No Thrush Rush, But A Belgian Treat

Out on Rawcliffe Moss at 0650 I’d set the nets in the dark again, leaving me time to grab a coffee before the hoped for arrival of thrushes. Nothing much happened, just a quiet morning and a smattering of birds at first light followed in the next hour or two by a steady passage of Lesser Redpolls with smaller numbers of Chaffinches. Recompense for the lack of thrushes came about 0830 in the form of a Lesser Redpoll wearing a ring from the Belgium Ringing Scheme. By 1030 the 5mph wind had both changed direction and increased to a strength sufficient to cause an end to the session. 

Birds caught: 6 Chaffinch, 5 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Goldfinch, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackbird and 1 Redwing. Both of the Song Thrushes, the single Blackbird and the solitary Redwing were caught at first light. In all, the visible thrush movement consisted of less than 6 each of Blackbird, Redwing and Song Thrush, with a single Mistle Thrush seen overhead and travelling rapidly south. 

Redwing

Song Thrush

Other visible migration appeared as 5 Reed Bunting, 8 Meadow Pipit and a minimum of 18 Skylarks, the latter in smaller groups but heading south and into the wind.  Lesser Redpolls were very noticeable again today, with small parties overhead and a total of 30+ birds throughout the morning. The Belgian ringed bird proved to be an adult male, the ring number of 12231826 easy to decipher, the Brussels address less so, making one appreciate the quality of our UK rings. 

Brussels Ring

Lesser Redpoll - adult male

There seemed to be lots of Goldfinches on the move today, birds which didn’t make their way to the feeders where local birds hang out, so my count of 60+ almost certainly includes some visible migrants. A recaptured adult was only now in late October completing its full moult in the outermost primary feathers. 

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Other birds today: 3 Tawny Owls calling at dawn, and a hunting Barn Owl about the same time. Also, 2 Peregrine, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Jay, 4 Snipe, 2 Pied Wagtail. 

 Pied Wagtail

Sunday’s forecast looks OK, less wind and a bright morning. Maybe those thrushes will arrive in numbers after all? If so read about it tomorrow on Another Bird Blog.

Late Night, Late Start, Useful Gen

Sampling the heady nightlife of Knott End on Thursday evening meant an early start for ringing was unlikely this morning, and in fact I arrived out on Rawcliffe Moss decidedly late at 0930. 

I’d gone to top up the feeders and as there was virtually no wind I put a single net up for a couple of hours and had quite a reasonable catch of 16 new birds: 5 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Coal Tit, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Dunnock. In addition another Lesser Redpoll, a juvenile male bore a British ring from elsewhere in the UK - Y310191. Redpolls were the dominant species this morning, with upwards of 40 birds going over in a couple of hours, with for comparison the Chaffinch passage distinctly poor yet again. 

Lesser Redpoll

Y310191

The Goldfinch numbers are dropping now with less than a dozen birds around the feeders. 

 Goldfinch

Reed Buntings have variable plumage at this time of year, and although as a species they don’t seem to travel huge distances, ageing them makes for an interesting few minutes.

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Four Coal Tits caught, with at least another eight or ten about at one stage as the irruption continues.

Coal Tit

Other birds this morning: 8 Meadow Pipit, 5 Pied Wagtail, 1 Jay, 3 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 20 Tree Sparrow, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1000+ Pink-footed Goose.

Kestrel 

I drove home via Stalmine Moss where 16 Whooper Swan were on a still flooded field, so flooded that there’s not much chance of it drying out now that winter is almost here. Back home I put my soggy walking boots outside in the sun, then looked up and west to see 4 Buzzards circling nearby fields - a fine end to a morning of birds. 

Whooper Swan

Regular readers will know that Another Bird Blog is not averse to recommending a noteworthy place to go birding, a useful bird book, or with a glance to the right hand column, an informative blog. Occasionally we even make mention of a place to eat after a hard day’s birding, today’s tip-off being that readers should find time to visit The New Village Steakhouse in Knott End. That’s where Sue and I enjoyed a lovely meal in their newly refurbished and agreeable surroundings, with friendly and impeccable service plus a bottle of Grenache thrown in - and all for less than £40. 

