Solo Session

With everyone else otherwise engaged I set off for Rawcliffe Moss this morning for a solo ringing session, so promised myself not too many nets; it’s not the putting up, it’s the taking down that’s the chore, especially after tramping around several times until mid-morning, then taking in nets just as morning warms up and the horse flies begin to remove lumps of flesh. The Suzuki must have been the first vehicle along the moss track this morning, early enough to see a Fox disappear into the roadside hawthorns and then dozens of Swallows doing a dawn fly around before all going their separate ways.

I had an interesting little session with more Sylvias and Phylosscs amongst the 27 birds caught, 22 new and 5 recaptures. New: 6 Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 3 Goldfinch, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Chaffinch and 1 Chiffchaff; 4 nestling Blackbirds made up the 22 new. The 5 recaptures were 3 Goldfinch, 1 Blackcap and 1 Great Tit.

Willow Warbler
Chaffinch
Whitethroat
Blackbird nest
Blackbird nestling

Apart from the ringing, I saw the usual array of birds: 2 Buzzard, 4 Skylark, 60+ Swallow, 2 Corn Bunting, 18 Whitethroat, 15 Linnet and 22 Goldfinch. The Goldfinches were about the farm today, but feeding on thistle heads, not using our niger seed much, hence the lower numbers caught compared to recent efforts.

Whitethroat
Swallow
Linnet

Whites and Wags

Fluke Hall Lane was quite busy with small birds this morning, mostly Whitethroats and Tree Sparrows, but it was easier to see and count the 15+ Whitethroats than it was to get to grips with the 30 or more Tree Sparrows. There are lots of Tree Sparrow boxes at Fluke Hall, and by now onto on their third broods so I imagine the count was a serious underestimate, but Tree Sparrows are good at hiding from view for both counts and photographs.

Whitethroat
Whitethroat
Whitethroat

Tree Sparrows seem to have had a good year locally and our own Fylde Ringing Group has ringed over 300 Tree Sparrow nestlings this year, mostly due to Paul’s 260+ ringed at Singleton, Warton and Stalmine.

Tree Sparrow

A quick look from the sea wall at Fluke Hall revealed a distant tide and a couple of Alba wagtails, a species definitely on the move this morning. On the way to Lane Ends and near Pilling school I also counted 30+ of the House Sparrow variety together with 6 Linnet.

Linnet

My Lane Ends to Pilling walk revealed another Whitethroat, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Kestrel, 23 Linnet, 6 Goldfinch, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Meadow Pipit, 8 Skylark, 40 Swallow, 8 House Martin and 210 Lapwings. I watched as several of the Lapwings kept dive-bombing something out of my sight but hidden by a depression in the marsh. They had found a Sparrowhawk, plucking some recent prey item, and when the hawk lifted off and headed towards Pilling village, I saw it was a female and still carrying the remains of its victim.

There was a slight easterly breeze this morning and a very noticeable movement of Alba wagtails arriving from the south east then heading out onto the marsh where they stayed in a loose flock of 22+ birds, mostly if not all Pied Wagtails. Along the outer creek and on the wildfowler’s pools were 2 Grey Heron, 4 Little Egret, 4 Common Sandpiper and 8 Redshank.

Pied Wagtail
Little Egret

Mixed Fortunes

Will and I met up at 6am start for our Rawcliffe Moss ringing session today. We set our usual quota of nets, some that might catch warblers, and yet other nets in finch feeding spots. We didn’t get too many species but found several of this year’s targets with more Goldfinches and Whitethroats to add to those already caught this year.

In all we processed 42 birds, 31 new and 11 recaptures. New birds: 12 Goldfinch (11 juveniles, 1 adult), 10 Whitethroat (9 juveniles, 1 adult), 4 Willow Warbler (3 adults, 1 juvenile), 3 Blackcap and 2 Dunnock. Recaptures: 7 Goldfinch, 2 Sedge Warbler and 2 Whitethroat.

A quick check of our Goldfinch total for June/July reveals 59 individuals, 53 juvenile birds of the year and 6 adults; this is a healthy proportion of youngsters which points to the continuing success of this species and a good breeding season, as yet only part way through. In comparison, the 43 Whitethroats caught in June/July comprise 9 adults and 34 juveniles, healthy enough proportions after a slow start.

Goldfinch - juvenile
Whitethroat

In absolute contrast to the latter two species, the age ratios of 23 Willow Warblers captured here in June/July are reversed with 18 adults but only 5 juveniles. This is a fairly small sample on which to base any conclusions but does seem to bear out field observations and a general impression of a poor breeding year for Willow Warblers.

Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Blackcap

We continue to catch good numbers of Goldfinch because in July we already employ niger feeders in the plantation, where the Goldfinches took a week or so to find new feeders but are now literally all over them. As seed forms on their natural foods it will be interesting to see how our feeders perform.

Goldfinch - juvenile
Goldfinch - juvenile

Our birding morning proved fairly uneventful with the usual fare and as yet no sign of visible migration but possibly the beginnings of a Swallow roost somewhere in the area: Sightings: 2 Kestrel, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 18 Tree Sparrow, 70+ Swallow, 3 Buzzard, 1 Reed Bunting, 5 Skylark, 2 Yellowhammer and a Little Owl on a Big Post.

Little Owl

Pause For Thought

Things were very quiet at Pilling this morning, both in the trees and on the pools, the Tufted Duck with 5 young to the east with 4 Little Grebe and a Little Egret on the west pool. The Kestrels were around again, but only 2 of three local youngsters this morning and playing at Hobbies, or at least the Swallows and House Martins thought so. As the two Kestrels hunted up and down the sea wall they did so to an entourage of twittering hirundines.

Kestrel
Kestrel

In the absence of any tidal movement my bird counts up at Pilling Water and beyond were low again; 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Grey Heron, 90+Lapwing, 40 Curlew, 6 Greenfinch, 7 Linnet, 8 Goldfinch, 2 Pied/Alba Wagtail, 2 Stock Dove, 12 Skylark, another Kestrel, 8 Swift and 2 Meadow Pipit. There was absolutely nothing on the wildfowler’s now dried up again pools, and the planned for half day trek became a flying visit.

Things were so quiet at Pilling that I spent a few hours doing essential maintenance at Our Rawcliffe moss ringing site in preparation for weekend ringing. It was mainly beating back rampant bramble and willowherb from mist net rides and our pathways, together with a little judicial tree pruning. Naturally I had a look around and found the expected array of birds in the plantation and along the hedgerows with 2 Blackcap, 5 Willow Warbler, 7 Whitethroat, 5 Skylark, 12 Tree Sparrow, 30 Goldfinch, 2 Linnet and 1 Corn Bunting. The latter appears still to be the only singing male on the extensive farm this year, with one brood of youngsters so far.

Corn Bunting

In this area of West Lancashire, known as the Fylde, the breeding population of Corn Bunting in 2011 appears to be at critically low levels, the lowest I have seen in thirty years of local birding and ringing. In some years a small wintering or even spring gathering of Corn Buntings appears on local mosses. However these may not be individuals from the very scarce Fylde breeding population and in the absence of any meaningful studies of these transient birds no one can be sure if any of them originate from Lancashire or even the North West of the UK.

I also saw 3 Yellowhammer, another Fylde species clinging on to existence in a similar way to the Corn Bunting; both species could now be classified as “very scarce and localised breeders” – how sad. The Yellowhammers were in the process of feeding young, probably a second brood by now, but with the size of the food items the female brought in, I decided not to look for a nest.

Yellowhammer - male
Yellowhammer - female

Other birds: 40 Lapwing, 3 Buzzard, 100+ Swallow over the silage and barley fields, 4 Swift, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tawny Owl, 1 Little Owl and 1 Kestrel.

That’s A Big Swallow

At last, a morning without rain. First priority this morning was checking the Hambleton Swallows where the second broods are later in the season than is normal. I knew from previous notes at least one nest would have chicks for ringing, or that is if they had managed to survive the last 3 days of rain and the resulting reduced food intake. I needn’t have worried, as although the five youngsters have proved to be slow developers, they were large enough for a ring each. Three other second nests were at full egg stage but a week or two behind their normal progress at this time of year.

Graham the land owner who follows the success and failures of his Swallows with huge interest asked me “Have you seen the nest in the old garage?” the old building that Swallows use in some years only. Off I went anticipating a new Swallow nest I had overlooked but found instead a Woodpigeon guarding a nest with a sizeable chick. That’s the first Woodpigeon chick I ever ringed in a building.

Woodpigeon
Woodpigeon

The day brightened further, enough to chance a walk down Pilling Way. The sea wall was rather quiet, even the finches down to single digit counts of Linnet, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Meadow Pipit. I came across another 3J Wheatear, an unringed bird but a similar looking individual to the one I caught on 12th July. This latest bird was also attracted to a meal worm lunch.

