No Seagulls Today

It’s 0930, raining steadily and I’m blogging when I should be out birding. Luckily I managed a few hours birding before the rains arrived while postponing a ringing session with Andy until the weekend. 

At Braides there was no Buzzard today but 3 Grey Herons instead, the herons lining the banks of the River Cocker where a couple of Meadow Pipits buzzed around. 

At Conder Green the resident Robin greeted me from the fence rail as I scanned the pool and creeks for other birds. A dozen and more Swifts hawked over the hedgerow with just a few Swallows and Sand Martins in evidence. The Sand Martins here are surely from the quarry a mile or two away where I called on the way back to witness a huge amount of activity at the nesting holes. 

Robin

Meanwhile back at Conder the Tufted Ducks now have 4 youngsters, an expected reduction from the 13 or 14 newly hatched chicks of a week ago. Singles of Little Grebe and Wigeon with 8+ Shelduck, 3 Grey Heron and 3 Little Egret. In the creeks good numbers of 60+ Redshank and 40+ Lapwing, 6 Common Sandpiper but one only of Dunlin. 

A Kestrel flew across the marsh towards the railway bridge where I found 4 Linnet, 4 Pied Wagtail, 2 Reed Bunting and a fly-over Common Tern. Glasson Dock had more Swifts and Swallows, a couple only of the former but 30+ Swallows so maybe a hint of a roost forming amongst the boats or reed fringes of the yacht basin in coming weeks. 

Along the towpath - 4 Pied Wagtails, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting, 6 Tree Sparrow, a Blackcap in partial song and a Song Thrush in full voice. 

Song Thrush

Black-headed Gull

I see that “seagulls” are on the receiving end of some stick in the press and on the TV just recently, with even the Prime Minister taking the opportunity to have a go. Pity he has nothing more worldly urgent to worry about but also that his lackeys didn’t give him the advice that the UK is home to several species of gull, most of which cause no problem to voters; the urban bandit in question is not a “seagull” but the Herring Gull. 

I get quite irritated when people use the lazy, blanket term “seagull” to describe a particular species of gull when it is often quite obvious that they have not taken the time and trouble to find out that there are at least 55 species of gull in the world and all of them identifiable as being different to the next. 

Herring Gull

Yes, Herring Gulls can be a bit naughty but their sometimes unacceptable behaviour is mostly of our own making. Who can blame a gull for becoming accustomed to helping themselves when a smorgasbord of delights is laid out before them each day and night? The remains of Saturday night’s takeaways litter city, town and village streets while bin-bags lie unprotected and landfill sites are left uncovered. All of this makes for easier pickings than fishing the open seas as Herring Gulls did with huge success before the human race changed the rules of engagement. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Log in soon for more news and views from Another Bird Blog. But definitely no seagulls.

Linking today to Theresa's Ranch and Stewart's World Bird Wednesday .

Shades Of Green And Grey

My weekend was rather uneventful when a visit to the hills near Oakenclough and a mooch around the ringing plantation proved somewhat disappointing. I’d hoped to locate a few Willow Warbler nests but not taken into account how cool, wet, windy and changeable the Lancashire uplands had been during my two weeks in the warm Mediterannean. 

In the course of getting very wet feet I managed to locate at least 12 Willow Warbler territories without more than a sniff of where a few nests might be located. The first week of June is the historical peak of nesting activity with over the years c400 Willow Warbler nestlings ringed. A week or ten days of dry weather should see more intense activity as well as making the site more negotiable. 

Willow Warbler

During the watching and listening I ringed 3 Willow Warblers, all three showing the necessary signs of breeding activity. A Stoat ran across the road and into the ringing site. I hope it has a dietary preference for voles rather than Willow Warbler eggs or nestlings. 

Willow Warbler

There was a male Cuckoo doing the rounds all morning, flying over the fells, stopping off to “cuckoo” from the topmost point of a stand of pines, heading off towards Oakenclough and then circuiting the ringing station, a tour of a mile or two in the hope of attracting a female. There’s a regular Kestrel too and probably as a result of the number of voles amongst the heather and bilberry, the little animals darting back into the crevices as my feet sloshed through the heavy ground. 

