Wheeling Around

I couldn’t get out ringing again this morning, but it looks like Sunday may be a good morning for another try. In the meantime I thought that a walk along the coast checking out a few spots would be the best bet, even though the visible migration of earlier in the week may have begun easing off for now, particularly with the overnight increase to virtually full cloud cover and a strengthening north westerly predicted tomorrow.

I wondered if the decision was the right one when I stepped out of the back door to see a Redwing at the top of the sycamore in my neighbour’s garden. As it turned out, that was the only Redwing I would see in the whole morning.

First I stopped at Wheel Lane for the geese spectacular; who wouldn’t? The early Whooper Swans were back on the scene with 9 of them plus a Mute Swan. The swans were surrounded by Black-headed Gulls and Jackdaws, but encircled by mainly Pink-footed Geese, with good numbers of Greylag, all of them drawn in by the food put down by the wildfowlers. In the massive feeding flock and constant movement it’s pretty nigh impossible to count out the Greylags from the pinkies, but with the numbers here and out on the marsh today my estimate remains at 20,000 geese. That includes 9 Barnacle Geese that were out on the marsh with the majority of the pink-feet.

Whooper Swan
Whooper Swan, Greylag and Pink-footed Goose
Barnacle Goose

The Barnacle Goose picture is by John James Audubon the great American naturalist, author of his life's work The Birds of America. This book contained life-sized portraits of 1,065 individual birds, and was published in four volumes between 1827 and 1838. He was a self-taught artist and naturalist, who became a legend for his paintings, which for the first time depicted birds in natural habitats and poses. In 1886 a bird preservation organization took his name and the body later evolved into the National Audubon Society. Audubon also began the first known bird ringing on the American continent: he tied yarn to the legs of Eastern Phoebes and found that they returned to the same nesting spots year after year.

The resident Kestrel hung about at the vantage points near Wheel Lane where I guess all that ground food leads to a more than a few unwary mammals and birds fit for a hungry Kestrel.

Kestrel

I gave Lane Ends a bit of a bashing but all I could find was a couple of Blackbirds, 11 Goldfinch, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, 6 Chaffinch, 6 Robin and from the call, a probable Scandinavian Chiffchaff. There was a second Kestrel here, hunting and hovering around the car park.

Robin

I walked towards Pilling but the “vis” was pretty much non-existent, with just a couple of Meadow Pipits and 18 Skylarks overhead and a single Snipe which came off the inland field.

At Pilling Water I counted 7 Little Egret and 1 Grey Heron with 15 Teal and a Greenshank in the outflow channel. But out here on the sea wall were geese in all directions, geese to the left of me, geese to the right of me and geese flying constantly back and forth. Suddenly I remembered the stranger I saw at Lane Ends a few days ago who earnestly asked me about the whereabouts of Lapland Buntings and told me that most of the birders he had met there recently were “only looking at the geese”.

Teal
”The Geese”

Ringer's Return

Will and I returned to Rawcliffe Moss this morning for another ringing session where we hoped to catch more Redwings and Reed Buntings. The weather wasn’t as good as yesterday; in fact it was more than a little misty from the start with the murk hanging around for most of our three hour session. We got the nets up in record time, then waited for dawn and the Redwing’s arrival with a cup of coffee, listening to two Tawny Owls and watching a Red Fox cross through a field of sheep and towards the netting area. We didn’t see the animal later and it is not often we do so out here on the moss, but we do find signs of their activity.

Dawn - Out Rawcliffe
Red Fox

We caught 26 new birds of 7 species, with no recaptures; 12 Reed Bunting, 7 Redwing, 2 Blackbird, 2 Goldfinch and 1 each of Lesser Redpoll, Dunnock and Blue Tit.

In the misty conditions visible migration was less obvious than recent days although Redwings were the most obvious and numerous once again, with a total count of approximately 300 birds in both quite small parties i.e. less than 10 birds, and somewhat larger groups of up to 60 birds. We saw small numbers of Fieldfares, often with the Redwings, but the larger thrushes numbered less than 20 in total. Other thrush migrants comprised several Blackbirds, 6 Song Thrush and 1 Mistle Thrush.

Reed Bunting - Adult Male
Redwing

The Lesser Redpoll we caught was an absolutely immaculate adult male specimen-note the red tinged flanks and broad, slightly rounded tail feathers.

