Showing posts with label Peregrine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peregrine. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Three in One

There are three updates in one here. Never let it be said that Another Bird Blog doesn’t give regular readers value for money. 

On Monday we had two trainee ringers/helpers. M & S are on school holidays so Granddad took them out Pilling way to join up with Andy & Will for a ringing session. Sue said, “Take as long as you like”. 

It was a 0630 start for Andy and Will and then 0800 for the three stragglers who saw that the nets were already set with a few birds ready for ringing. The morning was pretty quiet although M & S enjoyed seeing the ringing and then handled a number of species while learning about how to age and sex the birds we processed. 

Birds caught - 7 Linnet, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Great Tit. 

Linnet

Greenfinch

The weather continued in good spirits on Tuesday when Andy and Bryan met up and travelled to Oakenclough. I couldn’t make it because of more school holiday duties but the guys ringed another 15 birds – 5 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Great Tit and 1 Grey Wagtail. 

My chance arrived on Wednesday when another fine morning and no disrupting breeze allowed another visit over Pilling way. We ringed 10 more new birds – 5 Linnet, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 Common Whitethroat. 

Meadow Pipit

Common Whitethroat

All ten birds proved to be juveniles/first summer birds. There was something of a passage of Meadow Pipits on Wednesday morning when about 15/20 of them lined up along a stretch of fence together with 2 Grey Wagtails and 4 Pied Wagtails. We caught two of the pipits but none of the wagtails. 

Linnets continued their build in numbers and flock formation whereby we estimated 120/150 throughout the morning in flocks/groups of anything between 5 and 50 individuals. 

A juvenile Peregrine entertained us twice with dashing pursuits and at one point flew directly over our vantage point. 

Peregrine

Otherwise our birding was quiet in the blue sky morning with visible migration at nil. Friday looks another “likely” and the very uncommon possibility of four ringing sessions in one week. Bring it on.  



 

Monday, October 11, 2021

Scoring More

After Saturday’s disappointing foray into the hills Andy and I turned our attention back to the flat fields of Cockerham on Sunday morning. There was zero wind and a cold start until the sun rose to warm the air. We employed two nets only, one in the seed plot and one in the nearby trees, a fast job of setting up that took all of 15 minutes and so much quicker to pack away. And much closer to home for the drive back- for me at least! 

There was a somewhat slow start with 4 Linnets caught in the first hour. Fortunes bucked up quickly and then a good catch of 37 birds with some superb bird watching in-between. 

For once it was Greenfinches that topped the catching chart, not Linnets. All new birds no recaptures - 19 Greenfinch, 13 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Wren, 1 Chaffinch. 

Greenfinch

Reed Bunting

Chaffinch

Thanks to watchful crows we’d had early but brief views of a Peregrine, an hour or so later bettered by the sight of a Peregrine chasing a Wood Pigeon across the open field in front of us. It all happened very quickly but the pigeon proved up to the challenge by diving into the nearby copse where the Peregrine would not venture. 

Later, the morning turned out so warm, inviting and spring like that we agreed “October 10th, it’s not too late for a Marsh Harrier”. Sure enough within 30 minutes a “cream top” arrived from the east, put on a gliding/hunting display and left quite quickly to the south and in the direction of the inland mosses. 

This is the Marsh Harriers’ usual route here; today’s the latest of four autumn sightings of the species. They arrive from the north or east after a journey around or across Morecambe Bay and then fly inland on a direct southerly or south west heading. Their slow but purposeful method of flight allows them to migrate while hunting over suitable landscapes of marsh, reedbeds, and farmland where they find favoured foods like frogs, small mammals and birds, such as moorhen and coot. 

Marsh Harrier
 
It’s virtually every Linnet catching session that a Sparrowhawk or two appears looking for a meal. The hawks are drawn in by the sight and sound of 200 and more chattering Linnets, in the air or feeding in the seed plot. This morning was no different as a young male Sparrowhawk appeared as if from nowhere to single out a Linnet but once again failed to catch. 

I’m not sure what the success rate is for hunting Sparrowhawks but imagine that here at least it is quite low. Sparrowhawks that hunt by surprise tactics in suburban gardens seem to do much better than these probably inexperienced youngsters. 

