Another migrant

Bird of the day was a very smart and bright Willow Warbler in the south hedge at HGF this evening. It didn't sing but I watched it preening and generally messing around for 10 minutes. The lone Golden Plover was still present this morning and this evening (wonder if it's ill?) and 5 Black-necked Grebes were also still around. This morning a pair of Corn Buntings were on the wires nr Midhops with the male singing - the first at HGF since last autumn.
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This morning a Stock Dove was sitting in the garden suspiciously still. I approached it and the bird flew off when I got to within a few feet - it has a broken leg. It was perched on the roof when I got home from work this evening.
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Four Corn Buntings were in the usual spots in Culcheth this morning. Two Reed Buntings also in the garden and four pairs of Grey Partridges and 2 Buzzards in Winwick this evening.

So long and thanks for all the grass...

Wigeon (duck) Houghton Green Flash

Wigeon (drake) Houghton Green Flash

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This morning I arrived at HGF to find the Wigeon flock had resumed the migration that had been so rudely interrupted by the recent cold snap. I always feel a little sad when they disappear and wish I could go and see the same birds in their breeding ground (wherever that is). This morning only 16 birds were left - I must have sensed they would soon disappear because I spent a large part of yesterday trying to digiscope them - the best two images are above. Anyway a quick recap of the weekend is in order.

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Saturday morning started with a quick trip to HGF. A White Wagtail was showing very well on the lawn of Myddleton Farm. Five Black-necked Grebes were present with 2 Wheatears (male and a female) flitting around nr Midhops Farm and 6 fresh looking Meadow Pipits in the south field. Two Buzzards were floating over the east side.

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In the garden this morning gang warfare errupted when 3 Crows kicked off with 8 Magpies in one of the Ash trees. The only other birds of note were 2 male Reed Buntings who visited the garden this evening. Three Buzzards (different from the HGF birds) floated high over the house this morning. On Waterworks Lane were 2 pairs of Grey Partridges and a Brown Hare.

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Sunday started off with a very early trip to HGF. Six Black-necked Grebes now present - all seen in the same scope view. Six Redshanks were also around. As I was again in can't be arsed mode I went to Pennington for a mooch. From Horrocks Hide 23 Snipe and 8 Goldeneye were the highlights. The Teal Hide was better with good views of the pair of Little Ringed Plovers trying out potential nest scrapes. As it was developing into a gorgeous morning I decided there had to be a Swallow around so I parked myself on a bench nr the Ice Cream van spot and scanned the main flash. After around 15 minutes I spotted one with around 70 Sand Martins. Spring is definitely here!

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I then went for a wander around the mosses with not a lot to report. A Wheatear was in a field nr the M62 and a pair of Red-legged Partridges were playing dare with a cat. They let it walk within 10 feet before running off a few yards and stopping to watch again. The cat seemed also to be in can't be arsed mode. As I drove past the field where the Desert Wheatear was found I spotted another Swallow flying around the field!

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Off then to Rixton mosses. Four Wheatears (2 males, 2 females) were in the field next to the landfill site - the others appear to have moved on. A Sparrowhawk was soaring over Myddleton Lane when I got home. Sunday evening the male Brambling was back in the garden with 3 male Reed Buntings. At HGF late evening a Golden Plover was casually strolling around in the south field. From the markings on th breast I could swear it is the same bird I flushed last Wednesday. So what is it still doing here on its own? 83 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over from the NE heading towards Fiddlers Ferry area.

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This morning still six BNG's at HGF. I also saw a Swallow and a House Martin flying around. The Golden Plover is still present in the south field. Wigeon flock as I stated was down to 16. At lunch today I had a quick trip round Rixton mosses. The Wheatears have all done a bunk but 4 Corn Buntings were showing well. Best of all was a Stoat which was dragging a small mammal down Woodend Lane. I followed it for around 200 yds before the Stoat dropped its prey. For the life of me I hadn't been able to figure out what the prey was so I went for a look. It was a young rabbit - the Stoat had chewed off its ears! Fortunately the Stoat came back for th rabbit - just a few yards away two cock Pheasants started a fight!

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This evening the male Brambling and a male Reed Bunting were in the garden - so too was a Heron! At HGF late evening the farmer was rolling the south field - the Golden Plover was still present though and seemed not bothered at all! Another Swallow sighting was to be had on the way home - flying around in Croft.

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Today I started watching an Osprey webcam. This is one of my favourite places - we regularly go on holiday nearby and I have seen these Ospreys many times. The female is twenty odd years old, has nested at Loch of the Lowes since 1991 and has so far laid 53 eggs and raised over 40 young. Amazing! She arrived back this year on Friday 20th, the male arrived this morning. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we can not only watch her live but also hear all the sounds around the nest. As I write this I can see her feeding on a fish (in the dark) and can hear all sorts of background sounds! All last summer I tuned in most nights to watch the Ospreys and listen to the sounds of other birds and animals settling in for the night. It was very peaceful and relaxing and I am looking forward to experiencing it again this year, especially as for the first time in years we will not be visiting the area in 2009!