Lesser Redpoll - Adult Male

Below I posted a couple of Redwing pictures that show the ageing criteria between adult and juvenile birds. With good views in the field it might be possible to see these points. Juvenile tertial feathers usually show conspicuously tipped triangular white or buff marks, whereas on an a adult the tertial tips are evenly coloured with just the outermost parts edged whitish. Adult tail feathers are more rounded and generally broader than a juvenile’s.

Redwing - Juvenile
Redwing - Adult

After 8 Reed Buntings yesterday, our catch this morning of 12 more new birds represented perhaps a third of birds seen and heard this morning, as once again they were both visibly and audibly conspicuous with many moving south throughout the morning. Meadow Pipit migration was much less obvious today with a total count of about thirty birds only, perhaps not surprising in the misty conditions. Finch movements consisted of approximately 60 Chaffinch, 6 Siskin, 2 Redpoll, several Linnet, plus 40 or more Goldfinch, the latter two almost certainly local feeding birds.

“Others” this morning – a fast moving Merlin heading south, 1 Kestrel, 12 Snipe. Another enjoyable, successful morning, long may they continue.

A Misty Moment

Autumn Stars

It was a touch breezy but clear and starry overhead last night as I stepped outside the back door at 8.30 and then 9.00pm pm listening for Redwings, because Will and I had arranged to try and catch a few at Rawcliffe Moss this morning. I didn’t hear the high pitched “seep, seep” of Redwings, but after the last few days of both Redwings and Fieldfares turning up in most places I wasn’t too worried there wouldn’t be at least a few around come 6.30am. The first birds we heard were in fact noisy Blackbirds and Song Thrushes arriving from the blackness, but within ten or fifteen minutes the Redwings appeared from the north, and we caught our first one of the autumn.

Redwing
Redwing

For any readers unfamiliar with the thrill of hearing the flight calls of these long distance migrants through the darkness of an October night or arriving overhead at dawn, here’s an example.

From 0630 to 1130am we enjoyed a totally absorbing morning of both birding and ringing and caught birds steadily. At the same time we witnessed a fairly continuous stream of visible migration, even if at times the clearness of the sky frustrated our attempts to actually see many of the birds that called overhead.

We caught 28 new birds of 11 species, recaptured a Robin from some weeks ago, but also controlled a Reed Bunting, i.e. not our ring - X982264 anyone?

New birds - 6 Redwing, 4 Chaffinch, 7 Reed Bunting, 2 Robin, 2 Great Tit, 2 Wren, and 1 each of Blackbird, Song Thrush, Lesser Redpoll, Jay and Dunnock.

Lesser Redpoll
Lesser Redpoll
Jay
Reed Bunting

Redwing were the most numerous migrant this morning with a total of approximately 300 birds arriving from the north in mixed groups numbering from less than 4 birds, into tens and twenties and the highest number a flock of approximately 70 birds. Our Fieldfare count was 14 birds only, plus 7 Song Thrush and 10 Blackbird.

The other migration stars this morning were the finch family and Reed Buntings. While we caught 7 Reed Buntings we counted at least 20 birds overhead or close to us along the ditch, in the potato field or simply flying over calling. In addition there was a single Corn Bunting. Our visible migration of finches totalled 50 Chaffinch, 20 Siskin, 10 Redpoll, 8 Greenfinch and 1 Brambling, all these counts certainly underestimates in the clear conditions.

Unlike in past weeks we didn’t set out to catch Meadow Pipits today, our target species changed of necessity into Redwing, Fieldfare and Reed Bunting, so in that sense we partly succeeded. Had we sought Meadow Pipits we may have caught several since the overhead north to south count for this species was 70 birds.

Other birds seen this morning; 1 female Sparrowhawk, 175 Lapwing, 2 Golden Plover, 1 Kestrel, 2 Jay, 60+ Skylark.

Of course Will was in Scotland last week and I had said I would bag more birds while he was away than he would land salmon. He got lucky and I got seriously unlucky - fifty-three salmon caught between four of them! Now that is a proper catch. My excuse was the week of unfriendly ringing weather that let me out once whilst he and Sue obviously made the best of ideal salmon fishing weather. Anyway thanks for the piece of salmon Will and Sue, I left it to defrost and it will definitely taste better than humble pie.

Tonight’s Meal

The weather looks perfect for tomorrow too. We might just have to do it all over again.

Back To It

It was Lane Ends for me this morning, straight to the action with no messing about at Patch 2 Ridge Farm like yesterday. A good night’s kip and staying off the common cold medicines left me feeling a lot better.

