A long hard look.

 River Hodder at Cross of Greet Bridge. Pete Woodruff.

With the wind still a chilly one when the sun disappeared, which it did very often though there were some short sunny spells for the first three hours at least, I gave the Cross of Greet/White Greet/Greet Bridge and Bloe Greet a long hard look over today, entirely on foot over six hours.

Unless your memory is as bad as mine you don't really need to carry a note book with you on upland birding, the days of an abundance of birds in these areas exist merely in the history books. Today started a little more than depressing for me as I found no Stonechats for the entire length of the top cattle grid to Greet Bridge and return which took me almost four hours and was looking like the eighth upland location to have lost the species, but 8 Wheatear were noted, 3 Buzzard sightings were not necessarily three different birds, a Kestrel, a pair of Reed Bunting, a pair of Canada Geese up here every summer according to my records, and a 'few' Sand Martins....do they nest somewhere round about I asked myself.

I returned to the motor to have my 'butties and coffee' then drove down to the bridge again from where - unknown to me - the day was about to take off. On the young River Hodder I found a smart male Grey Wagtail which set me up for a most rewarding couple of hours on the bottom fringe of Bloe Greet to find 6 Stonechat, well ALLELUIA....back from the dead! Also 7 Whinchat....well, who'da thought I'd ever see more Whinchat than Stonechat on a day in the uplands. On the day I counted an absolute minimum of 40 Meadow Pipits and probably missed at least the same again, and heard/saw 5 Willow Warblers. I watched a Peregrine Falcon chasing a Feral Pigeon? which I took to be the easiest of targets, but the raptor gave up the chase for some strange reason, I've seen this behaviour before by Peregrines and never understood the strategy of these birds 'giving in' on an easy target.

I made a brief call at Tower Lodge on the way home to find a Common Sandpiper and another Grey Wagtail, a species I've found hard to come by of late, and another brief call was at Marshaw which produced another Common Sandpiper.

The final brief call today was at Stoops Bridge in Abbeystead where the Pied Flycatchers appear to have failed to return according to my observations on three visits here in the past four weeks....but the Bluebells here are still looking good. 

Well, that was fun!

I set out this morning without a single pessimistic thought in my head regarding the weather even though it was dull and grey with a stiff breeze, but by the time I arrived at Conder Green, well guess what....yes it was raining and remained that way until I threw in the towel two hours later at Cockersands defeated by the elements once more having waited in vain to see if a change for the better would come....Well, that was fun!

 I did have a look over Conder Pool which was as depressing as the weather though I must say a surprise with a Common Sandpiper on here had me wondering what this little bugger was doing here on 17 May, not breeding this year, breeding somewhere up the River Conder, or just running late....Mmmmm!

So....some other bits and pics of interest including BBC Nature UK which has quite a bit of both including an excellent image from David Cookson who has found, whilst one door closes another one opens, which prompts me to mention 'The Photographers Tale' just once more as I had one or two comments here and some e-mails about the post. However, I must reiterate, my stand is on the side of DC on this particular issue bearing in mind this is by no means always the case with me and wildlife/bird photographers, as I've experienced some 'bad moves' made by them over the years, but a website publishing images of  - for example - Blue Tits, Sand Martins, and Kingfishers obviously at nest sites but rejecting one of an Avocet and chick by DC, taken from inside a public hide with fifty people in it is  - to keep things polite - pure nonsense. 

And the pics...

Bee Eater. Phil Slade

The Bee Eater is one of the many excellent results of PS's recent trip to the Med....Thanks Phil, I always like you 'a little more' when you come back off your holidays here. 

Common Tern. Cliff Raby

This is a brilliant photograph of the Common Terns at Preston Docks where rafts are put in place for these delightful birds to breed....Like I say Cliff a brilliant pic and many thanks.

Greylag. Gary Jones

The picture of the Greylag amongst the Flag Iris at Leighton Moss is simply brilliant and makes for a photograph with an artistic touch. Photographic excellence in my opinion Gary and reminds me of the photograph of the Mallard below which I took one day at Conder Green....Thank You. 

Mallard. Pete Woodruff.

The end!

The Pied Flycatcher....Part 2.

Pied Flycatcher.

Finding three pairs of Pied Flycatcher (PF) and possibly two other singing males at Barbondale on Thursday 12 May has prompted me to do a few brief notes on the species, though I'D SOONER BE BIRDING but won't be whilst this weather continues, just not practical to do so I'm afraid, not my kind anyway. The photographs are credited to Brian Rafferty with my thanks.

