Never A Dull Moment

The blog title today was nearly “Pinkies and Raptors” to sum up the highlights of a few hours birding at You Know Where, but after a superb morning’s birding filled with action and interest I renamed it to something more fitting. 

The “pinkies”, Pink-footed Geese seem to arrive from Iceland earlier each year. There were some flying over the house yesterday afternoon as I cut the lawn for the umpteenth time of this grass-growing-madly year, about 40 geese fairly high in the sky but calling to each other and heading towards South-West Lancashire and the area of Martin Mere. So I went to Pilling this morning expecting to encounter more pinkies and I wasn’t disappointed, even if it does mean that winter will soon be here. There were about 50 or so out on the distant tideline, with small groups taking off occasionally before climbing and heading south. 

Pink-footed Goose

Although the morning sun was up, the wind gusted quite strong from the south, and after seeing yesterday’s virtually zero migration in 100% cloud conditions, in contrast this morning there seemed to be a definite rush of birds and also lots of raptors about. Maybe the raptors had something to do with the release of several hundreds of non-native Red-legged Partridge in recent days, but I’m sure Hi-Fly won’t miss one or two partridge, which would still leave 998 on the loose but destined to be blasted from the sky pretty soon. 

Red-legged Partridge - gun fodder

I’d kicked off at Lane Ends with 5 roadside Wheatears, a hovering Kestrel and then Swallows and Meadow Pipits heading into the wind. I wasn’t particularly early at 0800 but the remnants of last night’s roost, 6 Little Egrets and 2 Grey Herons still congregated in the shelter and safety of the island. As I neared Pilling Water I counted 60 Lapwing and 4 Golden Plover on the wet fields and then from the stile watched as a Peregrine scattered them before it flew back over the wildfowler’s pools where 2 Grey Herons objected noisily to the falcon’s presence but left anyway. 

Grey Heron

There was a wary Greenshank feeding on the pool and I got distant views before 2 Buzzards appeared over the trees and scared it off into the less open ditches. The Buzzards saw me, keeping their distance until they flew off in the direction of Fluke Hall. 

Greenshank

Buzzard and Carrion Crow

Buzzard

From the gate I watched as 100+ Goldfinch fed along the wall and the edge of the plantation, with a couple of White Wagtails along the shore below. There were enormous numbers of Teal on the pools, roughly 650, with a dozen or so Pintail and I’d gone past looking for the Buzzards before the duck erupted from the ditches, flushed this time by a Marsh Harrier. The harrier kept a distance away, intent on searching the ground and ditches below and it’s another crappy record shot of a “Gold Top”. 

 Marsh Harrier

There’d been Meadow Pipits and Swallows heading east and by Fluke Hall I’d counted 50+ and 70+ respectively. With some grounded Meadow Pipits I found two newly arrived Wheatears here too, one of them posing for a picture, but when I’d finished the Kingfisher perched on the same rail but further back had by now sped off along the dyke. 

Wheatear

The morning wasn’t finished. As I headed back to Lane Ends a Merlin flashed by, low over the marsh and heading out to the tide, but then a few minutes later it or another followed the path of the earlier Peregrine by dashing across the field of Lapwings and scattered them into the sky, calling as they went. What with the Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, Merlin and the pinkies the morning had a definite Icelandic theme, and while they can keep the cold weather their birds are certainly OK. 

This week I’m linking Another Bird Blog with both id-rather-b-birdin and paying-ready-attention-gallery Australia .

It’s not a good birding forecast for the week ahead, but with luck there will be more posts soon from Another Bird Blog, so stay tuned. 

A Quieter Day

Theories abound when ringers don’t catch many birds, or in some cases no birds at all. This morning when I looked North, South, East and then West from Rawcliffe Moss at 0615, I was surrounded by low lying grey cloud and the omens weren’t good. Although it stayed dry the cloud didn’t break except for a fifteen minute spell about 8am, and it was only then that there seemed to be sign of just a little migration. 

By 10 o’ clock I had caught 20 new birds with no sign of any more to come so decided to call it a day at 16 Chaffinch, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Greenfinch. I caught four Chaffinches at first light, a suggestion of roost dispersal, with the remaining dozen soon after the brief brightness about 8am. In all I estimated 40+ heading over and then in a southerly direction in a good three hours, with a single Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll interspersed with the Chaffinches. 

The first Willow Warbler caught was a small female, and with a wing length of 60mm, the size of a Chiffchaff. 