It’s impossible to go down Wheel Lane at the moment and not take a peek at how the Pink-footed Geese are doing; the sheer noise from the throng draws you in, never mind the spectacle of 20,000 geese going about their early morning business of leaving the roost in search of daytime food then heading back out again en masse at the merest hint of trouble.

Pilling Marsh - Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose

On the way to Lane Ends I stopped along Backsands Lane and looked on the partly flooded field where I counted about 250 Lapwings and just 2 Golden Plover amongst them but no sign of the Ruff or Black-tailed Godwits from last week.

Lapwing

It was another clear morning, a touch of haze and a stiff wind again from east to west. So whilst easterlies are good for bringing the odd scarcity, the direction doesn’t necessarily bring huge numbers of birds. As I walked to Pilling Water so it was, with overhead a number of just visible but audible Chaffinch, a single Reed Bunting, 2 or more Siskin close to the plantation plus 3 alba Wagtail a little way out from the wall. Towards Pilling Water I pushed 8 Skylarks from the dense grass of the sea wall, with more Meadow Pipits than of late maybe 30 in total, together with 14 Goldfinch, 8 Linnets and the inevitable Wheatear, but only one today. Also inevitable were the 5 Little Egrets, but not the single Grey Heron a species which has been remarkably low in numbers around here lately.

Grey Heron

There was a little activity in area of the wildfowler’s pools as in turn 18 Teal and 15 Pintail flew off the shooter’s ditches and out to the marsh. I also watched a large female Sparrowhawk fly fast and low across the inland field, hugging the ground before it followed the contour of the sea wall up then over the other side where it no doubt surprised some hapless pipit or lark.

Back home I hoped I would be doing the last grass cut of the year, and as I took a breather in the afternoon sun I heard both Coal Tit and that rarity Goldcrest in next door’s garden. It was December 2008 that I last ringed a Goldcrest, so scarce have they become following two cold winters then a dearth even of spring and autumn migrants. So I finished the garden tidy-up and caught a couple of birds. Now I’m really in the mood for Tuesday when the wind will both drop and turn a touch more northerly allowing Redwings to arrive in force.

Goldcrest
Coal Tit

Battling

There’s not a lot to report from this morning but I either set to with blogging and get inventive or watch X Factor, or Dross Disaster as I call it. You see I knew last night a Common Cold was on the way with the tickly throat and the shivers. As my old ma would have said were she still alive, “That’s what you get for not wearing a vest” or ”I told you not to sit on the those cold, wet stones at Pilling”. So I emptied one of those bitter, powdery things into “hot but not boiling water”, which guarantee to fight a cold but also turn you into a just living zombie, and then set off to Pilling to sit on the stones again.

Ridge Farm seemed a good bet for migrants and vis, especially since someone had seen a Lapland Bunting there yesterday, but being a lazy dude I didn’t even make enquiries as to the who, when, where and how so couldn’t follow it up much. There was plenty of cloud cover and the wind blew easterly, a bit too strong maybe for much vis but a few finches and others battled east into the wind to land then disappear into the Fluke Hall trees or the nearby hedges, with little parties of Chaffinches totalling 45 birds, 2 x 2 Siskin, 2 Reed Buntings and 5 Greenfinch.

Along the hedgerow west the resident Tree Sparrows dominated my notebook with at least 30 of them, 4 Dunnocks, not unusual, 2 Pied Wagtails on the stubble and six or seven Meadow Pipits which probably weren’t migrants. I counted 7 Skylark, a few Linnets and Goldfinch, and found the lone Wheatear again sheltered in the boulders of the sea wall.

Over towards Hi-Fly’s hatchery I watched as a gang of 30 or more corvids gave stick to a Buzzard, gamely trying to hunt over the stubble, and it wasn’t until the Buzzard found cover in the trees at Fluke Hall that the corvids let up. Who’d be a No Mates Buzzard? I watched 2 Little Egrets feeding on a marshy pond then made a stab at the numbers of Pinkies, 5 or 6000 that I could see from here but lots more towards Lane Ends and/or flying onto the stubble of Fluke Hall Lane.

Tree Sparrow
Buzzard

I later learnt that there were “2+ Lapland Buntings” down near Pilling Water this morning, one of the few mornings in recent weeks I haven’t been there. That’s what you get for throwing a sicky.