Not to be outdone and just as we were ready to leave the crows found us a Buzzard that circled above to give great views in sunny sky. After a couple of circuits the Buzzard too drifted off in a southerly direction. 

Buzzard
 
All three raptors, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier are migrants through this part of Lancashire, their numbers increasing in the autumn as young birds disperse and adults wander in search of consistent and good feeding. The Peregrine is a winter visitor to these lowland and coastal areas where concentrations of waders and wildfowl provide rich pickings for the supreme hunter. 

Peregrine
 
That's all for now. Back soon with more news, views and photos.


 

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Those Linnets Again

It was Wednesday of last week the 29th of September when we arrived back in England following two weeks in sunny Greece. Since then it’s rained every day, sometimes very heavy and unpleasant, so there’s been no opportunity for birding or ringing, until today. 

The forecast for this morning looked OK and suggested a slightly blowy start at 10-15 mph but quickly dropping to 5 mph by 10am. For once the prediction was spot on and I had a really interesting ringing session. 

Once again the main target was Linnets with the intention of adding to knowledge about the movements of Linnets between here (Pilling Marsh the location for DemOn database) and the Northern Isles, a recently discovered phenomenon between us and the Scottish Ringers. The recently published Scottish Ringers Roundup featured several movements between the North West England and the far north of Scotland. 

Scottish Ringers Roundup
 
I added another 13 Linnets to make the total caught here this autumn into a nice round 111, with zero recaptures, hence birds on the move. As well as the Linnets I caught 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Blue Tits and a single Robin. 

Long-tailed Tit
 
Blue Tit
 
Linnet

Robin
 
Flocks of Linnets came and went during my four hour watch. My best estimate was 200/240 individuals but with mobile Linnets always difficult to be precise. 

Such a lot of Linnets in the air attracted in a number of predators with a Merlin, two Sparrowhawk and a male Peregrine all having a dash at a meal. It was as I sat unseen in the lee of the car that overhead I heard the rush of Peregrine wings in pursuit of a Linnet. The Peregrine was incredibly close and gave tremendous views for several seconds before it flew out towards the marsh.    

Peregrine
 
As the morning sun warmed up a good number of flies found the metal of my car a good place to warm their bodies. 

Sunbathing flies

There’s more ringing planned for Thursday. Let’s hope the weather holds. 

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.


Thursday, August 12, 2021

Raptorous

Wednesday morning at Cockerham began ok. Not perfect but a cool 10mph southerly wind. A couple of sheltered nets meant ringing might be possible. By Wednesday early evening the heavens opened to a downpour and my decision to go ringing had been absolved. 

As usual the morning target was Linnets and anything else that might stray into the catching area. It’s a seed plot/game cover, although in this case the farmers are not shooters but people who have to make a living, but where possible farm with an eye on maintaining their land for animals, birds and wildlife in general. 

Ten birds caught - 8 more Linnets to add to eight of last week, 1 Willow Warbler and a House Sparrow. Of those 16 Linnets, twelve have been juveniles and four adults, a healthy enough ratio to suggest that 2021 has been a decent year. 

Linnet - juvenile/first summer

Willow Warbler - first summer/juvenile

House Sparrow - adult male

The morning turned into something of a raptor fest with four species seen - Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, a Merlin and then two sightings of a Peregrine (or two individuals.) 

I have intermittent sighting of Sparrowhawks here as they do not breed on site but probably do so nearby. The Sparrowhawk did the usual trick of hanging around in an area where small birds were likely to show. As soon as the hawk spotted me, it flew through the nearest clump of trees and carried out the customary disappearing act. 

Kestrels have been pretty scarce this year perhaps as a result of the dearth of small mammals in the early year and during the frosts of May. Until this Wednesday I’d seen very few Kestrels, the one hovering close by my ringing station proved a welcome sight. 

Kestrel

In the distance recent heavy rains have left a flash flood in good shape to welcome a huge concentration of hundreds of crows, gulls & Greylags, dozens of Woodpigeons and Stock Doves, and dozens of assorted waders, including Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit. 

So many potential items of food pulled in a Peregrine from out on the salt marsh. The reaction of the massed birds could only be Peregrine, the fastest bird in the world. The panic was almost instant as wave after wave of birds took to the air in what appeared to be sheer terror. No other bird has quite the same effect as a hunting Peregrine. It’s as if the hunted share a common warning call for this major killer of birds large and small, a predator so efficient that the targeted one faces certain death. 