Willow Warbler

Another 3J Goldfinch today with absolutely no sign of moult into an adult plumage. 

Goldfinch

 

As I drove off-site at 1045 I came across a huge but distant mixed flock of c300 finches, many of which were Greenfinches and perhaps the origin of the few caught here lately, like today’s young male. 

Greenfinch

There was brief interlude of Meadow Pipit movement this morning with about 10/12 singles arriving from the gloomy east and then heading west. Otherwise, and excepting the finches mentioned earlier, “vis” was zero. 

Other birds, 2 Tawny Owls calling at dawn, likewise a single Buzzard calling but not seen, 18 Snipe, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 30 Swallow, 10 House Martin, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Blackcap and a single Jay, a white rump disappearing into the plantation. 

Jay

I’m ready for a lie-in tomorrow, but who knows there may be a spot of birding at some time in the day. If so log in Sunday for more news from Another Bird Blog.

A Chaffinch Morning

Everything was ready for an early start today. List of equipment duly ticked off, vacuum flask filled, breakfast on the passenger seat and camera at the ready for an early owl along the farm track. The organisation was so good I found myself out on Rawcliffe Moss in the dark, too early for an owl but with plenty of time to erect a few nets. No Will to share the burden this morning as he’s got other commitments for a while which means solo efforts from yours truly as long as body and soul stay willing and able. 

The morning proved to be busy, with barely time for a coffee or breakfast and I could have done with an extra pair of hands in dealing with the 42 birds caught, 40 new and 2 recaptures. New: 32 Chaffinch, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Blackcap, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Willow Warbler. The two recaptures were a Chiffchaff and a Goldfinch, both from last week. 

Goldcrest

Willow Warbler

The numbers above tell the story of a morning dominated by overhead and arriving Chaffinches with a minimum of 100 birds from 0630 until 1045 when I packed in at an increase in wind speed from the previous zero. Today’s age/sex breakdown of the 32 Chaffinch caught - 18 female and 14 male, but every single one of them a bird of the year as an illustration of the juvenile dispersal from upland areas of the UK but north of Lancashire. 

Chaffinch

The only other finch on the move this morning seemed to be Siskin, with c10 birds over, but still no sign of any numbers of Lesser Redpolls. The Greenfinch and Goldfinches caught were close to the Niger feeders, with a few of each species beginning to return to our supply rather than natural sources. There are lots of very young still buff-headed Goldfinches about, obviously from second or even third broods. 

Goldfinch

The Blackcap had a goodish weight of 19.1 grams and a fat score of 30, the Sedge Warbler quite lightweight at 10.5 grams and zero fat. 

Blackcap

Sedge Warbler

I was fairly busy with the ringing to note much in the way of birding. At one point a gang of protesting Swallows alerted me to something happening in a net below them, and when I went to investigate a female Sparrowhawk was pocketed half way along a 60ft net but rose effortlessly out when she saw me appear 30ft away. Otherwise, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 1 Reed Bunting, 10 Snipe, 1 Golden Plover, 2 Buzzard and then half way through the morning, the inevitable Marsh Harrier on its vast circuit. 

Marsh Harrier

On the way home across Pilling Moss I looked to see if the Little Owl was out in the sun. It was. 

Little Owl

A successful morning. Here's to many more on Another Bird Blog.

Kingfisher Saves The Day

 A wind free morning should have brought about a ringing session but a sleepless night followed by lethargy and a lack of motivation meant a few hours after-lunch birding at the usual spot would have to suffice. 

With a high tide due at 1345 I made my way up to Pilling Water, stopping briefly in the car park to watch a Chiffchaff flitting through the trees with a party of Long-tailed Tits. As I left the wood behind there was a single fence-hopping Wheatear and then a Skylark flying across my path and into the field. Skylarks have been very scarce along here since the end of the breeding season, and although it is a species adept at being inconspicuous there just aren’t any around until we receive an influx of migrant and wintering birds. 

Long-tailed Tit

 Skylark

It was a quiet sort of day for counting with a tide that although full, did not reach sufficient heights to fetch birds in, so just 18 Pintail, 25 Shelduck, 9 Cormorant, 140 Wigeon, 75 Teal, 3 Snipe, 300 Curlew, 8 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron and 1 Raven. 

This is getting to be something of a habit, but there was a Marsh Harrier again today, this one confounding my previous theory of different individuals by appearing from near Fluke Hall then flying rapidly north-east, and last seen high over Cockerham Marsh. Below is a very distant shot of the characteristic “V” shaped flight pattern with Heysham Power Station getting in on the act. 