The PF winters in the regions of West Africa between the Sahara and the Gulf of Guinea. In the breeding season in Britain populations are concentrated in areas where Sessile Oak is a dominant tree - though not entirely so - and sometimes in association with Birches, Alder, and Rowan. Breeding densities may be determined by the availability of nest holes, but a feature of the PF today is its readiness to take to artificial nest boxes in which it breeds very productively, which in turn makes the species a good subject for studies which includes large numbers of nestlings ringed on an annual basis.

The PF is a purely migrant visitor to Britain in the summer and dispersal from breeding areas is usually in July and there are no records of birds seen after the end of October. In Britain populations of PF are at present at an unnatural high level because of the provision of nest boxes and long may that situation continue as it is first and foremost to the benefit of the birds, but also to the benefit of those who study them. However, the PF's future well-being is critically dependant upon the conservation of their woodland habitat. I've recently discovered some Beech trees having been taken out in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to where live, hopefully and presumably for good reason, but you do have to wonder whether or not some of these exercises are purely for 'tidying up' purposes in which case this would be yet another habitat area lost to the birds for no good reason.

Pied Flycatcher.

But the PF has a much more natural problem in that some suggestions are that the species has adopted - and probably not alone in this - to warmer springs and there are signs of advanced breeding dates which brings about the problem of being out of sync with the peak emergence of their insect food source. You just have to ponder what the future holds for birds - and wildlife in general - in a climate changing/habitat destruction/development world of the 21st century.

The Photographers Tale.

Avocet.



The photograph above is thanks to David Cookson (DC) around who this tale is written and whose website I recommend you visit if your interests are in birds and photography where you will find excellent examples like....

This brilliant Little Stint, and....

This equally brilliant Curlew Sandpiper beginning to show signs of its brick-red underpart breeding plumage, both birds stopping off to fatten up presumably on their way to far off places to breed, in the case of the latter on its epic journey from Africa to Arctic Siberia.  

What follows is not intended to be seen as my opinion about bird photographers who no doubt do step over the mark on occasions in their quest for 'a better shot', but then....don't we all step over the mark from time to time. The post would perhaps in my view be better called 'Dictatorship off the rails'.

DC has been a regular contributor to a website which has a Photo Section, indeed DC has won the award of 'Pic of the week' on at least one occasion that I'm aware of on this website. This tale is centred around the brilliant photograph of the Avocet and very young chick above, which was submitted to the website only to be informed it had been rejected on the grounds that it goes against their policy and appears to have been achieved at the risk of disturbance to a breeding bird close to its nest site, and as I did - on the face of it - you may well be inclined to say 'rejected and rightly so'. However, DC promptly defended himself in order to put the administrators right and hopefully have the picture accepted, by explaining the location the photograph was taken and that it had been achieved from the unobtrusive cover afforded by the hide he was in on a nature reserve accompanied by up to fifty other people, DC also pointed out that as other examples of photography - which clearly indicated close approach to breeding birds and nests - had been on display on this very same website he could'nt understand why this particular photograph had been rejected, DC quoted three examples in question, being images of Sand Martins in and out of nest holes, images of Blue Tits actually photographed inside a nest box with gaping mouths waiting to be fed, and the best of all, images of Kingfishers clearly illustrated at the nest site.

There DC's case rests and the photograph remains in the reject tray at this website who have as a consequence lost one of their best subscribers because of - in my opinion - this 'Dictatorship/Censorship' gone off the rails. I think we all 'suffer' at the hands of some heavy handed 'dictators' within the birding world who like to put on their uniforms and caps and tell us where we can do our birding, what records we should submit and those we can't, what birds they'll report to us, and those they won't....Oh please!

Something Suspicious....

And a couple more excellent photographs the first of which is....

Common Tern. Geoff Gradwell

I'm not sure whats going on here with these birds, but what I do know is that its a cracking photograph of two Common Terns grappling beak to beak in mid-air.

RBA Pager Service.

A message this afternoon via this service informed us of two Nature Reserves in North Norfolk which have recently been targeted by egg collectors, otherwise known as thieves. The message goes on to ask birders to be always vigilant and report immediately to the local police anything suspicious including car registrations and people involved....Well they can rely on me on that one, and hope they can on you too.

I recall many years ago being with my old friend and mentor in the Rusland Valley in Cumbria in the halcyon days of staking out for hours on end in the hope of views of the enigmatic Honey Buzzard (HB) with a mix of successful and unsuccessful days. On one occasion we were joined by a man who drew up in a van with ladders on the roof rack, it was blatantly obvious what this mans station was in the world of birds and his conversation left no doubt to John and I that he was a ringer and knew far more than we did about the whereabouts of these birds, but by the end of the conversation we were none the wiser as he quite rightly played his cards close to his chest and good for him.

