The clocks went back on Sunday morning. Winter is here. An extra hour in bed for many folks but not for yours truly, just an extra hour’s birding. Trouble was the forecast of a bright, dry and breezy morning was completely wrong.
I’d set off in good spirits and high expectations to be met at Cockerham with heavy rain which persisted on and off for the next two hours.
At Braides Farm a Buzzard sat along the usual spot waiting out the shower, maybe reluctant to leave because a dog Red Fox prowled through a nearby field. The fox put up a Curlew and a few Lapwings but made no attempt to pursue them. If the animal had any sense it was heading for shelter from the sudden downpour. I too wound the car window up to keep out the now driving rain and made for Conder Green.
Buzzard
Red Fox
At Conder Green I could bird from the car only as the showers arrived two by two. I was limited to 14 Little Grebe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Wigeon, 3 Goosander and 70+ Teal.
Conder Green
As I drove back towards Pilling the sky brightened a little and I stopped at Fluke Hall Lane to count 44 Whooper Swans in the stubble field. I chanced a walk across the potato field towards the sea wall and found 40+ Woodpigeon, 15 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtails and a single Meadow Pipit. In the wildfowlers’ maize crop and nearby pool were 3 Reed Bunting, 4 Pintail and 200+ Teal. Out on the marsh were 6 Little Egrets and the usual comings and goings of skeins of Pink-footed Geese.
Whooper Swans
The woodland was pretty quiet although from recent there appeared to be an increase in Blackbirds. Otherwise a single Lesser Redpoll chattered over and a crow chased off a female Sparrowhawk.
It wasn't the morning I'd hoped for but the weather looks set to improve for Another Bird Blog.
Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.
Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.
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15 comments:
Hello Phil, sorry about the rain. But, the sighting of the rainbow is lovely. Nice birds, the buzzard is cool and great sighting of the fox and Whooper Swans. Happy birding, enjoy your new week!
A pretty sparse count overall, Phil, but the presence of all those Whooper Swans turns any kind of day into a great day as far as I am concerned. We just returned from visiting my daughter in Ottawa and had great weather the whole time, but our visit was pretty much family-oriented and we didn't get a chance to do much birding. Ate too much that's for sure!
Blue skies and warm here in the South Phil so no rainbows. Would have enjoyed seeing those whooper swans.
Wonderful 'feathered friends' shot ~ great rainbow one and love the red fox!
Wishing you a happy week,
artmusedog and carol
Another wonderful post ... many thanks for sharing
Too bad about the rain, but you certainly did not let it get you down. Love the rainbow. So pretty. My husband always sees them and I never do. You all are so lucky. Lovely bird shots.
Beautiful!!
Kim,USA
Phil, I think that the beauty of the rain is that it doesn't scare the birds...they seem to love it and get a free bath! Your photos are always a joy to see! :)
It may not have been the morning you'd hoped for, Phil but the scenery looks beautiful and you found some nice wildlife. The fox looks like he is making a decision. I wonder where he went?
Lovley pictures and the rainbow in the background is amazing.
Glad to seeyour Whoppers are in, I still have not seen of heard of any here in N.Ireland. Raining stopped the birds coming to a lot of the birds coming to the Copeland this weekend but it was a wonderful relaxing time sitting reading beside a big open fire!
A decent count of birds Phil considering the weather conditions. Great to see the Whoopers too.
Well the rainbow is certainly a good luck charm, did you find your pot of gold at the far end ;) The Buzzard and the Fox are both stunning creatures. I am sorry that Winter is already at your door and I am afraid that it is not far from this ladies front door either. Ugh,I am delighted to be alive and well to muster them along, but oh I do not enjoy COLD days, at all~
Ahem! I won't say a word about you know what. Lovely birds and I admire you for sticking it out in the face of that rainy day. I love swans and that is a lot of them. We saw pink footed geese in Alaska last summer.
Wow - I'm awed by that landscape with rainbow - it was your reward for braving the rain. That fox is so much "redder" than our red foxes which I see nearly every day on our property. How do you hold the 400mm still to get the distance shots, Phil? I have trouble at half that distance! (Tripod?)
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