Al last, some useful information from a bird blog. Tune in soon for more.

Bird News, Book News

Early rain gave way to a breezy, bright morning, with time to visit the birding patch at Pilling. No sooner had I arrived at Fluke Hall than I saw SP readying himself for a walk along the wooded road. On Sunday afternoon he located a Yellow-browed Warbler here, a species which is now found almost annually in this part of Lancashire, in some years there are three, four or more records, but it’s still a worthy find and one which requires good birding skills.

Stuart moseyed off east to look in the same place the bird was last seen. I wandered off east towards Ridge Farm where the best I could muster in 15 minutes was cracking views of a male Merlin, 20+ Greenfinch, 12+ Skylark, several Linnets and 15+ Meadow Pipits. The phone rang, he’d re-found the warbler, still about the same spot three days later, so I strolled back to the trees to see and hear the bird in the ash and sycamores next to the road. The warbler was very vocal, calling almost constantly as it moved through the trees, the distinctive call somewhere between a Coal Tit and a Pied Wagtail to my ears. Knowing the call is as good if not the best way to locate a yellow-browed.

There’s a very old pre-digital photograph here from Bardsey Island sometime in the dim and distant past.

Yellow-browed Warbler

I decided to head up to Lane Ends for the incoming tide. If anything the tide was too high, with no obvious roosting spots, causing most of the waders to fly constantly around. For what it’s worth a few observations and a couple of counts: 1 Peregrine, 1 Kestrel, 40 Snipe, 420 Dunlin, 180 Redshank, 250+ Lapwing, 8 Little Egret, 12 Whooper Swan, 800 Wigeon, 700 Teal, 110 Pintail, 15 Meadow Pipit, 15 Linnet and 2 Rock Pipit.

Pintail

Rock Pipit

And now for some interesting book news, more especially for blog followers in the US but also UK birders who travel to North America and/or those who like to twitch the occasional US bird on this side of the Atlantic.

Readers of Another Bird Blog may remember the review here of Richard Crossley’s ID Guide to Eastern Birds (North America), a book acclaimed for its pioneering approach to bird identification. And here’s the good news, Princeton University Press are preparing a new Crossley guide for release in April 2013, The Crossley Guide to Raptors, this latest volume co-authored by Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan.

The Crossley Guide to Raptors

For the new volume I’m quoting from a sneak preview sent to me by Princeton University Press.

“Part of the revolutionary Crossley ID Guide series, this is the first raptor guide with lifelike scenes composed from multiple photographs - scenes that allow you to identify raptors just as the experts do. Experienced birders use the most easily observed and consistent characteristics - size, shape, behaviour, probability, and general colour patterns. The book’s 101 scenes - including thirty-five double-page layouts, provide a complete picture of how these features are all related. Even the effects of lighting and other real-world conditions are illustrated and explained. Detailed and succinct accounts from two of North America’s foremost raptor experts, Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan, stress the key identification features. This complete picture allows everyone from beginner to expert to understand and enjoy what he or she sees in the field. The mystique of bird identification is eliminated, allowing even novice birders to identify raptors quickly and simply. Comprehensive and authoritative, the book covers all thirty-four of North America’s diurnal raptor species (all species except owls). Each species is featured in stunning colour plates that show males and females, in a full spectrum of ages and colour variants, depicted near and far, in flight and at rest, and from multiple angles, all caught in their typical habitats. There are also comparative, multispecies scenes and mystery photographs that allow readers to test their identification skills, along with answers and full explanations in the back of the book. In addition, the book features an introduction, and thirty-four colour maps that accompany the plates. Whether you are a novice or an expert, this one-of-a-kind guide will show you an entirely new way to look at these spectacular birds”. 

I’m told this book will sell for about $30 only, so all I can suggest is that you visit your bookstore and reserve a copy now or keep watching the Princeton University Press Blog for more info and regular previews of plates from the book.

 The Crossley Raptor Guide

Another Bird Blog will review the book as soon as a copy is received; in the meantime stay tuned for more bird news and bird pictures whether home or abroad.

Redwing Time

It was another 6am start out on Rawcliffe Moss with ideal weather for a spot of ringing, no wind and no sign of rain, at least initially. The idea was to catch a few Redwings, maybe Fieldfares, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, overnight migrant thrushes which are often still on the move at dawn or soon after. 

