Misted Over

We tell ourselves Spring is here but even with the sun up it was a cold start out on the moss, iced up ropes with a second layer of ice on the bamboo poles, so three nets went up slowly, with swigs of coffee in between. First bird out was a Linnet, giving me high hopes that more of the 120 strong flock might find the net from their forays into the alders. It wasn’t to be as thick mist rolled in from the west, and apart from Goldfinches on the feeders the birds stopped moving around much. I caught just 9 birds, 7 Goldfinch, 1 Linnet and I Chaffinch, until packing up early due to the lingering mist leaving dew on the nets.

Linnet
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Misty Moss

The Yellowhammers were still about the spilt wheat this morning, at least 15 birds, with Chaffinches coming for a look also.

Yellowhammer

The “other” sightings are pretty thin today, the mist preventing me seeing anything of note except 1 Kestrel, a singing Corn Bunting, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 drumming Great-spotted Woodpeckers and a Little Owl at the entrance to a nest box. They do that every year, fool someone into thinking they are about to use a box, then go and nest elsewhere.

Little Owl

Just the other day I found this freshly dead but very wet mouse on the morning grass. I think it may be a house mouse Mus musculus, but I stand to be corrected by someone with knowledge of small mammals.

Mouse

Birds Of India And Happy Memories.

I have fond memories of holidaying and birding in the wonderful, beautiful and unique India, a country where as a western birdwatcher trying to silently and unobtrusively observe unfamiliar species, I came to understand the meaning of the phrase “You are never alone in India”. It didn’t matter where I ventured, a walk across seemingly deserted paddyfield paths, checking the quietly flowing river bank for waders or wandering along an empty tideline, I quickly gathered an entourage of previously hidden ragamuffin children and adults eager to join in my strange pursuit, or better still look through binoculars that in a lifetime’s work they could never hope to own.

How nice then that today I received a parcel from my friends at Princeton University Press containing a book I’d been so looking forward to seeing, the second edition of Birds of India by Richerd Grimmett and Tim & Carol Inskipp. This book began life as a Helm Identification Guide in late 1988. Following this came a number of regional field guides such as Birds of Nepal, Birds of Northern India, Birds of Southern India and Birds of Sri Lanka. The first pocket guide to the Birds of India including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, published in the UK as Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Helm Field Guides first appeared in 1999. Some 13 years later this second hugely improved edition is now much appreciated by anyone with an interest in or experience of birding in the vast Indian subcontinent, and most certainly to anyone now planning a visit to any one of these enthralling places.

Birds of India
The Indian Subcontinent - Birds of India

Birds of India now includes over 500 pages and 1,375 species, the latter figure encompassing all known vagrants. The illustrations use 226 colour plates which depict many distinct plumages, races and sub-species. Since the first edition of 1999, 73 new plates have been added and most existing plates reorganised, and as we expect from modern field guides, the text and distribution maps now appear opposite the illustrations. The text is comprehensively revised from the early edition and the detailed range maps totally updated to reflect current knowledge.

Orioles - Birds of India
Bulbuls - Birds of India

Again, as we have come to expect, the text describes the bird and its ID, status, voice, and habitat. The distribution maps are colour-coded for resident, summer visitor, winter visitor, migratory visitor, and “known to be occasional, scarce or erratic”. On the whole the illustrations by a variety of artists are first-rate in portraying all the salient features, but perhaps lacking in reproductive quality on a number of pages where certain brown and black tones appear too dark, causing the illustration to look “flat” on the page rather than stand out to the reader.

The book’s introduction contains much useful information including sections about climate, main habitats, bird conservation in the region, and summaries of the various bird families covered by the guide. The latter is especially useful to newcomers to the region unfamiliar with groups like the bulbuls, broadbills and barbets, or that very difficult cult the babblers, groups I as a UK birder struggled with on my first visit to India.

Bee Eaters - Birds of India

Near the front of the book are 4 pages devoted to itemised lists of taxonomic and name changes: proposed elevation to species status, proposed splits, or those species the authors consider warrant elevation to species status, or species where more research is required. All essential reading for students of taxonomy and those who like to keep bang up to date.

The four-page section headed “conservation” describes in more detail religious attitudes and traditional protection, threats, agricultural practices and conservation measures; the whole section makes for essential and thought provoking background reading, preferably before venturing forth with binoculars in the region. During five visits to India I observed in the people a total respect for wildlife, and as described in the book this is due to the spiritual influence of the Hindu and Buddhist religions in helping to conserve a rich, diverse and natural heritage. How this legacy will play out when India becomes a larger World Superpower remains to be seen, and in thirty years’ time the map on page 23 depicting the Birdlife International Important Bird Areas may have changed dramatically for the worse. I hope not, for all our sakes.