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http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php

TFI Friday

It seems like it's been a long week and I am knackered again - but then so is everyone else at work. The effects of what seems to have been a long winter?
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Yesterday the male Brambling was in the garden again. The Grey Partridges stayed in the garden from around 7am to 3-30pm. Seven Greenfinches and 3 Goldfinches on the feeders and for the second day a male Song Thrush came in to sing for the last 30 mins or so of daylight.
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Today the Grey Partridges were present again in the garden for most of the day. At 7-30am they were on the right hand lawn - when I went out to move the swing seat they simply hopped over the small privet hedge and onto the left lawn. They finally left at 3pm but were still present in the field right behind the garden this evening.
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At HGF this morning 5 Black-necked Grebes were still present, however 20 Wigeon have now left. 6 Linnets and 6 Meadow Pipits were in the south field. At lunch I had a quick trip round Rixton moss - there were eight Wheatears present. Two were in the field next to the landfill site and six in a field off Woodend Lane with 2 Yellowhammers. A pair of Grey Partridges were in a field next to the railway lines off Damhead Lane, Glazebrook.
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This evening I had a quick trip round Cadishead Moss. A Wheatear was in field 33 off Woolden Rd with 8 Linnets. Two Oystercatchers were by the stream to the east with 4 Tufted Ducks on the stream. A Buzzard, 2 Grey Partridges and 2 Yellowhammers were in fields off New Moss Road.

Drowned!

This morning started promisingly with a male Brambling in the garden being the first bird I saw. This is the first bird in Winwick since I saw a male in the garden 16 days ago. This mornings bird was well into moult towards breeding plumage and was a cracker. The usual pair of Grey Partridges were wandering round on the left lawn and 2 male Reed Buntings (one adult, one immature) were also present. Nine Stock Doves were in the field behind the house.
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I headed off to HGF with Bill thinking it's windy and cold but at least its fine. Half way through the south field the wind suddenly cranked up to hurricane and a torrent of rain started. We were soaked! I could barely see anything and when I got to the pool I couldn't hold the scope straight so I gave up. The only bird of note was a Golden Plover in the south field (full breeding plumage!) which flushed by the path - clearly it hadn't seen or heard me until the last second.
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I went back to HGF this evening in less windy and fine weather. Five Black-necked Grebes present plus a new Great Crested Grebe - a juvenile which still has the face and neck stripes! 11 Pied Wags and 7 Linnets were in the south field, 58 Wigeon, 2 Teal and 31 Tufties on the pool. Around 20 Sand Martins were also present.
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A quick note on the Ring Ouzel. At least three other birders connected with it and surprisingly it was still present at 3-45pm - the last time it was recorded. It hung around even when disturbed by the farmer fertilising the field and also when some tosser drove his Spaniel straight at it.
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Eight Grey Partridges present today at HGF - one in the south field and three nr Midhops having a scuffle. Aside from the garden pair, just one other pair showing in Winwick in the field off the bend in Waterworks Lane.

Houghton Green Flash - 2008 review part 2

Black-necked Grebe weekly maximum count 2007 v 2008

Little Grebe weekly maximum count 2007 v 2008

Great Crested Grebe weekly maximum count 2007 v 2008

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I've finally found time to continue my summary of HGF in 2008. By the way yesterdays Ring Ouzel was patch list 108 in just over four years of watching.

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2008 was a good year for the Great Crested Grebes. These birds tend to peak in numbers in late summer when a few juvenile birds are usually present. In Spring there was just the usual one or two pairs knocking around. On 3rd April I recorded nesting material taken into the small reedbed in the corner but I saw little obvious activity after that. On 22nd June the birds emerged from the reedbed with a juvenile on an adults back - it looked to be a day or so old. This is the first time they have bred here! On 25th June a second juvenile was observed and both youngsters successfully fledged! The peak count for the year was 11 birds recorded on several occasions in late summer and early autumn. The numbers present this year were higher throughout by one or two birds than in 2007.

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The Black-necked Grebe season started off in disastrous fashion. The first bird back was on the 13th March compared with 11th in 2007 and 25th in 2006. A few days later a second bird appeared and then a week after the first appearance they were gone. There was a single record of one bird a few weeks later but that was the first wave over! Compare this with 2007 where the birds peaked at 11 in the first wave and were present for five weeks longer. I have no doubt this was due to disturbance from dog walkers - most of the birds appeared to either go straight to Woolsten or to a certain private reserve in GM. The second wave was marginally better with 4 birds present, however this is still below the peak of 7 from the previous year and again in 2007 they stayed five weeks longer!

