Doing It All Again

Saturday 15th March. Remember to “click the pics” for close-up views and/or click the “Crosspost” button to share a picture to Facebook and Twitter. 

It took a while to find the Northern Wheatear his morning. After a couple of hours plodding around Pilling in a stiff and cold north-westerly wind I’d more or less given up on seeing the safest bet of March. Boots off, hat and gloves back in the car I was ready for home but taking a last look along the sea wall when I spotted a lone Wheatear on a stretch of embankment I’d walked an hour or more before. It was too late to start unpacking a trap and warming up the meal worms; there will be more days soon.

Wheatear

At early doors the sea wall had been pretty devoid of bird life, and apart from 1000+ Pink-footed Geese most of the action took place on the maize field or in the Fluke Hall woodland. 

There was a goodish count of Golden Plover with 450+ birds early on until a Hi-Fly vehicle drove across the track to scatter many of the plovers out to the shore. At the moment Hi-Fly appear to be conducting a valuable amount of management of the Carrion Crow and Magpie situation, activities which inevitably means their people and vehicles are about the fields more than a mere birder would like. 

Carrion Crow

A number of the plovers are beginning to acquire their fabulous breeding attire, a plumage which allows them to blend into the summery tundra.

Golden Plover-  Photo credit: Jesusisland / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND 

Although large numbers of Golden Plovers are presently migrating through the area, Lapwings, Redshanks and Oystercatchers can now be counted as residents, either in pairs or display mode - in this case 15+pairs of Lapwing, 6 pairs of Oystercatcher and 6+ pairs of Redshank. 

Shelducks are scattered across the same areas in pairs or small groups with a total of 35/40 birds. Three Little Egrets about the fields with five more from the sea wall, 5 Dunlin in flight plus 18 Teal, a singing Reed Bunting and little else on the wildfowlers’ pools 

The comparatively sheltered woodland held a few species: 40+ Woodpigeon, 2 Stock Dove, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 8 Goldfinch, 4 Long-tailed Tit. 

There seemed very little bird song this morning; the air was cold, the wind too strong so I counted myself lucky to see a Chiffchaff as it called once from a gap in the roadside willows then showed itself briefly. 

In all a quietish morning whereby it would be nice to get a warm, sunny and wind-free morning tomorrow when I may just have to do it all over again. Join Another Bird Blog then for more news, views and photographs.

Linking this post to World Bird Wednesday, Camera Critters and Anni's I'd Rather Be Birding Blog.