Wheatear - juvenile
Wheatear - juvenile
Wheatear - juvenile

Between Pilling Water and Fluke Hall my counts were of 700 Curlew, 115 Lapwing, 18 Oystercatcher, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Pied Wagtail and 3 Grey Heron. I finished my agreeable morning on a nice little high with 3 Little-ringed Plovers on the wildfowler’s pools, filling up nicely after the recent rain – It’s an ill wind etc.

Little-ringed Plover

Looking For The Sunday Sun?

The forecast was correct. Two days of rain, Saturday and now Sunday, with the weather extracting revenge for last week’s fine days.

But this morning, bursting with optimism despite the cloud filled sky I had set off for Pilling and on the way clocked 2 Barn Owls again, one at Burned House Lane and a second one flying across the road at Lambs Lane. After yesterday’s rain the fields alongside Biker Mile were crowded with Curlew and Lapwing, several hundred of each as I stopped at Gulf Lane in the hope of seeing a third Barn Owl; I didn’t, so turned the car around and headed back to Lane Ends where in the morning quiet I picked out singing Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler then watched a nearby Willow Warbler moving through the greenery.

Barn Owl with a Rat
Chiffchaff
Lapwing
Curlew

The plan was a walk to Fluke and then back to the car park, but looking west and south all was grey. Within ten minutes the rains arrived again so I abandoned play for the time being.

Over lunch I switched on our Sky-free TV for yet more news and views on the shameful, murky world of Murdoch with its shady, back-slapping politicians, policemen, journalists and hangers-on who live therein. In disgust I zapped the remote control to “standby” and hoped the sun might shine a light into dark corners of UK life or that I might get a few hours for afternoon birding or ringing a few Swallows.

It wasn’t to be, and at 2.30pm rain still piled in from the west. It became time to sort the hundreds of photographs that clutter up the PC, abandoned for months on end as new, superior, more current ones arrive from another birding day for urgent cropping and Photoshopping for the blog.

I found a few old but respectable pictures to make the page up for today; Greater Sand Plover, Bluethroat and Cattle Egret from sunnier days in Egypt. It’s strange to look back and think that when we were there in January and February of 2011 it was ordinary Egyptians who took to the streets to sort out the corruption in the Egyptian establishment.

Greater Sand Plover
Bluethroat
Cattle Egret

No sign of the Sunday Sun then? Thank goodness.

It’s Now Or Never

With the weather synopsis showing rain for Ringer’s Saturday, Friday morning became the now or never day. So off I went to Rawcliffe Moss hoping to finish about 1030 before the horse flies warm up and become hungry for blood.

Notable happenings this morning - the number of Goldfinches about, the continuing lack of juvenile Willow Warblers, recaptures dwindling as the breeding population thins out, and a Tawny Owl escaping from a mist net for the second time in as many weeks. The owl landed in the far end of a 60ft net as I was taking a Whitethroat from the opposite end. It looked towards me then flapped out and away before I could get anywhere near it. The nets aren’t really designed to hold large owls, but the day was early and I saw a second Tawny Owl later – read on!

The few nets kept me occupied with a decent catch of 29 birds, 27 new and just 2 recaptures, a Goldfinch and a moulting Willow Warbler. New birds: 17 Goldfinch, 5 Whitethroat 2 Willow Warblers – both moulting adults, and 1 each of Sedge Warbler, Dunnock and Chaffinch.

Sedge Warbler
Dunnock - juvenile
Chaffinch

Although moulting Willow Warblers look a bit messy this time of year with a mix of feathers old, new, worn, or missing, it is instructive to look closely at any emerging feathers. The adult below is in the process of renewing all flight feathers, with the tail colouration and shape a useful diagnostic feature with which to separate adults from juveniles later in the season when both newly moulted adults and fresh juveniles look very similar.

Willow Warbler – adult tail

The Goldfinch bills now betray the fact they extract seed from plants, but whether the black deposit is from our Niger seed I don’t know.

Goldfinch

Other birds seen this morning: 15 Tree Sparrow, 2 Yellowhammer, 2 Corn Bunting, 4 Skylark, 2 Buzzard, 45 Goldfinch, 120+ Lapwings on newly cut fields, and 2 Tawny Owls. Yes, the other Tawny I found on my way home, and that leaf just wouldn’t blow out of the way, but it rather made up for the earlier miss. Maybe I'll do a bit of gardening, prune that little branch and remove the overhead leaves just in case it decides to sit there another day?

Tawny Owl