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The Little Grebe flock builds up in late summer and autumn for moult (as with the Great Crested's). These birds are actually quite rare visitors outside this period. The flock was generally building a week or so earlier than the previous year and peaked at 23 birds (24 in 2007). The main observation though is the rather abrupt departure of most of the flock in early September, around 4-5 weeks earlier than usual. Parallels here with the Black-necks - again I can only think of disturbance being the main cause.

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All told it was a mixed year for Grebes with breeding GCG's being balanced by the poor showings by Black-necked and Little Grebes. Both of the latter are susceptible to disturbance, the BNG's particularly so. My observations of people using the pool in 2008 highlighted:

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Lots more people visiting - I estimate from a max of 7 or 8 in 2007 to upwards of 50 different people regularly walking dogs etc in 2008.

More kids using the pool for swimming and sailing inflatables etc - kids were also observed driving golf birds at the birds

A large increase in litter around the banks

More dog walkers who encouraged there animals to enter the water and even chase the birds.

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So far 2009 for the BNG's looks like a more normal year - possibly the poor weather is keeping people away and thus minimising disturbance. Only time will tell.

When the west wind blows....

... a male Ring Ouzel shall drop in to HGF!

Last night I was wondering if something good would turn up when the wind had died - I wasn't disappointed. This stonking male Ring Ouzel was on the "lawn" in the field south of the pool. Unfortuantely I didn't have my Canon which is still bust, hence the dodgy digiscoping and I didn't have time to watch the bird for long because I was late for work. Funnily enough I only picked the bird up when I was walking away from the pool - I don't think it was there on the way in. As I left it hopped over the hedge and onto the south bank - I suspect it will soon be flushed by dog walkers.

Five Black-necked Grebes present this morning with seven GCG's, 31 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal and 54 Wigeon. A quick visit to Rixton at lunch produced 5 Wheatears in fields off Prospect and Holly Bush Lanes with 60+ Lapwings, a Buzzard and a female Sparrowhawk which glided low over the field right past my car.

This evening I had a good look around HGF and the fields around Winwick but as expected no further sign of the Ring Ouzel. Two pairs of Grey Partridges were at HGF with eight pairs also in fields off Waterworks and Highfield Lanes.

A better photo of the Ring Ouzel can be found at this website (you will need to register) courtesy of Paul Brewster aka The Doc.

http://www.focalpointoptics.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3302

This morning I did watch two Black-necked Grebes engaged in a courtship display. The male started by sitting up in the water with wings spread and bent at the carpal joint. The female swam in front and then both stood up in the water and walked across it for a short distance with the male behind the female. Absolutlely superb!

It's oh so quiet!

Digiscoped Redshank at Pennington Flash

Drake Shoveler at Pennington Flash

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Sunday I woke up in can't be bothered mode. I scanned a flock of gulls in the field behind the garden - 82 BHG's with 12 Common, 4 LBBG's and 3 Herring. The field has just been harrowed, hence the attraction. I then went for a wander round Moore but I wasn't really in the mood for finding anything, so I didn't. For a nice morning it was unusually quiet. I walked down Lapwing and the Lesser Pecker was damned inconsiderate in not perching on the end of my scope. The Tawny Owl was keeping his head down and the only birds of note were 2 Buzzards, a male Bullfinch and 3 Redwings.

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I then went for a wander with Billy around Pennington Flash. Horrocks Hide was predictably windy and cold and the only bird of note was the female Brambling at the feeding station. Late afternoon after a spell of gardening I took Bill for a wander round HGF. It was very, very windy and very, very cold. Only 2 Black-necked Grebes were present - looks like the others have gone for a wander to Wigan Flashes! Incidentally Jimmy Meadows had seven birds on Saturday evening. I did get a count of seven on Sat lunch (based on where the birds were diving) but couldn't repeat it which I always do with diving birds.

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Nothing else much of note with the Ruddy Duck pair having gone walkabout and the Teal pair back. Sunday evening before dusk I drove round Waterworks Lane (on my way to a family bun fight for Mother's Day) and clocked 5 pairs of Grey Partridges in various fields.

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This morning 2 male Reed Buntings were in the garden early doors. At home time a male Sparrowhawk dashed through the car park at work. At HGF this evening six Black-necked Grebes were present (the birds back from Wigan Flashes?) and the Wigeon flock was down to 54 - almost certainly the start of their migration back to Iceland or wherever they come from. 5 Linnets were in the south field and 6 pairs of Grey Partridges were in the fields off Waterworks and Highfield Lanes this evening. 15 Sand Martins and a Buzzard were also present at HGF with the usual cast.

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It's well worth checking out Jonathan'sblog - I love the photo of a Little Owl in it's tree hole - cracker! One of the Peregrine shots from Warton Crag is a bit good too!

