Restricted Birding

With a touch of a gammy toe today was gentle birding only, with no slogging along the sea wall at Pilling or tramping endlessly around the net rides at Rawcliffe. 

But it was Niger filling time on the Moss where I disturbed 40 or more Goldfinch hanging around the feeders along with the usual assortment of Chaffinch and Blue, Great and Coal Tits. As I left the plantation I just caught sight of a Marsh Harrier heading off south and towards the river; perhaps it didn’t go too far and it could be the same gold top which has been around here for some weeks, but by October harriers should be contemplating migration. 

Marsh Harrier

Chaffinch

Also about the woodland, 12 Blackbird, 2 Jay, 4 Siskin flying over, 14 Chaffinch, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 2 Reed Bunting, 15 Tree Sparrow, 1 Kestrel and 2 Buzzard. 

Buzzard

After more downpours yesterday the farm is still very flooded as shown by a count of 400+ Black-headed Gull, with around the edges of various floods, at least 15 Pied/White Wagtails. These wagtails are a problem to identify in the autumn, more especially now we are told that a large proportion of the supposed two species Motacilla alba and Motacilla yarelli are found together in the breeding season. Perhaps it’s time to lump alba and yarelli together? I took this photograph today and reckon it is a White Wagtail but stand to be corrected. 

White Wagtail

Looks like feet up and a few painkillers tonight, then hopefully I’ll be fit for more birding tomorrow. If so read about it on Another Bird Blog soon.

Never A Dull Moment

The blog title today was nearly “Pinkies and Raptors” to sum up the highlights of a few hours birding at You Know Where, but after a superb morning’s birding filled with action and interest I renamed it to something more fitting. 

The “pinkies”, Pink-footed Geese seem to arrive from Iceland earlier each year. There were some flying over the house yesterday afternoon as I cut the lawn for the umpteenth time of this grass-growing-madly year, about 40 geese fairly high in the sky but calling to each other and heading towards South-West Lancashire and the area of Martin Mere. So I went to Pilling this morning expecting to encounter more pinkies and I wasn’t disappointed, even if it does mean that winter will soon be here. There were about 50 or so out on the distant tideline, with small groups taking off occasionally before climbing and heading south. 

Pink-footed Goose

Although the morning sun was up, the wind gusted quite strong from the south, and after seeing yesterday’s virtually zero migration in 100% cloud conditions, in contrast this morning there seemed to be a definite rush of birds and also lots of raptors about. Maybe the raptors had something to do with the release of several hundreds of non-native Red-legged Partridge in recent days, but I’m sure Hi-Fly won’t miss one or two partridge, which would still leave 998 on the loose but destined to be blasted from the sky pretty soon. 

Red-legged Partridge - gun fodder

I’d kicked off at Lane Ends with 5 roadside Wheatears, a hovering Kestrel and then Swallows and Meadow Pipits heading into the wind. I wasn’t particularly early at 0800 but the remnants of last night’s roost, 6 Little Egrets and 2 Grey Herons still congregated in the shelter and safety of the island. As I neared Pilling Water I counted 60 Lapwing and 4 Golden Plover on the wet fields and then from the stile watched as a Peregrine scattered them before it flew back over the wildfowler’s pools where 2 Grey Herons objected noisily to the falcon’s presence but left anyway. 

Grey Heron

There was a wary Greenshank feeding on the pool and I got distant views before 2 Buzzards appeared over the trees and scared it off into the less open ditches. The Buzzards saw me, keeping their distance until they flew off in the direction of Fluke Hall. 

Greenshank

Buzzard and Carrion Crow

Buzzard

From the gate I watched as 100+ Goldfinch fed along the wall and the edge of the plantation, with a couple of White Wagtails along the shore below. There were enormous numbers of Teal on the pools, roughly 650, with a dozen or so Pintail and I’d gone past looking for the Buzzards before the duck erupted from the ditches, flushed this time by a Marsh Harrier. The harrier kept a distance away, intent on searching the ground and ditches below and it’s another crappy record shot of a “Gold Top”. 

 Marsh Harrier

There’d been Meadow Pipits and Swallows heading east and by Fluke Hall I’d counted 50+ and 70+ respectively. With some grounded Meadow Pipits I found two newly arrived Wheatears here too, one of them posing for a picture, but when I’d finished the Kingfisher perched on the same rail but further back had by now sped off along the dyke. 

