I'm struggling for time to blog this evening so I'm just posting a few pictures from Over Wyre that I took today
2 hours ago
Showing posts with label Little Owl. Common Gull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Owl. Common Gull. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Picture Post
Sunday, January 3, 2010
First Of The Rest
What a fabulous morning, a bit of frost, clear blue sky and zero wind and my first birding of 2010. I couldn’t wait to get to Out Rawcliffe this morning, one of my favoured places, even if the road surfaces were still distinctly dodgy in spots where the car slid sideways a few times.
It started well when I checked out two Little Owl spots and found single birds at both, the one below was the only one close enough to photograph. It tolerated me for a while until I was joined by Colin and George in their diesely, noisy Land Rover when it flew off .
Little Owl
The two gamekeepers told me Skitham Lane was closed because of dangerous ice since the Police lost one of their own vehicles down the side of the raised moss road. Not to worry, I had negotiated a few slippery roads on the way, and then by the time I was ready to go home the roads should be a bit better.
I grabbed a bucket of seed for the feeding station and headed across the moss where 11 Starlings, 34 Fieldfares and 6 Redwing fed in the roadside fields, then further out a flock of 20 Lapwings had also found softer ground.
Fieldfare
The hedgerow to the feeding station yielded 110 Tree Sparrows, 12 Chaffinch, 4 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting, a mixture of Blue and Great Tit and several more Starlings.
I could hear Jays protesting noisily in the wood so I crossed the field to investigate what the commotion was all about, then entered the wood via the shooter’s stile. Following the noise I found 2 Jays plus Chaffinch and Blackbirds scolding something near the top of an ivy covered tree. I couldn’t see anything up there but I can only assume it was a Tawny Owl somewhere in the dense green cover but by now my presence had moved all the birds on except the silent cause of the fuss and a Great–spotted Woodpecker that hung around a likely looking fit for excavation tree.
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Out of the wood I listened to the clamour of 1500 Pink-footed Geese rise from a nearby farm then watched them fly north towards Pilling against the snowy Bowland backdrop.
Pink-footed Geese and distant Bowland
Up alongside the big field I heard and saw a couple each of Meadow Pipit and Skylark, obviously hanging on in there close to any remaining damp patches despite the apparently all consuming frost.
The clear air had made the Buzzard calls travel, and whilst I saw a couple of them flying away from me as usual, even though I tried to call them nearer, I am sure I heard and saw at least three. I saw just a single Kestrel today, as ever hunting the stubble.
Near the birch wood I found little flocks of 5 Goldfinch and another group of 20 Chaffinch to add to my previous finch counts, but crunched through the frosted plantation at little reward except for three Brown Hares, an animal that this week seem to have become more active. I also flushed a couple of Grey Partridge from the perimeter where the trees are thinnest.
Chaffinch
As we might expect Woodpigeon numbers are down in the last few weeks but today I still counted 140 scattered around the farm.
Taking an alternative route home at lunch time via Pilling Moss I found a single Stonechat near Union Lane, noted that Skitham Lane had part barriers but I didn’t see any Police vehicles in the ditch.
It started well when I checked out two Little Owl spots and found single birds at both, the one below was the only one close enough to photograph. It tolerated me for a while until I was joined by Colin and George in their diesely, noisy Land Rover when it flew off .
The two gamekeepers told me Skitham Lane was closed because of dangerous ice since the Police lost one of their own vehicles down the side of the raised moss road. Not to worry, I had negotiated a few slippery roads on the way, and then by the time I was ready to go home the roads should be a bit better.
I grabbed a bucket of seed for the feeding station and headed across the moss where 11 Starlings, 34 Fieldfares and 6 Redwing fed in the roadside fields, then further out a flock of 20 Lapwings had also found softer ground.
The hedgerow to the feeding station yielded 110 Tree Sparrows, 12 Chaffinch, 4 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting, a mixture of Blue and Great Tit and several more Starlings.