Turned out cold again...

Cattle Egret with his big bruvva at Frodsham. Now that my 30D is bust I am reduced to digiscoping - I always seem to want to do this at long range and in poor lighting conditions too.

Ring-necked Duck x Tufted Duck hybrid at Seaforth.

Wheatear at Seaforth.

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News of a Ring-necked Duck at Seaforth yesterday resulted in me being on the road early this morning. I arrived at Seaforth and found no one else there which I found surprising. Anyway a quick scan of the Tufty flock and there was my target bird. I did think at this point that the bird had some pro-tufty features but then I talked myself out of it, mainly on the grounds that it had been reported as RND all day yesterday and surely the local birders can't have got it wrong. My suspicions were confirmed however by a local guy whose first words were along the lines of - cracking bird for a hybrid.

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This bird does tick a lot of boxes for RND and superficially looks like one, however the bump on the peaked crown has a bit of a tuft and the underwing panel is white (should be grey). Oh well - chalk another one down to experience!

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I do like Seaforth at this time of year though and the RND was not my only reason for being there. I picked up 5 Wheatears (2 males, 3 females) down the fence side with about a dozen Mipits. A guy in the hide said to me he always felt warmer when he had seen his first Wheatear of the year! Approx 20 Goldeneye were on the pool with 80+ Black-tailed Godwits and 140+ Redshanks.

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I then headed off to Frodsham to have a look at the Cattle Egret. Said bird buggered off to a very distant pool within 30 seconds of my arrival, though it did come back briefly before buggering off an equal distance in the opposite direction.

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At lunch I took Billy for a walk to HGF and was delighted to see 6 Black-necked Grebes now on the pool. 10 Sand Martins were also whizzing around and 2 Chiffchaffs were singing in the east and south hedges. 5 Redshanks around the pool, Wigeon flock still at 69 and 7 Reed Buntings in the south hedge.

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In the garden today were 3 Reed Buntings and the usual pair of Grey Partridges. At dusk I paid another visit to HGF and stood on the north bank listening to the various sounds (except the M6). A Heron and a Buzzard both flew in at dusk to roost around the south edge. The last bird singing was a male Song Thrush nr Myddleton Hall - he has an exquisite song!

Home again

Red Kite at feeding station, Laurieston (near Loch Ken)

Digiscoped shot of a Buzzard and a Red Kite together in a bush. Note the size difference between the two!

Pheasant at Ken-Dee marshes RSPB reserve

Greylag Goose, Loch Ken. Lots of these birds are scattered all around the Loch.

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Loch Ken

White-fronted geese against a moody looking sky

Charlie the Chaffinch posing

Charlie the Chaffinch singing (Ken-Dee Marshes reserve car park)

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I am now back home and not happy - I could easily stay in D&G permanently. This morning was almost culture shock - going to work instead of loafing around and a bitterly cold, grey and windy morning in comparison to the warm, balmy day yesterday. Anyway, to recap a few recent sightings:

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Tuesday 17th.

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I managed a quick hour at Loch Ryan. Turning into the road up the east side of the Loch I noticed a ring-tailed Hen Harrier hunting over gorse at the side of the road nr Leffnoll Point. It seemed slightly bizarre next to a main road for some reason. I then parked up at the picnic spot north of Cairyan and immediately watched 3 Rock Pipits flitting around. Despite being sunny it was very windy, making the loch choppy and viewing conditions difficult. 7 Red-throated Divers were seen with around 80 Eiders, 3 Guillemots, 6 Shags and a Black Guillemot also around.

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I suddenly heard a few alarm calls behind me and turned to see a large female Peregrine flying around the hill to the east. Birds were scattering in all directions and she put on a good show. Down to the old wooden pier and 3 more Black Guillemots were observed. It was still 4 hours before high tide so I made a quick pit stop at the southern end of the Loch before heading off home. 6 Bar-tailed Godwits were on the shoreline and I estimated the Scaup flock at 200+ birds. A quick trip to Mersehead in the afternoon produced a Jack Snipe from the Bruaich hide. Late afternoon approx 200 Scaup drifted into the channel nr Kippford.

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Wednesday 18th

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A quick trip to Mersehead early on. I noticed one group of Barnacle Geese comprising around 200 birds from the Bruaich Hide - scanning them revealed over 20 ringed birds. I recorded the codes on the darvic rings for 18 of these birds. Half of the birds (green ring, left leg) were ringed in Spitzbergen with the oldest being AHV - he is 18 years old. The other half (orange ring, left leg) are birds that have been ringed at Mersehead since 2000. Incidentally the bird with the transmitter aerial I saw at the weekend is Google - one of seven Barnacle Geese ringed at Mersehead this year and fitted with tracking equipment. Their progress can be monitored at:

http://www.wwt.org.uk/research/tracking/maps.asp

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Leaving the hide I immediately heard the distinctive song of a Chiffchaff. It's funny how I have been yearning to hear this song knowing that in a few weeks it will be irritating the life out of me! The warbler showed well and followed me all the way down the hedge to the farm. There we parted company and I then scanned 40 or so Linnets looking for a Twite but to no avail.

