Tale Of The Unexpected

Looks like everyone will have to wait for another day to see Hoopoe pictures, as by all accounts one or two people would quite like to see pictures of today’s Montagu’s Harrier. But first the story. 

After lunch I’d gone to Lane Ends hoping for Wheatears and a chance of catching and ringing one or two. Wheatears are definitely late this year with parties of 8 to 10 or even more still being seen at coastal and inland locations. There were none obvious at Lane Ends but up at Pilling Water at least 6 birds were scattered across the marsh and several more in the fields just inland, with a total of 12. The later season “Greenland” Wheatears seem to feed more in open fields than earlier in the spring Wheatears, the latter much likely to spend time loafing about the rocks and stones along the shore. It’s probably something to do with the eventual destinations and the differing habitats they utilise in those locations. I caught one, a second year female with a wing length of 101mm, quite a large but not enormous specimen. All the others stayed out in fields or out on the salt marsh so I didn’t catch any more. 

 Wheatear

 Wheatear

Wheatear

As I crouched down resetting a spring trap the alarm calls of waders made me look up and around to see a male Montagu’s Harrier being harried by a couple of Oystercatchers. The harrier was flying north and west, and quickly out of range but I grabbed the camera from my bag and fired off a few rapid shots hoping the setting was ok from previous use. The harrier disappeared out of sight very quickly, so apologies for the heavily cropped and distant record shots but they show the interesting size comparison between the harrier and Oystercatchers. 

Montagu's Harrier & Oystercatcher

Montagu's Harrier

Very little else in the notebook today: 2 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler, 4 Linnet, 4 House Sparrow, 12 Skylark, 1 Pied Wagtail, 18 Lapwing and 6 Redshank. Monty’s are pretty rare in the Fylde, but I wish I’d caught more than a single Wheatear today. 

Hoopoes tomorrow unless something unexpected intervenes.

Catching Up

Before this morning my last notebook entry for Pilling was 26th April, so there was a lot of catching up to do after missing three weeks of birding there. 

Looking at blogs and web sites for the period I was on holiday, it seems I didn’t miss much at Lane Ends, but then not a lot of people bird properly there to find much; a sit in the car park, telescope the tide in, a bit of chat, and maybe a cursory walk to the gates 50 yards either way, but no searching of the trees before heading off to a target bird. Seems there was a Cuckoo a week ago but not much else throughout the whole of May! 

Two pairs of Lapwings had young this morning, two big “runners” and then two smaller ones with another pair of adults, the little ones too far away and too public for a ringer’s pursuit. In song in the plantation was a very loud Blackcap, with 2 untiring Willow Warblers and a Reed Warbler. Overhead a late presumed (Lesser) Redpoll flew over calling with a couple of Chaffinch giving “nest-nearby” warnings, plus a Great-spotted Woodpecker. The pair of Little Grebes still trill on the water while nesting Greylags control the island. 

Little Grebe

Pilling Water to Fluke was I admit fairly uneventful, save for 5 Wheatears, 2 Linnet and several pairs of Lapwing, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Skylark. I guess by now the Wheatears must be Greenland types, the one I managed to photograph a big and bright male. 

Wheatear

With seeing the young Lapwings At Lane Ends I decided to check out Braides Farm where I have permission to roam and where the RSPB carried out some ditching work in an effort to reinstate breeding waders. After a couple of dry, unproductive years re-profiling a few ditches this year has worked in the Lapwing’s and other species' favour; I found at least five broods of Lapwing chicks, 4 or five displaying Redshank, a couple of territorial Oystercatchers, 6+ singing Skylarks and a displaying Meadow Pipit. It’s not a good idea to search for Lapwing chicks to ring when inquisitive cows follow in your footsteps, so I left well alone content that here at least Lapwings are doing well. So full marks to the farmer and the RSPB that Braides is a now a shining example of wildlife conservation to this stretch of coastline and much of the Fylde. 

 Lapwing chick hiding

Lapwing

When I viewed west along the RSPB’s ditch to see the number of flowers growing in the meadow I thought for a moment I was back in Menorca, but I couldn’t see Cattle Egrets or hear Bee Eaters, just a Mute Swan on a nest. 

