Sounds Of Spring

The morning dawned just a touch too breezy for ringing on the moss, where although the willow trees are in bud but no leaf to deter a breeze from wafting a net around. So in the sunny warmth the job was topping up the Niger seed followed by an hour or two birding.

Shy Yellowhammers are always a challenge to photograph, with today 10 or 12 individuals cautiously and almost noiselessly approaching the shooter’s pheasant feeders for left-over wheat on the grass below; wheat is a good size for a Yellowhammer’s chunky bill to tackle, as well as being a nutritious meal, and although the birds came back time and time again they proved very difficult to photograph.

Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer

The wheat proved an attraction to other birds too as Chaffinches, Goldfinches and a single Greenfinch came for a look. The local Linnet flock was back up to 100+ birds today, sticking to a weedy patch of ground, only flying noisily into the trees a couple of times when spooked by something unseen. Around the Niger feeders were the usual 8 or 10 Goldfinches, a few Chaffinch and brief calls of Siskin overhead.

Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A walk north and up the plantation edge found 3 Grey Partridge, 4 Skylark, 4 Blackbirds, 2 Mistle Thrush, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk, then as the sun created the thermals the Buzzards came out to play. I counted 8 in the air at once, two groups of four with much mewing and calling as they sorted out their differences for the coming weeks. Click on the “xeno canto” button, there’s even a Willow Warbler in sweet song to remind us of Spring.

Buzzard

Pilling And A Swallow

This morning began with bright sun and a south westerly breeze, conditions which made me optimistic about a gentle walk at Pilling. Within an hour the solid grey clouds of late rolled back in and it was a fairly uneventful few hours although other signs of spring continue with birds in song and display.

The Hi-fly fields continue to hold good numbers of waders, mainly Lapwing, Redshank and Golden Plover, with sometimes Dunlin, so it’s always a good idea to stop and work through the flock for something different. Not today, just 120 Lapwing, 40+ Redshank, 90 Golden Plover and 8 Oystercatcher, although it was interesting that as the flock of Lapwings both fed and roosted on the well-muddied stubble, just away from the main gathering a few lone males performed their noisy, tumbling displays. In the distant stubble I could see several Skylarks, a few breaking off from searching through the mud-covered stalks to indulge in aerial chases.

Lapwing
Skylark

When I later walked the sea wall I saw both Redshanks and Oystercatchers in territorial mode, with 4 singing Skylarks at appropriate distances apart, spots remarkably close to last year’s eventual nests.

By the time I got to Lane Ends the 100% blue sky was replaced by full grey cloud but undeterred I checked the pools, listened for Chiffchaffs, and then walked the wall in search of Wheatears or Meadow Pipits.

The pools held 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe and 2 Little Egret, with my money firmly on Tufted Ducks and Little Grebes for breeding success and a small side bet on Little Egret – eventually. Along the sea wall the 30 or so pipits of Monday had moved on, now all I found were 6 at Pilling Water with a lone Pied Wagtail and 2 more Little Egret. The Greenshank flushed noisily from the pool, closely followed by the now silent Green Sandpiper, and is it my imagination but are Green Sandpipers more vocal in the autumn?

Little Egret

And now news from Will’s garden where unlike this time last year, the bird count is virtually zero. However Will did receive news of a Swallow Y279264 he ringed in the garden shed last year, one of a nest of 3 youngsters ringed on 8th September 2011. On 12th October, this young bird was recaptured at Icklesham, East Sussex before heading rapidly south over the English Channel then through France and Spain towards its eventual destination somewhere in the south of the African continent.

Swallow
Will’s Garden to Icklesham

The ringing group had news of another bird recaptured at Icklesham, this a Lesser Redpoll L583835 ringed at Rossall School, Fleetwood on spring passage 10th April 2011 and later recaptured at Icklesham on 19th October 2011. Lesser Redpolls heading to southern UK may winter there, but equally many individuals fly on to Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Finches At Last

This morning was perfect for a spot of ringing, no wind, no sun and no rain. Still hoping for an increase in Goldfinches I went to the moss to top up the feeders and try a few nets.