The Book of Indian Birds - Birdlife international

This latest book on the birds of India becomes the one to own and the one use in the field, and although no one will find themselves alone in India, I can heartily recommend Birds Of India as a worthy companion for any birder planning to visit there, or indeed any part of the Indian subcontinent. It will also follow someone around by fitting into a rucksack or a large pocket. At £27.95 or $39.50 the book is available from Princeton University Press or in the UK £31.50 from A C Black where it is perhaps more correctly titled Birds of The Indian Subcontinent.

The book set me reminiscing about birding in India and Sri Lanka and from the bookshelf I dug out a book I bought in India in 1998, The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali. Marking a page I found a bill from the River Sal Restaurant, Goa. I remember it well, seated on the veranda overlooking the river as flights of egrets skimmed over the water to roost and a Smyrna Kingfisher played out the last rays of sunshine. Happy Birding Indian style.

River Sal Restaurant, Goa
The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali

Sounds Of Spring

The morning dawned just a touch too breezy for ringing on the moss, where although the willow trees are in bud but no leaf to deter a breeze from wafting a net around. So in the sunny warmth the job was topping up the Niger seed followed by an hour or two birding.

Shy Yellowhammers are always a challenge to photograph, with today 10 or 12 individuals cautiously and almost noiselessly approaching the shooter’s pheasant feeders for left-over wheat on the grass below; wheat is a good size for a Yellowhammer’s chunky bill to tackle, as well as being a nutritious meal, and although the birds came back time and time again they proved very difficult to photograph.

Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer

The wheat proved an attraction to other birds too as Chaffinches, Goldfinches and a single Greenfinch came for a look. The local Linnet flock was back up to 100+ birds today, sticking to a weedy patch of ground, only flying noisily into the trees a couple of times when spooked by something unseen. Around the Niger feeders were the usual 8 or 10 Goldfinches, a few Chaffinch and brief calls of Siskin overhead.

Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A walk north and up the plantation edge found 3 Grey Partridge, 4 Skylark, 4 Blackbirds, 2 Mistle Thrush, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk, then as the sun created the thermals the Buzzards came out to play. I counted 8 in the air at once, two groups of four with much mewing and calling as they sorted out their differences for the coming weeks. Click on the “xeno canto” button, there’s even a Willow Warbler in sweet song to remind us of Spring.

Buzzard

Pilling And A Swallow

This morning began with bright sun and a south westerly breeze, conditions which made me optimistic about a gentle walk at Pilling. Within an hour the solid grey clouds of late rolled back in and it was a fairly uneventful few hours although other signs of spring continue with birds in song and display.

The Hi-fly fields continue to hold good numbers of waders, mainly Lapwing, Redshank and Golden Plover, with sometimes Dunlin, so it’s always a good idea to stop and work through the flock for something different. Not today, just 120 Lapwing, 40+ Redshank, 90 Golden Plover and 8 Oystercatcher, although it was interesting that as the flock of Lapwings both fed and roosted on the well-muddied stubble, just away from the main gathering a few lone males performed their noisy, tumbling displays. In the distant stubble I could see several Skylarks, a few breaking off from searching through the mud-covered stalks to indulge in aerial chases.

Lapwing
Skylark

When I later walked the sea wall I saw both Redshanks and Oystercatchers in territorial mode, with 4 singing Skylarks at appropriate distances apart, spots remarkably close to last year’s eventual nests.

By the time I got to Lane Ends the 100% blue sky was replaced by full grey cloud but undeterred I checked the pools, listened for Chiffchaffs, and then walked the wall in search of Wheatears or Meadow Pipits.

The pools held 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe and 2 Little Egret, with my money firmly on Tufted Ducks and Little Grebes for breeding success and a small side bet on Little Egret – eventually. Along the sea wall the 30 or so pipits of Monday had moved on, now all I found were 6 at Pilling Water with a lone Pied Wagtail and 2 more Little Egret. The Greenshank flushed noisily from the pool, closely followed by the now silent Green Sandpiper, and is it my imagination but are Green Sandpipers more vocal in the autumn?

Little Egret

And now news from Will’s garden where unlike this time last year, the bird count is virtually zero. However Will did receive news of a Swallow Y279264 he ringed in the garden shed last year, one of a nest of 3 youngsters ringed on 8th September 2011. On 12th October, this young bird was recaptured at Icklesham, East Sussex before heading rapidly south over the English Channel then through France and Spain towards its eventual destination somewhere in the south of the African continent.

Swallow
Will’s Garden to Icklesham

The ringing group had news of another bird recaptured at Icklesham, this a Lesser Redpoll L583835 ringed at Rossall School, Fleetwood on spring passage 10th April 2011 and later recaptured at Icklesham on 19th October 2011. Lesser Redpolls heading to southern UK may winter there, but equally many individuals fly on to Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Finches At Last

This morning was perfect for a spot of ringing, no wind, no sun and no rain. Still hoping for an increase in Goldfinches I went to the moss to top up the feeders and try a few nets.

