A Better Day With No Buzzards.

After almost two weeks of unseasonable wind and rain there was just a chance the weather might ease slightly and allow a spot of ringing.  The dark of Tuesday night and into early Wednesday saw more pouring rain and then en route to Oakenclough the car splashed through fresh pools of water to confirm that August 2019 is the wettest ever recorded; and another week to go! 

I met up with Andy to 100% murk and to cool, threatening cloud but we reassured ourselves that the pourcast for the morning was 5/10 mph wind plus the chance of a fleeting shower only. 

And so it was but the overnight downpours had done us no favours with a poor catch of just 14 birds and minimal obvious migration: 5 Willow Warbler, 3 Blue Tit, 2 Goldcrest and one each of Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Great Tit and Chaffinch. 

Today’s five new Willow Warblers, all first year/juveniles, increased our total here to 74 for the year, a much higher figure than normal and almost certainly due to a good productivity during the settled weather of June and July. 

Blackcap 

Willow Warbler 

Chiffchaff 

There was little in the way of other birds, the cool, damp start had done for that. We saw a small movement of Swallows heading south in parties of 5-10, in total about 60 individuals. Otherwise, a flock of 20/30 Goldfinch, 2 or more great-spotted Woodpeckers and a single Nuthatch. 

On the way home via Pilling and Rawcliffe Moss there was a flock of 80/90 Swallows on overhead wires, the most I have seen all year. This is a sure sign that Swallows are preparing to migrate. They flew about restlessly, and gathered on telegraph wires. 

Most Swallows leave the UK during September, with early broods of youngsters being the first to go. A few stragglers may hang around into October.  

Swallows 

The return journey to Africa takes about six weeks. Swallows from different parts of Europe fly to different destinations. Our UK Swallows end up in the very south. They travel down through western France and eastern Spain into Morocco, before crossing the Sahara Desert and the Congo rain forest – finally reaching South Africa and Namibia. 

Swallows migrate during daylight, flying quite low and covering about 320 km (200 miles) each day. At night they roost in huge flocks in reed-beds at traditional stopover spots. Since Swallows feed entirely on flying insects, they don’t need to fatten up before leaving, but can snap up their food along the way. Nonetheless, many die of starvation. If they survive, they can live for up to eleven or twelve years but such an age is very exceptional with most surviving less than four years. 

It is very sad that this much-loved species, and like so many others, is in such a downward population spiral. 

Swallow 

As a further aside, I’m not seeing many Buzzards this year. Normally by late summer and on the regular 15 mile journey from Oakenclough to home at Stalmine via Garstang, Nateby, Skitham, Rawcliffe and Pilling, stopping now and again, there would be 10-15 in the air. This morning - none. 

This lack of Common Buzzards has troubled me all year. 

Buzzard 

Unfortunately, in this part of quiet countryside where the rearing of non-native game birds followed by the winter shooting of the same in the name of “sport” is very widespread, the Common Buzzard, both innocent and occasionally guilty, is now very much an Avian non grata. 

I’m not accusing anyone, just to note that all of a sudden, Buzzards have become very scarce. Bird watchers - be on the alert, and if necessary report to the authorities any suspicions you have.

Linking today to Eileen's Blogspot.

Catch Up

Birding and ringing took a back seat this week as school holidays and grandparent priorities came first. Thursday was the first available morning for me so I drove to Conder Green for a catch up before the main task of the day, Gulf Lane. 

The water margins are quite good for waders at the moment during what is peak migration time.  There’s good numbers of Greenshank Redshank and Lapwings. I counted 12 Greenshank, 230 Redshank, 140 Lapwing, plus 6 Common Sandpipers and a handful of Curlews. 

A pair of Avocets now has 4 large youngsters close to full size. 

Greenshank 

Greenshank 

Redshank 

Juvenile Avocet 

It’s been a troublesome season on the single nesting platform when Oystercatcher, Common Tern and Black-headed Gull all tried to nest in close proximity. The winners appear to be the Black-headed Gulls closely followed by the Common Terns but the Oystercatchers lost out completely and raised not a single youngster. Meanwhile the 6 Common Terns also used the natural island and today I counted 4 adults and at least 2 fledged but now flying juveniles  

At Gulf Lane our Linnet Project is about to enter the fourth winter. Unfortunately Andy could not join me for a spot of hard work cutting a ride through the vegetation as he too was on Granddad duty. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it. 

