Reconnaissance

Tuesday morning and there’s still no ringing while Avian Flu is around but there’s no harm in looking and planning for better days. 

At 0815 Andy picked me in up in his flash-black Mercedes for a 30 mile trip up to Dunsop Bridge, a village surrounded on all sides by the rolling hills of the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The title ‘Forest’ refers to long established Royal hunting rights, and not as we interpret it today, as a large expanse of woodland. Nearby is Salter Fell Track, a pass along which the Lancashire Witches are believed to have been taken to their trial and later hanging at Lancaster Castle in 1612. 

Dunsop Bridge lies at the confluence of the River Dunsop and the River Hodder before the Hodder flows south to join the River Ribble outside Clitheroe. This is a peaceful, beautiful and mostly undisturbed part of Lancashire where the landscape, environment and ecosystems combine to support a varied bird, insect and animal population. 

Not least of the influential ecosystems are the renowned rainfalls and where on 8 August 1967, Dunsop Valley entered the UK Weather Records with the highest 90 minute total rainfall of 117 mm/4.6 inches. 

We have newly acquired permission to catch and ring House Martins at a long-established colony location during the spring and summer of 2022. Our trip today a reconnoitre, a lay of the land to establish the method, equipment and timings needed for our eventual visits once the martins arrive from Africa during April & May to start their colony reconstruction. 

House Martins

 

The morning was misty and dank with poor visibility as we drove the private track alongside a meandering stream to our destination, a light industrial/office building, ideally situated and of perfect height and seclusion for nesting House Martins. 

House Martin eaves

 

Dunsop Valley

We measured eighteen paces for a 40 foot net and twenty six paces for a 60ft across the grass immediately in front of the building where the west facing brickwork would allow a morning session away from glaring sun. Perfect. 

After chatting to the guys who work there we said our “see you soon” and headed back to the village and eventually the A6 road towards Cockerham and our out of action ringing station. 

Dunsop Bridge

 

As usual the Cockerham feeding station was busy with a steady turnover of birds visiting our seed drop spots - counts of 240+ Linnet, 20+Chaffinch, 15 Blackbird, 6 Reed Bunting, 4 Greenfinch and a couple of Moorhen. Moorhens are not averse to using feeding stations in the wintertime where they quite happily hoover up bird seed. There was the customary Sparrowhawk hanging around but giving just glimpses as it kept mostly out of sight of us and the birds it would target.

 

Moorhen

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

 

We still await an email from DEFRA/APHA and/or the BTO to let us know when the Avian Flu 10Km control zone is revoked so that we ring birds again.  

We’ve missed out on catching a couple of hundred birds and all the data that would provide during December/January; and now eight weeks later and almost February, there's no end in sight. 

Linking today to Eileen's Saturday Blog and Anni in Texas.

Brambling Prize

In most UK winters the Brambling is a difficult one to find but a bird to prize. These cousins of the ubiquitous Chaffinch live north and east of here on the borders of Finland & Russia, venturing this far west in irregular numbers and unpredictable years. 

At the feeding station I‘ve listened for the nasal wheeze, watched the feeders and the ground beneath for weeks while studying the hedgerow for a flash of white rump amongst the Chaffinches. And then on Wednesday, joy of joys, at last a Brambling, crouching amongst half a dozen Chaffinches, an orange neighbour, reward for the seed drops and the interminable car washing after the tortuous muddy farm track. 

Brambling

 

The finches scattered for no reason when I saw that the Brambling, now in a nearby tree, was male, perhaps even an adult but not for definite until and if we catch the star. 

Not that there’s any ringing just yet while Avian Flu is still nearby and APHA, the Animal & Plant Health Agency drag their feet on giving the all clear. Seven weeks, going on eight while waiting to hear when we can collect information for conservation. In the meantime and if at a loose end I could take up shooting birds as that’s allowed. Shooters have a route to the top, ringers do not. 

A couple of Reed Buntings, 3 Greenfinch, a couple of Blackbirds and 20 or more Linnets completed the count as I scattered more seed in the base of the hedgerow where even the Sparrowhawk’s long legs won’t reach. 

Here, and later back home, garden Greenfinches were in song, more species that so soon can see that spring is about to sprung. I saw Brown Hares on the move too, three together in the first of their Mad March ways. 

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

I left the Pilling farm and drove to Cockerham where at weekend Andy and I had prepared the seed plot for our now annual whoosh netting of Linnets and the sometime bonus of Skylarks and Stonechats. But never the wary Stock Doves that scatter at the sight of a vehicle. 

