Seeking To Find

After a couple of days with no birding I returned to the fray this morning. But if the birding is a little quiet the current sunny days do at least give a few photo opportunities when birds cooperate. 

When I arrived at Conder a juvenile Grey Heron stood waiting for a chance to go fishing. After what seemed ages it finally took the plunge and entered the water as I took several pictures, hoping to get one of the bird grabbing a meal. The heron tried really hard to catch breakfast but I didn't see it take anything from the water; when a car and occupants drew noisily up it fled off over to the creek to try its luck there. 

Grey Heron

 

Grey Heron

 Grey Heron

Grey Heron

The Oystercatchers are as aggressive as ever now, even though their chicks are very big, and I watched the adults chasing off a Black-tailed Godwit, a Redshank and then a Lapwing. 

Lapwing

Things were much the same on the pool and the creek with 7 Dunlin, 6 Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank and 2 Black-tailed Godwits the “cream” of the autumn waders while 70+ Redshank, 21 Lapwing and 4 Curlew made up the numbers. The waders and wildfowl are somewhat repetitive at the moment with just small variations on a daily basis. But hey, no one ever found a bird by staying at home and I need to see birds most days, even though I saw plenty on the other 364 days. After all, “finding comes from seeking”. 

Dunlin

Teal increased to 4 today, plus an overflying drake Goosander, the all alone Goldeneye still in-situ, plus 2 Tufted Duck and a single Little Grebe. 

Tufted Duck

“Small” and “other” stuff today – 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting, 6 Linnet, 3 Meadow Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, 5 Greenfinch. 

Stay tuned to Another Bird Blog - who knows what you might find soon.

Linking this weekend to Camera Critters and Anni's Birding Blog .

What Bonaparte’s?

Resisting the slight temptation to drive the 20 miles to Heysham for sight of the Bonaparte’s Gull I instead spent a solitary hour or two this morning looking through waders and gulls at Conder. 

Patience paid off when both Little Ringed Plover and Green Sandpiper showed again. They would appear to be the same birds seen last Thursday and which have been playing hide-and-seek with birders ever since. 10 Common Sandpiper this morning, plus 4 new-in Dunlin (3 adults and 1 juvenile), 3 Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 40+ Redshank, 35 Lapwing, 2 Curlew and 12 Oysterctacher. Fifty Swift, 3 Sand Martin, 10 Swallow and 15 House Martin hawking around and above the hawthorn hedgerows. 

Others- 1 Raven, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Teal, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Tree Sparrow, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Pied Wagtail, 4 Meadow Pipit. 

Meadow Pipit

Below are pictures of Bonaparte’s Gull and Black-headed Gull. Black-headed Gulls actually have a chocolate brown hood during the breeding season. 

Black-headed Gull

Bonaparte's Gull - Len Blumin / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus Philadelphia is named after a nephew of Napoleon, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a leading ornithologist in the 1800's in America and Europe. The scientific name philadelphia was given in 1815 by the describer of the species, George Ord of Philadelphia, presumably because he collected his specimen there. 

Bonaparte’s are rare vagrants to Western Europe, where they usually associate with the somewhat larger Black-headed Gulls, just as the Heysham bird is doing. How long it has been hanging out with Black-headed Gulls is anyone’s guess but full marks to the birder who found and identified it amongst the black-heads. 

Bonaparte's Gulls breeds across subarctic North America from western Alaska to the Hudson Bay and spend winters along the Atlantic coast from Virginia, along the Gulf Coast inland to southern Missouri, and south into northern Mexico, and along the Pacific coast from Washington south to central Mexico. Their preferred habitats include large lakes, rivers, and marshlands. It is the smallest gull seen over most of North America and it is also the only gull that regularly nests in trees. 

They have a black hood and a short thin dark bill. The body is mainly white with pale grey back and upper wings. The underwing is pale and the wing tips are dark. They have pink legs. In winter the head is white. 

Aother Bird Blog is linking today with Stewart's Photo Gallery .