The falcon was so fast through the flocks that I lost track of it more than once and didn’t see it take anything. An hour later it, or another, came back for a second go. In fact it’s not unusual to see Peregrines hunt in pairs or even threes, especially in early autumn when families may still be partly reliant on siblings and parents finding food. 

Peregrine

I imagine that Peregrines have done quite well during lockdown. Free from the normal and continuous disturbance by moorland tourists, fell walkers, landowners & their gamekeepers, our upland Peregrines probably made hay for 18 months and more. 

Peregrines breed in rugged uplands and feed in the open countryside surrounding such sites. Whilst the breeding populations of Peregrines in many areas of England have shown a general pattern of increases in recent decades the same trend is not evident in northern uplands. Here marked losses in the range and population have been experienced and continue to this day. In particular, breeding productivity at sites on or near driven grouse moor estates is half of that found on non-grouse moor habitats. 

There are now significant gaps across the northern uplands where Peregrines previously bred and where overall numbers are lower compared to the 1990s and 2000s, for example in the Peak District, Bowland Forest and the North Pennines. 

The Merlin is also an upland breeder primarily restricted to heather moorland that too relies heavily on open country prey. Although Merlins are generally no longer directly persecuted, their breeding habitat, much of which is on moorland primarily managed for Red Grouse, is vulnerable to change of land use. The decline in farmland bird populations like Linnets is also likely to have an impact on survival of Merlins that winter around the Lancashire coast. 

As I watched Linnets flit around the seed plot a Merlin appeared, flying low towards me, inches off the ground and alongside the 3ft high vegetation. At first, and as seemed the most likely, the brown head probably belonged to a Sparrowhawk. Then as the bird drew near the flight pattern was not the flap glide of a “sprawk” but the characteristic hurrying flight of fast wingbeats with mildly undulating progress. Some birders liken the Merlin’s flight to that of the similarly sized Mistle Thrush. 

Merlin

Again, as soon as the little falcon spotted me, it lifted, veered off and flew out of sight over nearby trees. 

There was a small but visible migration of Swifts and Swallows, 4 Swifts together and then a loose party of 20/25 Swallows hugging the ground so as to make fast progress on their way south. I watched them disappear over the fields and into the distance - visible migration. 

Other birds seen during my three hour session – 35 Linnet, 2 Goldfinch, 5 House Sparrow, 8 Stock Dove, 45 Woodpigeon, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Little Egret, 7 Teal, 28 Curlew, 2 Little Grebe.

Grey Heron
 
The weather is looking unhelpful for a few days but as ever I will be looking for a window through which to explore. Stay tuned to Another Bird Blog.

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.


Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Little Surprise

Birders with eyes on the skies and ears to the ground will not be surprised by a RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) report that raptor persecution shows no signs of slowing down across the UK.  Are we also shocked to learn that while the figures are scandalous enough, they simply scratch the surface when many incidents go undetected and unreported? 

Another Bird Blog has alluded to this in the past when in this part of Lancashire the Common Buzzard mysteriously disappears from regular locations where countryside folk love their shoots.  Exchanges with such folk reveals a huge distaste for Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines. In many cases the same people have little or zero knowledge of each species other than their own ingrained prejudices and misconceptions about "hook-bills". 

Buzzard 

Peregrine 

Sparrowhawk 

The RSPB revealed this week that 2018 saw 67 incidents of bird of prey persecution confirmed in England alone, equalling the previous highest in the country noted way back in 2007. These figures come as the RSPB’s Raptor Persecution Hub, originally launched in 2018, and now for the first time depicting a full 12 years' worth of confirmed raptor persecution incidents back to 2007. 

There’s an interactive map where a user can filter and search for incidents in their own locality.  The visual map makes for a better appreciation of a problem that will not go away.

RSPB - Raptor Persecution 

Over a 12-year period, 22 species of bird of prey were targeted. Species of highest conservation concern include Hen Harrier (13 incidents), Northern Goshawk (24), White-tailed Eagle (4) and Golden Eagle (14). 

Common Buzzard is the most frequently persecuted, with 428 incidents involving the species. Red Kite is in second place with 189 incidents and Peregrine Falcon - 131 in third. 