Apart from a sharp shower which caused me to close the nets for thirty minutes, I worked through until 11am with a catch of 30 birds of 8 species. After an initial hit of thrushes the morning followed the theme of recent weeks with Goldfinches and Chaffinches to the fore. Totals: 8 Chaffinch, 7 Goldfinch, 6 Redwing , 3 Coal Tit, 2 Blackbird, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Chiffchaff. 

The Redwings and Blackbirds were indeed caught at first light or soon after with the Redwing arrivals consisting of small parties only, the largest a group of 30+ birds, the smallest and last a party of four at almost 10am making a total of less than 100. The Sparrowhawk was caught at dawn too, the young male targeting arriving Redwings but instead finding itself in a mist net. Luckily for me working alone, a male Sparrowhawk is infinitely easier to contain than the much larger female. 

Redwing

Redwing

Sparrowhawk- juvenile male

 Sparrowhawk

Three new Coal Tits today, not a large number, but obviously representative of this year’s irruption of the species. Yet more Goldfinches to add to the 120 here this year, many of today’s still in the mainly juvenile plumage of late broods, the one below a juvenile male - black nasal hairs, red extending behind the eye, longish wing. 

Coal Tit

Goldfinch

Goldcrest

Here on the moss the autumn Chaffinch passage has been markedly thinner than that of the last two years, with the movement quite slow today, as reflected in the catch of eight and the number overhead at less than 40 during the shower interrupted session. This could be the simple explanation that visits have been less during poor weather of September and/or single observer visits when another pair of eyes and hands would be useful.

Other “vis” today 2 Siskin, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Reed Bunting, 5 Pied/White Wagtail, 10+ Meadow Pipit. Other birds: A loose feeding flock of 350+ Woodpigeon, 6,000 Pink-footed Goose feeding in nearby fields, 30+ Snipe, 2 Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Jay, 20+ Tree Sparrow.

Pied Wagtail

Please tune in soon to Another Bird Blog for more birds, bird watching and photography.

This week I'm linking with Anni at http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.co.uk/ and Stewart's Photo gallery

Short Saturday

With rain still falling at 6am into the overnight puddles I pulled the plug on the planned ringing trip to the inevitably soggy Rawcliffe Moss. After a leisurely breakfast I headed out for a spot of birding down Pilling way where the grey legacy of the rain still hung over Fleetwood to the west and Heysham to the north. 

A break in the cloud cover at Pilling led to a stroll about Ridge Farm, Fluke Hall and Lane Ends before the rain resumed, but it came as no surprise that there was little evidence of visible migration or overnight arrivals. Singles of Fieldfare and Song Thrush seen at Ridge Farm, the first flying steadily east at no great height, the latter exploding from the hedgerow and continuing rapidly east when disturbed by a passing tractor. A search of the fields found c15 Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit, 2 Snipe, 250+ Woodpigeon, and moving along the hedgerows, two flocks of Long-tailed Tits numbering 26+birds. A party of 10 Whooper Swans fed just inland before being disturbed by farm activity whereupon they flew out to their annual gathering spot on the marsh north of Fluke Hall. Later, more were to join them to make a total of 22 birds, still far short of last year’s counts here of 3/400, but early days yet. 

Whooper Swan

Enormous numbers of geese off Lane Ends/Pilling Water/Fluke this morning, way out on the marsh and beyond, so I made no attempt to estimate their numbers other than to use the very round estimate of 10/15000. About 10am the geese started to climb off the marsh in huge parties and then head south and inland. 

Not a lot doing at Lane Ends/Pilling Water with the aforementioned Whooper Swans, 8 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 38+ Curlew, 50+ Golden Plover, 1 Peregrine, 80 Lapwing, 2 Snipe and 1 Kestrel. 

Kestrel

Passerines here were limited to a number of probably recently arrived Chaffinches contact calling in the trees, a few Meadow Pipits on the edge of the marsh, and upwards of 15 Skylarks. 

The weather for Sunday’s looks decidedly uncertain, but whatever its like Another Bird Blog will be here tomorrow, so be sure to tune in for the latest news and pictures.