I noted at least 4 overflying Lesser Redpoll, a pair of Pied Wagtails, 4 Swallow, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Mistle Thrush and 2 Song Thrush. 

Song Thrush

Two pairs of Greylags have 7 young between them and appear to be operating a crèche or “safety in numbers” system whereby 4 watchful and wary adults don't miss much. 

Greylag Goose

The Greylag or Greylag Goose Anser anser is the ancestor of the domestic goose and also the original “wild goose”, known in pre-Linnaean times known as the wild goose - Anser ferus. 

The Greylag, a native of northern and central Eurasia, has been domesticated and raised for meat and egg production for over 1,000 years. It can be white or completely grey like the wild form or somewhere in-between as a result of interbreeding with other geese. The often strange looking offspring from such marriages are guaranteed to cause confusion amongst those starting out as birdwatchers. 

The Greylag Goose is the only grey goose seen in numbers in the UK during the summer months. There are two breeding populations currently recognised - 1) the northwest Scotland (or native) population, which is the remnant of the population that once occurred more widely across Britain, and 2) the population of birds released primarily by wildfowlers during the period from the 1930s to the 1960s, birds which began the establishment of feral populations and a correspondent increase in the abundance and distribution of Greylags during the 20th and the early 21st centuries. 

Greylag Goose

So because Greylag Geese might be of uncertain provenance they are mostly ignored or treated with suspicion by the average UK birder. Birders prefer to spend time looking at wholly migratory and “authentic” grey geese like Pink-footed Goose or White-fronted Goose. It’s rather a shame because Greylags are certainly a characterful and handsome goose but with an unfortunate lineage. 

Half-term and grandad duties with Olivia and Isabella on Tuesday, Theo on Wednesday.

Back for more birding soon with Another Bird Blog.

Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday in Australia.

Quietly Trying

The instrument panel flashed 1⁰C and there was a film of this ice on the windscreen. It had been another clear, cold night and one that tends to both clear migrant birds out while not leaving any new ones in their place. As strange as it might seem, the best weather for finding new migrants is that of a rather changeable scenario with showers and the odd weather front or two, conditions which make migrant birds interrupt their often non-stop journeys. 

I drove up to Conder to check the pool where I found 36 Tufted Duck dominating the water, then 8 Shelduck, a single Cormorant, 2 Canada Goose and 30 or so Mute Swans. Floating around on the margins of the tufty gang was a single Gadwall, a very uncommon duck here. In fact it was probably the first Gadwall I’ve ever seen just here. A pair of Teal continue to feed in the tidal channel. 

Gadwall

Waders were represented by 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew, 15 Redshank, 14 Oystercatcher and 2 Lapwing. The Oystercatchers are mostly paired up now, as are the Redshanks whereby both species breed here, as do Lapwings in most years. There didn’t seem to be much passerine activity apart from a Reed Bunting singing from the area of the road bridge. A number of both Sand Martins and Swallow flew through heading north but generally the arrival of both species and also House Martin has not yet been huge. 

Fluke Hall was the next port of call where things were equally quiet. I saw my first Whitethroat of the year along the old hedgerow, and there was a single male “Greenland” Wheatear on the nearby rockery. Whitethroats seem late this year whereby my calendar is marked at 15th April for the first Whitethroat to be rattling along the hedgerows.

Whitethroat

The woodland gave up singing Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler (2), and Song Thrush (3), whilst at least one of the 20+ Blackbirds was busily collecting food. Two Buzzards soared over the wood and there was a single and unusually silent Jay flying through the trees. 

Song Thrush

It was 10am and on the way home I stooped to watch a Barn Owl hunting nearby fields. That’s pretty late in the morning for a Barn Owl to be out and about. I’m guessing it was hunting to feed at least one other mouth. It proved an agreeable end to my somewhat quiet morning of birding, but there’s more birding and ringing soon from Another Bird Blog. 

