Sunday Showers Birding

The weather lady promised there would be two or three hours of fine weather before the rain arrived on Sunday. She was right. By 11am I was back home and rained off. I’d managed a quick birding circuit at Conder and Glasson followed by a drive to Oakenclough to top up the feeding station.

Backsands Lane at Pilling and then Sand Villa at Cockerham produced three species of raptor, a Kestrel at the nest box, a fly by Sparrowhawk and then two Buzzards, one along the fence line and another distant on the sea wall. Hordes of Pink-footed Geese were flying from their salt marsh roost and dropping on Cockerham Moss Edge. Now the shooting season is over and in just a week or two the geese will become more tolerant of people who just want to enjoy them as a spectacle rather than as a shooting trophy or a meal.

Pink-footed Geese

The pool at Conder Green was pretty full following a series of very high tides whereby excess water from the Lune is diverted into the mere, so not too many muddy edges in evidence for waders. Four Lapwing loafed on the nearest island where a pair of Oystercatchers busily mated as a prelude to nesting there again, as they do in most years. Several Redshanks were dotted around the pool margins but today was mostly wildfowl with 2 Goldeneye, 2 Tufted Duck,2 Canada Goose, 2 Little Grebe, 22 Teal, 18 Wigeon, 6 Shelduck and 2 Cormorant. As usual more Teal dabbled in the shallow creeks to bring the total of this species to 70+.

 Canada Goose

Shelduck

I counted the Goldeneye and Tufted Duck at Glasson Dock at 45 and 42 respectively. It’s rare indeed to find that Goldeneyes outnumber Tufted Duck on this water although a few tufties are often hidden amongst the moored boats or the distant reeds. Male Goldeneyes look wholly black and white from a distance and it’s not always possible to see the glossy green head of this wary duck.

Goldeneye

Looking west I could see rain approaching but inland was still reasonably bright so I headed up to the feeding station where it was dry but very cloudy. There’s a clearance and replanting programme ongoing here following years of neglect when rhododendrons took over the woodland. The team have worked extremely hard with the result that in a few years’ time the place should be buzzing with birds, hopefully a few of the species in evidence fifteen or twenty years ago when I spent a good number of days here; Green Woodpecker, Tree Pipit, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer and good numbers of breeding Willow Warblers and Lesser Redpolls spring to mind.

Each stake represents a young native tree to be planted in the next week or two, each sapling a welcome addition to the rather sparse habitat left following the demise of the rhododendron.

Replanting

In the meantime Andy and I can monitor the changes through our ringing and birding here. Today showed evidence of both Goldfinch and Chaffinch returning following the cold spell, with good numbers about the feeders.

In or adjacent to the woodland - 1 Buzzard, 1 Jay, 4 Fieldfare, 9 Redwing, 14 Blackbird and a singing Mistle Thrush.

Goldfinch

In nearby fields and waters I counted 55 Lapwing, 45 Oystercatcher, 4 Greylag, 15 Mallard and 2 Gadwall.

That’s all for now, but be sure there’s more birding, ringing and photography soon on Another Bird Blog.

In the meantime I'm linking to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.