Spitting Images

Thursday morning dawned grey with rain. Definitely not ringing or photography weather but after calling at Jamie’s Fish Place I took a look up at Knott End shore, knowing there would be more than a few birds to look at. 

With camera under wraps I took a walk about the jetty and then alongside the river as the rain spit and spat, barely enough to damp my enthusiasm, but a prelude to heavy rain promised for later in the day. Almost everyone has been seeing good numbers of Pied and White Wagtails in the last week or two, either reporting them on visible migration counts or as grounded birds. It was the turn of Knott End today with at least 15 Pied/White Wagtails counted flitting about the sea wall, the jetty and the car park area. At least 12 grounded Meadow Pipits too, but no Rock Pipits that I could find yet, the pebbly shore of Knott End being ideal habitat and a regular winter haunt of the species. 

Meadow Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Just a lowish tide didn’t bring the waders or wildfowl too close with approximate counts of 2250 Oystercatcher, 70 Redshank, 32 Turnstone, 100+ Knot and 24 Sanderling. Shelduck numbers are really building with 220+ today, in contrast to the Eider with 4 hard-to-find birds out in the grey water of the estuary. 

Redshank

A walk up river produced several more wagtails and Meadow Pipits, and on a telegraph pole 2 Mistle Thrushes, a bird now so uncommon that a sighting becomes noteworthy; possibly they were morning migrants or alternatively a pair or two may be residents of the golf course. There were Chaffinches on the move, just a few crossing the river from the direction of Fleetwood and heading east. 

Back at the car the camera was set on ISO800 for the grey light, with a few pictures of pipits and wagtails searching the sea wall for insects. Someone came with a bag of bread and the gulls arrived as if by magic and the tiny birds flew off to a safer spot. 

Meadow Pipit

Pied Wagtail

 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull

 

The forecast is better for weekend with sun and showers on the cards. Let’s hope the experts are right. If so Another Bird Blog will be out and about and reporting it just here.

Chaffinches Lead The Way

I tried another ringing session out on Rawcliffe Moss this morning. On Sunday Goldfinches made up a good proportion of the catch. Today it was the turn of the Chaffinches to come good with a less busy morning and catching at just a steady rate which yielded finches only - 20 Chaffinch, 3 Lesser Redpoll and 2 Goldfinch. 

Later the IPMR database showed 152 Chaffinch caught at this site so far this autumn, the number comprised of 134 (88%) juveniles and 18 (12%) adults. The ratios are very much in line with those of the last two autumns here - see Those Chaffinch.

Chaffinch - male

Chaffinch - female

The morning started frost again, cold and clear, the type of weather where it is hard to spot birds moving high overhead even though some of their contact calls are audible. Lesser Redpolls were the early movers today, the earliest birds soon after dawn and a minimum of 15+ birds until 1100. In contrast, although starting much later than usual the Chaffinch movement remained steady with approximately 60+ birds throughout the same period. 

Lesser Redpoll

Other visible migration, 2 Grey Wagtail, 12 “Alba” wagtail, 5 Reed Bunting, 18 Meadow Pipit, 2 Siskin, 2 Blackbird. Good numbers of Pink-footed Geese moving about in all directions this morning, no doubt unsettled from feeding by the surge in farming activity due to the unaccustomed spell of dry weather. “Otherwise” birds - 12 Snipe, 140 Lapwing, 2 Jay, 3 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker. 

Pink-footed Geese

Just 2 Jays today - probably local birds. Following a poor acorn crop there has been a large influx of Jays to the UK from Continental Europe this week, with literally thousands of Jays arriving in the east and south east of England. While a few of those individuals may have reached the west of the UK, it is also likely that our resident Jays are moving about the countryside in search of food if the low acorn harvest is replicated here. 

Jay 

The Jay is one of the most important natural planters of acorns with the distribution of several oak species somewhat dependent on the birds’ presence. In autumn and winter large numbers of acorns are brought back to Jay territories and hidden for future retrieval. It has been estimated that a single Jay could bury up to 3000 acorns in a single month, not all of which are found by the birds when they later look for them - hence the growth of oak saplings.  

More soon from Another Bird Blog. Stay in touch.