Marsh Harrier and Heysham

Sometimes, and on a sunny day the incoming tide can make a decent photograph. Don’t worry about the sheep, they can swim and are able to judge the rising tide to perfection, knowing exactly when to seek the safety of higher ground. Heysham Power Station vies for attention again. 

High Tide at Pilling  and distant Heysham

From the stile I watched as hordes of Swallows hawked insects over Broadfleet and Pilling village. I think there had been a hatch of flying ants, an event which probably accounted for the sudden concentration of birds and my count of 300+ Swallows and 20+ House Martins. 

While scrutinizing the Swallows I spotted a Kingfisher sat quietly in a streamside bush. Within seconds the Kingfisher flew across to the outflow fence from where it proceeded to fish in the tidal water. Not daring to move I snapped a number of shots as the Kingfisher dived a number of times before emerging with tiny fish. Each time the Kingfisher would batter the tiny fish against the concrete apron, before twisting them around so as to allow the bird to swallow the fish head first. What appears to be to be some sort of line or string is vegetable matter that the Kingfisher pulled out with the fish.

Sight of a shy Kingfisher makes for a special birding day, more so to watch one fishing rather than the more familiar frustration of a flash of blue disappearing into the watery distance. For the benefit of blog readers from North America who are more accustomed to seeing Belted Kingfishers, our European Kingfisher at about 6 inches, is half the size of the Belted Kingfisher. 

Kingfisher

 

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

 Kingfisher

 

 Kingfisher

Kingfisher

For Kingfisher fans, there are lots of better pictures at an earlier Another Bird Blog post, here.

Today’s post links up with Stewart’s World Bird Wednesday at  http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

More news fron Another Bird Blog pretty soon, stay tuned.

Another Gold Top And A Flying Display

It wasn’t the most encouraging morning for a walk along Pilling sea wall when soon after setting off the grey sky turned to a steady drizzle, but within 15 minutes I seen a Kestrel, another “Gold Top” Marsh Harrier and a Wheatear. 

The harrier was another tideline job, just like the one of Thursday, last seen heading south and west close to Fluke Hall. This morning’s bird did just the same, flew over the marsh in a south-westerly direction then over the sea wall and out of sight. The wildfowler’s pools should hold a harrier in thrall for a while but I spent a couple of hours near the pools and the marsh without the harrier reappearing. I’m happy it’s a different bird from Thursday and there’s no doubt that each autumn sees a considerable movement of Marsh Harriers through this area, not all of them noticed by birders. 

Marsh Harrier

The Marsh Harrier was distant but I got a bit closer to the Wheatear, another juvenile bird with a wing length of 99mm. Is it really true that the name Wheatear derives from an old descriptive name of “White Arse”? 

Wheatear

Next came a Greenshank, 2 Grey Heron and 5 Little Egrets leaving the wildfowler’s pools. That was just  before the sun came out when I settled down to watch the tide run in, while some 20 miles away over Morecambe, the Red Arrows did their inimitable stuff. 

Red Arrows

There were more flying displays from the assembled waders: 600 Curlew, 200 Lapwing, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Golden Plover, 20 Ringed Plover, 40 Dunlin and 3 Snipe, not to mention 250+ Teal, the unsurpassed fliers of the duck contingent. Other birds out there: 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 7 Cormorant, 14 Shelduck, 20+ Wigeon and 6 Pintail. 

Lapwing and Golden Plover

Not to be outdone by Red Arrows or tiny ducks, the resident Peregrine made an appearance by scattering the waders and wildfowl in all directions, just as a second Peregrine flew in. In the autumn time it’s quite common to see two Peregrines out here, sometimes three, birds of the same family which tolerate and even interact together. Not today, the second bird was an interloper, soon chased off in noisy aggression by the resident male, the two clashing almost over my head until the trespasser flew off south. 

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon x 2

Not many passerines to report today with the resident Goldfinch flock sticking at 80+, 4 Linnet, 1 Pied Wagtail and then 3 Wheatear on the walk back to Lane Ends, these in addition to one ringed. 

Wheatear 

More from Another Bird Blog soon.

Cool Stuff

After clear overnight a slight ground frost greeted us at Rawcliffe this morning, and with the air temperature showing just 5 degrees Will and I donned extra clothes as we set to in erecting a few nets. By 11am and with the sun up high we’d shed a few layers after another interesting and fruitful morning of finches and warblers. 

