What’s Birding?

Birding? What’s that? I’d done virtually none during Fearsome February when all we had was rain, more rain and constant strong winds. 

Today I set off over the moss into the rising sun, past the farmer’s still steaming muck heaps and on the way north for a spot of birding.  

Rawcliffe Moss 

Good thing I stopped for a picture because yards away and along the fence line was the now almost obligatory morning owl. The Barn Owl was looking for breakfast while I had to shoot at ISO1600. 

Barn Owl 

A little later about a mile away I stopped to witness a mixed flock of Redwings and Fieldfares feeding in a still wet field. As the car stopped both species flew to the nearest hedgerow and mostly out of sight.  Fieldfares and Redwings are on their way north now; it will be a faster trip than their leisurely autumn migration. 

Fieldfare 

A single Yellowhammer called out from overhead wires. I hope he finds a mate soon because there aren’t too many Yellowhammers around nowadays. 

Yellowhammer 

By the time I arrived at Gulf Lane there was enough light to see and count the arriving Linnets at 45 and to note a single Blackbird and a male Reed Bunting in the bramble bushes. About 20 Linnets soon fed on our recent seed so I topped up with a fresh half bucket and left the birds alone. At the moment Saturday looks marginal for another ringing session but a series of Internet weather forecasts will record countless hits tonight.  

The whole of February with its horrendous weather saw no visits from me to Conder Green. By all accounts, due to continuous winds and record water levels, any birding here was “pretty grim" with very few birds on view. 

Things had definitely picked up today with hints of spring territories and much better numbers of birds on the water and surrounding areas. On the far island I counted over 120 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. 

Mediterranean Gull 

I have a feeling that the Black-headed Gulls will begin to dominate Conder Pool and that the year will see a good number of breeding pairs; perhaps to the detriment of other species? More so if the boisterous Greylags also stay around. We’ll soon see. 

Black-headed Gull 

Water birds and waders: 4 Shelduck, 30 Greylag 14 Tufted Duck, 42 Teal, 22 Wigeon, 18 Oystercatcher, 8 Redshank, 8 Curlew, 5 Black-tailed Godwit. Bringing up the rear: 2 Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Little Grebe. 

At the far island a Cormorant flew in, a very striking individual with an all-encompassing white head. The Cormorant had a very distinctive appearance, a sign of full breeding plumage and imminent departure. The literature states that such striking birds may be from the Continent or South East England but that it’s difficult to assign one to either of the two races Phalacrorax carbo carbo or Phalacrorax carbo sinensis. 

Cormorant 

Cormorant - Britain's Birds 

That was me done for the morning. 

The afternoon had been assigned to making two trays of onion bhajis. 

Onion Bhajis

Let me know if you need a good recipe.  Or see any good birds.

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

For The Record

After yesterday’s exertion of a ringing session out on the moss today’s stroll and undemanding birding along the sea wall at Pilling proved something of a doddle, the biggest challenge being the search for new photographs to keep blog readers satisfied. After a couple of hours I’d seen a handy selection of species and even managed a couple of pictures. 

The last week has seen a tremendous push south of Willow Warblers, both big arrivals, lesser parties and ones and twos dotted all along the Lancashire and Cheshire coastline, so as I set off walking from Lane Ends I wasn’t surprised to add to the tally with 2 in the immediate trees. There was then nothing to see until Pilling Water where a female Sparrowhawk circled briefly over the wildfowler’s pools before heading off in the direction of Lane Ends. I noted a single Wheatear atop a direction sign and then a couple of Linnets along the shore. This Wheatear wasn't interested in a free mealworm in exchange for a shiny new ring.

Wheatear

Sat down I watched as the tide rolled in from the west, pushing waders, wildfowl and miscellaneous ahead of it: 440 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 60 Lapwing, 1 Golden Plover, 2 Snipe, 8 Dunlin, 4 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Wigeon, 190 Teal, 44 Shelduck, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Cormorant, 3 Little Egret and 3 Grey Heron. One of the herons obliged with a fly past just within camera range but in the main everything keeps a safe distance from any pedestrians on the wall, most of all the resident Peregrine which stays near the incoming tide where opportunities for lunch constantly arise. 

 Grey Heron

As the tide turned I heard a croaking but distant Raven and turned to see not one, but two of them heading over and west towards Fluke Hall, dwarfing the Carrion Crows as they went. There’d been a number of Swallows hawking over the tide, some moving west, others seemingly still locals, and I jotted 30+ in my notebook, plus a Kestrel now hovering over the full-in tide. 

The tide had pushed hundreds of gulls onto the fields of Backsands Lane and Damside so I promised myself a quick look on the way back through the village. The count was 400 Black-headed Gull, 20+ Common Gull and a single Mediterranean Gull, the birds constantly moving as cyclists and vehicles passed slowly by. The distant Med needed a heavy crop and as they say, it’s “a record shot”.

 Mediterranean Gull

Tune in soon for more news from Another Bird Blog. This week I’m linking with Stewart's World Bird Wednesday http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk - take a look. Stewart is a fellow bird ringer but lives a few miles away in Australia.