March Mornings

So soon do March mornings need the alarm clock to cope with lighter mornings and earlier starts to catch those early rising birds. Saturday began with a 0615 alarm for the 0700 meet with Andy over Cockerham way. 

On Friday night https://www.windy.com predicted a 6mph from the north and they weren’t far off the mark as we set a couple of nets while allowing for wayward gusts that might snag nets on nearby hawthorns. At 1° it was to be a cold morning and a tad too breezy for a go at the open field Linnets. 

In the week I’d dropped seed in our main net ride to guarantee a few birds and suspected the usual species would conform but the catch was poor. Perhaps many birds have left for the north and not been replaced or maybe the weather played a part in our poor catch of just 7 birds - 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Robin, 2 Blackbird and 1 Blue Tit. Whatever the reason by 1000 we decided to abort the session and hope for a better day soon. 

Blackbird

Reed Bunting

Robin

 

Other birds seen – 120+ Linnet, 2 Skylark, 50+ Curlew, 17 Lapwing, 450 Pink-footed Goose, 4 Little Egret, 1 Sparrowhawk looking for careless Linnets. 

Sparrowhawk

Back soon. Don't go away.

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

Those Linnets Again

It was Wednesday of last week the 29th of September when we arrived back in England following two weeks in sunny Greece. Since then it’s rained every day, sometimes very heavy and unpleasant, so there’s been no opportunity for birding or ringing, until today. 

The forecast for this morning looked OK and suggested a slightly blowy start at 10-15 mph but quickly dropping to 5 mph by 10am. For once the prediction was spot on and I had a really interesting ringing session. 

Once again the main target was Linnets with the intention of adding to knowledge about the movements of Linnets between here (Pilling Marsh the location for DemOn database) and the Northern Isles, a recently discovered phenomenon between us and the Scottish Ringers. The recently published Scottish Ringers Roundup featured several movements between the North West England and the far north of Scotland. 

Scottish Ringers Roundup

 

I added another 13 Linnets to make the total caught here this autumn into a nice round 111, with zero recaptures, hence birds on the move. As well as the Linnets I caught 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Blue Tits and a single Robin. 

Long-tailed Tit

 

Blue Tit

 

Linnet

Robin

 

Flocks of Linnets came and went during my four hour watch. My best estimate was 200/240 individuals but with mobile Linnets always difficult to be precise. 

Such a lot of Linnets in the air attracted in a number of predators with a Merlin, two Sparrowhawk and a male Peregrine all having a dash at a meal. It was as I sat unseen in the lee of the car that overhead I heard the rush of Peregrine wings in pursuit of a Linnet. The Peregrine was incredibly close and gave tremendous views for several seconds before it flew out towards the marsh.    

Peregrine

 

As the morning sun warmed up a good number of flies found the metal of my car a good place to warm their bodies. 

Sunbathing flies

There’s more ringing planned for Thursday. Let’s hope the weather holds. 

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

Signed Off

That’s it for a while. When I finished at Cockerham today I packed the ringing gear away for a couple of weeks because Sue and I are off to Greece. There will be no ringing in Skiathos but for sure there will be a spot or two of birdwatching. 

Sunday was to be the last go at the Linnets so I started early in the half-light with zero wind and visibility across to the Lake District some 45 miles away. There was lots of noise when about 300/400 Pink-footed Geese lifted off the salt marsh and flew just half a mile away to land on farmland. We set our year calendars by the arrival of the Pink-footed Geese, always within a day or two of mid September. 

The “pinks” probably arrived from Iceland during the clear night after their 800 mile journey and then roosted out on Pilling Sands until breakfast time. I heard them later in the morning from a distance away so they found a spot safe from the guns for now until the shooters realise their wintering “sport” is back. 

Pink-footed Geese

 

I caught a couple of Linnets early doors but it soon became obvious that the numbers of up to 200 individuals didn’t equate to those of two days ago when the count was closer to 250 or maybe 300. 

In fact I finished today with seven new Linnets plus a single Robin. That makes 74 new Linnets (zero recaptures) caught here in this latter part of summer entering autumn, and 66 of those were juveniles/birds of the year. Such a high percentage of juveniles points to a highly productive year for this, a Red Listed species. 

I’m also sure that a number of those 74 Linnets have arrived from further afield, if not from Iceland, then certainly Scotland. 

Robin

Linnet

Birding was pretty quiet too although there was the now regular Sparrowhawk targeting Linnets. Flyovers came from a single Black-tailed Godwit and two Golden Plover. Also 14 Lapwing, 8 Curlew, 4 Swallow, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 1 Grey Heron. 

The next post from Another Bird blog will be from Greece. Watch me fly!! 

Landing - Skiathos

Skiathos

No promises for bird pictures amongst the sunny Greek landscapes but I will try. 