Sunday Spot And Finch Finds

There's a little news from Conder after a quick but quiet visit, followed by details of recent ringing recoveries. Just 3 Common Sandpipers today as the species' onward migration continues. Two Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 50+ Redshank, 18 Lapwing, 15 Oysterctacher, 3 Grey Heron. Usual counts of Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Goldeneye etc. Here's an Oysterctacher I surprised at Conder - too close for a full framer, plus a handsome gull pictured at Glasson Dock. 

Oystercatcher

Lesser Black-backed Gull  

From the BTO there are three ringing recoveries concerning birds of the finch family captured at Out Rawcliffe, Lancashire and a fourth one of a Siskin captured in Will's Garstang garden. All four records show typical springtime movements of the species concerned. 

2012/2013 was a “Brambling winter”, when wintry conditions on the Continent forced many Bramblings westwards and into the UK, providing bird watchers and ringers a chance to observe or handle these handsome birds. Y461678, a first winter female Brambling I caught on 13 December 2012 was later recaptured by ringers at Grasbakken, Ringsaker, Norway on 4 May 2013. The latter is an interesting date since by May 4th the Brambling may have been still on migration or with more distance to travel within Norway, north and east to Finland or even further east to Russia. The distance between Out Rawcliffe and Ringsaker, Norway is 1134 kms, the elapsed time 142 days.

Brambling - Lancashire to Norway

Female Brambling

In addition to this recovery there is still an outstanding record of a male Brambling bearing a Stavanger, Norway ring ED8766, the bird captured at Out Rawcliffe on 2nd March 2013, the original ringing details yet to be notified.  

The next record concerns an adult male Lesser Redpoll Y461490 I trapped on spring passage at Out Rawcliffe on 25 March 2012. This was a period of intense Lesser Redpoll migration when many were very noticeably heading north but only a small proportion trapped. The bird was later later found dead, the victim of a domestic cat the following year on 25 May 2013 at Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland, a distance of 238 kms from Rawcliffe Moss. By late May 2013 the bird was almost certainly breeding in the Beith locality after spending another winter many miles south of there. 

Lesser Redpoll - Lancashire to Ayrshire

Male Lesser Redpoll

Goldfinch D130275 a juvenile female travelled from Wigan, Greater Manchester on 14th October 2012 to Out Rawcliffe, Lancashire on 30 April 2013. The months of both October and April are classic migration times for Goldfinch. There's no way of knowing where D130275 spent the intervening time, except to surmise that it probably travelled south of Manchester in the autumn of 2012 and north of Rawcliffe in the following spring. 

Goldfinch - Wigan to Out Rawcliffe

Female Goldfinch

A male Siskin D204043 captured and ringed at Boyton, Suffolk on 6th April 2013 was recaptured near Garstang, Lancashire on 27th April 2013. Almost certainly this bird had wintered across the English Channel and was on its way north to Scotland or beyond when intercepted. The elapsed time is just 21 days, the distance involved 343 kms. 

 

  Siskin - Suffolk to Lancashire

Male Siskin

More news, views and pictures soon from Another Bird Blog.

More Of The Same

The run of sunny mornings at the moment is just great for making hay by going out birding often. 

On my way through Pilling this morning I stopped to watch a Barn Owl ghosting through the mist and to take a picture of the sunrise. A Quail was calling somewhere in the distance, but no chance of seeing the small and elusive creature, a bird which is more easily heard than seen. The song which is heard mainly at dawn and dusk, is unmistakable and is said to most easily remembered by the phrase "wet my lips". Click on the xeno-canto button to hear the dawn chorus. 

Pilling Sunrise

At Conder Green I was in time to see the local Barn Owl scattering a number of hirundines as it headed for its daytime roost and out of sight. The owl was unlikely to emerge again as the early vehicles and people were beginning to appear, so I settled in to look about the pool and creek. 

A good count of Swifts and hirundines hawking the early batch of insects – 40 Swift, 15 Swallow, 6 Sand Martin and 15 House Martin. Others – 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Sedge Warbler, 3 Pied Wagtail, 4 Linnet, 8 Goldfinch, 7 Greenfinch. 