In recent weeks I paid a few visits and noted how groups of four to eight Linnets built to a small flock of 25+ on 4th August. Many of the plants are already dropping seed for the Linnets. 

Game Cover and Bird Seed Plot 

Fodder 

With luck the flock should build to 200/500 Linnets that will remain here throughout the winter months. We start the season with 577 Linnet captures and a number of phenomenal records from Scotland and the Northern Isles which prove that the Linnets here travel many miles to winter in this part of Lancashire. 

I recently contacted Oliver Seeds, the suppliers of the seed mix employed in the field. The mix is named WBS1 – “a winter hardy annual wild bird seed designed to provides cover and feed for small birds, mammals and game throughout the year. It is recommended for those parts of the UK where more frost hardy species are required. It provides shelter in “open” cover and deposits seed through the late Autumn and Winter period.” 

The constituent parts of WBS1 are: 

30% Spring Triticale

 25% Spring Wheat 

25% Spring Barley

 8% Linseed

 4% White Mustard 

4% Forage Rape 

3% Phacelia 

1% Fodder Radish 

I cut a ride through the 5ft high lush growth and then tested the length and width with a single net in readiness for the first ringing session. This shouldn’t be too far away once the Linnets increase their numbers and form a tighter flock. 

While taking a breather, a single Linnet found its way into the net and opened the account for winter 2019/20. A good omen for the weeks and months ahead I hope 

Linnet - Number One 2019/20 

Male Linnet - Number One 2019/20

There’s a poor weather forecast for the days ahead but stay tuned, there will be news and views of some sort. 

Linking today to Anni's Birding and Viewing Nature With Eileen.

Annual Bullfinch Day

The forecast was for a better morning of almost zero wind coupled with bouts of sunshine. Another 0600 start up at Oakenclough where Andy was already out of his car and ready to go.

A check of the DemOn database revealed we started the new month with 137 captures during July including 35 Willow Warblers and 24 Blackcaps, more than we expect and perhaps a sign of a good breeding season.

There were fewer birds this morning with a lack of Blackcaps but a continuation of the Willow Warbler theme with 22 new birds and zero recaptures. Totals - 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Wren, 2 Blue Tit and one each of Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Today represents our likely annual Bullfinch catch. We see just one or two Bullfinch a year at this site and we are unable to say from where they originate. The species previously bred here in the late nineties and almost certainly still breeds fairly locally.

Despite the rather striking appearance of the male Bullfinch the species as a whole is rather discreet, unobtrusive and even secretive, a bird that is easily overlooked by anyone unfamiliar with its quiet song and calls.

  

Bullfinch 

As with the young Bullfinch, at this time of year young birds that recently left the nest can look rather fine in their fresh plumage. Conversely, adult birds can look rather scruffy after weeks of intensive work and activity in bringing up a family. 

Compare the images below - a juvenile Willow Warbler born sometime in June and an adult Chiffchaff with severely worn flight feathers. 

Chiffchaff - worn adult - 1st August 

Chiffchaff - adult 

Willow Warbler - juvenile/first summer 

Between fledging and its migration south in the autumn the young Willow Warbler will undertake a partial moult of body contour feathers but not flight feathers. This moult is necessary to replace feathers not structurally strong enough to withstand normal wear and tear adequately, or more importantly, the stress and dangers likely to be imposed by the rigours of migration to Africa.

An adult Willow Warbler is exceptional as a species in that it has two complete moults per year, one in the breeding area soon after breeding, the other in the African winter quarters.  This difference in moult strategies of adults and juveniles, and hence the appearance of autumn Willow Warblers, is often the cause of confusion by birdwatchers who claim they can age Willow Warblers in the field. 

The Chiffchaff must soon begin a complete moult and then replacement of all of its feathers in order to be fit enough to return to Africa before winter sets in. A Chiffchaff will take about 6-7 weeks to complete the staged replacement of its feathers.

The Great-spotted Woodpecker was also a juvenile - a noisy and demonstrative individual that drew blood with a series of hammer blows to my thumb.