For the uninitiated, the idea of a whoosh net is to propel a fine net over ground feeding birds via elasticated bungees. The method is somewhat hit and miss as it requires the said birds to land in the tiny designated/prepared area and settle there long enough for the net to whoosh over them. Oh how we laughed when sitting for hours watching Linnets fly round and around without showing any interest in a mound of fresh, tasty bird seed that would mysteriously disappear before our next visit. 

Prepping the Square

 

The local Kestrel hovered above, and never one to miss a trick, has discovered the seed to be a regular source of animal protein. I dropped more rats and mouse seed and promised the 60+ Linnets we’d be back when APHA and BTO give us the thumbs up. 

Kestrel

 

After a number of years of sympathetic farming the most recent owner of Braides Farm has vandalised the place, torn out every perching fence and singing post, filled and levelled the vegetated ditches, built a huge midden of earth, and now imported hundreds of sheep to eat what’s left of the once green landscape. 

If there are any Skylarks this year, they’d best keep clear of grazing sheep. In the distance and mostly on an adjacent farm were up to 100 Whooper Swans and not much else. Once again, it’s “follow the money” to see that conservation and wildlife hits rock bottom in the Tory Grand Plan to level down. 

At least at Conder Green there are birds to see if a little early for the return of the bad boys the Avocets, black and white birds represented today by three Shelduck recently returned from their winter in the Wadden Sea, Dutch or German, take your pick. 

Shelduck

 

A single Little Grebe proved hard to locate, they too are heading back from whence they came for the coming spring. Wigeon were in good numbers of 60 or more, some hidden behind the islands while the tiny Teal were so numerous but scattered throughout that any count would be very inaccurate. 

Wigeon

Five Snipe moved around the mound of the near island and not seeming to hide as they mostly do, perhaps feeling safer on an island. Small numbers of Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew finished the wader scene. 

Time flies when having fun even if it’s the many and varied birds of spring that I’m really after so I headed home for a cup of coffee and to search my emails for one from APHA. 

No luck. Try again another day. 

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.

 

Happy New Year

Too much food, too much booze and too few birds - that about sums up my last fortnight. It’s not for the want of trying when a number of trips out in less than ideal weather brought scant reward.  Or, from recent Australia but in England cricket parlance, “little to report and even less to trouble the scorers”. 

In recent days Buzzard, Kestrel and Merlin provided the raptors, but a few sightings only of Barn Owl or Little Owl where mild but windy weather with zero frosts meant no requirement to feed in daylight hours. 

Little Owl

Buzzard

Supplementary feeding areas gave counts of up to 180 and 80 Linnets at two places respectively while Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Reed Buntings and titmice added to the bulk.

Chaffinch

Redwings and Blackbirds provided the thrush interest while a single Fieldfare asked questions about where they all fled to during November.

Redwing

After five weeks we expect to be notified any day now that the 10km ringing ban is lifted; then  we can return to favoured ringing sites out Pilling and Cockerham way. In a previous post I remarked that shooters are also banned from their activities in Avian Flu areas. 

After this week seeing wildfowlers in our often shared haunts and engaging in conversation, it seems that I was mistaken. The guys were quite open about their shooting, two were not even aware of our local outbreaks of Avian Flu. This when Covid alone dominates news outlets and normal conversation.  

"BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) is advising members that an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been implemented across the UK." 

“In addition to the requirements of the AIPZ, housing measures came into force on 29 November 2021. The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have brought in housing measures across the whole of the UK to protect poultry and captive birds from avian influenza following a number of confirmed cases across Great Britain in recent weeks. The housing measures mean that it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.” 

“Shooting is not restricted as part of the conditions associated with this Prevention Zone. Neither is shooting directly impacted by the implementation of 3km and 10km control zones at sites where Avian Influenza is currently identified. However, BASC urges members to be vigilant and aware of the symptoms of the disease and to follow the latest biosecurity advice and measures required in the zones.” 

"Anyone attending a shoot should follow good personal biosecurity and regularly cleanse and disinfect clothing, footwear and vehicles – this is particularly important if they have any contact with game birds, poultry or other captive birds. There is, however, a possibility – albeit remote - that wild birds shot or culled in pest and predator control could be infected with bird flu at any time of the year, so it clearly makes sense to avoid actions that could spread infection from killed wild birds into any kept birds, whatever their species. Do not use the same vehicles and storage facilities for shot and live birds without thorough cleansing and disinfection in between. Keep all shot or culled birds well away from any kept flocks. Likewise, wash or sanitise hands and wash clothing well after handling dead birds and before any contact with kept flocks to minimise spreading infection. Gundogs are not at any particular risk from bird flu but as a precaution do not allow dogs to eat any dead wild birds and do not feed uncooked shot or culled birds to animals." 

