Here, There And Everywhere

That’s what it felt like this morning, doing the rounds as the heavy showers dictated the time spent at a particular spot and in which direction the car travelled. 

The day started cloudy but dry at Fluke Hall, with plenty of Blackbirds around, and more than the usual number of finches in evidence. The busily feeding and mobile Chaffinch looked like recent arrivals with 25+, and with them at least 2 Brambling, the latter giving away their presence in the usual manner by the unmistakeable and obvious wheezing calls. Siskins did the same, feeding quietly and undetected in the high branches until a few tell-tale calls made me look up to find more than 10 of them moving through the tree tops. Near Ridge Farm I found the flock of Greenfinches numbering 25 today, and still 6+ Goldfinch. 

Brambling

Siskin

Not much on the flood at Damside, just 40+ Lapwing and a Great-spotted Woodpecker calling incongruously from the top of a telegraph pole. 

Great-spotted Woodpecker

Lane Ends next where a walk to Pilling Water was curtailed by an approaching black cloud. Hurrying back and then waiting for the burst to subside gave counts of 9 Little Egret, 3 Raven, 8 Snipe, 2 Meadow Pipit, 5 Chaffinch, 2 Siskin and 2 Buzzard. One Buzzard was perched on a post out on the marsh towards Cockerham, the other flying off the marsh and towards Pilling village. 

I headed north, trying to keep ahead of the rain coming following behind from the south-west, and stopped for a minute or two at Braides where 22 Redshank and 15 Curlew fed on the muddy pools. 

At Conder I found time to count 8 Little Grebe,1 Goosander and 2 Spotted Redshanks before the running tide cleared the waders from the creek and cleared me off to Glasson. I couldn’t find more than 1 Scaup with the 35 Tufted Duck, one or two of which with a hint of white at the base of the bill, have pretensions of being a real sea duck instead of a “bread” duck. A Cormorant proved fairly tolerant today, posing for a prehistoric portrait before sliding off into the water. 

Tufted Duck

Cormorant

It rained during the Jeremy Lane circuit where lots of Mute Swan were scattered across the fields, but I found a flock of 60+ Fieldfare along Moss Lane. When I stopped to take a look through the thrushes a female Sparrowhawk appeared from my left and then flew across the road to scatter the Fieldfares along a hedgerow. Towards Cockersands were 275 Curlew, 40 Golden Plover, 140 Lapwing, 6 Skylark, 3 Reed Bunting and 21 Tree Sparrow, the sparrows feeding alongside a single hedgerow. 

Tree Sparrow

Can’t believe it’s almost Friday, but time flies when you’re having fun and birding, so log in again soon to find out if Another Bird Blog has been having fun down your way.