Lighting Never Strikes Twice

After Friday's success with catching Bramblings and Chaffinches there wasn’t much chance a return visit on Saturday would yield a similar result even allowing for the eternal optimism of a birder. 

Finches can be highly mobile in their choice of feeding locations, usually having a choice of known feeding spots to select from or joining up with other individuals to find new ones. So it turned out with just 6 birds caught, although there was yet another male Brambling in the meagre catch of 3 Reed Bunting, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Chaffinch, plus the aforesaid Fringilla montifringilla. 

The Brambling was the only one I saw or heard all morning, with even Chaffinches thin on the ground during the morning with less than 20 seen. Lots of Chaffinches are now in full song with territories forming as the winter flocks thin out and many individuals begin the journey north. It has however been a fascinating spell here since the beginning of November whereby I have caught 23 Bramblings and 65 Chaffinches. How indicative that is of the true composition of the wintering finch flocks about here is hard to say when the ground-hugging and flighty birds prove so difficult to observe in the large stubble fields they favour. 

Brambling

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

More than 20 Reed Buntings continue to use the woodland/stubble field margins with 3 second calendar years finding the net on this occasion. 

Reed Bunting

The birding was very quiet with little on the move except for a couple of post-dawn Siskins seemingly headed south but possibly just exiting a roost. Birds of prey were the usual 3 or 4 pairs of Buzzard, a pair of Kestrel, two pairs of Little Owl, and a lone-hunting but probably resident Sparrowhawk. 

Otherwise - 40 Fieldfare mixed in with feeding Starlings, 3 Redwings at dawn, 40+ Corn Buntings in a nearby stubble, 200 Lapwing overflying from Pilling Moss, and 3 singing Skylark. 

Lapwing

Please stay tuned to Another Bird Blog for more news and views of birds soon. This week I am linking to Anni who would rather be birding and Stewart's gallery.

Payoff Day

My regular feeding at the plantation for the last few weeks paid off today with a good catch of finches and other bits and bobs. 

Just a couple of nets proved enough for a steady catch of 20 birds made up of 8 Brambling, 7 Chaffinch, 2 Reed Bunting, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush and 1 Goldfinch. In all I counted 14+ Brambling, 25+ Chaffinch and 20+ Goldfinch about, together with the usual 20 or more Reed Buntings. 

A blog reader with Bramblings close to home asked recently about ageing and sexing Bramblings in the field; I replied by saying while it isn’t easy, it is possible with good and preferably close views. Much easier in the hand of course. 

Today’s 8 Bramblings proved to be a mix of 4 second calendar year females, 3 second calendar year males and one adult male. Below is the adult male, lots of black in the wings and tail, very rounded tail feathers and black across the wing coverts. 

Brambling - adult male

Brambling - adult male

Brambling - adult male

A second calendar year male, less black overall with pointed tail feathers, 

Brambling - second calendar year male

Brambling - second calendar year male

Below shows two second year females. The last year’s tail feathers of the second example are not only pointed but show a juvenile fault bar running across them all. 

Brambling - second calendar year female

Brambling - second calendar year female

It’s now something of A Red Letter Day to catch a Song Thrush, so scarce have they become. 

Song Thrush

There was an improvement today in catching 2 Reed Buntings out of the 20+ forever on site. 

Reed Bunting

All the Robin wanted to do was look at its own reflection in the camera lens. 

Robin

The catch kept me fairly busy, but otherwise I noted 400+ Woodpigeon, 2 Jay, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 4 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 2 Treecreeper, 6 Skylark, 18 Tree Sparrow, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Fieldfare, 8 Redwing. 

Kestrel

A complaining Carrion Crow put me on to a Short-eared Owl flying high in the sky and heading west. As I rapidly changed lenses and the crow persisted, the owl turned and headed back east leaving me with yet another record shot. 

Short-eared Owl

That’s all for now folks. Look in to Another Bird Blog soon for more news and record shots. This post is also linking to Madge's Weekly Top Shot .

Wholly Whimbrel

Nothing much to report this morning and no new photographs so here's the Whimbrels promised recently.

The Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus is one the most wide-ranging shorebirds in the world, breeding in the Arctic in the eastern and western hemispheres, and migrating to South America, Africa, south Asia, and Australia. It is a smaller version of the curlew family of birds and breeds on moorlands and uplands but uses coastal habitats as it migrates south. 