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In the afternoon I went looking for White-fronted Geese. Someone had reported them in fields on the east side of Loch Ken just an hour earlier - I found only Greylags and a single Red Kite. I then headed off up the west side to Ken-Dee Marshes RSPB reserve. As soon as I got there I spotted the Greenland White-front flock on the slope of a nearby hill approx 500 yds away. I was soon joined by Chris and Pat Baines who run the D&G Yahoo birding group. Very nice people too and I enjoyed their company. No Eurasian White-fronts were obvious - the flock eventually totalled 69 birds. I then headed off to the hides where 15 Snipe, 3 Redshank, a Curlew and a Goldeneye showed.

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Thursday 18th

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A quick trip to Laurieston this afternoon for feeding time at Ballymach Farm. Approx 30 birds were present, however my Canon EOS30D decied to develop a fault after 20 mins or so of shooting. It looks like it will have to go to the service centre - I have not been able to fix it. On the way home tonight we made a pit stop at Southwaite Services north of Penrith. I kept thinking at the time that there were a lot of Pied Wags around. As we drove to the slip road I glanced at a bush by the side of the road - at least 100 Pied Wags were roosting in that bush!

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Today I started off with my usual pre-work trip with Billy to HGF. It was nice to see the Wigeon flock more or less still all present - I had thought they might have left by now. A nice surprise was a third Black-necked Grebe - all three birds were huddled together as though making a statement about the cold weather. A White Wagtail showed well on the north bank and 2 Ruddy Ducks and a juvenile Mute Swan were new. A pair of Teal were also present along with 9 Great Crested Grebes.

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At lunch I escaped to the Moat Lane pool Rixton for 20 mins. Nothing of interest to report other than a female Sparrowhawk flying over the pool. At home this evening a male Reed Bunting and a single Long-tailed Tit were in the garden.

Bloody cold!

Leucistic Barnacle Goose, Mersehead

Barnacle Geese, Mersehead

Whooper Swans, Mersehead

Buzzard, Kippford

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This morning was very cold, windy and grey in sharp contrast to yesterday which was warm, sunny and definitely heralded Spring.

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First thing I nipped over to Mersehead again for an hour or so. I would estimate that over 5000 birds were dotted around the reserve this morning, including three leucistic birds. At the Bruaich Hide the 2 Little Egrets were still present - I then noticed three swans which were surprisingly hard to pick up at the back of the pool. Two adults and a juvenile Whooper! Literally ten minutes later a further 106 Whoopers descended on the pool, though they all kept to the back and kept their distance.

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At lunch we went for a picnic in the car to Rockcliffe. It was near high tide and the wind was strong, however I was able to pick up over 400 Scaup in the bay. A Sparrowhawk also flew across the bay.

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It was a quiet day otherwise - we just went for a long walk with Billy. Driving back to the cabin at Kippford this evening a couple of Red-legged Partridges were running in the road and then scanning the river from the cabin, a pair of Goosanders swam upriver.

Mersehead

Hen Harrier RSPB Mersehead

Rook, Mersehead

Curlews and a Black-tailed Godwit in flight - Mersehead

Leucistic Barnacle Geese, Mersehead

Ringed Barnacle Goose with tracking antenna, Mersehead

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I am currently enjoying a well earned break in Dumfries & Galloway. The trip very nearly didn't start too well though. Only a few miles up the M6 a Magpie flew out from the Parkside Colliery site carrying a large branch (large for a Magpie anyway). It was extremely windy and so half way over the motorway the Maggie dropped its branch - it then bounced off the middle of my windscreen! Fortunately no damage done.

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While travelling through the city of Dumfries and having stopped at some traffic lights, I spotted a white-winged gull flying round the grounds of a large building nearby. It turned out to be a leucistic Common gull - just a single black mark on one primary on the right wing. Interesting bird.

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Having driven up on Saturday I managed to get a pass out for an hour or so in the afternoon and headed off to RSPB Mersehead - one of my favourite reserves. The first thing I saw was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier flitting across the front of the hide. It flew over the back of the pool and then disappeared. Five minutes later it reappeared over the reedbed and dropped down into it.

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The Hen Harrier spooked the 1000 or so Barnacle geese which had been skulking in the fields beyond the back of the pool. One of the leucistic birds was seen in flight. Two Little Egrets were showing well in the flooded field behind the hide. The pool was busy with various wildfowl and plenty of Curlews and other waders. 3 Buzzards were also present.