Just as witnessed in early 2021 UK wide lockdowns because of Covid, the rules applying to people following outdoor pursuits are different whereby shooting has a lower level of control than bird ringing, bird watching or even walking in the countryside. 

To paraphrase George Orwell, 'All countryside pursuits are equal but some countryside pursuits are more equal than others'.

Follow the money.

A Happy New Year to followers of Another Bird Blog, past, present and future.

Linking today to https://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com and http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com.

 

A Numbers Game

November 26th was the day of the BTO notification that our bird ringing would cease with “immediate effect.” The now almost annual outbreak of bird flu in our geographical area had struck yet again in Preesall/Pilling, just a few miles from our coastal ringing sites in Pilling and Cockerham. 

Luckily we have our ringing site at Oakenclough on the edge of the Bowland Hills that is well outside the 10km control zone and so unaffected by the ban, except that until now inclement weather prevented ringing here too. 

This upland site is close to a reservoir, the water catchment placed strategically to collect the maximum amount of water from both rain and run off from surrounding land. The open situation of the site also means a fair amount of windy weather too; rain and wind, the nemeses of bird ringers everywhere. 

At last, a bout of high pressure promised a few days of settled weather and ringing, even though we knew that mid-winter catches at this site are small in numbers. I met up with Andy at 0700 in the blackness of morning, less than a week from the shortest day and the Winter Solstice of 21 December. Soon the days get steadily longer, lighter, warmer and may be even drier? 

The first net round brought a couple of always nice to see Redwing into the nets but none of the 50+ Fieldfares that stopped briefly before continuing to the east. 

Redwing

Fieldfares

Just as expected our catch was low in numbers with just eleven birds, 3 Coal Tit, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Redwing, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Wren. At least we managed a spot of ringing; and as a bonus the sun appeared. 

Goldfinch

Chaffinch

Coal Tit

Birding was pretty quiet with Barn Owl, a single Siskin and the aforementioned Fieldfares the highlights.  

On the way home I noted near Nateby a pair of Kestrels at roadside poles. As I carefully stopped hoping for a photo the male flew across to a tree which held a good sized crow nest; a tree worth keeping an eye on in the coming months. Kestrels begin their courtship in the cold winter months to ensure their bond is secure before the breeding season begins. Pairs usually mate for life. 

Kestrel

 

Looking forward, we are on countdown, hoping to hear soon that the ringing ban is lifted at our coastal site. But in any case I will be visiting soon to top up the supplementary food.  

Failing that we will return to Oakenclough for another dozen or so birds. Stay tuned to Another Bird Blog. 

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.

 

Sunday Monday

Sunday morning and the wildfowlers were out long before me. I heard the sound of their gunfire as I put the first net up in the semi darkness. Ropes left out for a speedy job were frozen solid after Saturday night’s frost. 

Soon after 10 am four guys and four dogs, young and old, came walking towards me with their spoils, two geese to share between them - not much to show for around five hours laid out on the frozen marsh. We exchanged pleasantries as they trudged off to their cars and me back to the job in hand. 

Wildfowling

I had slightly more luck than the shooters with ten birds caught, not as good as I’d hoped but more grist to the mill of Project Linnet with 8 new Linnets and a by-catch of 1 Chaffinch and 1 Great Tit. 

Linnet

 

Not a lot else to report except for a female Sparrowhawk looking for breakfast, half a dozen Skylarks, and the 80 or more Linnets that produced my catch. 

Sparrowhawk - female

 

Monday started with the 0830 school run to Hambleton followed by a sprint to Pilling to meet up with Andy who’d been on site since 0645. I’d taken the precaution of five layers on top and two below to ward off the frost. I was glad I did because it was pretty cold out of the sunshine. 

I missed early Redwings but caught up with a new Greenfinch, a Chaffinch, more Linnets and a fine adult male Reed Bunting. 

In all we had 16 new birds - 5 Redwing, 4 Linnet, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Greenfinch. 

Reed Bunting

Chaffinch

 

The forecast for Tuesday looks good. The morning is already pencilled in for five layers and more ringing. 

 

Monday/Wednesday

Monday morning I devote to the school run, transporting two of the grandkids to their school a mile or two away while their mum heads off to work and a 0830 start. That’s not to say there’s no birding or ringing for me because I later caught up with Andy at our Pilling ringing site at 0900. 