Flying Machines

Sunday 5 September - a fine sunny start with a gentle southerly breath of air, ideal for a little ringing and watching the world of birds go by. 

Carrion Crows get heaps of bad press, not least on Another Bird Blog. It’s a species whose population and poor reputation has outgrown any positives, and for birders especially, the species is Public Enemy Number One. 

However, for birders the black brutes do have one saving grace - their superb eyesight and intelligence combine as an early warning of raptors close by. Invariably the average Carrion Crow will spot a bird of prey before the average birder and so allow the birder to see a bird they might otherwise miss. 

That’s how it was this morning half way through a spot of ringing when noisy crows drew my attention to the arrival of an Osprey, partly hidden from view but effortlessly circling a nearby stretch of water. I have it on good authority there are no Osprey sized fish in the said water, something which the Osprey soon realised as it changed course and then headed off north east towards the River Lune. Needless to say this brief encounter with an Osprey was the highlight of an otherwise slow spot of ringing whereby an Osprey at my local patch makes for a day to remember. 

Osprey

This Osprey was almost certainly on its way from Scotland to the South Coast of England, just part of a long journey ahead. 

Ospreys arrive back in the UK from late March onwards. Male Ospreys get here first and start to set up their breeding territory, near lakes where they can catch a supply of fish to eat, while waiting for a female to arrive. The pair then makes its nest in a tall tree, and by late April the female has usually laid 2–4 eggs. The young can fly about 50 days after hatching, but they depend on their parents for another month or so. 

Females start the return migration, followed by males and then young. After crossing the English Channel, they travel down through France and Spain into North Africa. Some then cross the Sahara Desert directly, while others follow the West African coastline. 

Most of our Ospreys spend the winter in West African countries such as Senegal, though Ospreys from Eastern Europe may travel as far as South Africa. Ospreys travel by day, using thermals to gain height over land. They migrate more slowly than many birds, stopping at favourite feeding sites along the way - sometimes for a week or so. Each bird travels alone and follows its own route. 

With the ringing now something of an anti-climax, I reached double figures in the course of 7 Linnet, 2 Great Tit and a Robin. 

Great Tit

 

Robin

 

Linnet

 

To fill out today’s post here are a few pictures of mechanical flying machines from Knott End beach. This was Saturday afternoon’s Lancashire Landing charity event in aid of fallen soldiers from Lancashire’s local infantry regiment The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - Lancashire Landing. 

Local fliers land on Knott End beach and allow the public to inspect and enjoy their flying machines.  

Click the pics for close-ups.

The tides of south Morecambe Bay travel great distances. From close to Knott End it is possible to cross the bay on foot to arrive at Grange Over Sands 20 miles away.  It's a walk for those experienced in navigating tides and quicksands and certainly not for a Sunday saunter. 

 

Back soon with more flying things. Stay tuned to Another Bird Blog.

A Touch Of Summer

Late May/early June can be boom or bust for bird ringers and birders alike. In early 2021 unpredictability became the norm when unseasonal cold air, regular frosts and nagging northerlies played havoc with springtime migration from Africa to Europe. Late arrivals, non-arrivals and delays to the start of breeding put question marks over what we might see in our first ringing session of June at Oakenclough. 

On Tuesday I met Andy at 0630 not knowing what to expect in the way of numbers of birds, let alone the species or their ages. It was a warm sunny morning, time for us and the birds to grab a touch of summer. 

Although as expected we didn’t catch too many birds, just ten, we learned a thing or two from the few we did see.  Perhaps more importantly it was the species we didn’t catch that led to more questions.  For instance, although we saw and heard 8 or 10 Willow Warblers, we caught none, at a time of year when we might expect to catch both adult birds collecting food for nestlings and/or recently fledged juveniles. We were left with the conclusion that late arriving male Willow Warblers continue their territorial songs while their even later mates sit tight on eggs yet to hatch. 

Birds caught - 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Robin, 1 Blackbird, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Coal Tit, ! Treecreeper, 1 Blackcap , 1 Goldcrest. 

We derived satisfaction from our two Garden Warblers, a male and female both caught in the same net and both in prime breeding condition. The female with a whopping brood patch, the male a whopping cloacal protuberance (don’t ask). These were just two of the four or more Garden Warblers on site, three in loud and sustained song. At last, and after a gap of many years, we have proof that Garden Warblers are breeding on site again rather than simply spring and autumn migrants. 

Full marks to site owners United Utilities for showing their commitment to conservation by spending money and revitalising this site in favour of birds. 

The two Robins, the Blackbird, Treecreeper, Coal Tit and Goldcrest were all fresh juveniles that bred on site. The adult male Blackcap was also in breeding condition and almost certainly paired with a female that we did not see or catch. 