 Braides Farm

 Mute Swan

Cattle Egret

The illusion lasted a moment, broken by the sight of the herd of Belted Galloway cattle, a breed which originates in the harsh upland climate of the Galloway hills in beautiful south west Scotland. The “Beltie” as it is affectionately known is one of the most visually distinctive breeds of cattle, its many merits lie not only in its unique appearance and good nature, but also in its hardiness and top quality beef. 

 Belted Galloways - Belties

If I don’t get out birding tomorrow I’ll post pictures of breeding Hoopoes from Menorca.

A Bit Of Everything

It’s all very well this going on holiday but there’s an awful lot of catching up to do eventually. 

I spent this morning checking Tree Sparrow boxes at Out Rawcliffe: without much luck as it happened because a couple of broods had obviously fledged, three adults were on eggs and the remaining boxes were occupied by either Blue or Great Tit. No joy with two owl boxes but the visit was productive in other ways as I met a neighbouring farmer who would like both Barn Owl and Little Owl boxes on his own farm – a job for Will when he returns from Scotland. Also here, 2 singing Yellowhammer, 2 Whitethroat, a singing Willow Warbler and a singing Lesser Whitethroat. 

 Whitethroat

A visit to our ringing site was overdue, mainly to see how much the vegetation had encroached on net rides during wet and windy May, but all was quite good with a netting session on the cards soon. Walking through the plantation I came across a couple of nests, a Chaffinch one with 4 eggs and then 25 metres away an unfinished and as yet empty nest which looked very Chaffinch-like. 

 Chaffinch Nest

Chaffinch Nest?

Other birds here, 8 Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap and 6 Willow Warbler, 1 Buzzard overhead, 6 Yellowhammer and 3 Corn Bunting. 

Again this year in Menorca I was struck by how common the Corn Bunting still is as a result of the islander’s traditional farming methods. Another prominent feature of the Corn Bunting in Menorca is their apparently large bills compared to ones I see locally in Lancashire. There are some shots below, and maybe I just captured pictures of particularly large Menorcan males in the unyielding Menorca sunlight, but the bill does appear very hefty. 

Birds of the Western Palearctic (BWP) suggests that although both Menorcan and UK Corn Buntings are of the nominate race Miliaria calandra, the Balearic Corn Buntings are if anything marginally smaller than their UK cousins. 

Corn Bunting - Lancashire

 Corn Bunting - Menorca

 Corn Bunting - Menorca

In Menorca the fields of summer flowers are left as winter fodder for the local cattle, a system which inevitably leads to an abundance of arable seeds for wintering Corn Buntings, finches and larks.

Linnet

 

 Menorca Flower Field

Menorca Flowers

Home

After 19 days in Menorca we arrived home Wednesday pm and to rain today. 

Soon I will get out for some local birding and ringing but in the meantime here are a few words and pictures for loyal blog readers - I promise to catch up with everyone later today after some essential homecoming chores. 

One of our favourite places in Menorca is Cap de Cavallaria a rather remote but beautiful spot on the north coast of the island, the furthermost parts and difficult rocky terrain so inaccessible and free from disturbance that it is home to large numbers of breeding shearwaters. Of course the shearwaters are impossible to see in the daytime except somewhat distant out to sea but the sparsely vegetated rocky landscape is home to Raven, Stonechat, Thekla Lark, Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit, Corn Bunting, Greenfinch, Linnet, Booted Eagle, Blue Rock Thrush and Kestrel amongst others. 

 Short-toed Lark

 

Tawny Pipit

 Coffee Stop

 Information and distant lighthouse

 Route to the lighthouse

After the trek to the lighthouse and a welcome coffe stop there are Larks, Greenfinch and Spotted Flycatchers usually close by, and very often, migrant Bee Eaters on the roadside wires. 

Spotted Flycatcher

 Bee Eater

That’s all for now - back soon.

Scorchio

Every day is just sunny and 25 degrees, not like the UK weather we watch on Sky TV.

This week we spent time in the north of the island visiting a few tourist honey pots and such like. Of course wherever you go in Menorca there are birds pretty much exclusive to this part of the Mediterranean and although they are never easy to find, the Mediterranean birds in the gentle Menorca landscape make the island a great place for a visit. 