Andy’s back from Gibraltar with tales of Bee Eaters, Black Kites and Blue Rock Thrushes. I’m sure I’ll hear all about those “Bs” fairly soon when we meet up for a ringing session at Oakenclough. 

Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.

Friday/Saturday And A Fishy Tale

On Friday the rain didn’t stop until close on 1pm. That left just a couple of hours for birding because by 3pm and five weeks to mid-winter, the sun is well down in the sky. So I made it a short and familiar route along the sea wall at Pilling and then back via the trees at Fluke Hall. 

There was a Reed Bunting calling from the hedgerow and as I pulled on boots still damp from recent days I could hear a Song Thrush in full voice just along the lane. The sudden sun had given us both a lift and I set off with a spring in my step to view the wet fields. 

Reed Bunting

It was a good start with a useful selection of 44 Redshank, 65 Oystercatcher, 6 Curlew, 24 Lapwing, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Stock Dove and 1 Snipe. Along the sea wall - 8+ Little Egret, 18 Whooper Swan, 2 Mute Swan, 22 Shelduck and a Kestrel. 

I was drawn by intense activity on the distant shore and watched a Peregrine create the usual mass panic amongst the waders and wildfowl. In just a couple of passes the Peregrine had grabbed what looked from a distance to be a Redshank and then landed on the shore with the wader still flailing about. The Peregrine barely had chance to begin its meal before a Great Black-backed Gull arrived with the obvious intention of grabbing a piece of the action. Very quickly the Peregrine gave way to the threats and let the huge gull take over, but not without a protest as it took to the air and dive-bombed the robber several times in the hope the gull might relinquish the prize. No chance, the Black-back quickly swallowed the meal and left the Peregrine to find another. 

Peregrine

It’s almost impossible to follow such fantastic birding and what came next proved something of an anti-climax to a hunting Peregrine in full flow. Fluke Hall wood produced single Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Buzzard, Pied Wagtail and Song Thrush. 

Song Thrush

Saturday dawned with yet more cloud and a trip to Conder and Glasson Dock. 

At Braides Farm were the 2 regular Buzzards on the regular fence near the midden. These two really are the most consistent Buzzards I know of at the moment although it would be foolhardy to try and approach them for a closer picture; they would definitely fly off into the distance. Three or more hours later and on my way back from Conder Green the two were still fence sitting but if anything they were further away and the light worse. 

Buzzard

Conder Green gave a good selection of species on both the pool and the in the creeks. A Kingfisher obliged with a brief fly past as I watched 14 Little Grebe, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander,1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Cormorant, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Little Egret fish the pool. There’s obviously good feeding at the pool right now for species that dive for their fishy food. 

Red-breasted Merganser

In the creeks and at the roadside - 1 Ruff, 125 Teal, 15+ Redshank, 3 Pied Wagtail, 3 Goldfinch and 1 Rock Pipit.

Pied Wagtail

At Glasson Dock I was busy noting the 48 Tufted Duck, 4 Goldenye, 2 Grey Heron and a Kingfisher when I spotted an angler landing a Northern Pike or pike (Esox lucius).

I abandoned the birding to see the haul, an 8lb beauty. It proved more of a handful than weighing your average warbler. The chap was in fact a Water Bailiff on a sort of day off and he told me how there had been a lot of poaching in the area lately, especially by East European immigrants who have a taste for eating pike.

No thanks, I'll stick to Pilling Plaice and battered haddock.

 Weighing In

Pike at Glasson Dock

More tales and tails soon from Another Bird Blog. In the meantime linking to Anni's Blog and World Bird Wednesday.

Miscellaneous Birding

I never got around to posting from Sunday, not that there was much to report, and then Monday morning was a bit of a wash out. So here’s a little of everything including a photo or two from Skiathos 10th to 14 September and a spot of garden ringing.