Red Kite 

Other victims include Eurasian Hobby, multiple Long-eared and Little Owls and singles of Red-footed Falcon and Eurasian Eagle-Owl. The Red-footed Falcon was well documented at the time, a well-twitched bird seen in Staffordshire and Lincolnshire before being found shot in Cambridgeshire. 

Red-footed Falcon 

There are several clear black-spots, where persecution is highly prevalent with little surprise that the majority are in areas of upland habitat, often used for driven grouse shooting: 
  •  North Yorkshire accounts for more than 10% of the 1,200+ incidents over the 2007-18 period,   with   132 at an average of 11 per year. 
  • Highland Scotland with 71 incidents (5.6%)
  • Scottish Borders at 58 incidents (4.6%) 
  • Angus at 44 incidents (3.5%) 
Shooting is the most common form of persecution with 484 confirmed such instances. Poisoning was close behind on 472. A further 194 were due to trapping of which 104 were pole/spring traps, while 30 findings were of nest destruction. 

The figures above are simply the number exposed and will have little bearing on the actual number of birds of prey targeted in the year while detection rates remain low. Mounting evidence shows that crimes against raptors are more covert as the perpetrators become more secretive in their movements. This follows the enactment of vicarious liability legislation and the increased use of satellite tags to monitor raptors and a reduction in poisoning incidents, presumably because such crimes become increasingly easy to detect. 

Buzzard 

The figures show that few areas of the UK are unaffected. It is also obvious that the highest concentration of these incidents tend to occur where the land is managed for intensive driven grouse shooting. 

The RSPB - “This data underpins the need for urgent changes which must be made to protect our magnificent birds of prey, and put an end to this appalling slaughter once and for all."

Linking today to  Anni's Birding and Eileen's Saturday Blogspot.


Saturday, October 21, 2017

A Gamekeeper From Bleasdale

Readers of Another Bird Blog will remember that I am a frequent summer visitor to the beautiful part of Lancashire known as Bowland.

The same readers may also know that the bird ringing site of Oakenclough mentioned frequently on this blog is bordered by the shooting estate of Bleasdale highlighted below.  As I turn into the track to our ringing site, immediately opposite is a gated track that heads alongside Harris End Fell and into the secret world of the Bleasdale estate. 

Bowland, Lancashire

I am grateful to http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/ for the following.

“28th September 2017 was a landmark day in Bowland’s dark history of ongoing raptor killing, when Mr James Hartley a 34 year old gamekeeper from the Bleasdale estate appeared in the dock at Preston Magistrates Court facing nine charges relating to the alleged killing of two Peregrine Falcons in April 2016 on the estate where he was employed. 

Each one the nine charges read out by the clerk are listed below: 

1) Killing a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally killed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

2) Disturb the nesting site of a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally or recklessly disturbed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, while it was in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young, contrary to sections 1(5)(a) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

3) Killing a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally killed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

4) Set trap/gin/snare etc to cause injury to wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, set in position a trap which was of such a nature and so placed as to be calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild bird coming in to contact with it, contrary to sections 5(1)(a) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. 

5) Take a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally took a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

6) Possess live / dead Schedule 1 wild bird or its parts. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, had in your possession or control a dead wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(2)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. 

7) Possess an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence under section 1 to 13 or 15-17. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, for the purpose of committing an offence, namely killing a Schedule 1 wild bird, namely a Peregrine Falcon, under section 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, had in your possession a firearm which was capable of being used for committing the offence, contrary to section 18(2) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

8) Possess an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence under section 1 to 13 or 15-17. On 12 April 2016 and 27 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, for the purpose of committing an offence, namely killing a Schedule 1 wild bird, namely a Peregrine Falcon, under section 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, had in your possession hammer, trap and knife which were capable of being used for committing the offence, contrary to section 18(2) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

9) Cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal – Animal Welfare Act 2006. On 12 April 2016 and 15 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, caused unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely a Peregrine Falcon, by an act, namely trapping and leaving for a number of hours, and you knew or ought reasonably to have known that the act would have that effect or be likely to do so. 

When Mr Hartley was asked how did he plead, guilty or not guilty, he stated "not guilty". 