Wheatear

The morning wasn’t finished. As I headed back to Lane Ends a Merlin flashed by, low over the marsh and heading out to the tide, but then a few minutes later it or another followed the path of the earlier Peregrine by dashing across the field of Lapwings and scattered them into the sky, calling as they went. What with the Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, Merlin and the pinkies the morning had a definite Icelandic theme, and while they can keep the cold weather their birds are certainly OK. 

This week I’m linking Another Bird Blog with both id-rather-b-birdin and paying-ready-attention-gallery Australia .

It’s not a good birding forecast for the week ahead, but with luck there will be more posts soon from Another Bird Blog, so stay tuned. 

A Chaffinch Morning

Everything was ready for an early start today. List of equipment duly ticked off, vacuum flask filled, breakfast on the passenger seat and camera at the ready for an early owl along the farm track. The organisation was so good I found myself out on Rawcliffe Moss in the dark, too early for an owl but with plenty of time to erect a few nets. No Will to share the burden this morning as he’s got other commitments for a while which means solo efforts from yours truly as long as body and soul stay willing and able. 

The morning proved to be busy, with barely time for a coffee or breakfast and I could have done with an extra pair of hands in dealing with the 42 birds caught, 40 new and 2 recaptures. New: 32 Chaffinch, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Blackcap, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Willow Warbler. The two recaptures were a Chiffchaff and a Goldfinch, both from last week. 

Goldcrest

Willow Warbler

The numbers above tell the story of a morning dominated by overhead and arriving Chaffinches with a minimum of 100 birds from 0630 until 1045 when I packed in at an increase in wind speed from the previous zero. Today’s age/sex breakdown of the 32 Chaffinch caught - 18 female and 14 male, but every single one of them a bird of the year as an illustration of the juvenile dispersal from upland areas of the UK but north of Lancashire. 

Chaffinch

The only other finch on the move this morning seemed to be Siskin, with c10 birds over, but still no sign of any numbers of Lesser Redpolls. The Greenfinch and Goldfinches caught were close to the Niger feeders, with a few of each species beginning to return to our supply rather than natural sources. There are lots of very young still buff-headed Goldfinches about, obviously from second or even third broods. 

Goldfinch

The Blackcap had a goodish weight of 19.1 grams and a fat score of 30, the Sedge Warbler quite lightweight at 10.5 grams and zero fat. 

Blackcap

Sedge Warbler

I was fairly busy with the ringing to note much in the way of birding. At one point a gang of protesting Swallows alerted me to something happening in a net below them, and when I went to investigate a female Sparrowhawk was pocketed half way along a 60ft net but rose effortlessly out when she saw me appear 30ft away. Otherwise, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 1 Reed Bunting, 10 Snipe, 1 Golden Plover, 2 Buzzard and then half way through the morning, the inevitable Marsh Harrier on its vast circuit. 

Marsh Harrier

On the way home across Pilling Moss I looked to see if the Little Owl was out in the sun. It was. 

Little Owl

A successful morning. Here's to many more on Another Bird Blog.

Another Gold Top And A Flying Display

It wasn’t the most encouraging morning for a walk along Pilling sea wall when soon after setting off the grey sky turned to a steady drizzle, but within 15 minutes I seen a Kestrel, another “Gold Top” Marsh Harrier and a Wheatear. 

The harrier was another tideline job, just like the one of Thursday, last seen heading south and west close to Fluke Hall. This morning’s bird did just the same, flew over the marsh in a south-westerly direction then over the sea wall and out of sight. The wildfowler’s pools should hold a harrier in thrall for a while but I spent a couple of hours near the pools and the marsh without the harrier reappearing. I’m happy it’s a different bird from Thursday and there’s no doubt that each autumn sees a considerable movement of Marsh Harriers through this area, not all of them noticed by birders. 

Marsh Harrier

The Marsh Harrier was distant but I got a bit closer to the Wheatear, another juvenile bird with a wing length of 99mm. Is it really true that the name Wheatear derives from an old descriptive name of “White Arse”? 

Wheatear

Next came a Greenshank, 2 Grey Heron and 5 Little Egrets leaving the wildfowler’s pools. That was just  before the sun came out when I settled down to watch the tide run in, while some 20 miles away over Morecambe, the Red Arrows did their inimitable stuff. 

Red Arrows

There were more flying displays from the assembled waders: 600 Curlew, 200 Lapwing, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Golden Plover, 20 Ringed Plover, 40 Dunlin and 3 Snipe, not to mention 250+ Teal, the unsurpassed fliers of the duck contingent. Other birds out there: 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 7 Cormorant, 14 Shelduck, 20+ Wigeon and 6 Pintail. 