We caught 27 birds of 8 species, 26 new and a single recapture of a recent Chaffinch. New birds: 14 Chaffinch, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Blackbird, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Robin and 1 Goldcrest. 

Because of  the clear blue sky Chaffinches were passing over very high this morning, sometimes unseen but mostly giving themselves away with their constant contact calls. Including today the August Chaffinch total stands at 36 birds, 31 juveniles and 5 adults, a ratio which should remain the same throughout September and October until the inland movement of Chaffinches here dries up. On cold mornings we occasionally get Chaffinches reluctant to leave the warmth of the ringing station, but after a minute or so they fly off. 

Chaffinch

We didn’t see any more than the two Willow Warblers caught, both juveniles. 

 Willow Warbler

There’s still a few Whitethroats about and we saw at least seven today, four of which we caught including another adult. And it’s always nice to catch a Garden Warbler. 

Whitethroat

Garden Warbler

We found our first Goldcrest of the autumn in a net with a few Chaffinches. 

Goldcrest - The Smallest UK Bird

Other visible migration: 8/10 Siskin over, all heading south, but just a single Lesser Redpoll. Approximately 15/20 high Meadow Pipits appearing from not any particular direction but leaving towards the west. Other “vis” - 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail and 6 Snipe. 

Raptors today were a Tawny Owl at dawn, our first Merlin of the autumn, 1 Kestrel and a Marsh Harrier which appeared not to see us sat against the background of Will’s motor, allowing me to nail a half decent picture at last. 

Kestrel

Marsh Harrier

From yesterday's post, and for readers who asked, after I spoke to the lady in Pilling, it seems the dead Sparrowhawk was found next to a car parked on the driveway. It had probably chased a small bird but hit the car windows at speed instead. 

Sparrowhawk

Stay tuned, more on Another Bird Blog soon.

Size Matters

There’ a mixed bag of a report today – a small dead bird, a spot of ringing, a touch of birding and a brace of harriers. 

It all started at Pilling after a phone message from a lady with a dead bird which she didn’t recognise, but she would leave it on the dustbin in case the couple were not at home. Never knowing quite what to expect when Joe Public phones I considered all the possibilities from a Wren to perhaps a Sparrowhawk, the latter always a possibility where gardens are concerned. I was right, a young male from one of this year’s broods lay across the bin lid as promised. A Sparrowhawk is much smaller than people imagine, a male doubly so. 

Sparrowhawk

I was in Pilling anyway so needed no further excuse to hit the sea wall. After more heavy overnight rain a Greenshank had settled happily in a wet spot at Backsands Lane, until a very large bus clanked noisily by my parked car and the Greenshank spluttered off. 

Greenshank

Along the sea wall – 40+ Swallows heading slowly west into the stiff north westerly and 40+ Goldfinch on the thistle heads, and then 2 Ravens flying out to the distant tideline. 

There was a single Wheatear just beyond Lane Ends, quite unusual to see one here nowadays since the new planation developed into a wood, so removing the open spaces beloved of Wheatears. Further towards Pilling Water I found a Common Sandpiper and another 4 Wheatears ducking and diving over the rocks on the shore, so I laid a trap or two into the teeth of the cold northerly, hoping the meal worms could still wriggle. One obviously did, but it took a while today to catch a chunky juvenile bird, wing length 101mm so almost certainly an Icelandic bird, especially since there has been a noticeable influx of Wheatears during this week’s unsettled westerly weather. 

Wheatear

I found a partially sheltered spot to watch the traps and the tideline hoping for something to come along, which is exactly what happened when a Marsh Harrier appeared from the Cockerham direction and flew all along the tideline until it disappeared over the sea wall at Fluke Hall. In between the harrier had to shake off the attentions of two Ravens chasing it along the tide. I can’t recall ever seeing Ravens and Marsh Harriers in close proximity before, and when I looked it up in the books it seems the species have the same wing span. Sorry about the distant, heavily cropped picture, but you get the idea. 

Marsh Harrier and Raven

As the harrier flew across the wildfowlers’ pools it flushed 150+ Teal and a couple of Little Egrets from the water there. 

The other harrier, a “Gold Top” was yesterday when I went to do a little maintenance work on the net rides at Rawcliffe. One of these days maybe a Marsh Harrier will come close enough for a decent picture rather than a record shot?

Marsh Harrier

There’s a better forecast tomorrow with less wind and more sun so hopefully more news on Another Bird Blog.