The offences came to light after the RSPB had installed a camera within the boundary of the Bleasdale Estate overlooking an occupied Peregrine Falcons nest on the estate. Footage captured showed an individual in camouflage clothing, setting a spring trap near the nest containing eggs. The female Peregrine was shown leaving her nest followed by 4 gunshots, after which the female Peregrine did not return to the nest. The male Peregrine remained at the site all day, believed to have been trapped in the device set earlier near the nest. Later in the evening a person is seen returning to the nest site and removing something. 

The lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service explained that the defendant is the gamekeeper for this particular ‘beat’ on the Bleasdale Estate and during a police search of his property a bag was seized containing a number of tools. A forensic analysis showed that a wooden-handled hammer and an orange-handled knife both contained Peregrine DNA. 

The defendant gave a ‘no comment’ interview. 

The next court hearing is scheduled to take place on 11 January 2018 at Preston Magistrates Court and is expected to deal with legal arguments about the admissibility of video evidence. These legal arguments are likely to be crucial, for example did the estate provide approval to install the camera at an occupied Peregrine nest, and if so were any pre-conditions agreed between the RSPB and estate owner? Depending on the outcome of that hearing, a preliminary trial date was set to begin on 12 February 2018 and was expected to last for five days.” 

Peregrine Falcon

Readers, please ensure that the above account of this case reaches as many animal lovers as possible via Twitter, Facebook or whatever means possible. Just below this post you will see click-on buttons to Twitter, Facebook or email.

Linking this post to  Anni's Birding Blog.



Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Owl etc

I set off around Stalmine Moss this morning hoping to see a Barn Owl or maybe a Little Owl now that the weather has turned a little colder. 

It didn’t take long to find a Barn Owl hunting nearby fields although the initial light was quite poor necessitating ISO1600. The owl was hunting a circuit of several hundred yards as I stayed in one spot and from the car window waited for the bird to reappear. 

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Gradually the morning light improved but not enough to go below ISO800. The owl was moving further away via the fence line and as it fence-hopped it trailed a long piece of snagged grass added on one of its many forays into the meadows. At one point the owl caught a vole when a Kestrel appeared as if from nowhere and then in mid-air tried to steal the animal from the Barn Owl. After a brief skirmish the owl flew off over the fields and down into a ditch to consume its prey as the Kestrel went off in the opposite direction. 

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

The owl drifted further away and I decided to head towards Knott End for a walk up river and along the promenade. 

The end of a rainbow lit up The Mount Hotel over at Fleetwood. I didn’t take the ferry across to check for a pot of gold but I understand that the hostelry does serve a good pint of bitter. 

Fleetwood seen from Knott End

A Peregrine was in attendance at the now defunct roll-on roll-off terminal where ferries berthed in between their journeys across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. The tall structure is on the left of the picture where on a bright, sunny morning a Peregrine or two is visible from the Knott End side of the river. There’s lots of food for Peregrines up and down river, along the coast or without straying too far from their steel citadel which gives unrivalled views of Fleetwood’s feral pigeons and waders along the river.

Peregrine

There was a good amount of Peregrine food along Knott End shore with 2000+ Oystercatcher, 95 Dunlin, 80 Curlew, 35 Lapwing, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Turnstone and 5 Redshank. I didn’t count the many hundreds of gulls, mainly Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls. 

Redshank

Redshank

Along the promenade/marsh grass: - 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, 8 Twite. 

The weather’s looking very changeable for the rest of the week but there’s bound to be some bird news and views via Another Bird Blog. Don’t miss out - Log in soon.

Linking today to Run-a-roundranch.


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Spoon Or Spear?

Tuesday and a day set aside for the joys of grand parenting. But first an hour or two at a regular birding spot. 

A Spoonbill, a waif and stray from continental Europe has been the centre of attention at Conder Green since the weekend. There was no rush to see it as I see Spoonbills in Spain each year, but when I finally caught up with the bird this morning it was distant at the mouth of the River Cocker, and as Spoonbills are wont to do, just sitting around and doing very little. It didn’t stay around long but flew up river towards Lancaster and to the bolthole it seemingly uses when disturbed, usually by those doggy folk. Not to worry, better birding was provided by more mundane birds like a Peregrine, Kingfisher, and other wading birds which provide lots to appreciate for the average birder. 