Good numbers of Redshank today with 75+, my how their numbers vary according to overnight arrivals and departures. 60+ Lapwing, 8 Common Sandpipers today plus an about-time Green Sandpiper and a very vocal Little Ringed Plover. 

Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper - Photo credit: Photo Nature / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA 

Little Ringed Plover

The Oystercatchers have split the young now, one chick with the male, the other with the female, a strategy employed to maximise the number of chicks making it to flying stage. 

Oystercatcher

 

Oystercatcher chick

Wigeon increased today to 7 individuals, only 4 Tufted Duck but the addition of a distant juvenile Goosander. Other tufties seem to have moved on the more regularly frequented Glasson Basin where I later counted 8 Tufted Duck and 12 Coot.

Goosander

I found a Grey Heron hiding away in the usual quiet spot at Glasson – out of sight out of mind and where it can hunt the shallows without fear of being disturbed. 

Grey Heron

More later from Another Bird Blog. Log in soon and in the meantime remember to click my pics.

This post is linking to  Camera Critters  and Anni's Blog.

Sunny Shots

There's not much news from Conder/Glasson this morning but I took a small number of brand-new photographs. What a difference a little sunshine makes. "Click the pics" for a grandstand view of the birds.

An adult Oystercatcher was on lookout duty next to the road, the sun behind the bird rather than the ideal situation in front or to one side. I had to overexpose almost two stops to get any sort of picture. The chick was better placed. 

Oystercatcher chick

Oystercatcher

Not too many other waders this morning and no sign of Greenshank or Spotted Redshank. It was the usual 25+ Common Redshanks, 6 Common Sandpipers, 8 Lapwing and 2 Curlew, although a single Snipe on the pool was new. 

A Kingfisher made a single pass along the creek before heading off towards the canal - good to see them back in the area. 

Kingfisher

Six Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon, 1 Goldeneye, 4 Canada Goose and 1 Shelduck on the pool 

Passerines from the pool/road – 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Whitethroat, 4 Goldfinch, 3 Linnet, 1 Tree Sparrow. 

Glasson was quiet and peaceful where the usually shy grebe was more accommodating today. The Great Crested Grebe is the largest member of the European grebes and an excellent swimmer and diver, pursuing its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with their head and neck decorations. 

 Great Crested Grebe

 Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

The heron kept a safe distance with a watchful eye again, while the Coots and Mallards are accustomed to people at the water's edge.

Grey Heron

Coot 

Mallard

Linking today to  Stewart's World Bird Wednesday. In Australia it is Wednesday already!

Sunday Shanks

First off and for all my blogging pals especially Wally in Florida who knows a good British pub when he sees one, here's a picture of The Stork at Conder Green with their sign depicting a heron. Confused? - Read the last post on Another Bird Blog or click the pics below for close-up views of The Stork and this morning's first Grey Heron spotted just yards away from the inn. 

The Stork at Conder Green

Grey Heron

Yes I was there again this morning hoping for pictures and more than a few birds in the bright sunshine. That dusky stunner Spotted Redshank was still in the creek, the naked eye all that was needed to pick it out from the centre of a gaggle of 20+ Redshanks. At least 8 Common Sandpipers noted today as the birds moved up and down the creek according to pedestrian traffic over the bridge or vehicles heading to the car park. Oystercatchers still have two young, the chicks now very mobile in exploring all parts of the pool edges. 

Less obvious was a single Greenshank hiding away at the back of the pool, sometimes in view, mostly not. 

Greenshank

The Canada Geese have quite big youngsters now, the goslings looking for all the world like tiny versions of their parents. The young Shelducks are getting there and it is obvious who they belong to especially when the female is so attentive because dad has done a runner. The drake Goldeneye still there with 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon and now 1 Little Grebe 

Canada Goose

Shelduck

The warm sun definitely helped but there appeared to be more passerines about this morning with small groups of calling finches, mainly long the old railway line. Into the notebook went 15 Linnet, 12 Goldfinch and 10 Greenfinch as a clear improvement on recent counts and hopefully the start of larger flocks of each. Good numbers of Whitethroats too with 3 singing males, a couple of family parties and additional churring adults lifting the morning count to 15. Others – 3 Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Tree Sparrow, 3 Stock Dove. 