Lapwing and Golden Plover

Not to be outdone by Red Arrows or tiny ducks, the resident Peregrine made an appearance by scattering the waders and wildfowl in all directions, just as a second Peregrine flew in. In the autumn time it’s quite common to see two Peregrines out here, sometimes three, birds of the same family which tolerate and even interact together. Not today, the second bird was an interloper, soon chased off in noisy aggression by the resident male, the two clashing almost over my head until the trespasser flew off south. 

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon x 2

Not many passerines to report today with the resident Goldfinch flock sticking at 80+, 4 Linnet, 1 Pied Wagtail and then 3 Wheatear on the walk back to Lane Ends, these in addition to one ringed. 

Wheatear 

More from Another Bird Blog soon.

Cool Stuff

After clear overnight a slight ground frost greeted us at Rawcliffe this morning, and with the air temperature showing just 5 degrees Will and I donned extra clothes as we set to in erecting a few nets. By 11am and with the sun up high we’d shed a few layers after another interesting and fruitful morning of finches and warblers. 

We caught 27 birds of 8 species, 26 new and a single recapture of a recent Chaffinch. New birds: 14 Chaffinch, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Blackbird, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Robin and 1 Goldcrest. 

Because of  the clear blue sky Chaffinches were passing over very high this morning, sometimes unseen but mostly giving themselves away with their constant contact calls. Including today the August Chaffinch total stands at 36 birds, 31 juveniles and 5 adults, a ratio which should remain the same throughout September and October until the inland movement of Chaffinches here dries up. On cold mornings we occasionally get Chaffinches reluctant to leave the warmth of the ringing station, but after a minute or so they fly off. 

Chaffinch

We didn’t see any more than the two Willow Warblers caught, both juveniles. 

 Willow Warbler

There’s still a few Whitethroats about and we saw at least seven today, four of which we caught including another adult. And it’s always nice to catch a Garden Warbler. 

Whitethroat

Garden Warbler

We found our first Goldcrest of the autumn in a net with a few Chaffinches. 

Goldcrest - The Smallest UK Bird

Other visible migration: 8/10 Siskin over, all heading south, but just a single Lesser Redpoll. Approximately 15/20 high Meadow Pipits appearing from not any particular direction but leaving towards the west. Other “vis” - 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail and 6 Snipe. 

Raptors today were a Tawny Owl at dawn, our first Merlin of the autumn, 1 Kestrel and a Marsh Harrier which appeared not to see us sat against the background of Will’s motor, allowing me to nail a half decent picture at last. 

Kestrel

Marsh Harrier

From yesterday's post, and for readers who asked, after I spoke to the lady in Pilling, it seems the dead Sparrowhawk was found next to a car parked on the driveway. It had probably chased a small bird but hit the car windows at speed instead. 

Sparrowhawk

Stay tuned, more on Another Bird Blog soon.

Size Matters

There’ a mixed bag of a report today – a small dead bird, a spot of ringing, a touch of birding and a brace of harriers. 

It all started at Pilling after a phone message from a lady with a dead bird which she didn’t recognise, but she would leave it on the dustbin in case the couple were not at home. Never knowing quite what to expect when Joe Public phones I considered all the possibilities from a Wren to perhaps a Sparrowhawk, the latter always a possibility where gardens are concerned. I was right, a young male from one of this year’s broods lay across the bin lid as promised. A Sparrowhawk is much smaller than people imagine, a male doubly so. 

Sparrowhawk

I was in Pilling anyway so needed no further excuse to hit the sea wall. After more heavy overnight rain a Greenshank had settled happily in a wet spot at Backsands Lane, until a very large bus clanked noisily by my parked car and the Greenshank spluttered off. 

Greenshank

Along the sea wall – 40+ Swallows heading slowly west into the stiff north westerly and 40+ Goldfinch on the thistle heads, and then 2 Ravens flying out to the distant tideline. 

There was a single Wheatear just beyond Lane Ends, quite unusual to see one here nowadays since the new planation developed into a wood, so removing the open spaces beloved of Wheatears. Further towards Pilling Water I found a Common Sandpiper and another 4 Wheatears ducking and diving over the rocks on the shore, so I laid a trap or two into the teeth of the cold northerly, hoping the meal worms could still wriggle. One obviously did, but it took a while today to catch a chunky juvenile bird, wing length 101mm so almost certainly an Icelandic bird, especially since there has been a noticeable influx of Wheatears during this week’s unsettled westerly weather. 