A Whimbrel is streaky, greyish-brown with long, blue-grey legs and a down-curved, kinked bill. It can be distinguished from the larger Eurasian Curlew by its shorter bill and strong face pattern with a dark crown, a pale stripe down the middle and dark eye-stripe. 

It’s not often I get to see a Whimbrel close up. Here in the UK and probably in much of the Northern hemisphere they are a very wary species which keeps a safe distance from man, probably as a result of being a target for hunters.

When the opportunity recently arose in Fuerteventura to not only watch Whimbrels at close quarters, but also to take a series of photographs, I felt very privileged. No apologies then for over 30 pictures of Whimbrel in today’s post. 

The following sequence of pictures was taken on two separate mornings, one of them sunny, the other quite dull. They show how a Whimbrel uses the down-curved bill to probe rocky crevices for food and how the whole bird can with a front view can look quite slim and with a side view can appear very elongated. One of the individuals is shown preening, resting and roosting in between bouts of feeding. 

Clicking on the pics will give a close-up slide show of the action in a lightbox.

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

This Whimbrel would stand more or less motionless, sometimes on one leg for a while before resuming feeding. 

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Preening is the how a bird cares for its feathers and involves two different actions, nibbling and stroking. Preening serves the function of returning feathers to their correct position and shape, using  the addition of oil to the feathers from the Uropygial gland. Wiping is simply wiping the feathers with the bill, pressing them into place and perhaps spreading some oil over them. The bird uses its bill to nibble along the edges of feathers straightening them out and ensuring the barbules are all zipped up. 

Preening keeps birds feathers clean, waterproofed, and in optimum condition for flying. Birds spend a great deal of time preening because having feathers in tiptop condition is important in keeping the bird insulated and weatherproof, a condition which helps an individual's chances of survival. Birds usually preen after a bath and after feeding. Puffing up the feathers during the preening allows air to the feathers, letting them dry out from the grooming process. 

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Time to air those newly groomed feathers.

Whimbrel

 Whimbrel

Whimbrel

 Whimbrel

  

Whimbrel

Time to resume feeding. Whimbrels feed a lot of the time by probing soft mud for small invertebrates and by picking small crabs and similar prey off the surface. Prior to migration, berries become an important part of their diet.

Whimbrel

More birds soon on Another Bird Blog, but probably not Whimbrels. Log in soon to see what.

Yesterday And More Record Shots

On Monday I joined other ringers in helping Morecambe Bay Wader Ringing Group at Fleetwood where we hoped for a mixed bag of waders. The catch wasn’t as good as expected, the birds failing to come near the nets in the anticipated numbers. But a good day was had by all in the bracing sea air with lots of time to look closely at the 2 Turnstone, 3 Ringed Plovers and 5 Sanderlings caught. 

 Ringed Plover

 Turnstone

Sanderling

The “more record shots” of the blog title are of the local Hen Harrier seen briefly when I crossed Lancaster Lane, Pilling on my way to Out Rawcliffe this morning. As usual the bird was very distant and I hadn’t time to stop more than a minute, and then just point, shoot and hope for the best. Any day now the bird should be on its way back to the uplands where Hen Harriers and other raptors  should breed in some numbers, a place where they are supposed to be a protected rather than persecuted. Maybe this striking male would be safer staying out Pilling way where it is coming to no harm other than being a subject of attention from bird watchers. 

Hen Harrier

When I reached the farm there was a flock of 30 Corn Bunting, 4 Yellowhammer and 30+ Chaffinch waiting for me; unfortunately the birds were half a mile from the feeding station. Along the track to the feeding station a Stoat ran across ahead of the car then disappeared from view, just as Stoats are forever meant to do. 

The main birds at the feeding station were the regular Reed Buntings, all 15 or more doing well to avoid my nets again, with just a couple of Goldfinch and another 10 or so Chaffinch. An adult female I caught had a wing length of 87mm, as long as they get and possibly a bird heading back to the continent. 

Chaffinch - female

A couple of average size males caught and today, wings no longer than the large female above. Today I heard my first Chaffinch of the year in song. 

Chaffinch - male

Things were pretty quiet otherwise except for the occasional rush of wings from the 500+ Woodpigeon, a Mistle Thrush in song, the croak of a passing Grey Heron, a drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker, and a single Skylark in song. 

Grey Heron

The morning was a little cool and cloudy for Buzzards to be active and just one heard today, together with the usual sightings of both a Kestrel and a Little Owl. 

Today Another Bird Blog blog is linking with Stewart at his gallery http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/. 

Log in here soon for more record shots or better.