Saturday, March 10, 2012

Ending On A High?

Another bright and breezy morning dictated no ringing, instead a drive to and then a walk over the local patches of Fluke, Pilling Water and Lane Ends, with another quiet morning and very little sign of spring migration. It was so quiet I lumped all the sighting together under headings “Lane Ends/Pilling Water” or “Fluke” but regular readers will readily associate the sightings with a particular spot

Lane Ends/Pilling Water: 2 Little Grebe, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Goldeneye, 6 Little Egret, 2 European White-fronted Goose, 12 Greylag, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Greenshank, 6 Skylark, plus 20 grounded Meadow Pipits.

Now the shooting season is finished grey geese in general are easier to approach, although many of the pinkfeet have been in the quieter parts of Staynall and Stalmine for a week or two.

European White-fronted Goose

Fluke: 40 Dunlin, 35 Lapwing, 125 Golden Plover, 10 Oystercatcher, 18 Curlew, 8 Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit, 8 Linnet and 22 Twite. Although both the Twite and Meadow Pipits could be migrants, the Twite are probably part of the flock that wintered between Pilling and Knott End, the Meadow Pipits not visibly migrating but hanging about in the area of the midden with 2 Pied Wagtails.

Meadow Pipit

Back home the local Great-spotted Woodpecker was busily drumming away beyond the village hall with the regular Mistle Thrush in full voice. In the garden Goldfinches have dried up, no sign of Siskins but a Goldcrest made a brief appearance.

With a high pressure sitting over us the weather forecast looks better for a spot of ringing tomorrow, even though it may turn out to be a “blocking” high.

High Pressure

9 comments:

  1. I am sure the geese are happy the shooting season is over. I would love to see this goose and the Tufted Ducks. Can you send some over my way. Happy Birding!

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  2. Beautiful photographs.

    Regards and best wishes

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  3. Nice photos! Hope the winds cooperate for you!!

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  4. All of your birds this week are gorgeous but that sparrowhawk is fantastic.

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  5. Beautiful goose. Bet they're glad that trauma is finished. Good luck and hope the weather cooperates:)

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  6. Muy buenas fotos!! me encantan :)) Un abrazo y saludos desde Madrid

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  7. I have to wonder about the twite, sight unseen, but the white back end of the white-fronted goose is quite nice, Phil.
    I'll soon be posting my husband's redpoll photos, as soon as I can find the card-reader to get them from his camera. He saw more today when walking the dog, so I'm quite excited about the pictures.
    K

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  8. I know those geese are happy you are shooting at them with your camera and not a gun. I am sure somewhere over here there is goose season, just do not hunt. We had to ring up the authorities recently, because someone made a deer kill, out of season and we were told that just about every week, it is hunting season for something...even Crow. Geesh, I never knew that! Happy Sunday, hope you have a good day~

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  9. Hello Phil, I am going to add meteorologist to your profile of birder.:) There was that name, Sparrowhawk again. Another name that caught my attention was the Goldeneye. Yes, names matter! Thanks for the pretty pictures. Take care. Thanks!

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