On another occasion we were joined one day by two men who as far as I was concerned were as equally obvious as the ringer had been what their station was in the world of birds/wildlife, and on this particular day they were in the business of egg theft if only they could find out where the HB were. I reckon these two thought John and I looked like a couple of dumbos little knowing that I'd sussed them out almost the instant they had arrived on the scene to talk to us, one of them in particular - who was the mouthpiece of the pair - had written across his forehead....'you can see what a nice guy I am, but what you don't realise is that we're looking for HB to steal the eggs'....these two creeps left no more the wiser than they had been thirty minute earlier, what they didn't know was that John and I didn't know where the HB's were either.

So....please be aware, the persecution of birds of prey and stealing of eggs of several bird species and Peregrine Falcon chicks as another example THRIVES AND LIVES ON IN THE 21st CENTURY. 

And finally....

Nuthatch. Gary Jones

This Nuthatch obligingly visited GJ's garden after he baited the bird table with some tasty seeds.  

PLEASE NOTE....Blogger has had some maintenance problems and yesterdays (Thursday) post 'More like March than May' which disappeared has now returned as a Friday post, but the three interesting comments to the post which I received have still to be restored.

More like March than May.



Yes its another of those through the windscreen 'sit in your car and sulk' pictures whilst hoping this lot will pass over.  I just got back to the motor before it came falling from the sky following an excellent return visit to Barbondale to see if there was anything to add to the last one on 28 April, but it was more like 12 March than May, but despite this I just had this compulsive feeling I needed to get back here and check out the bird-life.

The birds were keeping their heads down in a cloudy and pretty stiff cold wind and I found just one male Redstart today despite my 2.5 hours visit, also one Tree Pipit which actually gave excellent views as it flew up to parachute back down several times and landing on a fencepost just a few metres away. The excellent news from here was that I found three pairs of Pied Flycatcher, an all time personal record in my 120 years coming here....yes 120 years! I'm not well up on the history of Barbondale, but in my experience this is not - and never has been - a Pied Flycatcher stronghold.  Also noted, a Green Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Buzzard, Kestrel, and a Coal Tit. OK, now this is not impressive stuff for Barbondale, but obviously if the weather had been as it should have been on a beautiful 12 May morning the picture would have been much different.

The PF's aside, my best encounter was, as I stood motionless I must have looked like a tree to a Tawny Owl which flew at low level directly towards me and landed on the branch of a tree not 12 ft above my head, it flew off again about two minutes later....MAGIC!  

And finally....

Dotterel. David Cookson

The Dotterel are still being seen on a protracted passage period in our area with a female found on the top of Whit Moor yesterday, and....

Wheatear. Geoff Gradwell

Lots of Wheatear are now on territory in our area.

Bloggin' for the sake of it!

Look....you may say this is blogging for the sake of it, but the truth is, whilst I'm not getting out birding and there are photographs always available like these three, and me with the necessary permit to publish them, well....blogging for the sake of it is a doddle, it gives me the opportunity to show off some stunning images and a plug for the authors into the bargain....an all round good idea if you ask me.

Like I say, all these pictures are truly excellent, they come in no particular order, and it's not a competition.... just bloody good photography, and I strongly recommend you visit these three photographers websites via the links with the photographs.  

The Starling - WOW -  is by David Cookson who is HERE

The Grasshopper Warbler is by Philip Tomkinson who is HERE....WOW again!

And the Wryneck is by Gary Jenkins who is HERE....and WOW yet again!

Thanks DC/PT/GJ all very much appreciated.

By way of a change.

I thought my best bet was to pay a visit to Leighton Moss today, I really wanted to get into the uplands and must do so in the next few days with one or two locations in mind, but the weather isn't up to it at the moment and the plan was to be able to dodge the showers between hides, as it happens -  apart from some nasty stuff around 11.00am - the day wasn't all that bad and there was no showers to dodge.

Two photographs today have nothing whatsoever to do with the post or my birding, but they are 'gooduns' and liven up the blog no end. 

Bluethroat. Gary Jenkins 

My records are of mainly predictable birds and there are some I didn't see but had hoped to, but as always an enjoyable change of non 'cutting edge' stuff which began in the Public Hide where I noted a male and female Marsh Harrier, 3 Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a 'good number' of Swift, and a pair of Greylag with six young. Notable was just five wildfowl being three Pochard and a pair of Tufted Duck, a Coot had two balls of fluff in tow under the watchful eyes of the two brutish Greater Black-backed Gulls nesting on the island. From the road end of the causeway I heard a Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff.