I could hear Jays protesting noisily in the wood so I crossed the field to investigate what the commotion was all about, then entered the wood via the shooter’s stile. Following the noise I found 2 Jays plus Chaffinch and Blackbirds scolding something near the top of an ivy covered tree. I couldn’t see anything up there but I can only assume it was a Tawny Owl somewhere in the dense green cover but by now my presence had moved all the birds on except the silent cause of the fuss and a Great–spotted Woodpecker that hung around a likely looking fit for excavation tree.
Out of the wood I listened to the clamour of 1500 Pink-footed Geese rise from a nearby farm then watched them fly north towards Pilling against the snowy Bowland backdrop.
Up alongside the big field I heard and saw a couple each of Meadow Pipit and Skylark, obviously hanging on in there close to any remaining damp patches despite the apparently all consuming frost.
The clear air had made the Buzzard calls travel, and whilst I saw a couple of them flying away from me as usual, even though I tried to call them nearer, I am sure I heard and saw at least three. I saw just a single Kestrel today, as ever hunting the stubble.
Near the birch wood I found little flocks of 5 Goldfinch and another group of 20 Chaffinch to add to my previous finch counts, but crunched through the frosted plantation at little reward except for three Brown Hares, an animal that this week seem to have become more active. I also flushed a couple of Grey Partridge from the perimeter where the trees are thinnest.
As we might expect Woodpigeon numbers are down in the last few weeks but today I still counted 140 scattered around the farm.
Taking an alternative route home at lunch time via Pilling Moss I found a single Stonechat near Union Lane, noted that Skitham Lane had part barriers but I didn’t see any Police vehicles in the ditch.
Friday, December 4, 2009
It's a Cracker
Time just flies by very fast in these short mid winter days. It was only just light enough for birding at 0830 by which time I was taking the longer moss route this morning – Stalmine Moss, then Pilling Moss to finish up on Rawcliffe Moss.
Stalmine Moss always looks so promising, but unless there is a full day to wander the moss tracks it is not always possible to see a lot, and especially by tempting fate to park on single track Union Lane where last week a coach slipped off the road to finish on its side in a field. Before I hit Union Lane two Jays flew alongside the road to disappear into Clegg’s Garden Centre where I could see 8 or 10 Blackbirds flitting about the nursery trees. The fields either side of Union Lane were fairly well flooded where little parties of Black-headed and Common Gulls sat around expectantly. Along here I also saw a single Kestrel but little else apart from Collared Doves and Woodpigeons.
I turned onto Pilling Moss where out on the edge of another flooded field I saw a party of 15 Whooper Swans, where 9 hung together and the other 6 stood some yards distant out of my camera range. Another Kestrel moved alongside the roadside telephone posts but didn’t want to be photographed.
I stopped to look for the Little Owl that I hadn’t seen for months. It wanted to play hide-and-seek with me but at least it was there in the shade of the ivy covered tree. Some cold weather should see it become more obliging and maybe sitting out in the sun for a while.
I motored on down to the farm to check out the feeding station. Not as many Tree Sparrows today, in fact I counted only 180 but the usual dozen Chaffinches and 5 or 6 Reed Bunting were about. Those Tree Sparrows at the feeding station are real hard to photograph, so here’s one I did earlier from my garden. After that is a picture of a Reed Bunting from today; it was near the feeding station but trying to merge into the background vegetation.
I looked across the field opposite to see another Roe Deer, this time a single that like the Reed Bunting was trying to merge. These creatures are so wild, within seconds of seeing me a hundred yards away, it legged it out of sight.
Along the next hedgerow I counted 8 Fieldfare together with 100 or so Starlings and they mixed for a while on the wet field than on the overhead wires. When I look at the hedgerows around the Fylde now they seem pretty devoid of Hawthorn and perhaps we have already seen the biggest numbers for this winter. Along this hedge I also scattered 5 Grey Partridge as well as hearing more further up and either side of the track. In fact I think I have heard and seen more this winter than post breeding time – released birds? I saw one Stonechat today in the same place as a few days ago, as were another 4 Reed Buntings, a couple of Blackbirds, a Song Thrush and a Great-spotted Woodpecker.
