Windy But Birding

Mindful of the BBC’s bad weather warnings for the next five days, I decided to brave the elements again for a spot of birding, but with rain and strong winds again, the watching would be mostly from the car.

I hadn’t been to Conder and Glasson for a while so gave those spots a try first. The wind howled across Conder Pool, the lake turned into a swelling sea where 20 Mallards sheltered on the island and 3 Little Grebe braved the rollers. Maybe the lunchtime tide was already moving in to fill the creek where the only birds I found were 4 more Little Grebe, 45 Teal, 1 Curlew and 1 Spotted Redshank, both the Teal and grebes tucked into the lee of the deep creek.

It was similar at Glasson Dock with 55 Tufted Duck and 30+ Coot congregating at the sheltered far side of the marina, 2 Goldeneye and the Black-headed Gulls dodging the breakers in the centre of the swell.

Spotted Redshank
Tufted Duck

Trying desperately to think of somewhere that might be at least partially sheltered I drove up to Thurnham where I was able to take a walk through the wood below the churchyard. It proved quite fruitful, if still a little breezy and also wet underfoot, but I found 2 Treecreeper, 2 Woodcock and 1 Tawny Owl. The owl sat in the middle of a dense holly tree, and as they do, both Woodcock flushed from close by before I could spot either. In the last two winters we caught one or two Woodcock, but none this year so far, and if the winds don’t drop there will be no birds of any species caught, never mind the buzz of finding a Woodcock in the net.

Woodcock
Woodcock

The tide was in at Lane Ends where I logged a few bits and pieces of 3 Little Egret, 55 Pintail, 80 Wigeon, 2000+ Lapwing, 155 Curlew, 340 Shelduck, 150 Starling, 3 Skylark, and 1 Merlin battling west into the headwind.

Pintail
I watched a Great Black-backed Gull check out a Little Egret which struggled against the wind, the gull waiting for a chance to pounce. Just a few weeks ago it was here that I watched a black-back kill and eat a Wigeon. It's a poor rushed shot I took, but the gull clearly shows evil intent.

Little Egret and Great Black-backed Gull

A quick check near Fluke Hall produced a good count of 93 Whooper Swan and 1500 Pink-footed Goose still on the potato field.

Whooper Swan

Grey, Black, Red

The wind and rain relented just enough for a blast around the local patch this morning, although it was a far from ideal dull, grey and breezy day, with no chance of a ringing session.

A check at Lane Ends found 13 White-fronted Geese on the field opposite the entrance, and then from above, 3 Little Egret, 3 Tufted Duck and singles of Goldeneye and Teal.

White-fronted Goose

Fluke Hall Lane proved more a little more fruitful with 8 Reed Bunting and 15 Tree Sparrow feeding at the entrance to HiFly’s track, and 200+ Jackdaw, 250+ Woodpigeon and 16 Whooper Swan on the wet stubble.

Reed Bunting

Lots of Pink-footed Geese, grey against grey of the muddy potato field, more than 1500 and many hidden from view, but when horseback riders came by the whole of the flock erupted off the field, many going further inland. In the left foreground of the picture is the orange legged bird, but otherwise I saw nothing unusual. Also in the same field were 40 Lapwing, 6 Redshank, 2 Curlew and 11 Greenfinch.

Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose

With the tide due at 11am I checked out Knott End where I caught up with the elusive Black Redstart, still ducking in and out of the metal girders and the rocks on the shore. In the same area were 21 Twite, 2 Pied Wagtail and 1 Rock Pipit.

Shore bird counts: 12 Eider, 32 Turnstone, 1 Sanderling, 48 Oystercatcher, 400+ Dunlin and 25 Redshank.

Black Redstart
Turnstone

Instant Bird Art

65 mph winds today but not as bad as Scotland with a rumoured 100mph. I found myself fooling around with FotoSketcher, a free software program that converts photographs to artwork. Some of the results are below.

It’s worth a try if your skill with pen and ink or a brush is as bad as mine.

Swallow
FotoSketch Swallow
Wheatear
FotoSketch Wheatear
You can add a picture frame, alter the paper texture, or do black & white.

Cuckoo
FotoSketch Cuckoo
Kingfisher
FotoSketch Kingfisher

Looks like the wind may drop slightly tomorrow.

A Touch Warmer Today

This time last year Sue and I holidayed in Cyprus with the lovely warm, sunny climate of Paphos for company. I wish we could be there now to escape the cold, rain and the constant winds of North West England. In the absence of any birding, ringing or photography on which the blog optimistically promises but often fails to deliver, I decided to cheer myself (and perhaps others) up by posting a few pictures from a Cyprus archive. Just look at those blue skies and then double click the pics for a warming experience.

Collared Dove
Roman Ruins

The Collared Dove just happens to be perching on part of a World Heritage building at the ancient site of Nea Pafos. The main attraction of Nea Pafos is the collection of Roman mosaics that lay undiscovered under the headland until a farmer accidentally found them with his plough back in 1962. Since then archaeologists have been slowly unearthing the most amazingly detailed mosaics, along with the ruins of the magnificent buildings that used to house them.

Crested Larks and Black Redstarts were everywhere. So were multitudes of lizards, not always easy to spot against the rocks where they hid.

Black Redstart
Crested Lark
Cyprus Lizard
Cyprus Lizard

North of Paphos along the coast road is the stunning little port of Ayos Georgios, where a much photographed church stands on the cliff top. We lingered for a coffee at the Greek tavern next door whilst watching Blue Rock Thrushes dart about the crags.

