Still Balmy

Driving up to Pilling this morning I listened to a radio programme where the presenters discussed how this November is set to be the warmest on record. So until the UK sits receives cooler air from the east or north, birding will stay a little quiet with some species in low numbers and yet others apparently absent altogether.

That synopsis is my justification for a quiet couple of hours with amazingly similar notebook entries to recent days, together with an absence of new sightings or additional species. However it was an agreeable morning, and for the record here are the sightings.

Ridge Farm and Fluke Hall Lane: 45 Linnet, 8 Greenfinch, 9 Reed Bunting, 14 Blackbird, 2 Little Egret, 2 Snipe, 8 Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit, 12 Tree Sparrow, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Treecreeper, 400+ Jackdaw, 300+ Woodpigeon and a herd of 32 Whooper Swan. On the drive from Lambs Lane, I’d already counted 15/20 Blackbirds, so although there are plenty of those around, there are no Redwings or Fieldfares to be found. Even if the coloured thrushes turn up now there is also a distinct lack of hawthorn berries for them to feed on, and with the benefit of hindsight 2011 has not been a very berry year.

Whooper Swan
Reed Bunting
Tree Sparrow

Lane Ends/Pilling Water: A Stoat ran across the road stayed hidden under the hawthorns when I stopped the car, but as I parked up for a few minutes waiting for the animal to show I spotted the regular Merlin crossing Backsands Lane then perching up on the inner embankment. Looking from the car park the Peregrine was 500 yards out, immobile on the same bit of marsh it has occupied all week, likewise 6 Little Egrets walking in and out of the familiar tidal channels. A walk to Pilling Water revealed just 2 Skylarks and the regular Kestrel.

At Pilling Water the Hi-fly bloke bemoaned the lack of wildfowl, with just 150 Teal and a handful of Pintail on their pools, plus his one and only Woodcock sighting of the autumn. As we chatted he related how there may have been up to 30,000 Pink-footed Geese in recent times, an extraordinary number if correct, but counting or possibly duplicating restless geese can be a more inexact science than counting birds that pass by just once. My count today of the many overhead skeins of geese heading in various directions, in and out of the marsh, and beyond the tide line was in comparison a miserable 3,500.

He told me how last winter during the snow, frost and days of 600 Teal he saw a Bittern, stood bolt upright trying to merge into the background of maize as the loaded quad chugged past. “Not much chance of a Bittern or more wildfowl just yet” we agreed, as we had a good old moan about the British weather.

The wind should drop overnight; let’s hope there are a few birds at the ringing sites.

Those Chaffinch

We ringed lots of Chaffinches at Out Rawcliffe this autumn, but most of the time Will and I were too busy on a daily basis to look in detail at the age/sex ratio of the birds we caught, other than mentally note how many were both females and first calendar year/juveniles.

The ringing site on Rawcliffe Moss is approximately 6 miles from Garstang, a town on the very western edge of the Pennines. In North West Lancashire during autumn mornings there is a marked but mainly inland movement south of Chaffinches, a phenomenon which is often very pronounced in the first few or occasionally several hours after dawn. The visible passage begins in August, peaks during September, declines somewhat during October to then virtually fizzle out in November. This dispersal of Chaffinches has been described by several observers recording the visible migration of many bird species in the Pennines area of Lancashire.

I looked at our captures made between the months of August to October in the two years 2010 and 2011. During 2010 we caught 332 individuals, and then 375 in 2011, a total of 707 captures in the two autumn periods.

Chaffinch

The BTO Migration Atlas states that Chaffinches involved in autumnal movements are thought to be 90% first year birds, predominantly females. Our data from Out Rawcliffe supports the idea that the Chaffinches passing through there are largely juvenile/1st Calendar Year (1CY) females. The wing lengths of the birds involved also show that the same Chaffinches are probably entirely from the UK population.

Chaffinch wing lengths occur in the range of 81mm to 98mm for males and 73mm to 89mm for females, so although there are overlaps in biometrics, plumage differences make separating the sexes easy. Birds from northern and eastern populations can be slightly larger, often with a longer wing length, whereby males with a wing more than 93mm or females with a wing length greater than 86mm may originate from more migratory Scandinavian or Eastern European populations.

Chaffinch

Of the 707 Chaffinches captured during the autumns of 2010 or 2011 none could be positively identified as of Scandinavian or continental origin. In the Autumn of 2010, there were 2 Chaffinches caught on 1st November each with a wing length of 93mm which might be considered none-UK birds, but not definitely so as both were large adult males. In the autumn of 2011 there were 2 Chaffinches both on 28th October 2011, with wing lengths of 92 and 93mm respectively which might be considered non-UK birds. The timing of these 4 captures fits well with the suggestion of continental birds reaching the north west of the UK in the later part of autumn via south east England when more migratory continental Chaffinches spread north and west.