Sunday morning was intended to be an hour two at Conder Green but the way through the A588 at Pilling was blocked by road signs. Maybe there was yet another overnight accident on this most infamous of roads? So I “did” Fluke Hall and environs instead where things were pretty quiet.

The highlight was finding 6 Song Thrush in the same stretch of hedgerow at Fluke Hall Lane, at one point four of them in the same binocular field of view. October 4th saw the first big Song Thrush movement of the autumn on the continent, with over 159,000 birds seen (vismig@yahoogroups.com).

The Song Thrush has suffered such a catastrophic decline in the UK that it something of an occasion to see a few together.

Song Thrush

Meanwhile back at Fluke Hall signs other signs of Autumn woodland birds included 2 Jays, extra numbers of Blackbirds, and then four or more Coal Tits and a single Goldcrest in a mixed flock of titmice.

At the woodland edge and close to the sea wall I found the regular 2 Buzzards, a nicely building flock of Woodpigeon whose numbers are now close to 300 and a single Snipe. Likewise the Jackdaw flock is on the increase to 70+ birds while Skylarks on the stubble and along the sea wall numbered more than 60. There were good numbers of Pink-footed Geese out on the marsh, probably in excess of 4,000 birds.

On Monday it didn’t stop raining until 1pm by which time I couldn’t be bothered to set out birding so instead caught a number of birds in the garden, 11 Goldfich, 2 Chaffinch 1 Goldcrest and 2 Greenfich, one of the latter a corker of an adult male.

Greenfinches are not quite as scarce as Song Thrushes, but heading that way it seems.

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Goldcrest

Here’s few leftovers from Skiathos, a Yellow Wagtail plus a Red-backed Shrike that tormented me daily in the grounds of our hotel, The Ostria. The list of birds seen at The Ostria included Red-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, Bee Eater, Scops Owl, Little Owl, Buzzard, Spotted Flycatcher, Alpine Swift, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow Wagtail and of course a daily Red-backed Shrike lurking along its favourite fence or fig tree.

Red-backed Shrike

 Red-backed Shrike

Yellow Wagtail

The Ostria - Skiathos

The Ostria is a lovely peaceful hotel set in landscaped grounds, and as the brochures might say were it in any of them, "close to all amenities". It is family owned and supervised on site by the delightful and welcoming Mathinou family - The Ostria Skiathos.

More birding from home and abroad soon on Another Bird Blog.

Linking today to Theresa's Fences and Stewart's World Bird Wednesday. 
 

Sunday Sortie

The thrushes woke me this morning, Blackbirds mainly, but also a Song Thrush which has taken up residence in a neighbour’s garden and sings in ours. Whilst last winter was wet and stormy it remained very mild in temperature with negligible frost to solidify the ground where thrushes find most of their food. Blackbirds appear to be having a very successful year; I’m seeing heaps of them everywhere I go, and unlike recent years even Song Thrushes seem to be in good numbers at the moment. 

Song Thrush

 Blackbird

After the early wake-up call I grabbed a quick breakfast and then set off north for Conder Green et al. Cockerham saw the first gathering of post-breeding season Lapwings - 25+ birds on a field near Gulf Lane. “Post-breeding gathering” is a somewhat optimistic description when the species breeding success along here is zero and where the phrase “non-breeding gathering” might be more accurate. 

Afterwards the journey with window down was quiet enough to note 2 Lesser Whitethroat in roadside song between Gulf Lane and Conder Green. 

Upon arrival at the creek a Barn Owl was just heading back to roost, disappearing into the building and allowing little time for a picture. It looked bedraggled, a bit “mucky” and wet underneath in parts. All that diving into dew-laden long grass does nothing for a Barn Owl’s appearance, so best to go indoors for a rest and to dry off a bit. 

Barn Owl

And yes, the midges were out in force over the hedgerow, enough to attract 20+ Swifts to feed for a while. Just a small number of Swallows and House Martins in evidence here although I did find House Martins in the early stages of nest building at a new site in Glasson Dock where blobs of "brown-tack" decorated a frontage. The usual Swallows fed around the dock gate near their hidden from view nest sites.