This vagrant Spoonbill has appeared along with an increased number of Little Egrets, my recent five or six finger counts here surpassed today by one of eighteen, 15 on the estuary and 3 on the pool and in the roadside creeks. A Spoonbill seems to spend all of its time standing around doing nothing whilst a Little Egret spends most of its time thrashing around in shallow water. One is bound to ask, which is the most efficient way of feeding, a spoon or a spear?

Spoonbill

 Little Egret

Trying to get a handle on the numbers of waders here is difficult due to distance and looking into the early morning light but I came up with guesstimates of 450 Redshank, 800 Lapwing, and 3 Greenshank until a Peregrine came along. If a Peregrine can be nonchalant this one was; an accomplished hunter which set thousands of birds into the air but then ignored them to simply grab a slow-to-react Redshank from the marsh below. The Peregrine flew to the far side of the river as the Redshank swung beneath and the Lapwings swirled around and called in alarm before they settled again. When a life is lost in the natural world the moment is soon passed, the drama over in the blink of an eye before everything returns to “normal”. 

Peregrine

A Kingfisher hunted Conder Creek where it hovered at eight or ten feet above the shallow water now and again before diving into what seemed inches of water. The Kingfisher took breaks by finding a suitable place to sit on the sandy sides of the creek where I left it to dry off and nurse its headache while I looked for other birds. Three Little Grebe, 2 Teal, 2 Shelduck and 3 Common Sandpipers was all I could add. 

On the way home a juvenile Kestrel studied the ground below from a roadside pole, the falcon oblivious to my presence. 

Kestrel

At Knott End and as the tide rolled in, 30+ Sandwich Tern, 1900 Oystercatcher, 90 Redshank, 18 Curlew and 2 Little Egret. 

Too soon my pass expired but there are more birds soon on Another Bird Blog.

Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Pesky Peregrine

I couldn’t get out birding on Monday morning so settled for a few hours at Pilling after lunch and a walk along the sea wall to hit the incoming tide. 

After a period when there was hardly any activity I think the local Kestrels have finally produced a family. I saw two juveniles close together along a barbed wire fence at Fluke Hall and then soon after there was an adult bird about 150 yards away. 

The wood was quiet again apart from a Great-spotted Woodpecker calling from deep in the trees and a good deal of noise and activity around a number of Tree Sparrow boxes. The cool and wet spring has been one of poor productivity for many species, including Tree Sparrows. Recent weather is a little warmer and Tree Sparrows have the ability to produce youngsters until quite late in the season as long as there are insects with which to feed the chicks. 

Tree Sparrow
 
I set off for the sea wall in time to see a Buzzard take off from the fence ahead of me and then circle around calling before flying into the trees above the road. 

As the tide began to flow in there was lots of activity along the distant shore but the gulls and waders didn’t settle for long because of the almost constant attentions of a Peregrine beating up and down the tideline. 

Peregrine

In the course of an hour the Peregrine made at least eight forays into the birds along the shore from left, right and above, each time scattering the groups in all directions. After each attempt it would soar slowly at some height as if gathering strength and then launch itself into another headlong dash along the shore where it panicked the roosting birds into the air again. How can one raptor cause such pandemonium? 

Peregrine

Peregrine

Wader counts here are often approximate but made more so today by that determined Peregrine - 600 Oystercatcher, 350+ Curlew, 85 Golden Plover, 190 Lapwing, 60+ Dunlin, 30+Ringed Plover, 4 Black-tailed Godwit and 1+ Whimbrel. 

Curlew

I didn’t see the Peregrine catch a meal and think it flew off to try its luck elsewhere because the noise and activity subsided just as the tide began to ebb. Most of the shell-shocked waders had gone too and I was left to study the gulls. 

 Peregrine

There were good numbers of Black-headed Gulls left on the water, perhaps 400+, 2 Teal, 4 Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron. Two Sandwich Terns lifted off from a patch of marsh and then headed west towards Knott End, calling as they went. 

Sandwich Tern

“Bits and pieces” totted up to 18 Linnet, 4 Skylark, 1 Pied Wagtail, 20+ Swallows. 

The summer holidays are here so it’s child minding Olivia and Isabella tomorrow with no birding until Wednesday on Another Bird Blog. Tune in then for more news, views and pictures of birds.

Until then I'm linking to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.



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