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This morning I made a quick trip back to Mersehead and found the Barnacles showing much better. The two Leucistic birds were in the field by the farm. Nr the hide were three ringed birds, one of which had an a tracking antenna on its back. It will be interesting to get some feedback on the movements of this bird. The Little Egrets were present on the pool but out of sight for most of the time.

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Mid afternoon and we took Bill for a walk to Balcary Point at high tide. Seven Red-throated Divers were loafing about in the bay. Six Red-breasted Mergansers and a female Goldeneye were also present. Lots of waders, mainly Oystercatchers and Curlews with a pair of Ringed Plovers. The water around Hestan Island was full of auks - they were too far out to ID.

2000 miles

The title reflects the number of miles I have driven in the last 2 weeks - and had to work each day on top. I'm bloody knackered!
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A few choice photos below in a master class - I am thinking of entering these in this years BBC Wildlife Magazine wildlife photographer of the year competition. I think I'm a dead cert for all the categories.


Little Owl in Lady Lane, Croft. I'm putting this in the wildlife in action category!

Little Owl again (can you spot it?) - this time in the wildlife interacting with habitat category! Or should I put it in the area of outstanding natural beauty one?

This one is going in the rare species category. Or the how to bugger off very quickly when someone points a camera at you category!

One of seven male Corn Buntings singing in Holly Bush Lane this afternoon. This is going in the special effects and use of lighting category - my best one yet!

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As you might be able to tell, too busy running round the country and not much in the way of birding.

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At HGF this morning the Black-necked Grebes were still present and I could have easily predicted every other species seen before I set off. In fact I am on first name terms with them, their Albert and a few distant cousins.

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At Moat Lane a Linnet was something new and 7 Corn Buntings (all males and all singing on the wires) were on Holly Bush Lane with 2 Yellowhammers. Two more CB's were in the usual spot in Culcheth on the way home plus the Little Owl in Lady Lane.

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This morning a male Reed Bunting and 2 Grey Partridges visited the garden - the Song Thrush did a bunk 2 days ago. Best part of the day was watching 5 GP's this morning in Waterworks Lane. The 2 pairs were engaged in some scuffling and some serious fighting did break out between the males. Most of the time though they were chasing each other round the field like something out of a Benny Hill sketch - hilarious!

Space... The Final Frontier

A quick digiscoped snap of the almost full moon this evening.

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For a change I decided to use the scope for something else tonight. Star of the show (pun intended) was Saturn. This planet is showing well in the eastern sky with the rings plane on - they were clearly visible through the scope, as was one of the moons (Titan?). The moon more than fills the eye piece when on full zoom and spectacular views were had of the craters.

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On the birding front, yesterday a male Sparrowhawk flew through the garden early on with 2 Reed Buntings present (1 male, 1 female) and the male Song Thrush singing on his now usual perch.

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This morning along with the Song Thrush were 7 Goldfinches on the feeders, 3 Reed Buntings (2 males) and 2 Grey Partridges near the bird table and a Buzzard in Waterworks Lane this evening. The Black-necked Grebes were still on HGF both evenings. While driving down Highfield Lane this evening I met a falcon flying head on towards me at around 15-20 feet height - a female Merlin!

Quiet weekend

Male Song Thrush singing in the garden yesterday

Pair of Wigeon asleep at HGF yesterday

Black-necked Grebes at HGF yesterday. In the interests of hoping they will stick around I remained on the opposite side of the pool and resisted the temptation to wander round for better photos. I really should get an adapter for digiscoping though!

Pair of Grey Partridge nr the now defunct feeding station in Waterworks Lane.

Grey Partridge with a male Reed Bunting in the garden yesterday.

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With my brother-in-law Mark visiting with his fiancee Becky this weekend, opportunities for birding have been few and far between. However there was lots of activity in the garden and at HGF. First thing yesterday morning I popped around to the feeding station on Waterworks Lane. A pair of Grey Partridges were the only birds present in the ploughed strip - these flew off. Another pair posed for photos in the field opposite.

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Off then to HGF where I quickly confirmed, to my delight and some surprise, that the Black-necked Grebes were still present and ignoring the disturbance from the dog walkers. I stayed on the opposite side to avoid any more disturbance. 84 Wigeon were present with 13 Tufties - no Pochard today. A pair of Teal were also present with 40 Coot and 4 Redshank. 5 Great Crested Grebes were around with 2 pairs engaged in courtship displays. A single Pied Wagtail was patrolling the north bank.

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It's worth noting that the Wigeon have now largely separated into pairs (this has been going on for the last 2 weeks) and both courtship displays and mating were observed this morning. 4 Skylarks were present in the thistle field and a single Common Gull was present with around 420 Black-headed Gulls.