For February the catch proved quite good, with 21 birds, 13 new and 8 recaptures. New birds: 5 Linnet, 4 Goldfinch, 2 Lesser Redpoll and 1 each of Reed Bunting and Blue Tit. Recaptures: 5 Goldfinch and 1 each of Dunnock, Chaffinch and Lesser Redpoll.

I thought a Redpoll spring movement might be underway when early on I heard several flying over and the first look at the net yielded 3 Lesser Redpoll and a Goldfinch. One of the Lesser Redpoll turned out to be a recapture from late November so I think that it’s likely that all of this morning’s birds had wintered close by and had simply called in for a Niger seed breakfast. I didn’t see or hear any more Redpolls this morning and despite 30 or so coastal Meadow Pipits yesterday I’m still waiting for a more obvious larger scale migration to begin.

Lesser Redpoll
Goldfinch

The Linnets caught this morning were part of a wintering flock of 50+ feeding in a nearby field, the flock having shrunk from 140 just a week ago. I dedicate the Linnet pictures below to my pal Errol who lives in a part of the UK where I believe Linnets are even harder to come by than they are in these parts. Keep looking Errol.

Four of this morning’s Linnets were males, just showing first signs of their brick red breast feathers. In the winter the method of separating males and females is to compare the amount of white in the primary feathers, the white in males extending closer to the feather shaft.

Linnet - female
Linnet - female
Linnet - male
Linnet - male
Linnet - male

With 9 Goldfinches caught this morning maybe the spring Niger feeders are beginning to finally work. Other birds seen this morning: 2 Kestrel, 2 Grey Partridge, 7 Yellowhammer, 2 Raven and 1 Hen Harrier.

It's Late

On Sunday I got hindered by other tasks in posting on the blog so saved it until today. Nothing much to report except that the morning was grey and miserable, so rather than birding or trying to take photographs with a 400mm in poor light I spent a couple of hours ringing in the garden. It was pretty unexciting but a couple of surprise birds turned up in the catch of 8 birds.

After two cold winters in 2010 and 2011 the population of our smallest UK bird the Goldcrest must be fairly low, but luckily when two flitted about the damson trees it was only a matter of a few minutes before one found the net, 5 grams of feathers and not much else.

Goldcrest

Also fairly scarce around here at the moment are Greenfinches, their population still suffering due to the effects of the Trichomonosis virus, so it is heartening to say that not only I have heard a few “gringos” singing recently, but they have also joined in with the Goldfinches in visiting garden feeders. Just one caught, a colourful first winter male.

Greenfinch

Other birds caught: 2 Great Tit and 1 each of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Wren.

Chaffinch
Dunnock
Great Tit

Birding 10, Ringing 5.

My likely birding score proved more substantial than the ringing total this morning, but maybe it is best to start at the beginning with the Little Owls.

I hadn’t seen the owl/owls for some weeks on the farm, where they share their nesting spot with a horse-filled barn busy with riders back and forth during the day. I feared for the worse that the continual disturbance might scare the owls away from this traditional site, but I needn’t have worried. Birds are persistent creatures and in any case the owls nest out of reach in the roof space, and the horsey folk probably don’t even know that in the dark crevices above their heads live the owls who venture out only when all is quiet. As I drove onto the farm at 0730 the Little Owls sat in the half-light almost together, but as the car stopped they both lifted off and flew back into the roof space. A positive sighting then because the pair are still about and should nest again this year, fingers crossed.

Little Owl

Further down the farm Seumus and Craig were setting up, trying their luck with Tree Sparrows, so wishing them well I sped past towards the summer plantation to fill the Niger feeders and put up a net or two while doing a spot of birding. The Goldfinch still haven’t arrived in any numbers and although I caught two, there were no more than 8 or 10 around. A threatening breeze quickly sprung up, putting paid to any extended ringing and I packed up with just 5 birds caught, 2 Goldfinch and 1 each of Chaffinch, Great Tit and Blackbird.

Birding gave me distant sightings yet again of the wintering Hen Harrier and a single Buzzard, with 2 Kestrels much closer and then 2 overflying Ravens heading towards St Michael’s village.

Hen Harrier
Buzzard

Other sightings this morning, 90+ Lapwings, including the first signs of display, 2 Grey Partridge, 45 Linnet, 7 Yellowhammer, 40 Chaffinch, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 4 Curlew and 3 Skylark.