Table: Age/Sex ratios of Chaffinches

Month	Total Captures	Adults (% of Total Captures)	1CYs (% of Total Captures)	1CY male (% of 1CYs)	1CY female (% of 1CYs)
Aug 2010	27	9 (33%)	18 (67%)	5 (28%)	13 (72%)
Aug 2011	44	5 (11%)	39 (89%)	17 (43%)	22 (57%)
Sep 2010	263	48 (18%)	215 (82%)	71 (33%)	144 (67%)
Sep 2011	228	35 (15%)	193 (85%)	88 (45%)	105 (55%)
Oct 2010	42	16 (38%)	26 (62%)	8 (31%)	18 (69%)
Oct 2011	103	17 (17%)	86 (83%)	37 (43%)	49 (57%)

From the 700+ Chaffinches the number of recaptures was very low, supporting the idea of onward dispersal. If anything the low number of meaningful records of birds first ringed in 2010 and then recaptured in 2011 without recapture in-between, suggest that some experienced Chaffinches use exactly the same dispersal route and stop overs each year.

Chaffinch

Double Pegging

A fine, warm but somewhat breezy Sunday morning meant a few hours birding and breathing space around local spots before the hordes hit the streets.

Conder Green lost its attraction to me in recent months, but I called in for a quick look this morning to see what I’d been missing. Not a lot it seems, the pool as deserted as ever it was with just a single Little Grebe on the whole expanse of water. There were 5 more Little Grebes in the creek, along with 95 of my favourite duck the diminutive Teal. Whatever a Teal may lack in size it certainly makes up it in character, flying ability, wildness and simple beauty. A quick look on the Lune revealed 22 Goldeneye.

Teal
Teal

I tried my luck down Hillam Lane, where an improvement on CG saw 375 Curlew, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Little Egret, 15 Chaffinch, 8 Tree Sparrow, 5 Blackbird, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel.

At the old faithful sites of Lane Ends, Pilling Water and Fluke Hall where there was a bit more activity. On the outer marsh at Lane Ends were 4 Barnacle Geese of dubious origin, well apart from several thousand Pink-footed Geese and 22 Whooper Swans of impeccable pedigree, with at least 9 Little Egrets and 2 Grey Heron. Also out on the marsh was a big, bright male Peregrine which sat unmoved for at least an hour, even as I walked to Pilling Water then back to Lane Ends. At one point an even larger Peregrine, this one a female flew close to and above the male before then flying over the sea wall and south west towards Preesall, but it’s not unusual to see two or even three Peregrines here given the abundance of food.

Peregrine courtesy of USFWS
Small stuff in the planation - 1 Jay, several Blackbirds and 1 Reed Bunting.

Pilling Water produced 1 Buzzard heading off towards Fluke Hall plus the now inevitable Green Sandpiper. Also, 1 Kestrel, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Skylark, 2 Snipe and 2 Linnet.

At Fluke Hall, a single Goldcrest and a silent Chiffchaff.

Chiffchaff

The Final Curtain?

After the last couple of sessions Rawcliffe Moss is definitely running short of autumn birds, but after the overnight rain cleared and with a half decent forecast, Will and I decided to have another go this morning, mainly in the hope of connecting with the elusive thrushes of 2011.

There was a suggestion of a few or more at dawn, perhaps even locally roosting ones, but no true visible migration which could increase a pathetic count of 12 Fieldfare, 8 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush and 8 Blackbirds. Chaffinch numbers were similarly low with less than 50, coupled with 3 Lesser Redpoll and 40+ Goldfinch, the latter all local feeding birds.

We finished a short session with just 11 new birds, 3 Redwing, 3 Blackbird, 4 Chaffinch and a Wren. No recaptures today.

Redwing
Wren

Other birds and animals today: 1 Tawny Owl, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 6 Snipe, 50+ Skylark, 5 Meadow Pipit, 10 Reed Bunting, 4 Corn Bunting, 9 Roe Deer.

Looking west towards Pilling Moss this morning we saw the most enormous, dense flock of Starlings which when they took to the air, we estimated at up to 20,000 birds wheeling around, but there may have been many more.

Starling

Will has been putting feed out at a site near Myerscough in readiness for a switch to winter ringing. He reports over 50 Chaffinch and several Tree Sparrows already coming to the seed, so we may switch allegiance soon and return to the moss next spring.

Chaffinch

Can It Be Magic?

There’s always excitement at Knott End, but not always in the birding line. This morning three police cars arrived to deal with a stolen van, doors left-open and abandoned on the beach; so much for my quiet walk along the esplanade when half the village turned out to see what all the fuss was about. So I clocked the 18 Eider, 4 Pied Wagtail, 8 Turnstone and the 1500+ Oystercatcher then headed off to Pilling for a walk.

Lane Ends turned up 4 Little Egret, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Jay, 2 Meadow Pipits and three falcons in the similar but different shapes of Peregrine, Kestrel and Merlin. The Peregrine was dashing over the edge of the marsh scattering everything in sight, including 1500+ Lapwings while the Kestrel patrolled the embankment without causing so much as a stir.