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In the garden yesterday morning was one of my favourite sounds in the world - a male Song Thrush singing his heart out. He remained all day virtually without stopping and was still busy after 6pm! 8 Goldfinches and 10 Greenfinches were on the sunflower hearts feeders and 12 Chaffinches were feeding on the ground nr the back hedge with 3 Reed Buntings. The usual pair of Grey Partridges made a couple of visits. Also around were 25 Collared Doves, 2 Robins, 2 Dunnocks, 2 Great Tits, 3 Blue Tits and the usual male Feral Pigeon. A Crow was annoying by constantly calling from one of the trees throughout the morning and the Magpies have nearly finished building their nest.

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The excitement started in the afternoon. The female Sparrowhawk made a dash through, followed minutes later by the male who perched briefly on a branch outside the conservatory. He looked magnificent. Things quietened down until about an hour later the male was back. He perched on Blue's run (Blue is our large silver fox doe rabbit) and then on the bird table. At this point the Magpies both saw their arses and mobbed him, driving him off. Before he was out of sight, the female appeared over the field just beyond the back hedge. She struck at a Collared Dove in flight and although it rained feathers the dove escaped. She then perched in the smaller Ash tree and was quickly accompanied by the returning Magpies. She completely ignored them and it was obvious the Maggies were very wary of her. Meanwhile, completely oblivious to all this, a sick Collared Dove that has been hanging around recently (fluffed up feathers, small sunken eyes, very lethargic) was asleep all afternoon on the little table near the conservatory. How both Sprawks missed it I will never know.

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In the afternoon I went back to HGF with Mark and Becky. I was busy showing them my Kowa scope as we walked round, suddenly a small flock of wagtails dropped in to the NE corner right in front of us. They were very agitated and kept zooming around. As I was showing the scope off I turned it on the waggies and immediately spotted a White Wagtail with the 10 or so Pied Wagtails. A bit early though some were seen at Hoylake earlier in the week. The wagtail flock quickly moved on heading north. Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls came down, as did a Mute Swan.

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This morning I decided on a swift trip to Frodsham. The weather was attrocious with the wind blowing the scope all over the place and it was also very cold. After a lot of hard work I got onto one of the Little Stints with approx 40 or so Dunlin in the NE corner of No. 6 tank. They were very difficult to spot, they kept weaving in and out of vegetation. Also present were 6 Ringed Plovers, 40+ Curlew, 700+ Golden Plovers, 12 Shoveler, 40+ Teal, 50+ Ruddy Ducks and 70+ Redshank. 3 Greylags were feeding on No. 5 tank. A trip to Pennington was a bad idea so I came home.

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In the garden today the sick Collared Dove was missing and a pile of feathers was found in a corner. Enough said. Just one brief sighting of a Sprawk today - the male dashing through mid afternoon. 10 Goldfinches and 7 Greenfinches were on the feeders and 5 Reed Buntings, 15 Chaffinches and a male Brambling were feeding on the ground by the back hedge. The Grey Partridges visited twice today and 4 Mistle Thrushes also flew through. The male Song Thrush was singing early on then disappeared. He came back late afternoon and was still singing at dusk. A pair of Stock Doves were in the field by the back hedge.

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Had a quick run over to HGF at 4-30 this afternoon. The first thing I noticed was a small brown job skipping low over the thistle field. When I got the scope out I found a nice female Stonechat. After posing she disappeared off towards Midhops Farm - I looked for her there later but to no avail. The Black-necked Grebes were still present, Wigeon flock was still 84 but many more Mallards in this afternoon. Tufties same as yesterday and the Teal pair were also still present. The Oystercatchers and the 4 Redshanks were patrolling the shoreline with a pair of Pied Wagtails. Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Common Gull were mixed in with the 50+ BHG's.

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Interesting weekend and the gig in Manchester last night was superb. Went to see Snow Patrol, however one the support acts is an up and coming band called White Lies - they are excellent!

Black-necked Grebes are back

Black-necked Grebe at Houghton Green Flash Spring 2006. It was too grim and grey for digiscoping this evening, hence here are some I prepared earlier....

Black-necked Grebe, Wigan Flashes 2007

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A crap week finished on a high with the appearance of 2 Black-necked Grebes at HGF this evening. Both were well into breeding plumage. As usual there were the usual plethora of dog walkers with animals going into the water and the grebes looking nervous and edgy. I will be surprised if they are still present in the morning.

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Looking back at recent arrival dates, these birds are early. The recent dates are as follows:

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2006xxxxx25th March

2007xxxxx11th March

2008xxxxx13th March

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There was also 6 Great Crested Grebes, 86 Wigeon, 2 Teal, 16 Tufties, 1 Pochard, 43 Coot, 4 Redshank, 2 Oystercatchers and a Mute Swan.
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On the feeding station front the farmer cut the hedge last Sunday morning - this also removed a lot of the dead bracken and thus removed a great deal of cover. 2 Bramblings (1 male, 1 female) still showed up on Sunday afternoon with a different male and a female present in the garden Monday am. I haven't seen any since. This morning 45+ Chaffinches were present with 9 Tree Sparrows, 2 Yellowhammers and 2 Reed Buntings. This evening when I got home the farmer had ploughed the field - maybe it is time to stop feeding.