Swallow

In song at Conder Green I found 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting and 5 Whitethroat. Meanwhile, Meadow Pipit, Great Tit and Blue Tits were all in the throes of feeding youngsters. Also feeding youngsters were the Oystercatchers on the nearest island, 3 newly hatched chicks taking the tiniest of morsels offered to them by the adults. The Oystercatcher is unusual as the only British wader where the adults feed their young, as most wader chicks are able to feed themselves very soon after hatching. 

 Oystercatcher

Other wildfowl and waders, 5 Teal, 2 Wigeon, 18 Shelduck, 8 Tufted Duck, 14 Redshank, 1 Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Grey Heron. 

If the Oystercatchers have succeeded the Tufted Duck have yet to do so: I watched the male cajole the female into returning to the nest when the coast was clear, the female slinking low and quiet into her den of grasses after he shouted encouragement. 

Tufted Duck

A stop for Lane Ends led to a number of warblers: 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 Chiffchaff all in in song. Early arriving Chiffchaffs may be looking for their second brood by now. 

A male Kestrel carried food back to the nest box at Damside, and the same thing at Fluke Hall where a second pair are in residence. I got to thinking if regular Kestrel success played a small part in the misfortunes of local Lapwings in recent years? 

At Fluke Hall Great-spotted Woodpeckers were busy feeding young out of the nest, the noisy chicks scattered through the trees and almost impossible to see in the summery trees. The Tawny Owl was around again, the Blackbirds told me so but I left them to their dispute and walked to the sea wall, passing half-a-dozen Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat along the way. 

Still no Lapwings with young, but there’s possibly a late try from a couple of stay-behinds on the remnant stubble. A pair of Tufted Duck flew from the channel for the second time this week while a pair of Oystercatcher’s are definitely “at it” with the male giving me stick from the safety of his lookout post. 

 Oystercatcher

A good enough morning was had by all. It’s amazing what you can find when you put your mind to it. 

Log in soon to see what Another Bird Blog will discover next. Linking today to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.

A Barny Start

It’s always good to begin the day with a Barn Owl although the light at dawn or soon after is mostly imperfect for photographs. I tried 400, 800 and then ended up with ISO1600 for a few shots as the owl used a fence post from which to launch itself into the rough grass below. The owl didn’t get much in the way of food and I didn’t get too much in the way of pictures, so we both went our separate ways. 

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

I made my way to Fluke Hall where things seemed quiet, so perhaps the overnight clear skies had sent Thursday's birds on their way? Slowly along the road I reached similar counts of the now apparently resident Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps. The Mistle Thrushes and Song Thrushes are still feeding young, and although I’ve narrowed down the possibilities, both nests remain secret. 

Song Thrush

At the car park were 2 Whitethroats in song and in the ploughed field 5+ Wheatears and 8 or more White Wagtails, both species feeding in and out of the deep furrows effectively so as to ruin any chance of accurate counts. A dozen or more Linnets plus a couple of both Meadow Pipits and Skylarks completed the picture. 

White Wagtail

I was ready for leaving when a Grasshopper Warbler began its reeling song from somewhere along the back of the hedgerow. The skulking and secretive Grasshopper Warbler is most infrequent here at Fluke Hall, but is in any case more likely to be glimpsed or heard in brief rather than seen in regular performance of its insect like song. Try as I might I didn’t see the “gropper”, it went silent and I suspect it slipped off unseen to try its luck at a more suitable location. 

Grasshopper Warbler - Photo credit: Sergey Pisarevskiy / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Things were fairly quiet at Conder Green too, to all intents and purposes the wader and wildfowl count identical to Thursday, with c200 Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Oystercatcher, 2 Lapwing, 15 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 20 Tufted Duck, 8 Shelduck and 2 Wigeon. Just like Thursday there was a single black-tail in the creek and another one closer to my usual  viewing spot.