Greenfinch

Linnet

Also along the railway path, 2 Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail flying over. It was from the old railway line that I saw a Roe Deer out on the marsh, the animal crossing from north of Conder and heading all the time to Glasson until it bounded up the embankment and disappeared from view; it's quite normal to see cattle out on the marsh or river mud at low tide, but not wild deer. 

Roe Deer - River Lune

Cattle - River Lune

I made it to Glasson where as I shaped to photograph another Grey Heron a Kingfisher flew up and landed on the jetty beyond the heron. It was good to see a Kingfisher after such a hard and prolonged winter even though the tiny bird was too distant for a photo. I settled for yet another heron shot, a Black-headed Gull and a juvenile Starling. 

Grey Heron

Black-headed Gull

 Starling

A blog reader asked where my bird ringing has been lately. The explanation is that after ringing over 25,000 birds home and away during 20+ years I decided to wind down a little from general mist netting to concentrate on smaller ringing objectives, bird watching and photography.

So stay tuned to Another Bird Blog for the same mix as before with perhaps less frequent ringing news and views.

Sunny Survey

It was the Cockerham round today - Conder Green, Glasson and Cockersands.

Common Sandpipers continue to pass through with 11 today, joined in the creek by 25+ Redshanks, 1 Curlew and a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank.

Spotted Redshank - Lorenzo L M. / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenzo-l-m/3646591077/ 

At this time of year adults spot-reds look totally different from their autumn and winter cold-grey plumage. Although July seems early for returning migrants from relatively cold northern climes, female Spotted Redshanks leave breeding sites first. Exhausted from producing eggs, it is an advantage for them to arrive at staging areas early and have first pick of the food. Males usually leave next, and juveniles later. These waves are not due to the lack of food on the northern summer grounds, but because there is more food at the staging area for those that arrive first. Female Spotted Redshanks sometimes leave up to a week before eggs hatch, leaving males to look after the youngsters, a breeding and survival strategy adopted by other wader species.

It is a number of years since a mid June outing to the then undisturbed River Ribble found 14 of the black beauties on a tidal pool that was also the site of a Ruff leck. Oh Happy Days.

I counted just 10 Lapwings this morning plus the usual number of Oystercatchers, a pair with 2 well grown chicks and other adults still behaving territorially. And here's proof if any were needed that Oystercatchers eat more than oysters.

Oystercatcher

The juvenile male Goldeneye is still around but a long lonely wait for more to join him in October with for now just 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon and a few Shelduck for company.

Goldeneye

Small birds and others – 1 Reed Bunting, 4 Tree Sparrow, 2 Whitethroat, 4 Greenfinch, 2 Linnet, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, and it's hard to get any passerines into double figures at the moment. Two Stock Dove, 30 Swift and 8 Sand Martin and 1 Grey Heron.

Two Sedge Warblers in song this morning, one at the lay-by the other towards the Stork, the pub that to be strictly accurate should be renamed “The Grey Heron”. The pub dates from 1660 when any large wading bird with long legs, a long bill and long neck would be referred to as a stork.

It was a lovely sunny morning for a look at Glasson Dock and a walk along the canal towpath. I found a single Great Crested Grebe, 6 Goldfinch, 2 Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff in song and 2 Willow Warblers feeding in a sycamore tree although not much else unless you count a Song Thrush, and I guess we really should.

Glasson Canal

Mallard

Cockersands was quiet too with 2 Grey Plover, 6 Curlew, 1 Reed Bunting and 2 Grey Heron moved on by the incoming tide.

Looks like a sunny weekend ahead - hooray.

Linking this post to Camera Critters and id-rather-b-birdin .