Agios Georgios
Agios Georgios
Blue Rock Thrush

Even the crows look better on sunny days, while the local football team goalpost makes a handy perch for a Kestrel.

Hooded Crow
Kestrel

Here’s a view towards Coral Bay where I had a lifer of Cyprus Warbler close to the tiny vine terrace.

Coral Bay

Shades Of Grey

A grey old morning saw strong winds, rain and then bouts of hail. Not the best conditions for birding or photography when a baseball cap is for keeping rain off specs, bins are tucked inside a jacket and the camera pre-set on ISO800 and then hidden in a dry shoulder bag.

But no excuses, I had to drive to the Myerscough ringing site and drop food for hungry but un-ringed Chaffinch and Tree Sparrows. Firstly I made a detour to Knott End where 14 Twite flew around the area of the jetty, but there was no sign of the Black Redstart, not surprising given the vicious wind that raged across the jetty and the shore where the redstart spent yesterday.

Myerscough was also in the grip of a hail and rain shower, but a number of Chaffinch and a couple of Tree Sparrow waited in the hedge for the food drop. They got the seed and a promise of shiny new rings someday soon, if and when the weather improves. The journey back took me through Out Rawcliffe where the sky seemed marginally brighter, so I stopped off for a dodging-the-showers look.

A pair of Kestrels had things to do as I watched them mate atop a hawthorn bush – it was a brief affair, but the conditions were more than a bit breezy and rather cold. Rather them than me! Seemingly, Kestrels are monogamous with pair-bonding retained long after the breeding season, and where pairs remain together the bond between them may last several years.

Kestrel

In a sort of bright interval I took a walk around the block - the hedgerow, the field, the wood, the road and then back to the car without getting too wet : 10 Reed Bunting, 9 Yellowhammer, 70 Tree Sparrow, 5 Corn Bunting, 8 Chaffinch and 5 Blackbird hiding in the hedge. In the wood a Tawny Owl sat camouflaged in the ivy as a Mistle Thrush chattered off ahead, while from the big field 4 Snipe and 6 Meadow Pipits splashed from the puddles.

Here are a couple of pictures from today – I said it was a grotty old morning.

Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer
Shades Of Grey

Black Red and Ringing

A lady from Knott End rang me to ask why there was more than one bird watcher near the jetty. I had to explain about the Black Redstart there. That’s the most exciting thing to happen at Knott End for many years. The cafe should sell a few more bacon butties this weekend.

Black Redstart

It’s still too breezy for ringing at winter sites, and stuck in the box for almost two weeks my pliers complained about feeling unloved and redundant. After several weeks of nothing much, a few Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Blackbirds returned to the garden this week, so I put up a single net to see what came along.

A few hours later I had caught a good selection of 15 birds; 6 Goldfinch, 2 Blackbird and one each of Dunnock, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Robin, Blue Tit, Song Thrush and Starling. Not bad really as I don’t normally ring many Starlings, or even Song Thrushes now they are so scarce. I'd forgotten how good looking Starlings are, but only when they behave well.

Starling
Song Thrush
Coal Tit
Blue Tit

Goldfinch can be tricky, especially now that some first year birds moult primary feathers, but the one below still has brown primary coverts.

Goldfinch
Goldfinch

The Chaffinch was a first calendar year male – pale, worn tertial feathers, worn and thin central tail feathers.

Chaffinch
Chaffinch
Chaffinch

It’s No Secret

It’s just birding at the moment with constant blustery weather making a ringing session out of the question at our wind-sensitive winter sites. The November totals will be dire but Will tells me he added one Robin to the figures when one flew into the van through an open door.

I wanted to go to Out Rawcliffe for a look around this morning before I realised today is a shoot day. A local told me there’s yet another feasibility study taking place into the siting of a “farm” of 125 metre high wind-turbines on the moss. On several occasions in the last year or two Will and I had seen the bird surveyors, birders who do the leg work of the consultants by spot counting every month. If you ask, they claim they don’t know why they are counting and what the final counts will be used for! It’s all too political for me, but I hope the same individuals have declared possibly conflicting interests to in turn, their employee and local natural history groups they represent.

This grandiose scheme is the latest attempt after an earlier proposal was chucked out a couple of years ago on the grounds of harm to the area's huge wintering flocks of Pink-footed Geese, wildfowl and breeding birds in general. Rawcliffe Moss is also a Biological Heritage Site. Don’t these companies ever give up in wanting to cover the countryside in concrete and visual eyesores? In the last month up to 15,000 geese have flown in to the moss to feed in the half light of early mornings, some of which were murky, misty, even foggy, the type of morning when geese in particular are known to lose their bearings. Fresh minced Pinkie anyone?

Pink-footed Goose
Goose Mincing Machine

There was time for a look at Pilling this morning where I found my glove from last week without finding a lot different on the bird front. Pink-footed Geese were to the fore, the foreshore in fact with circa 1500 at Fluke Hall and c2500 at Lane Ends.

Passerines proved difficult to find again with 8 Tree Sparrow, 6 Greenfinch, 11 Linnet and 22 Twite at Fluke Hall, the latter two species in separate flock as ever, but also separated by their jizz and their habitat choices. Rarely if ever do I see these closely related species together. On this occasion the Linnet were along Ridge Farm hedgerow, the Twite on the salt marsh.

Twite
Linnet

Just 18 Whooper Swans behind the sea wall with a Merlin giving a splendid fly past, but it was a Peregine that constantly spooked a couple of thousand Lapwing and 600 Teal at Broadfleet. Just 4 Little Egrets today, with 2 Goldeneye and 2 Tufted Duck on the pools.

Teal