Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Reach for The Umbrella

Yes, it was Pilling today, where although it proved fairly quiet I came away with a half decent list of birds which included the first autumnal Dunlin, thirty or so birds out on the incoming tide at 11am. The Redshank count at 50+ was slightly up today when extra Redshanks joined the local post-breeding birds which stayed on the marsh through May and June. Completing the wader count were 80 Curlew, 110 Lapwing, 22 Oystercatcher and 2 Common Sandpiper. 

Dunlin

Other birds out on the tideline - 220 Black-headed Gull, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 44 Shelduck and 11 Cormorant. 

A Peregrine flashed over the shore early on heading towards Cockerham, and then 15 minutes later came back from that direction and briefly overhead. Although the sun was out briefly, the camera wasn’t set for an overhead Peg so it was point and hope for the best, or fiddle with the settings and lose the bird. 

Peregrine

Peregrine

Other birds: 20+ Skylark, 2 Corn Bunting, 6 Pied Wagtail, 14 Goldfinch, 3 Linnet, 5 Greenfinch, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Blackcap, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Reed Warbler, 4 House Martin, 8 Swift. There still aren’t many Swallows about the normal places with many people reporting a lack of nests with slow plus low productivity. I did see a family party of 8 birds at Pilling Water which included newly fledged juveniles, posing in the usual location, 

Barn Swallow

Now it’s official, the wettest June since records began and more of the same promised for this week. Never mind, Another Bird Blog will be out somewhere, with an umbrella if necessary - stay tuned.

16 comments:

myonlyphoto said...

Oh Phil this is a very nice picture of Dunlins. Happy Birding! Anna :)

Unknown said...

Beautiful series!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

mick said...

A great series of photos. I'm delighted to hear that your birds are thinking of migrating south - it means our migrants will start returning soon :-)

Adam Jones said...

Great shot of the Dunlins.

eileeninmd said...

The Dunlins are cute and I can see their black bellies. Cool capture of the Peregrine and I love the adorable Barn Swallows. Great outing and photos. Have a great day and Happy Birding!

FjÀllripan said...

Great shots! I especially like the dunlins!! /Susanne

Dave said...

Quality images, the Dunlin shot is wonderful with fantastic Dof and lighting

Dave

Anni said...

I especially like the group of Dunlins!!! It never ceases to amaze me on natures camouflage and how incredible it always is.

RUDDY DUCK

Gail Dixon said...

Another successful birding mission I see! Well done. I see all sorts of birds on here that I never knew existed. Beautifully captured as usual.

Russell Jenkins said...

The Dunlin family looks beautiful and you captured the peregrine perfectly, no need to fiddle with settings. You kept your eye on the trophy an it paid off. The swallow is posing nicely in the light too!

Choy Wai Mun said...

Great images of the Dunlin and the Peregrine. The former is quite rare here in Malaysia and hopefully, one day I will be lucky enough to record it.

Stewart M said...

Great set of pictures - the dunlin are splendid.

The old Pegs not bad for a hot and hope!!

Cheers - Stewart M

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Lovely series Phil and your header image and your Dunlin image...wow fantastic, absolutely magnificent! I love the look you are getting from the bird in header image, it looks so proud. The Dunlin image is truly of remarkable quality, very nice!

Roan said...

A fine series! Love the barn swallow. There are lots around here, but they are very shy. I can't get close enough to get a good shot before they fly away.

Carole M. said...

enjoyed your contribution bird shots

Larry said...

Beautiful photos as always Phil. If those gorgeous Dunlins aren't enough, you got great shots of the Peregrine Falcon in flight!

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