 Tufted Ducks

Black-tailed Godwit

In the “little brown jobs” line I couldn’t do any better than 3 Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Bunting, 6 Linnet and 2 Greenfinch. 

I’ve stopped counting Swallows because they now seem to be well and truly “in”, as usual arriving  under birders’ radar but to turn up knocking at most farmers’ barn doors. What a welcome sight after a truly awful winter.

There’s a pair or two already nest building under the lock gates at Glasson Dock, the birds resting up on the rusty old handrails while giving each other advice on how best to get the job done. There's no rush boys and girls, you’ve got all summer. 

Barn Swallow

The weather forecast for the weekend isn’t suggesting much in the way of balmy Summer days. 

Never mind, if it’s at all possible Another Bird Blog will be birding and report here in due course.

Linking this post to Camera Critters and Eileen's Saturday Blog.

Different Days, Different Birds

On Tuesday we spent a day at Blackpool Zoo with our two granddaughters. Today I took a well-earned rest and spent a good three hours birding the usual spots. 

Zoos, you either love or hate them and I hadn’t been to a zoo for many years. At ages 8 and almost 3 respectively, Olivia and Isabella loved it, spending the first 30 minutes running around wildly as they discovered new animals to look at. Eventually the pace slowed as the girls began to take an interest in the “exhibits”. 

They were both impressed with the Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens fulgens an animal which in the wild “feeds mainly on bamboo” to then spend most of the day asleep or escaping from Snow Leopards. In the picture the panda is eating a rabbit. Cue Granddad, two cuddly toy Red Pandas from the Zoo Shop. 

Red Panda

We all rather liked the Ring-tailed Lemurs a species closely related to Homo sapiens; both species often practice Yoga in their spare time. 

Ring-tailed Lemur

In between finding Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Swallows along the pathways and over areas of water, Granddad was quite taken with the White Pelicans, one of the few bird species confiding enough to be photographed. There’s a good number of free flying Barnacle Geese wandering close to passing Joe Public, not a trait exhibited from the occasional Barnacle Goose spotted at Pilling. 

White Pelican

White Pelican

Yellow-naped Parrot

Barnacle Goose

A good day was had by all, but now for today’s lack of pictures from Pilling. 

The morning started rather well at Fluke Hall with plenty of redpolls arriving from the west before feeding in the tree tops as they worked their way east. Seventeen birds went into the notebook as the common Lesser Redpoll even though an uncommon Common Redpoll was seen just across Morecambe Bay yesterday. I wouldn’t dare separate the two species on call but I once found an Arctic Redpoll in Wales by hearing it call and then following to where it landed. The joy of “vis migging” is occasionally palpable. 

Confused? It’s a quirk of birding for redpoll species UK style - Common Redpolls are actually quite scarce in the UK, Lesser Redpolls are widespread and numerous in Spring and Autumn, while an Arctic Redpoll is almost unobtainable. 

Lesser Redpoll : Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) 

In today’s rarity stakes were 3 Song Thrush, probably convertible to 2 pairs as one pair were busy collecting food for youngsters and a third bird sang loudly from some distance away. In the same area a pair of Mistle Thrush, 4 Tree Sparrow and the now resident Kestrel. Below is a quite shocking picture but proof that Song Thrush does exist and is breeding hereabouts. 

 Song Thrush

The air was quite still at first allowing not only the redpolls but the songs of 3 Willow Warbler, 3 Blackcap and 1 Chiffchaff. The wind was to pick up noticeably quite soon and put a stop to visible movement. 

At Lane Ends the southerly wind had become quite strong as I walked the sea wall. Two Wheatears was the highlight even though getting a picture of a probable “Greenland” female proved difficult as the wind shook the camera. Neither bird was near the normal catching area.

 Wheatear

Also at Lane Ends - a Swallow flying east, 1 Buzzard heading inland, 2 Little Egrets leaving the confines of the pool for the outer marsh and a Kestrel returning to its Damside nest box.

Singing in the plantation were singletons of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. 

There’s more from Another Bird Blog on Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and…..