Fancy A Sandwich?

I woke up once or twice on Saturday night with the wind rattling the trees and rain hitting the window. So Sunday morning I headed out to Knott End to watch the tide in and look for overnight strays. The morning was pretty grey as well as blustery, my cameras on a less than ideal ISO800. 

I think the wind had sent the small birds to the shelter of upriver as I could muster only 6 Redshank, 4 Dunlin and 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, although the sturdier Curlews hung around on the beach until the tide eventually forced them upriver too. By high tide just 90 Oystercatcher remaining with another 300+ having left as the Wyre channel filled. 

Terns were the stars of the show, many arriving with the tide, some soon leaving in the direction of Fleetwood, others staying put near the jetty and yet more heading east to the roost along the shore. A number of the terns took the opportunity to carry on feeding in the shallow waters at the edge of the tide. In all I estimated 170 Sandwich Terns and 30+ Common Terns in a couple of hours watch. 

After the Lapwings on Friday it was the terns turn to suffer the “dreads” today. A gang of 60 or 70 rested on the sands until every now and then the whole lot would erupt into the air, fly around for a minute or so and then land back on the beach. Their panic made me look around for a skua or maybe a Peregrine, but there seemed to be nothing to generate such a hubbub. There are three or four Common Terns mixed in with the 60+ Sandwich Terns in the picture below.

"Click the pics" for a full sized Sandwich.

Sandwich Terns and Common Terns

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

 Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

The Black-headed Gulls aren’t the only ones after a meal at Knott End. Like at most seaside towns the gulls learn that cars = people = hand outs and each large gull defends a feeding territory by employing both noise and threats. 

  Lesser Black-backed Gull

More birdy snacks from Another Bird Blog soon. 

Curlews And Wheatears Return

In the absence of any substantial news there's just a quick post for Another Bird Blog today. 

The same thing happens every year at the end of June and early July, a noticeable influx of upland Curlews coming back down to the coast and the appearance of juvenile Wheatears. At Pilling I had a count of 195 Curlews plus a sighting of a young Wheatear, the chat probably from the Bowland Hills not far away. I had meal worms ready but the Wheatear did a bunk along the sea wall towards Fluke Hall and Knott End and I didn't see it later. 

Curlew

Wheatear

Otherwise there's not too much to report except for 5 Corn Buntings along the sea wall, the 2 singing males indicating breeding in the silage fields. The Corn Buntings seem to have partly filled a niche previously occupied by Meadow Pipits, a species which no longer breeds here. 

Two Grey Herons and a single Little Egret again with left overs from Sunday and Monday's strong winds represented by singles of Sandwich Tern and Common Tern. 

Sandwich Tern

Other waders, wildfowl and miscellaneous today - 40 Lapwing, 30 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 45 Shelduck, 2 Cormorant, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Linnet 8 Swift, 15 Swallows. 

Hopefully there's a fuller post tomorrow for blog followers. Meanwhile take a look at Stewart's Gallery for lots of links to other birdy blogs.

Coasting

Three sunny mornings on the trot and weather-wise things are looking up. Knott End was first stop this morning where I sat at the jetty watching 3 Sandwich Terns fishing the incoming tide when a stranger engaged me in conversation. It transpired that my new found acquaintance was familiar with Sandwich Terns as he lives in Dover, Kent. Dover is just along the coast from the town of Sandwich where the Sandwich Tern was first described in 1787 by the ornithologist John Latham. 

The gent explained he was up here in Lancashire in support for his wife who was engaged in walking the green coastal paths of England. Here was his good lady at 8 a.m. not only raring to go on the next leg of the journey by walking from Pilling to Glasson Dock a journey of some 12 miles, but absolutely enthused and overwhelmed about the beauty of our UK coastline, and this stretch of Morecambe Bay in particular. I declined the invitation to join in by explaining about a previous bird watching appointment at Pilling later that morning, but the encounter left me reinvigorated.

