Another Drowned Rat

This is a short post because there's not much news. And once again the culprit is the lack of decent weather in which to get outdoors for serious birding. 

Let’s start with a request to regular readers to take a look at a recent photographic competition. The same readers will know that The Forest of Bowland features occasionally in Another Bird Blog. 

“Hi Phil” 

“Many congratulations, your image 'Redshank' has been shortlisted in the Forest of Bowland photo competition. The prize allocation will be decided by the public and voting will run from Monday 28th November to Monday 12th December, so please feel free to share the web link (from Monday) with friends and family, we will also promote voting via social media.”

Forest of Bowland Photo Competition

Hetty Byrne 

Sustainable Tourism Officer 

Here’s the photo and you know what to do folks. If by any chance I win a prize I’m afraid that Sue has bagged the other place for the weekend trip but if I win a hamper of Bowland Delights I will relate the gustatory sensations. 

Redshank

Like the rest of the preceding days, Friday morning was wet & windy when I drove to Pilling to drop supplementary seed at our ringing site. 

On the last visit here it looked as thought the regular pair of Stonechats had left. But no, today there they were again near one of their hangouts, a line of fenceposts 50 yards from where I looked. Although they stick like glue to each other it is very difficult if not impossible to get two in the viewfinder at once. It’s inevitable that with Stonechats the more striking males become the centre of attention to someone with a camera. In contrast, the less conspicuous female has a major advantage during the breeding season. 

Stonechat

There was some commotion around the area of the pool with complaining crows and I immediately thought there was a raptor nearby. All I saw was a Grey Heron, a bird that crows don’t much like but one  they will tolerate. 

Grey Heron

 

As I fed the whoosh net area there came a sudden and heavy shower from grey clouds above. I was in danger of becoming a drowned rat for the umpteenth time this last week or two. I took refuge in the car and wound the window partly down so as to watch another net ride that we scatter with seed. 

After a while the usual species appeared – Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Reed Buntings, a Robin or two and a chattering Wren. And a Brown Rat slinking through the slippery grass towards the new seed - so that’s where much of the seed is going. 

Brown Rat

"Rats are found in nearly all areas of Earth which are inhabited by human beings. The only rat-free continent is Antarctica”. 

And then I saw the reason for the earlier hoo-hah, a Sparrowhawk. It dropped from the trees to ground level and flew along the hedgerow to then swoop up and sit in a tree. Here it became less obvious to the naked eye of any passer by but in a handy spot for a fly by of the feeding station or a dash at passing birds. 

Sparrowhawk

That’s all for now folks. Keep watching the weather forecasts and stay out of the rain. 

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

 

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.