Garden Warbler

 

Robin

Treecreeper

Chaffinch

Other than our ringing the morning produced little in the way of birds except for Pied Wagtails carrying food to their stone wall nest, young Mistle Thrushes, many dozens of Greylags and the occasional flyover Siskin. Siskins breed in the nearby conifer belt and rarely stray towards our nets until winter when our Niger seed feeders are on site. 

Local anglers told us of Ospreys on more than one occasion during May, most likely the birds on their way to Scotland rather than taking their chances in the game keeper raptor free zone of nearby Bowland. But we live in hope of both Ospreys and Red Kites taking up residence in nearby hills and dales. 

There's news of a Sand Martin in the next post of Another Bird Blog. 

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

 

Wood You Believe It?

Wednesday morning was too windy for ringing so I grabbed the camera bag and set off birding. 

Conder Green provided a good selection of species and some very good counts, much better than my last visits. I guess the “star” bird of the morning was a single Wood Sandpiper, a species best described as “uncommon” in these parts. In most years I would see them in their teens on the annual visit to Menorca in May, but not this, 2020 The Year of the Virus. 

The Wood Sandpiper breeds in subarctic wetlands from the Scottish Highlands across Europe and then east across the Palearctic. They mostly nest on the ground but also use an abandoned old tree nest of another bird, such as the Fieldfare. The one this morning didn’t come terribly close as can be gleaned from the record shot below. 

On a couple of occasions it fed with both Redshank and Common Sandpiper when the comparative sizes of each became more marked. In fact, the common Redshank (Tringa totanus) is the closest relative of the Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola). 

Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper 

Common Sandpiper 

Other waders this morning - 21 Redshank, 7 Dunlin, 6 Greenshank, 5 Common Sandpiper, 3 Curlew and 4 Avocet – two adults and two half- grown chicks. Not to mention the 200+ Lapwings roosting when I arrived on site but which dispersed out to the estuary in bundles of tens and twenties. 

Lapwing

Avocet 

Many birds were drawn into the early morning’s hatch of flying insects, such a swarm of both insects and birds that it proved hard to estimate numbers. Let’s try 65 Pied Wagtail, 60+ Swallows, 40 Sand Martin, 8 House Martin and 10 Swift. The wagtails brought along a single Meadow Pipit that joined in a feeding frenzy that had all but subsided just an hour later. 

What’s that about the early bird? The Robin joined in too.

Robin

For students of moult, here’s a picture of a Starling from which to sort out the new feathers from the old ones. 

Starling 

Wildfowl and Odds & Sods – 4 Common Tern, 2 Little Egret,4 Little Grebe, 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Stock Dove. 

I just looked at the forecast for tomorrow morning’s pencilled in ringing. Would you believe it? Yes, more rain is likely between 0700 and 1000.

Business As Usual

Three mornings in the same week must be some sort of record for Oakenclough. The forecast of zero wind and a dry morning dictated a start at 0600 for Andy, Bryan and yours truly. Off we go again – Three Go Ringing 

Moody Morning 

Although the clouds looked threatening, showers stayed away, the sun shone briefly and we caught migrants in the way of more Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, and yet another Garden Warbler. Towards the end we had our first Tree Pipit of the autumn. 

We packed in soon after 1100 with 43 birds of 13 species as follows :- 7 Willow Warbler, 6 Chaffinch, 6 Coal Tit, 6 Blue Tit, 4 Blackcap, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Treecreeper, 2 Great Tit and one each of Dunnock, Robin, Garden Warbler and Tree Pipit. 

The titmice numbers were unusually high because the normally well-stocked feeders at the house just thirty yards away were empty this morning. Earlier in the week we noted how local Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits enjoyed fulsome meals as the container levels dropped. Only today at the sight of empty feeders did those birds stray into mist nets 50 yards away from their regular snacks. 

Although it is very difficult to see in the picture, the Tree Pipit had already started its post juvenile moult in the crown feathers. 

Tree Pipit 

Treecreepers often travel with tits in search of food. We seldom catch one, never mind two in a morning or three in a week as we have this time. The one below is a juvenile. 

Treecreeper 

A juvenile Blackcap shows how post-juvenile moult makes the sex easy to determine as the summer progresses. 

Blackcap 

juvenile Robin  

A wing length of 81mm and the sheer bulk of this Goldfinchs’ bill strongly suggest a male even though it does not look like one just yet. 

Goldfinch 

Today’s seven Willow Warblers brought our total to 39 "WILWA" captures for the month of July. 

Willow Warbler 

Looks like we are back to normal tomorrow and over the weekend with yet more rain. Fortunately we made hay while the sun shone with 156 birds caught here in the month of July.  

Back soon with Another Bird Blog. Stay as normal as possible my friends. 

But don't go shopping to The High Street, it ain't there. Boris just killed it.