This And That

Last summer, autumn and now the current winter will be memorable for all the wrong reasons. A series of storms and hurricane remnants battered the west coast of Britain. Our garden developed a sponge like consistency that became a no-go area; not that there were any birds to see or catch. Even the normally resilient band of Goldfinches seemed to depart, and birds which might otherwise winter with us were displaced elsewhere. 

Only now with the lengthening days and the first signs of are some birds beginning to return. I had net up for a few hours and caught 5 new Goldfinch, a Chaffinch and a Collared Dove to kick off the garden ringing for 2018. 

Goldfinch

Collared Dove

Chaffinch

Today I took a run out to some local spots and to drop seed at two ringing spots. Gulf Lane held about 90 Linnet, 6 Skylark, 5 Stock Dove, 1 Little Egret and 1 Grey Heron. 

There’d been an overnight frost and the heron was waiting for the ditch to clear of ice. 

Grey Heron

The flood at Rawcliffe Moss had muddy if slightly frozen margins edges to accommodate 16 Pied Wagtails, 6 Meadow Pipits, 2 Shelduck and 15 Lapwing. Later I would see Lapwings in display; a sure sign that spring is here at last. 

Alongside the road a Chaffinch was in full song. I didn’t realise until I looked at the picture but the Chaffinch has diseased legs and feet, a condition known as Chaffinch Viral Papilloma (CVP). 

Chaffinch

CVP is thought to affect around 1% of the Chaffinch population at any given time and can affect both sexes. Cases usually occur in clusters and quite high proportions of local populations may be affected in outbreaks. In my experience the disease is associated with Chaffinches that feed in farmyard, and smallholdings and where chickens roam freely. 

The disease causes wart-like growths on the foot or tarsometatarsus, the bare part of the leg. The growths vary from small nodules to large irregular shaped and deeply-fissured masses which almost engulf the entire lower leg and foot. Affected birds usually seem in otherwise good health but some may show signs of lameness and hop mainly on the unaffected foot and digits may be lost. The disease can spread to other ground feeding birds like Dunnock. 

At Conder Green I counted 80 Teal, 42 Wigeon, 24 Tufted Duck, 4 Shelduck, 28 Oystercatchers (inc 4 pairs), 26 Curlew, 18 Black-tailed Godwit and 14 Redshank. A visit to our second Linnet site found 90+ Linnets still around together with 3 Meadow Pipit and 2 Reed Bunting. A Raven croaked overhead heading down to the Lune marshes – the species is now a common sight and sound in this area. 

I saw a number of Brown Hares sitting out in the early sun and they don’t yet appear ready to start their boxing courtships. The hare is a beautiful and intriguing creature that against the odds of agricultural changes has managed to maintain a strong presence in this part of Lancashire. Unlike rabbits, hares do not make an underground warren but nest in a depression in the ground where their young are active as soon as they are born. I know a local farmer who swears that come summertime the local Buzzard population takes a heavy toll on the young hares (leverets). 

Brown Hares

Brown Hares

The wintering Whooper Swans are now well spread across a couple of miles of fields, unlike early winter where for a few weeks after their arrival they stuck together like glue. There are probably still a couple of hundred Whooper Swans, up to 10 Bewick’s Swans and many Mute Swans but today I spotted an unusual interloper that seems to have escaped attention, a Black Swan. 

Black Swan

Whooper Swan

We’ve had some pretty strange weather but I’m certain the Black Swan is not a wind blown vagrant from down-under Australia.

Linking today to World Bird Wednesday, Anni's Birding and Eileen's blog

Black And White

I set off birding on Saturday morning but abandoned the quest quite early on when I found myself marooned by shoots taking place all around me; the Christmas holiday is when local sportsmen with time on their hands turn out in force hoping to bag a free meal courtesy of the local wildlife. 

No such problems today, as unlike birders, shooters don’t do consecutive days so I knew I was in for a birding morning. Some sportsmen don’t seem to do Sundays either - maybe they go to church? 

A quick look on the soggy fields at Lane Ends gave counts of 320 Curlew, 140 Lapwing and 2 Golden Plover. I was hoping geese might drop in for breakfast but none did so I made my way to Fluke Hall Lane. 

