Pinks And Wheats

There weren’t too many passerines or raptors around at Pilling today with my couple of hours dominated by the sights and sounds of Pink-footed Geese following a very obvious influx from Iceland in the past few days. My count this morning was 3500, give or take 20%, and unless anyone has experienced the sounds of thousands of “pinkies” it’s hard to imagine it. Click on “xeno-canto to hear the geese.  

Pink-footed Goose

Pink-footed Goose

The count from the shooters’ pools was down with 300 Teal and 18 Pintail today and no sign of the recent harrier. Along the sea wall I counted 80 Goldfinch, 35 Linnet, 2 Meadow Pipit, 6 Skylark and a single “alba” wagtail. Hirundines were less obvious on this cool, blowy morning with c40 Swallows and less than 10 House Martins. Likewise the heron count, with 2 Grey Heron and a single Little Egret. 

I found 3 Wheatears in the usual sorts of locations so employed a few of the new stock of meal worms to catch an unsexed juvenile and an adult male. 

Wheatear - juvenile

Wheatear - adult male

Both birds had the wing length of 107mm, a measurement which clearly placed them in the category of being “Greenland” Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they arrived from Greenland, more probably from Iceland where the so called “Greenland” Wheatear breeds in good numbers. 

I found a dead and very wet mole, not in a hole, but on a stone where someone had obviously placed it for inspection. “What big hands you have”. 

Mole - Talpa europea

Tune in soon for more news and views from Another Bird Blog.