Great-spotted Woodpecker 

And just the one Blackcap today, another juvenile and a few weeks too early to decide male or female.  

Blackcap

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Linking to Anni's Blog and Eileen's Saturday Blog.

Wednesday Warblers

We were back at Oakenclough again this morning for another ringing session, hoping to catch more Blackcaps and other warblers.

Here's news of the Blackcap caught here on 24th July, an adult female that bore the BTO ring ACE2152.  

Blackcap

Finer details arrived quite quickly with the information that the Blackcap had been ringed on 15 September 2018 at Five Houses, Calbourne, Isle of Wight, UK.   At that time the ringers, the Isle of Wight Ringing Group, aged the bird as a first autumn female.

Both the date and location suggest the Blackcap was on its way to France, Spain or perhaps North Africa to spend the winter. The following summer of 2019 saw the Blackcap somewhere in the north of the UK before we recaptured it on July 24.  

Blackcap- Isle of Wight to Oakenclough 

This morning at 0600 the sky was overcast and threatened rain but at least there was zero wind and it later stayed dry but with mostly poor light and visibility in all directions. 

The morning proved quite successful by way of 35 new birds of 11 species. It was unusual for us that the most caught species was Blue Tit, a bird that doesn’t feature much on our field sheets. Bird feeders at a nearby dwelling usually keep the tit family from our nets. We noted on our last visit that the feeders were empty, a fact which may have inspired the tits to seek food further afield and into our ringing area.

The catch of another batch of migrant warblers (Blackcap plus both Garden and Willow Warblers) came as compensation for sedentary titmice.

No recaptures amongst 9 Blue Tit 9, 8 Willow Warbler 8, 3 Goldcrest, 3 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Great Tit, 2 Dunnock, 2 Wren, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Chaffinch and 1 Chiffchaff.

Garden Warbler  

Willow Warbler 

Chiffchaff 

We caught our first Lesser Redpoll of the autumn, two streaky brown juveniles of an age that cannot be sexed until there is more colour in the feathers.

Of the thirty five birds caught this morning, there was but one adult, a Willow Warbler, the rest birds of the year.   Our catches and observations this summer and early autumn do suggest a productive breeding season. 

Lesser Redpoll 

Stay tuned. If the weather holds it’s another 0600 start for Thursday.

Linking today to World Bird Wednesday.

It’s A Start

Andy and I returned to Oakenclough this morning for a 0600 start and another go at catching migrant birds. We were joined today by Bryan. After two recent catches of 40 and 47 birds respectively, we hoped for a triple hit in the forties. 

In contrast to Wednesday’s cloud and zero wind this morning was both bright and slightly breezy. And with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps the different conditions were unlikely to produce any good numbers of birds. By 1030 we had packed up, fell back to earth with a bump and just 9 birds, one of them a recapture from yesterday, a Robin. All bar one, the 87 birds of 17 July and 24 July had continued their migration by departing our ringing site. 

Although today’s catch was low there was quality by way of 4 new Blackcaps, 2 new Willow Warblers, a new Garden Warbler and a young male Common Redstart.  A Redstart may have the word ”common” in its title but the species is far from abundant in these parts so to catch one makes for a rather pleasing experience and even eclipses the catch of yet another Garden Warbler. 

Common Redstart

Common Redstart 

Garden Warbler - juvenile/first summer 

The Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus is loosely related to the European Robin Erithacus rubecula, both members of the family of Old World flycatchers. The youngsters of each share the scaly appearance until they moult their juvenile feathering. 

European Robin 

Both of today’s Willow Warblers were juveniles/first summers, very smart and bright too on what the weather experts predicted would be “hottest day of the year” at 35+ degrees C. 

Willow Warbler 

There was a noticeable but small movement of Swallows this morning with tiny groups heading directly into the southerly wind. These totalled up to 60 individuals, proved so watchable partly by the overall lack of Swallows this year. This may seem rather early for Swallows to be on the move but we know that post-breeding roosts of migratory and dispersing young Swallows begin to form in mid-July. 

“Otherwise birds” consisted of tiny numbers of Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and Chaffinch overhead, 3+ Great-spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Raven, 2 Snipe flying east and 15+ Curlew heading south.

Linking today to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni's Birding Blog.