And these strong easterlies might be good for turning up the odd “good” bird but it means my mist nets stay packed away, although there’s hope on Tuesday and Wednesday by which time infallible Famous Grouse medicine should have done the trick better than witches brew. So I didn’t get to sit on the stones after all, and anyway the birds don’t always perform as people might think. Sometimes they fly off or turn round at the vital moment. It’s often a battle of wits.

It Was There A Second Ago
Be Awkward Then
That’s More Like It

Mainly Pics

Another bright sunny morning saw me at Lane Ends, not so much pure birding but taking advantage of the conditions and the obliging 20 or so Meadow Pipits and the 3 Wheatears in order to get a few pictures. In any case today’s tide at 32.5 feet was a bit too high. When it’s so high not only does the tide rush in almost too quick to keep tabs on what is happening or to make proper counts but all the birds tend to fly up towards the higher marsh at Bank End, Cockerham or they cross the bay to the Morecambe area.

So that’s the excuse for taking 311 photographs this morning, but it is what it says on the blog label, Bird Watching, Bird Ringing and Bird Photography. As I walked from the car park towards Pilling Water I heard a Reed Bunting fly over plus couple of Siskin and a number of Chaffinches, the latter all very high but just audible. A male Sparrowhawk chased by Carrion Crows shot through the plantation and out of sight.

I just found a likely spot and settled in with the camera. One of the Wheatears took a bath in the tidal puddles before eventually drying itself out on the stones warmed by the sun.

Wheatear
Wheatear
Wheatear
Wheatear
Wheatear
Wheatear

The Meadow Pipits just hung around near the tideline and the rocks where there was food.

Meadow Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Meadow Pipit

A dozen or two Redshank also came along the tide line.

Redshank
Redshank

There were plenty of geese about, out on the marsh and dropping into the stubble field before they all spooked off again when someone stopped a car in the gateway then climbed out of it in full view of the wilder than wild creatures.

Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose

On the way back I called at Damien’s fish shop in Knott End for some Silver Hake for our evening meal, but stopped off for a pic or two of a Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

A Raptorous Time

I tried again this morning and returned to Lane Ends now that the sportsmen moved on. A slight change of tactics today after the Yellow-browed Warbler at Heysham yesterday had me looking harder for both a YBW in the trees and a Lapland Bunting along the shore, but the anniversaryies of finding such exotica here in a mist net isn’t until the 18th October and the 24th October respectively; 1998 and 1987 were the unexpected occasions, almost a lifetime away such is the mundane nature of my everyday ringing.

I started well enough with a clear view of the pool where the Little Grebe I have been hearing for weeks turned into not one but four. A quiet walk around the bottom car park and the other pool found the resident Kingfisher that shot through the trees and over to the pool I just left, but apart from Robins and a few Blackbirds, warblers were absent.

It was going to be something of a raptor morning because I hadn’t gone far towards Pilling Water when I saw a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and a Merlin. I think the latter two were after one of the many Skylarks around this morning, of which I counted 90+ birds, some of this attributable to the incoming tide pushing birds off the marsh and over the sea wall. I soon notched up a Peregrine too when one appeared briefly and sped over towards the stubble where there was a gang of Pink-footed Geese, just some of the 11,000+ I counted this morning. There was also a not very well bird, a left over from yesterday’s shoot, but I didn’t have the heart to put it out of its misery.

Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Skylark
Pink-footed Goose

I made a few counts of waders and wildfowl, not in any particular order, 80 Dunlin, 65 Redshank, 1 Golden Plover, 15 Grey Plover, 11 Snipe, 300 Curlew, 13 Little Egret, and 2 Greenshank. Wildfowl - 750 Teal, 240 Wigeon, 40 Pintail, 5 Cormorant, 4 Great-crested Grebe, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 165 Shelduck and 2 Mute Swan.

I turned my attention back to the sea wall when I got distracted into photography again as 12 Meadow Pipits, 3 Wheatears and half a dozen Linnets fed almost along the tideline at the base of the sea wall close to where I sat. The Linnets evaded my camera but the others didn’t.

Meadow Pipit
Wheatear
Wheatear

Up near Worm Pool I could see 20 or so corvids harassing a Buzzard so I set off in that direction, almost treading on a Grey Partridge in the process, but by the time I got closer to Fluke Hall the Buzzard had drifted inland. Oh well, I’d just seen five raptors in the space of an hour or two, not a bad morning’s work.