Normally I see a Merlin in high speed aerobatic pursuit of prey, ducking and diving, dashing about trying to catch small passerines or waders, but the one I watched today spent a long time fence hopping and then ground feeding by walking about searching for food. If this is the same Merlin which has been around Lane Ends for a week or two there aren’t many small passerines about for a hungry soul at the moment, but Merlins are known to consume insect prey, for instance beetles and moths, although they need a lot in numbers as substitute for the weight of a single small bird. As they always are, the Merlin was pretty distant and the picture well cropped, but I think it’s a juvenile female if that’s relevant.

Merlin

In the car park I chatted to a couple of wildfowlers who also thought that 15,000 Pink-footed Geese was a near enough estimate for recent morning and evening gatherings, but unlike me they didn’t hear the Siskin that flew over - It’s very worrying when people with guns can’t identify birds. A single Jay and several Blackbirds were the only additions to my Lane Ends list.

Siskin

Up to Pilling Water where I added 3 more Little Egret and 3 Grey Heron, 30 Whooper Swan, 22 Teal, 3 Wigeon, 4 Linnet, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Skylark. As I remarked, not many passerines about today, so that poor little Merlin needs to pull something out of the hat.

Linnet

Lightning Never Strikes Twice

I couldn’t make it Monday, but on the very cold, frosty morning Will went to Out Rawcliffe on his own and caught thrushes, 18 Redwings, 4 Fieldfares and a single Blackbird from a cast of several hundred. It was the only morning for weeks when the early morning movement proved hefty enough for a good catch.

So with a less than perfect forecast we hoped to do the same today. But as we all know from the age old saying but which is actually based on a long-standing myth, “lightning never strikes twice in the same place”. But the maxim proved accurate this morning, the difference possibly due to the 100% cloud cover which provided a dank, dismal and occasionally drizzly morning when our sightings of Redwings and Fieldfares were counted at about 30 of each in the hour after dawn.

However we did manage a few bits and pieces of 13 new birds and 5 recaptures. New: 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Goldfinch, 3 Chaffinch, 1 Goldcrest and 1 each of the elusive thrushes Redwing and Fieldfare. Recaptures: 2 Goldfinch, 2 Great Tit and 1 Robin.

Goldcrest

Redwing
Reed Bunting

This morning’s bird watching, or more exactly goose watching, proved more enthralling than our quiet ringing session as wave after wave of Pink-footed Geese made their way from the Pilling direction and towards the surrounding stubble fields of Rawcliffe. From 7am to 11 am we counted approximately 15,000 geese heading our way then landing in several areas of the moss, and watched as at least five birds were brought down by forewarned shooters with expectant freezers.

Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose

In the overcast murk, other birding was predictably poor, but we saw our first Woodcock of the autumn, 1 Barn Owl, 4 Snipe, 2 Song Thrush, 3 Lesser Redpoll and 14 Reed Bunting.

When Will It End?

Before I could set off this morning I had to clear the windscreen of a little frost, the first real bite of the winter. Then as Will and I met up at 0630 on Rawcliffe Moss we saw the ground was white and crunchy underfoot.

It’s been a busy and successful year in the plantation, with over 1550 new birds ringed since 8th March, together with 230 recaptures, but in the last week or so migration has slowed to a virtual halt, with no second wave of thrushes to occupy our mornings. We thought today’s session might be the last of the year before we move to winter ringing sites, but we added another 49 birds, 40 new and 9 recaptures, including favoured target species. So we may just have another crack in a day or two before moving on to pastures old.

Today’s new birds: 15 Goldfinch, 10 Chaffinch, 8 Reed Bunting, 3 Blackbird, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Dunnock, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Wren. Recaptures: 6 Goldfinch and 1 each of Great Tit, Dunnock and Reed Bunting.

The main features of the morning were the number of Goldfinch coming to Nyger feeders, plus the continued passage through the site of Reed Buntings. The sudden cold snap may have induced the local Goldfinches to visit our feeders and/or there are other Goldfinches moving through the area as they head south. Our Reed Bunting count for the morning was 20 individuals, a figure which includes the nine captures.

Once again thrushes were noticeable by their absence with just a dozen or so each of the two main culprits Redwing and Fieldfare in the hour after dawn. The three Blackbirds caught were quite large, long-winged individuals so we mentally assigned them to migratory status rather than back garden dwellers.

The juvenile Goldfinch shown immediately below was an early 0730 catch, momentarily reluctant to leave the relative comfort of our ringing station to head back into the cold morning air, the other a fine adult male.

Goldfinch
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting – first calendar year male
Reed Bunting – adult male
Fieldfare

Other sightings 0630 to 1130: 1 Barn Owl, 2 Tawny Owl, 2 Kestrel, 8 Whooper Swan, 7000+ Pink- footed Goose, 80+ Skylark, 8 Snipe, 2 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll. The sight of 5 Roe Deer running across the pastures added to a fine morning's work and pleasure.

Roe Deer