He’d already had some success by catching a couple of Redwings, a few more Linnets and three “Continental” Blackbirds. 

Almost three-quarters of the Blackbirds breeding in this country may be resident but others winter in France and yet others (particularly from Scotland and northern England) head for Ireland. Their places here are occupied by migrants from Scandinavia, Denmark and Germany. Some of these Blackbirds, more noticeably the males, display “continental” like features of sooty colouration, entirely dark bills, scalloped breast feathers and finely speckled throats. 

Blackbird

 

A southerly breeze and blowy net hindered our Linnet catch but we still gathered another seven individuals and so reached a total of 204 for this autumn. This is a great result so far with more to come and thanks are due to Farmers R and H for their support & encouragement during this and other years.  

There’s no shortage of Greenfinch so far this autumn as testified by our catching of another nine that gave a total of 50 Greenfinch here during September, October and early November. 

After a number of years in the population doldrums there’s little doubt that “green linnets”, Greenfinches, made something of a comeback during 2021. 

Greenfinch

 

Total birds caught on Monday - 7 Linnet, 9 Greenfinch, 3 Blackbird, 2 Redwing, 1 Wren, 1 Blue Tit. 

On Tuesday the rain lasted all day long, not good for the already muddy paths we planned to tread on Wednesday morning. 

Wednesday seemed fine at 0630 until we started to erect the first net and then half way through came a few spots of rain that became even heavier when the heavens opened. There was no option but to carry on and then close the net until the rain stopped after about fifteen minutes. 

The sky remained grey and overcast, the morning quite unlike the one forecast except for a welcome wind of zero.  We caught 14 new birds - 6 Linnet, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Robin, 1 Wren and 1 Blackbird. 

Greenfinch 

Understandably the Linnets seemed reluctant to drop and feed in the saturated seed plot with the maximum seen about 60 birds milling around in contrast to the bigger flocks of late. It was as if by some unknown method of communication the Linnets knew to go elsewhere for a feed.  

Linnet

 

The second year male Blackbird was another “continental” type with an above average wing length of 133mm and a healthy weight of 101gm. 

Blackbird

 

At this time of year it’s not only thrushes that may come from further afield and it was striking this morning how all three Chaffinches were not only adults but also of slightly larger dimensions than typical UK Chaffinches. The males came in at wing lengths of 92mm and 90mm respectively while the female’s wing gave up a whopping measurement of 87mm. 

Chaffinch

In between birding was hindered by the weather but we noted good numbers of Lapwing, Curlew and Starling. 

We watched a Sparrowhawk very nearly take a Linnet in flight, a drama eclipsed by the sight of a Merlin in relentless, twisting, turning and stooping dive bombing pursuit of a single Linnet. After a few close shaves the Linnet finally evaded capture when after a minute or so the Merlin gave up the chase to rest on a fence post. 

Birding doesn't get much better than encounters like those two.

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Saturday and Anni in Texas.

 

Redwings Aplenty

We swop and change our ringing sessions according to available bodies, the weather, and the theory that too many or too few days at the same location is not normally a good idea. Hence, Wednesday saw three ringers, Andy, Bryan and me back at Oakenclough, 15 miles from the coast, 700 metres above sea level at our autumnal site for catching Redwings and other migrant birds. 

We have learned that when weather conditions are suitable many bird species use this edge of the Pennine Hills as a part of their migration route, east to west/west to east or north to south/south to north. Very often the directions of travel change mid-stream or are impossible to decipher if birds disappear from view by distance or landscape. 

Examples of visible migration become especially evident during October when it is possible to witness nocturnal and diurnal migration of large numbers of northern thrushes like Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush. The most numerous of this group are Redwings and Fieldfares, species that migrate on any given day but whose migration is wholly unpredictable and may be as small as a few dozen individuals, or on occasions many thousands over the course of a single morning. 

The forecast for Wednesday of brightness, zero rain and a 8/10 mph breeze looked almost perfect so we arranged to meet at 0645, just before dawn. The drive up to Oakenclough is a steady climb in third gear so as to maintain a respectable speed while watching for unpredictable deer and roadside pheasants that can dent a moving car. Gaining elevation and ever closer to my destination the low cloud turned to mizzle & drizzle as visibility dropped to 20 yards. Parking up there was a 15 mph wind rattling overhead trees and the weather forecaster was treated to yet another expletive. 

We concurred. If Redwings had been on the move during the night and into morning they could well be around despite the unwelcoming weather, so we set nets and hoped for the best. 