For February the catch proved quite good, with 21 birds, 13 new and 8 recaptures. New birds: 5 Linnet, 4 Goldfinch, 2 Lesser Redpoll and 1 each of Reed Bunting and Blue Tit. Recaptures: 5 Goldfinch and 1 each of Dunnock, Chaffinch and Lesser Redpoll.

I thought a Redpoll spring movement might be underway when early on I heard several flying over and the first look at the net yielded 3 Lesser Redpoll and a Goldfinch. One of the Lesser Redpoll turned out to be a recapture from late November so I think that it’s likely that all of this morning’s birds had wintered close by and had simply called in for a Niger seed breakfast. I didn’t see or hear any more Redpolls this morning and despite 30 or so coastal Meadow Pipits yesterday I’m still waiting for a more obvious larger scale migration to begin.

Lesser Redpoll
Goldfinch

The Linnets caught this morning were part of a wintering flock of 50+ feeding in a nearby field, the flock having shrunk from 140 just a week ago. I dedicate the Linnet pictures below to my pal Errol who lives in a part of the UK where I believe Linnets are even harder to come by than they are in these parts. Keep looking Errol.

Four of this morning’s Linnets were males, just showing first signs of their brick red breast feathers. In the winter the method of separating males and females is to compare the amount of white in the primary feathers, the white in males extending closer to the feather shaft.

Linnet - female
Linnet - female
Linnet - male
Linnet - male
Linnet - male

With 9 Goldfinches caught this morning maybe the spring Niger feeders are beginning to finally work. Other birds seen this morning: 2 Kestrel, 2 Grey Partridge, 7 Yellowhammer, 2 Raven and 1 Hen Harrier.

It's Late

On Sunday I got hindered by other tasks in posting on the blog so saved it until today. Nothing much to report except that the morning was grey and miserable, so rather than birding or trying to take photographs with a 400mm in poor light I spent a couple of hours ringing in the garden. It was pretty unexciting but a couple of surprise birds turned up in the catch of 8 birds.

After two cold winters in 2010 and 2011 the population of our smallest UK bird the Goldcrest must be fairly low, but luckily when two flitted about the damson trees it was only a matter of a few minutes before one found the net, 5 grams of feathers and not much else.

Goldcrest

Also fairly scarce around here at the moment are Greenfinches, their population still suffering due to the effects of the Trichomonosis virus, so it is heartening to say that not only I have heard a few “gringos” singing recently, but they have also joined in with the Goldfinches in visiting garden feeders. Just one caught, a colourful first winter male.

Greenfinch

Other birds caught: 2 Great Tit and 1 each of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Wren.

Chaffinch
Dunnock
Great Tit

Birding 10, Ringing 5.

My likely birding score proved more substantial than the ringing total this morning, but maybe it is best to start at the beginning with the Little Owls.

I hadn’t seen the owl/owls for some weeks on the farm, where they share their nesting spot with a horse-filled barn busy with riders back and forth during the day. I feared for the worse that the continual disturbance might scare the owls away from this traditional site, but I needn’t have worried. Birds are persistent creatures and in any case the owls nest out of reach in the roof space, and the horsey folk probably don’t even know that in the dark crevices above their heads live the owls who venture out only when all is quiet. As I drove onto the farm at 0730 the Little Owls sat in the half-light almost together, but as the car stopped they both lifted off and flew back into the roof space. A positive sighting then because the pair are still about and should nest again this year, fingers crossed.

Little Owl

Further down the farm Seumus and Craig were setting up, trying their luck with Tree Sparrows, so wishing them well I sped past towards the summer plantation to fill the Niger feeders and put up a net or two while doing a spot of birding. The Goldfinch still haven’t arrived in any numbers and although I caught two, there were no more than 8 or 10 around. A threatening breeze quickly sprung up, putting paid to any extended ringing and I packed up with just 5 birds caught, 2 Goldfinch and 1 each of Chaffinch, Great Tit and Blackbird.

Birding gave me distant sightings yet again of the wintering Hen Harrier and a single Buzzard, with 2 Kestrels much closer and then 2 overflying Ravens heading towards St Michael’s village.

Hen Harrier
Buzzard

Other sightings this morning, 90+ Lapwings, including the first signs of display, 2 Grey Partridge, 45 Linnet, 7 Yellowhammer, 40 Chaffinch, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 4 Curlew and 3 Skylark.

I saw 5 Roe Deer this morning, with Brown Hares were pretty active too, and generally more noticeable than of late running about the fields where some indulged in a little shadow boxing.

Brown Hare

Coming off the farm I noted a pair of Stock Doves at a holey tree and 21 handsome Fieldfares living up to their name, and while keeping a watchful eye on my distant camera, they probed for food in the muddy soil.

Fieldfare
Fieldfare