At the Grisedale Hide a Little Egret put in a brief in flight appearance, a 'few' Gadwall, and 2 Red Deer generated some excitement to a full hide, a drake Garganey eventually put in a brief three minute appearance and promptly disappeared probably for the next three days being the elusive creature it is. The Garganey is an annual summer visitor to Leighton Moss but there are no 100% breeding records at the reserve. At the centre I heard a Chiffchaff.

At the Eric Morecambe/Allen Hides I counted 23 Avocet, c.220 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 8 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, and 2 Skylark. As I was about to leave I noted three ducks fly in which halted my exit and turned out to be two drake and a female Garganey. From the path here I heard a Garden Warbler and Whitethroat, and during my visit I inevitably heard Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler. 

On the way home I called in at Teal Bay to find 3 Whimbrel, 8 Eider, 8 Red-breasted Merganser, and 2 Whitethroat.

And finally....

Puffin. David Cookson    

Not just a photograph of Puffins but of two involved in a dispute of sorts brilliantly captured by DC.

Routine stuff with a WOW!

Whinchat. Brian Rafferty



Well there was two WOWS actually but one didn't develop into anything and the other probably wouldn't have been a WOW to many other birders but certainly was for me when I found a Whinchat this morning on Jeremy Lane one day earlier than last years 10 May bird and close to the same fence post again this year. I'm pretty certain this little gem above has been on Birds2blog before but thanks BR anyway....great stuff as ever. 

With just the Monday time limits for birding I thought the best bet was some routine Conder/Cockersands stuff, and at Conder Green the pool was uninspiring save 5 Wigeon drakes obviously intent on summering here, also 4 Greylag appear to have taken a liking to the place too. On the circuit a Greenshank was in the creeks and small birds of note were a Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, and 6 House Martin counted today at River Winds, I'll get to grips with some accuracy sooner or later with these birds.

Cockersands was void of waders but as I set off on the circuit with a peer into some nooks and crannies I noted 12 Eider on the estuary and 5 Whimbrel of note. I counted 4 Whitethroat and 4 Sedge Warbler, and noted 2 Skylark, no more than 6 Tree Sparrow, and 2 Linnet. I was lucky to get back to the motor at the lighthouse cottage before one of the forecast downpours arrived. A few minutes after it had cleared the second WOW arrived in the form of c.200 small waders at which point I began to hope the KP was still with them but a full hours grilling - they were very mobile but kept returning - proved them to be around 130 Dunlin and 70 Ringed Plover.

Willow Warbler. David Cookson 

I watched a solitary Swift for several minutes from our kitchen window this evening and as always felt familiar at the sight of this mysterious creature which has lived close to man for centuries, nesting under the roofs of our houses, whilst so little is know of them other than that they hide away in their dark nests otherwise spending their entire lives on the wing, flying millions of miles in a lifetime. So difficult to grasp in human thinking that once out of the nest the fledged birds so supremely adapted for their aerial life that they fly between here and South Africa for three whole years perhaps without ever stopping, before returning here to build a nest and raise chicks of their own.

If ever a bird brought me to claim....'birds fascinate me in a thousand ways'....the Swift does.

STOP PRESS.

KENTISH PLOVER (COLOUR RINGED) AT BOWNESS-ON-SOLWAY IN CUMBRIA AT 6.30pm THIS EVENING.

Moorland Fires.

Twite. Phil Slade.



With the recent moorland wildfires - and the risk of more, especially if this dry weather continues - we're finding more and more open access areas closed in the attempt to minimise the risks. These fires will have undoubtedly affected many species including the Nightjar, Dartford Warbler, and Woodlark. Heathland in the South of England is important for these birds and fires in other parts of the UK will without doubt have affected lots of ground-nesting birds.

One bird to single out of all this is the Twite which could have seen a large percentage of this species affected in the North of England where nesting Twite are confined to the South Pennines, where around 100 pairs nest in small colonies. These birds used to occur much more widely in England, but for varying reasons they have declined, but have hung on to this area because of the abundance of hay meadows rich in seeds. It is thought that these recent fires could have affected more than a third of the English population, and this a bird seen as one of the most threatened species in the country even without these devastating fires.

We've been having some rain in the past couple of days, lets hope this has dampened down the tinder dry moorlands, grasslands, and heaths and that the breeding season can continue in the safety of fire free areas like these.

And finally....

Common Flameback. Kah Wai

A pretty smart looking woodpecker with a name which does the bird no justice in my opinion, seen on a recent visit by Kah Wai to Malim Nawar in Malaysia, with an excellent video below in which Kah Wai describes the bird seen nest excavating as 'cool' and quite rightly so.