Amazingly and even in these poor conditions, Redwings arrived. They came slowly at first, with four Redwings on the first look at the nets. And then more of them, and also other species as the morning wore on. 

Redwing

About 0920 and without warning a flock of almost a thousand Redwings arrived from the east and circled around for a few minutes before flying west. The same thing happened again later as at least two more large contingents of several hundred Redwings arrived and left to the west, as did smaller parties of tens and twenties, sometimes mixing with flocks of finches disturbed from the treetops by the swirling Redwings above them.  

Cloud and drizzle encircled us north, south, east and west as it ebbed and flowed, appearing to ease off before starting up again, but all the time we added to the catch. At 1030 real rain arrived to replace the mizzle as an unwelcome flock of 19 titmice, blues, coals, longtails and creepers found a net – time to pack in after almost four hours of intensive work. 

We finished with a catch of 54 birds - 26 Redwing, 4 Chaffinch, 3 Goldfinch, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 12 Blue Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Treecreeper, 2 Long-tailed Tit and 1 Goldcrest. 

Redwing

Chaffinch

Goldcrest

Lesser Redpoll

Treecreeper

Long-tailed Tit

Goldfinch 

We totted up the sightings – mostly approximate taking into account the poor visibility - 2500 Redwing, 40 Lesser Redpoll, 40 Jackdaw, 25 Goldfinch, 25 Chaffinch 2 Siskin, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Kestrel. 

 

Redwing

It had been a good morning. It’s not everyone who sees 2500 Redwings in a single morning or witnesses at first hand the magic of bird migration. 

More soon from Another Bird Blog. Don't go away.

Scoring More

After Saturday’s disappointing foray into the hills Andy and I turned our attention back to the flat fields of Cockerham on Sunday morning. There was zero wind and a cold start until the sun rose to warm the air. We employed two nets only, one in the seed plot and one in the nearby trees, a fast job of setting up that took all of 15 minutes and so much quicker to pack away. And much closer to home for the drive back- for me at least! 

There was a somewhat slow start with 4 Linnets caught in the first hour. Fortunes bucked up quickly and then a good catch of 37 birds with some superb bird watching in-between. 

For once it was Greenfinches that topped the catching chart, not Linnets. All new birds no recaptures - 19 Greenfinch, 13 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Wren, 1 Chaffinch. 

Greenfinch

Reed Bunting

Chaffinch

Thanks to watchful crows we’d had early but brief views of a Peregrine, an hour or so later bettered by the sight of a Peregrine chasing a Wood Pigeon across the open field in front of us. It all happened very quickly but the pigeon proved up to the challenge by diving into the nearby copse where the Peregrine would not venture. 

Later, the morning turned out so warm, inviting and spring like that we agreed “October 10th, it’s not too late for a Marsh Harrier”. Sure enough within 30 minutes a “cream top” arrived from the east, put on a gliding/hunting display and left quite quickly to the south and in the direction of the inland mosses. 

This is the Marsh Harriers’ usual route here; today’s the latest of four autumn sightings of the species. They arrive from the north or east after a journey around or across Morecambe Bay and then fly inland on a direct southerly or south west heading. Their slow but purposeful method of flight allows them to migrate while hunting over suitable landscapes of marsh, reedbeds, and farmland where they find favoured foods like frogs, small mammals and birds, such as moorhen and coot. 

Marsh Harrier

 

It’s virtually every Linnet catching session that a Sparrowhawk or two appears looking for a meal. The hawks are drawn in by the sight and sound of 200 and more chattering Linnets, in the air or feeding in the seed plot. This morning was no different as a young male Sparrowhawk appeared as if from nowhere to single out a Linnet but once again failed to catch. 

I’m not sure what the success rate is for hunting Sparrowhawks but imagine that here at least it is quite low. Sparrowhawks that hunt by surprise tactics in suburban gardens seem to do much better than these probably inexperienced youngsters. 

Not to be outdone and just as we were ready to leave the crows found us a Buzzard that circled above to give great views in sunny sky. After a couple of circuits the Buzzard too drifted off in a southerly direction. 

Buzzard

 

All three raptors, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier are migrants through this part of Lancashire, their numbers increasing in the autumn as young birds disperse and adults wander in search of consistent and good feeding. The Peregrine is a winter visitor to these lowland and coastal areas where concentrations of waders and wildfowl provide rich pickings for the supreme hunter. 

Peregrine

 

That's all for now. Back soon with more news, views and photos.