First stop today was Punta Nati with a stop en route to see if the roadside Cattle Egret colony still prospers. Of course it’s still there but impossible to see or count the active nests in the thick pines without disturbing the birds which by early May are feeding young. 

Cattle Egret

The open skies up here were full of raptors, probably many of them migrating north, with Kestrels, Booted Eagles and Marsh Harriers the most common ones, but a smattering of Hobby and Red-footed Falcon. Around the lighthouse flit Blue Rock Thrushes, Skylarks, Thekla Larks and more Tawny Pipits. 

Thekla Lark

When the weather is a bit cool and windy the quiet north of the island can seem a wild, even inhospitable place, the eerie calls of Stone Curlews echoing that impression, but seeing one of these grey, camouflaged and shy birds amongst the rocky landscape is a different matter to finding Blue Rock Thrushes which perch up obligingly.

 Blue Rock Thrush

I'd better hit the trail back towards the hotel, an evening swim and then dinner before more birding tomorrow. It's a hard life but someone has to do it.

Late news. A couple of good finds this week were Whiskered Tern and then Bittern, the latter very rare in Menorca, so it was quite a surprise to see one walk across the road and disappear into the reeds at Tirant. Getting some good photographs too this week of Bee Eater, Short-toed Lark, Thekla Lark and Woodchat plus a Scops Owl so close I only got the top half in the shot.
 

Yes, That island Again

Here’s a quick update for blog readers and apologies that I do not have time to visit all my internet friends blogs and answer their comments. i will get back to you all soon. In the meantime and a week on the sun tans are taking shape and we are acclimatised once again to the Menorcan pace of life. 

After 4 days in Es Mercadal we moved on to Santo Tomas, a quiet seaside resort in May, a place to strike out for a walk east along the shore and then inland to Es Migjorn Gran or west towards the resort of Son Bou. Either way is good for a spot of immediate birding with Audouin’s and Yellow-legged Gulls providing the background chorus as we find Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Turtle Dove and Hoopoe before we leave the resort. 

 Yellow-legged Gull

 

 Audouin's Gull 

 As the ground opens out we scan the rocky shore and see Common Sandpipers and then bump into Blue Rock Thrush, Stonechat and late Wheatears still heading north.

Commmon Sandpiper

Upon reaching Platja de Binigaus, the nudist beach, we become a little circumspect with use of binoculars, but notch up Kestrels, Booted Eagles and Red Kite by diverting eyes left to watch the inland fields and tree line. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

We followed the inland path to Es Migjorn, a quiet, friendly sort of place with too many cafes which serve good coffee but a town where siesta is taken seriously. There was a plan, walk back to the shore through meandering paths where we found the Nightingales, Woodchats, Corn Buntings and Golden Orioles of recent years. Nothing much changes in Menorca, except that I’d love to get a shot of a shy Golden Oriole. 

 Woodchat Shrike

More from Anothe Bird Blog in Menorca soon.

In Menorca

It’s that time of year where we find ourselves in Menorca again. We took an early flight arriving a few days before most tourists and in advance of resorts opening for the season, so booked in at a local hotel in Es Mercadal, a quiet town in the centre of the island. Es Mercadal is within easy reach of good birding spots, including the hot spots of Tirant and Cap de Cavallaria. 

Tirant is always the first spot to visit, a mix of habitats including marsh, reedbed and farmland, so we weren’t disappointed with a tally of Woodchat Shrikes, Bee Eaters, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron and Marsh Harrier, plus a few wading birds like Wood Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. It’s easy to take the ubiquitous Sardinian Warblers for granted, as they rattle away hidden from view in every bit of cover but just occasionally showing themselves, even in a bit of a breeze on the exposed peninsula of the Cap de Cavallaria. The drive up the headland is a good place to bag Tawny Pipits and Short-toed Larks and with luck a migrating Montague’s Harrier. 

We took a welcome coffee break at the café before the headland where the open landscape makes ideal habitat for Tawny Pipits, Stonechats, Thekla Larks, Egyptian Vultures and with luck Stone Curlews. 

Sardinian Warbler

 Tawny Pipit

Soon after I engineered a few Brownie points by driving Sue up to Ciutadella. Visiting here is not a bore because the old Menorcan captal of Ciutadella is recognised as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a place in which to have a camera at the ready. 

Ciutadella

More from menorca soon.