Knott End

 

Sandwich Tern

Glasson Dock

As my new found friends set off on their journey I found more birds here at Knott End by way of 40+ Oystercatchers on the tideline along with 30+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin and 1 Ringed Plover. 

Dunlin

Just a handful of wildfowl today - 3 Shelduck, 2 drake Eider and 4 Mallard. 

There was also my old friend the Pied Wagtail, the same footless bird of 2012 which still belongs about the jetty and the sea wall, his one gammy foot now reduced to a tiny stub, the other leg seemingly not much better. To cap it all the poor creature seems to have lost all tail feathers, perhaps as a result of the lower centre of gravity causing his trailing feathers to wear out more quickly than they otherwise would? Certainly he looked and behaved in remarkably good condition as he flew about the sea wall in pursuit of the next meal. 

Pied Wagtail

A walk up river and alonsidse the golf course produced a singing Whitethroat plus overflying Goldfinch, Linnet, 4 Swift and several Swallows. 

Reaching Lane Ends I turned my attention to Lapwings and Redshanks again, this time finding another good sized Lapwing chick. If the chick had run instead of crouching it would for sure have outpaced me, the size of the bird almost certainly ensuring it sticks around to adulthood. As in recent years the number of chicks reaching this stage of development in 2013 is low. This gives no spare capacity for the Lapwings to increase their local population but more likely they will struggle to even maintain it at low levels.

Lapwing chick

Lapwing chick

Towards Fluke Hall I noted the first post-breeding flock of Lapwings, 35 of them flying in unison across the marsh – how soon is the breeding season over for Lapwings. Otherwise quiet except for a Grey Heron, now 2 Corn Buntings and a single Buzzard leaving the wood pursued by crows.  

The lady was exactly right, our coast is wonderful, and although we know that it's fantastic in so many ways, maybe we sometimes take it for granted? 

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Another Bird Blog is doing its best to get back to normal with a visit to the feeding station in the hope of a spot of ringing soon. The usual birds were around the site including 2 Kestrels, 14 Corn Bunting, 1 Little Owl and 50+ Tree Sparrows, but after my absense for 2 weeks and little topping up of the feeders, there wasn't too much activity around them. Nonetheless, 10+ Reed Bunting, 6/8 Goldfinch, 10+ Chaffinch bodes well for later in the week when the wind eventually subsides.

No such problems with the weather in Fuerteventura where the light for photography was often perfect, so for today’s post there are images from the recent holiday of 12th-26th January. 

Beach walks proved a good way to work off breakfast and although birds were fairly scarce in the face of processions of tourists exercising their often flaccid limbs, there was always something to marvel at. Read on and remember to "click the pics" for a close encounter.

On The Beach Fuereventura

Costa Calma is a large bay approximately 1.5 km long. Southwards it is possible to walk along the beach to Morro Jable for approximately 21 km. The stretch of beach from Costa Calm and then south to Jandia is reckoned to be amongst the most beautiful in the world, with large swathes of pristine sand exposed at times of low tide where just the occasional black rocks extend into the beach. It’s at such locations that you realise how the scurrying Sanderling probably obtained its name with the often employed “clockwork toy” description springing to mind. Kentish Plovers could usually be found running across the sand, with dozens of Sandwich Terns loitering on the distant tideline or feeding offshore where a Gannet or two might also be seen. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Kentish Plover

Sandwich Tern

 Sandwich Tern

The retreating tides leave pools of clear salt water where the occasional fish and smaller items are left behind for the scavengers and opportunists, mainly herons and egrets. Being accustomed to passing tourists the birds aren’t too concerned when people stop for snapshots, and if someone gets a little close the birds just fly a few yards out of harm’s way. 