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The female Sparrowhawk shot through the garden this morning, disturbing 12 Chaffinches and 10 Goldfinches in the process. Yesterday a Sparrowhawk perched in the large Ash tree in the garden for over 2 hours, consequently the garden was silent. A flock of 80+ Fieldfares has been in a field off Highfield Lane for most of the week.

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Elsewhere a single Shelduck has been present on the pool of Moat Lane, Rixton for a few days with a flock of 80+ Chaffinches and 10 Yellowhammers nr the tip. 4 Corn Buntings were present on the wires nr Holcroft Hall farm this morning. A flock of 50+ Fieldfares was in a field nr the farm shop. 2 Little Owls were perched together off Lady Lane in Croft the other day.

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It would be interesting to see the Twite that Jonathan has found with a Linnet flock by the Silver Lane pools, Risley. That is a cracking find. 2 Little Stints (my target birds from last weekend)have turned up at Frodsham today - they should stick around on No. 6 tank for a while.

Wild goose chase!

Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Moore Nature Reserve

The usual pair of Grey Partridges in the garden this evening

Golden Plover, Redshank and Dunlin at Pilling Lane Ends marsh during high tide

The Pilling marsh partially flooded at high tide packed with ducks, geese and waders.

Golden Plover, Knot and Dunlin

Two Spotted Redshanks, Conder creek

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Fluke Hall

Greenshank, Conder creek

Adult and juvenile Bewicks Swans, Thurnham

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I left home this morning still debating whether to have another go at the Bean Geese around Pilling. Not feeling the love for such a trip, I decided to have a wander around Moore Nature Reserve. On arrival the first thing I noticed was a Peregrine which skimmed low over the trees and flew across Lapwing Lane. Nuthatches (3) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (4) were seen and heard with two male GSW having a tiff. Then down came the rain - don't think that was in the weather forecast!

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Down at the end of Lapwing Lane I heard a Nuthatch calling from a tree where the lane meets the Birch Wood track. As soon as I got the bins up I heard the Nuthatch call from behind me (amazing how quick they move), however I saw movement in the top of the tree and locked onto a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Only brief views before the bird shot off, however it made me feel positive enough for a trip to Pilling.

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On arrival at Fluke Hall I noticed three birders scanning approx 2500 Pink-footed Geese and immediately joined them. There, right in front of us, were 4 Tundra Bean Geese and 3 Greenland White-fronted Geese. The light was awful though the views through the scope were much better than the bilge digiscope shots I got. Unfortunately the farmer soon turned up on his quad bike and spooked the whole flock. This was my seventh attempt this winter to connect with Bean Geese! It was very nice to meet Paul Brewster who steered me onto the geese.

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Tundra Bean Geese originate from northern Russia (race, Rossicus) as opposed to the Taiga form (fabilis) which originates from northern Scandinavia. Despite the odd Taiga Bean Goose being seen in the NW this winter, none were seen today.

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Off then to Conder Pool with Paul for the Spotted Redshank that has been wintering there. The bird was showing well on the creek opposite Conder Pool - it was soon joined by a second bird. A Greenshank also made an appearance here, while at least 4 female Goldeneye were present on the pool.

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I then drove round to Jeremy Lane in Thurham. The Swan herd was a little distant and the wind increased rapidly and down came the rain again. Despite the weather I managed to latch onto 3 Bewicks Swans (2 adults and a juvenile) amongst the 35+ Whooper Swans and 50+ Mute Swans.

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By this time high tide was upon us so I headed back to Pilling Lane Ends. As soon as I started scanning it, the Pink-foot flock in the field by the lane was flushed by a couple of Richard Edwards (ramblers) who had strayed off the path. Morecambe Bay was busy washing over a good part of the salt marsh and birds were everywhere. The Pink-footed Geese buggered off towards Fluke Hall again (approx 2,500) with a few stragglers heading inland. A scan from the lane ends car park revealed:

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2,000+ Oystercatcher

700+ Bar-tailed Godwit

500+ Dunlin

200+ Knot

130+ Grey Plover

250+ Golden Plover

140+ Curlew

200+ Shelduck

400+ Redshank

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I then headed back home where I found Karen and Dorothy had been watching the male Siskin on the feeders again today. A quick scan of the garden revealed a female Brambling, 2 Grey Partirdges and a pair of Reed Buntings amongst 15+ Chaffinches and 12+ House Sparrows.