Willys Win

The early hours had seen bouts of thunder, lightning and torrential rain as Andy and I met up at 0600 to very overcast conditions that threatened more rain. After last week’s 40 birds we hoped for a repeat performance at Oakenclough. 

After The Deluge

The rain held off, the sun came out, and by 1130 we’d caught another 47 new birds, including a Blackcap ringed elsewhere. 

Today’s birds included a nice haul of migratory Willow Warblers and Blackcaps - 16 Willow Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 6 Great Tit, 5 Blue Tit, 4 Chaffinch, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Robin, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Garden Warbler and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. 

Oakenclough often springs a surprise. Today’s came when we caught a Spotted Flycatcher. Spotted  Flycatchers are not rare; in fact they breed here at Oakenclough in woodland some 250 metres from our ringing site where the nestlings are ringed but we rarely if ever see Spotted Flycatchers in spring or summer away from that summer habitat. 

The Spotted Flycatcher is well known as one of the species that makes minimal stops to and from their African wintering grounds and the UK. Today’s bird was an obvious, very spotty and still fluffy juvenile, not long fledged from a nest but not one from our nest boxes as it had no ring. It may have come from a natural site close-by. 

Spotted Flycatcher 

Of the sixteen Willow Warblers, only three were adult, as one might expect from what appears to be a productive summer. All three adults were in the process of completing their main summer moult. 

Willow Warbler - juvenile/first summer 

Willow Warbler - adult 

Of today’s six Blackcaps the only adult we found was a female, ACE2152, the ring from elsewhere on a previous occasion. We’ll find out the details in a week or so. 

 Blackcap

Blackcap - ACE2152 - adult female

Goldcrest - adult male 

Treecreeper - Juvenile/first summer 

It’s another 6am start tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how many of today’s birds we catch. I suspect none.

Surprise Surprise!

On Tuesday I met Andy at 0600 for our first ringing session at Oakenclough since early spring, an unproductive period for ringing when the weather was predominately cool and wet.  We don’t normally head up to the hills until a little later when real autumn migration begins rather than the summer time of post-breeding dispersal.  The post-breeding species list can be rather short here at 800 metres above sea-level but increases substantially when finches and thrushes from further north begin to appear. 

But with recent good weather and signs of a productive breeding season we decided to give it a go. This proved a good decision as the morning became very interesting with a catch of 40 new birds. We had zero recaptures from previous visits. 

When we arrived all seemed quiet with little no bird song or even contact calls but as both the sun rose and the temperature gauge climbed we began to catch with a morning dominated by warblers. 

We finished soon after 1100 with a catch of 40 birds of 12 species: 11 Blackcap, 9 Willow Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 5 Chaffinch, 2 Robin, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Treecreeper, 3 Wren and 1 Tawny Owl. 

Willow Warbler 

Blackcap

Robin 

Goldcrest 

The biggest surprise of the morning came with a Tawny Owl languishing in the bottom panel of the mist net at 10 0’clock, a time when all Tawny Owls should be tucked away and fast asleep. Upon examination and measuring we ascertained that the owl was a juvenile born this year. A wing length of 265mm and a weight of 335 grams determined a male; a female is bigger than the corresponding male. 

 Tawny Owl

Tawny Owl 

We no longer catch many Garden Warblers so it was good to catch two. There was one adult male Garden Warbler and a juvenile, which is far from proof of breeding on site, but possibly so. 

Garden Warbler 

Garden Warbler

Garden Warblers bred here at Okenclough on an annual basis until the late 1990s when invasive rhododendron overran the landscape of bramble, bracken, bilberry and hawthorn. Slowly but relentlessly the site became unsuitable for a number of species like Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Tree Pipit and Garden Warbler, and they were pushed out by the all-conquering intruder. The rhododendron beat us too and we were forced to abandon the site in 1997.   

Then in 2012/13 the land owners North West Water began a programme of rhododendron clearance and replanting of native species whereby, and after an absence of many years, we returned to the site in 2014. 

Since then we have captured almost 3900 birds including two Garden Warblers in 2018 and now two more in 2019.  It would be nice to think that Garden Warblers have returned for good as the site is now suitable for them. Time will tell.

Linking today to Anni's Blog and Eileen's Saturday Blog.