Wheatear

I found a partially sheltered spot to watch the traps and the tideline hoping for something to come along, which is exactly what happened when a Marsh Harrier appeared from the Cockerham direction and flew all along the tideline until it disappeared over the sea wall at Fluke Hall. In between the harrier had to shake off the attentions of two Ravens chasing it along the tide. I can’t recall ever seeing Ravens and Marsh Harriers in close proximity before, and when I looked it up in the books it seems the species have the same wing span. Sorry about the distant, heavily cropped picture, but you get the idea. 

Marsh Harrier and Raven

As the harrier flew across the wildfowlers’ pools it flushed 150+ Teal and a couple of Little Egrets from the water there. 

The other harrier, a “Gold Top” was yesterday when I went to do a little maintenance work on the net rides at Rawcliffe. One of these days maybe a Marsh Harrier will come close enough for a decent picture rather than a record shot?

Marsh Harrier

There’s a better forecast tomorrow with less wind and more sun so hopefully more news on Another Bird Blog.

Harrier Again

Looks like the Hoopoes will have to wait again as there is a spot of local news to relay via Another Bird Blog. If I don’t do it I’ll be accused of withholding information or being a miserable bugger - as if. 

I snuck off from babysitting with a two hour pass and hit the trail to Pilling again. Amazing that just like yesterday as I set a Wheatear trap the waders were kicking off again over the other side of the sea wall. Unlike yesterday the object of their attention this time was not a Montagu’s but a Marsh Harrier, heading west towards Fluke Hall. I watched it all the way to Fluke and returned to the traps where 2 Wheatears awaited me, a fine male and a female which looked suspiciously like yesterday’s one. I think today’s photo of a harrier pursued by Lapwings would make a good entry for a Mystery Bird Competition rather than Bird Photo of The Year. 

Marsh Harrier & Lapwing

Both Wheatears carried large amounts of fat, each scoring 50 on a scale of 0 to 50. Wing lengths: male 107mm female 101mm. The Wheatears still have a long way to go before their final destination, Iceland, the Faroes or maybe crossing the entire Atlantic to Greenland itself. 

 

 Male Wheatear

 Male Wheatear

Female Wheatear

Two hours soon goes when you’re having fun and finding birds. Hoopoes Soon.

Breezy Birding

The stiff westerly wind meant any ringing was definitely off the cards this morning, but I needed to top up the bird feeders at Out Rawcliffe so took a drive out there to do a spot of birding as well.

The Goldfinch haven’t taken much seed lately, mainly because there’s still plenty of natural food about, but today I disturbed 10 or 12 Goldfinches and a Lesser Redpoll from the 6 feeders before topping up with more than a litre of Nyger. Another 30 or more Goldfinches, 7 Linnets and 2 Reed Buntings were feeding in the nearby maize patch so maybe soon we’ll begin to find a few more finches and others in the nets.

As I continued down the farm track the perpetual Marsh Harrier flew across the road in front of me but by the time I stopped the car in a gateway and took hold of the camera, the bird had become distant above the drying hay bales.

Marsh Harrier
A Moss Morning

The overcast, windy morning probably wasn’t the best sort of weather for Buzzards but for whatever reason I saw seven in a short time and without really looking for them. Maybe the freshly harvested but now wet fields had exposed lots of suitable foods, as I noticed a couple of birds hovering rather than their habitual soaring and riding the thermals of sunnier days. A Kestrel was doing the same, spending what seemed ages just hovering above one area before its dive to the floor produced nothing and so it sped off elsewhere. From the wood I heard the raucous Jays and the “chick” calls of Great-spotted Woodpeckers, but didn’t linger to actually see how many of each.

Buzzard

A walk to the big wet field produced a good selection of birds with 18 Tree Sparrow, 3 Meadow Pipit, 5 Linnet, 20+ Snipe and over 150 Skylark scattered across the barley stubble, the latter a good September count but also a tremendous sight and sound when they all took to the air. So were the 400+ Pink-footed Geese which when they spotted me took to the air but then wheeled around and then landed again but further away.

Skylark
Pink-footed Goose
Snipe

From the area of the farm buildings I spotted another 2 Buzzard, 2 Pied Wagtail, a Grey Heron, counted 120 nearby Woodpigeons and then watched as 2 Swallows flew quickly though before continuing on their southerly path. They could well be the last Swallows I see this year, especially if the latest weather forecast is correct, but despite the blowy morning it was an enjoyable couple of hours with a good selection of birds.