Up near the plantation a Stoat saw me coming and scampered many yards along the track before diving into cover – he’d better not let the gamekeepers see him. In the closest alders 7 Goldfinch fed hanging upside down, tweezering open the fruits to find what they were after.
Time was running out, but what a cracker of a morning, just time to call in at the farm buildings for ten minutes before heading off home to catch up with the bits and bobs of life. Oh how the plans of mice and men are thwarted. If there’s a Grey Wagtail about, I want to try and take a few pictures, so another 30 minutes go by. Maybe it was worth it.
Later in the day at Knott End I saw 40 Twite on the shore being scattered by a male Sparrowhawk, 2 Pied Wagtails, 4 Linnet and then 2 Whooper Swans flying north plus 1 Little Egret in the usual spot on the shore opposite the Thai takeaway. One Twite refugee from the Sparrowhawk attack finished up sitting on the edge of the jetty.
Stalmine Moss always looks so promising, but unless there is a full day to wander the moss tracks it is not always possible to see a lot, and especially by tempting fate to park on single track Union Lane where last week a coach slipped off the road to finish on its side in a field. Before I hit Union Lane two Jays flew alongside the road to disappear into Clegg’s Garden Centre where I could see 8 or 10 Blackbirds flitting about the nursery trees. The fields either side of Union Lane were fairly well flooded where little parties of Black-headed and Common Gulls sat around expectantly. Along here I also saw a single Kestrel but little else apart from Collared Doves and Woodpigeons.
I turned onto Pilling Moss where out on the edge of another flooded field I saw a party of 15 Whooper Swans, where 9 hung together and the other 6 stood some yards distant out of my camera range. Another Kestrel moved alongside the roadside telephone posts but didn’t want to be photographed.
I stopped to look for the Little Owl that I hadn’t seen for months. It wanted to play hide-and-seek with me but at least it was there in the shade of the ivy covered tree. Some cold weather should see it become more obliging and maybe sitting out in the sun for a while.
I motored on down to the farm to check out the feeding station. Not as many Tree Sparrows today, in fact I counted only 180 but the usual dozen Chaffinches and 5 or 6 Reed Bunting were about. Those Tree Sparrows at the feeding station are real hard to photograph, so here’s one I did earlier from my garden. After that is a picture of a Reed Bunting from today; it was near the feeding station but trying to merge into the background vegetation.
I looked across the field opposite to see another Roe Deer, this time a single that like the Reed Bunting was trying to merge. These creatures are so wild, within seconds of seeing me a hundred yards away, it legged it out of sight.
Along the next hedgerow I counted 8 Fieldfare together with 100 or so Starlings and they mixed for a while on the wet field than on the overhead wires. When I look at the hedgerows around the Fylde now they seem pretty devoid of Hawthorn and perhaps we have already seen the biggest numbers for this winter. Along this hedge I also scattered 5 Grey Partridge as well as hearing more further up and either side of the track. In fact I think I have heard and seen more this winter than post breeding time – released birds? I saw one Stonechat today in the same place as a few days ago, as were another 4 Reed Buntings, a couple of Blackbirds, a Song Thrush and a Great-spotted Woodpecker.
Up near the plantation a Stoat saw me coming and scampered many yards along the track before diving into cover – he’d better not let the gamekeepers see him. In the closest alders 7 Goldfinch fed hanging upside down, tweezering open the fruits to find what they were after.
Time was running out, but what a cracker of a morning, just time to call in at the farm buildings for ten minutes before heading off home to catch up with the bits and bobs of life. Oh how the plans of mice and men are thwarted. If there’s a Grey Wagtail about, I want to try and take a few pictures, so another 30 minutes go by. Maybe it was worth it.
Later in the day at Knott End I saw 40 Twite on the shore being scattered by a male Sparrowhawk, 2 Pied Wagtails, 4 Linnet and then 2 Whooper Swans flying north plus 1 Little Egret in the usual spot on the shore opposite the Thai takeaway. One Twite refugee from the Sparrowhawk attack finished up sitting on the edge of the jetty.
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