 Curlew

The rains of recent days topped up the flooded stubble resulting in good numbers of waders on the Fluke Hall fields. The birds are quite distant and don’t get too near the road with its constant traffic of people and vehicles so it’s mainly a patient scope job in deciding the numbers present. The 100 or so Black-tailed Godwits of November and December are long gone with now just a single bird to be found amongst 160+ Redshank, 235 Lapwing and 2 Snipe. Today’s single Black-tailed Godwit was easier to approach than a whole gang of them ever can be. 

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

There are 40 or more Linnets and approximately 25 Skylarks feeding in the field, showing themselves only when the waders spook to send most things into the air. A couple of Little Egrets feed here too, sometimes on the flood but mainly in the drainage ditches that cross the fields. Large numbers of Jackdaws and Carrion Crows are still in evidence, c300 and 80 respectively, but only 40 or so Woodpigeon. The wildfowler’s pools held 45+ Shelduck, 2 Pintail, 2 Teal and c250 “Mallards”, the latter the released for sport variety making it impossible to determine any truly wild Mallards. 

A party of 8 Whooper Swan and 6 Mute Swans heading out to the marsh had unexpected company today in the form of a Black Swan. While Black Swans at rest look almost entirely black it is in flight only that their extensive white wing feathers becomes apparent.

Whooper Swans

Mute Swan

Black Swan - Photo credit: Foter.com / CC BY-SA 

Black Swans originate in Australia but over the years a number of them have escaped from private collections in Britain, the escapees now breeding at dozens of sites across the country. Owners should clip their wings to prevent them from flying away, but even if their owners do this the feathers grow back allowing many birds to escape into the wild. 

The number of locations at which Black Swans are found has more than doubled in the past five years, while the number of breeding sites has more than tripled, with well-established populations at a few UK locations. 

The latest figures from the BTO Bird Atlas 2007-11 suggests that Black Swan numbers have increased at such a rate that they may soon be added to the authoritative “British List" of birds found in the UK. Until now, the Black Swan population has not been considered large enough to be “self-sustaining”, the criteria for including the species. 

Because they are more aggressive than other species, there are fears Black Swans may out-compete the native white Mute Swan for food and habitat in many areas. They could also breed with mutes – a hybrid has been created in captivity called a “blute swan”. Should someone play around with both a Whooper and a Black, the resultant offspring would no doubt be christened a “blooper swan”. 

Towards Pilling water I could see a Kestrel perched on the edge of the plantation, just watching and waiting the ground below, and then overhead a Buzzard making steady progress towards Fluke but all the time pursued by 2 gulls. 

Kestrel

I’d left the car at the hall so walked back through the trees to retrieve it. The storm of Thursday night had deposited an old beech tree across the road, the remains now cut into huge chunks and left by the side of the road.

All was now still in the morning sunlight, just the sounds of Jackdaws and Crows above, Tree Sparrows and Blackbirds below. I even saw a Song Thrush. 

Yes, definitely a good morning’s work. 

Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.

Short And Sweet

There’s just a short post today with a few bits and bobs to report together with a couple of photographs.

At Knott End: 5 Little Egret, 3 Pied Wagtail, 4 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit and 4 Eider. I put some Nyger out for the Twite which appear to have gone missing for now unless the black stuff can tempt them back.

Meadow Pipit

At Lane Ends there appeared to be an influx of 8 to 10 new Blackbirds, plus an accompanying Song Thrush, but I saw the now silent Jay.

Lane Ends to Fluke Hall via Pilling Water: 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Grey Wagtail, 12 Meadow Pipits, 8 Little Egrets, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Reed Bunting, 7 Skylarks and 1 Buzzard. Less Whooper Swans today with circa 140 plus the incongruous Black Swan. 20+ Chaffinch at Fluke Hall with the normal titmice and 1 Goldcrest, and it’s another non-show for the latter species again this autumn.

Great Tit
Robin
Grey Squirrel – “Tree Rat”
Black Swan and Whooper Swan

The forecast looks a little better for weekend with a possibility of a spot of ringing.