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

The perfect sand beaches are not the result of sand being blown across from the Sahara Desert (as some Guidebooks claim) but are in fact composed of broken shells and other remains from marine organisms. Fuerteventura can get very windy, though normally it is possible to find a sheltered beach somewhere along the east coast 

On The Beach Fuerteventura

Grey Herons aren’t too common, with just occasional birds seen. 

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

There’s a word of warning to the squeamish and to bird watchers carrying binoculars and cameras. Nude sunbathing is very popular on Fuerteventura, some might even say legendary, so if those Sanderlings are running along under people’s feet, take care where you point the camera and that any blowing sand doesn’t stick to moving parts. 

Sanderling

On The Beach Fuerteventura

More bare facts and related bird news from Another Bird Blog fairly soon. Today we are linking with Stewart in Australia who knows a thing or two about sandy beaches.

Where Did Two Weeks Go?

Back home after 14 days in the unbroken sun of Fuerteventura, and it’s a large bag of dirty washing for Sue and 800 images on the SD card for me. Yes, it’s a tedious, thankless task, but someone has to show willing so as to keep Another Bird Blog updated. Many thanks to all those who logged in during the holiday, I will be visiting you all soon to return the complement and catch up with your blogs, and in the next few days my priority is also to catch up with friends and family. 

After a check of the many images from the last two weeks I lumped together a quick post by way of an introduction to Fuerteventura, the birds and the scenery which they and the many tourists inhabit. This post details birds in the immediate area of our stay in Costa Calma, so named I think with reverence to the relatively sheltered nature of this resort from the prevailing winds. This relative calm is due in no small part to the easterly geographical location and to the long belt of pine trees which give a degree of protection from the often strong prevailing wind systems.

It’s peculiar how the same bird species occur in the vicinity of many holiday places we visit, with Fuerteventura providing a similar hotel list to other places we know whereby sparrows, pigeons, gulls, kestrels and a few wader species are to the fore. Don't forget folks, click on the pics for a better view.

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Sanderlings and Turnstones were ever present on the sandy and partly rocky shore. Turnstones can be fairly confiding here in the UK, but on Fuerteventura they are even more so and are approachable to within a few metres. 

Sanderling

Turnstone

After taking photographs of a Sanderling I noticed only upon examining the images later that the bird had a British ring on its right leg. With only a couple of shots I couldn’t get enough detail to send the record in to the BTO so as to find out where it had been ringed, so in the following days looked for the Sanderling but couldn’t relocate it. 

Sanderling

An unusual hotel bird proved to be Raven, a pair of birds from the locality paying infrequent visits to the shore to steal monkey nuts from under the noses of the Barbary Ground Squirrels. Almost every tourist I saw paid more attention to feeding the “cute” squirrels whilst ignoring the long-distance-migrant shore birds at their feet, the closeness of the huge Ravens, the feeding terns along the shore or the handsome Yellow-legged Gulls. 

Sandwich Tern

Raven

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Yellow-legged Gull

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

It was the quiet parts of the hotel grounds where I found the Spanish Sparrows, the pair of Hoopoes, the resident Kestrel and the White Wagtail, one of the latter in particular which followed the gardener’s watering hosepipe so as to locate the resultant insects. There were Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs about the grounds but they kept out of sight in the strong sunshine of most days.

Kestrel

Kestrel

Spanish Sparrow

White Wagtail

Hoopoes mostly have that hair-gelled look, a sleeked back crest held in abeyance until some fool with a camera interrupts a feed and causes a moment of anxiety when the feathers fan out. 

 Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

As very birder knows, there’s a price to pay for a spot of birding, brownie points to be earned and then banked for another day with bins and camera. Here in Costa Calma it’s the “African” market where bartering is the order of the day followed by a glass or two of wine reflecting on the fading light and planning the day to come. 

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

Anyone For a Massage?

Costa Calma, Fuerteventura

There’s local news soon from Another Bird Blog plus more pictures from Fuerteventura. In the meantime the blog is linking to Weekly Top Shot  and Anni .