorded by other birders since that date. Yesterday JB and I estimated 15,000, a figure reached as a combination of birds on Pilling Marsh and Fluke Hall Lane. When you see these numbers of birds gathered in one place you cannot help but wonder if such areas like Pilling and Eagland Hill are going beyond their carrying capacity and therefore unable to support such numbers of geese throughout the winter months. The Fylde appears to hold dramatically increasing numbers of PFG year on year from 6,500 during the 1980's to last year when the north Fylde population reached a peak of 30,800 in an October co-ordinated roost count, and in fact another co-ordinated roost count in the county of Lancashire revealed a figure of almost 70,000 PFG. 

The PFG have quite possibly been the commonest geese in Lancashire since the very early 18th century, I came across the record of a Mr Blundell of Crosby Hall who made an entry in his diary in 1708 of a goose-shooting party made to a site in Little Crosby which continues to be frequented to this day.

As with any bird species numbers depend on the food availability and increasing numbers of PFG are now wintering in Norfolk where the birds have discovered for themselves the vast supply of sugar beet residues, whereas the lack of food availability in Lancashire means 'the squeeze is on' which may be due to loss of permanent inland pasture and of cereal stubble which is the result of the switch from spring to autumn sowing.

Two distinct populations breed in Iceland and Greenland, and in Svalbard with the latter wintering in Denmark and the Netherlands, there is no 'direct' evidence that Svalbard birds have ever occurred in Lancashire.

And finally....

Barn Owl. David Cookson. 

Well it's not just another Barn Owl pic, it's another excellent Barn Owl pic with thanks to DC.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!