I saw 5 Roe Deer this morning, with Brown Hares were pretty active too, and generally more noticeable than of late running about the fields where some indulged in a little shadow boxing.

Brown Hare

Coming off the farm I noted a pair of Stock Doves at a holey tree and 21 handsome Fieldfares living up to their name, and while keeping a watchful eye on my distant camera, they probed for food in the muddy soil.

Fieldfare
Fieldfare

Going Green

After initial drizzle and greyness this morning the skies brightened allowing me a couple of hours birding at Pilling, where the colour green featured in the form of two wintering waders plus the appearance of more Siskins.

Waders were plentiful along Backsands Lane and Fluke Hall Lane with combined totals of 450 Lapwing, 110 Dunlin, 70 Oystercatcher, 22 Golden Plover, 45 Redshank and 250 Curlew.

At Lane Ends I surveyed the pools and the car park with the resulting 3 Goldeneye, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 18 Chaffinch and 2 Siskin. The Siskin were feeding in the alders, a sighting which continues the run of Siskins making an appearance in many places in the past week or so, and must relate to the early spring movement of the species, so very noticeable this time last year.

Siskin

There’s not much to report from my walk west to Pilling Water - 5 Little Egret, 4 Skylark, 1 Merlin and 40 Teal, but the pools turned up another 25 Redshank, a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper. It’s some weeks since I walked this stretch but the Green Sandpiper was about then and I think today’s bird is one of the two birds present in late 2011.

Greenshank
Redshank

Walking the tideline I found evidence of a raptor meal, a neatly stripped breastbone plus the wings of a Redshank, probably the work of the aforesaid Merlin or a Peregrine, while a little further along were the remains of a long dead Whooper Swan. Otherwise nothing to report from a quietish walk.

Redshank
Whooper Swan

No proper birding tomorrow, just counting Buzzards when I take the Suzuki up the M6 for its annual service to Kendal in the South Lakes, a route that is a hot spot for Buzzards. The Lake District is the probable origin of the healthy Buzzard population that now inhabit the Fylde.

Buzzard

Turned Over

The Infamous Five met up at Fleetwood this morning hoping to catch more Turnstones, but despite there being the usual couple of hundred about, we waited in vain for any to come in the catching area as most of them stayed roosting on the island of the Marine Lake. The few that came near the net proved reluctant to enter the catching area.

If there is one thing that ringing birds has taught me it is that birds are lot cleverer than we humans perhaps like to admit, and there's many a time when birds outwit our supposed superior intellect. So for the next Turnstone Time we may have to invoke Plan B when we have worked one out.

The Turnstone, as its name suggests, feeds mainly on rocky shorelines, searching for food by probing into cracks and crevices with its short, stubby bill. But here at Fleetwood they learnt many years ago to find food in a very different way. Here they wait for the locals to throw out food onto the grass for gulls and ducks then follow in the larger bird’s footsteps picking up whatever is on offer, often stale bread, fish and chips or the remains of a half-eaten burger.

Turnstone
Seumus adjusting his tension
Craig looking busy

On the lake were a few Red-breasted Mergansers, with a couple of Pied Wagtails and several Linnets whizzing about. After being turned over by the Turnstones the thought of calling in at Poo Corner to see a Ring-necked Duck didn’t inspire me much so with the sky brightening I journeyed to Out Rawcliffe for a while.

Red=breasted Merganser

An entertaining couple of hours on the moss realised a few good counts but nothing out of the ordinary, except maybe the 120+ Fieldfare feeding in a wet field with a couple of hundred Starlings. In most years Fieldfares do turn up in early spring, even when they have been absent earlier in the winter as they were this time. Also feeding on the soggy, partly flooded fields were 85 Woodpigeon, 6 Stock Dove, 3 Curlew, 9 Shelduck, 3 Snipe and 180 Lapwing.

Passerines and others: 2 Kestrel, 70+ Chaffinch, 140 Linnet, 14 Yellowhammer and 3 Goldfinch.

Linnet

As I drove off the moss at 4pm a Sparrowhawk was following the droves of Starlings towards a distant roost. I hope the hawk caught better than we did today.