Harried Again!

After the moss marathon yesterday it was almost a relief to return to normal today with breezy, cloudy south-easterly weather that dictated a Pilling walk rather than more ringing. It wasn’t much of a morning for the camera either so apologies in advance for mainly archive pictures today, but there are a few interesting sightings I hope.

Lane Ends car park was full of sportsmen looking longingly at approximately 350 Pink-footed Geese, newly arrived from Iceland. Already the pinkies are wary; as well they might be, but with experienced birds and Pilling regulars amongst the flocks they will hopefully have some success in staying away from the guns.

Pink-footed Goose

Two noisy Jays reminded me that it is September, the time of year when the coloured crows take up residence here in search of acorns from the small number of oak trees. On the pools I found the 2 Little Grebe again as a number of Swallows hawked around the water and grassy spots, but later in the morning I was to witness a sizeable movement of Swallows heading south-east.

Setting off to Pilling Water along the embankment I clocked 4 Little Egret, 55 Curlew, 2 grounded Meadow Pipits, 40 Goldfinch, 14 Linnet and 2 Skylark. It’s best to tread warily around the stile, not to peer over the fence too obviously because there may be a few bits and pieces on the pool if first there. I knew I was the first when 2 Green Sandpipers exploded noisily from the water’s edge, despite my careful approach. They flew off to the quiet of the wildfowler’s pools, with c 20 Teal only today after the recent increase in water levels. Below the sea wall were 2 White/Pied Wagtail with behind me somewhere the contact call of Reed Bunting, and then another, but I couldn’t see the birds and they may have been overflying.

Linnet

Near the Wheatear rocks I sat for a while on the damp grass but sadly there were no Wheatears to look at today, nor the Stoat.

Stoat
Stoat

The Peregrine stood out there on the marsh, in a direct line to Heysham Power Station, and easy to pick up again should I let my bins venture left or right. A Marsh Harrier came into view from the left, so far on the edge of the marsh that it was barely discernible with the naked eye when I lowered my bins. As the bird traveled east the views in slightly better light made me think it was the same bird from a week ago Friday 9th September, but I can’t be sure. When the harrier disappeared into the distance the Peregrine was still rooted to its same spot with nothing much to chase save for distant Curlew and Shelduck.

As the rain approached from the south I decided there was time for a quick look at Ridge Farm. It was here where Swallows were very visibly on the move, coming from the west and off the sands, then over the embankment and heading markedly into the south-easterly breeze. In an hour’s walk I counted more at least 130 Swallows doing exactly the same thing. There was nothing much else here except for a few Meadow Pipits, 18 Linnet, a single Siskin overhead, a handful of migrant Chaffinches “pink-pinking” from the hedgerow, and a Buzzard, a little inland and over towards Duck Lane, the way home.

Chaffinch