Abbeystead

Brown Hare, Quernmore

And another one....

Meadow Pipit, Quernmore

Ermine Moth caterpillars in the woodland at Abbeystead

This dead tree was covered in the eerie silken nests of the Ermine Moth - I almost expected Shelob to emerge from the dark undergrowth nearby!

Lapwing, Abbeystead

And one at Quernmore

And a juvenile....

Curlew, Abbeystead

Grey Wagtail, Halton

Family of Mallard in a group pose in the Lune at Halton Mills weir

This nearby Mallard has a couple of stand-out ducklings...a bit of farmyard duck in these perhaps!

Redstart, Abbeystead. Very difficult to digiscope here - they won't stay still and pose (how rude!) and they kept showing only in the darkest undergrowth!

Grey Heron, Halton Mills weir

Oystercatcher, Quernmore

Our local cock Pheasant by the van in Caton

View of Morecambe Bay from Quernmore with Sunderland Point being the back spit of land.

Linnet, Houghton Green Flash

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Last Friday I started the day with a walk around HGF which made me smile. It might have been that it was a nice sunny morning. It might have been that I was chilled and relaxed following a relatively quiet week at work. Ot it might have been wind! In reality it was those little things again.

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Like watching a female Sparrowhawk glide low over the south field.

Like finding five drake Pochards and some tufties on the pool this morning.

Like finding the Coot numbers had risen again and there were four Great Crested Grebes present.

Like finding some more juvenile Lapwings in the Midhops paddock.

Like finding three Reed Buntings popped up in the rape field.

Like finding the Corn Bunting still singing.

Like finding Buzzard and Kestrel to go with the Spar.

Like watching 70+ Swifts suddenly drop onto the flash from nowhere.

And best of all like watching a singing male Skylark fly a slow circuit right around me at no more than 20 feet away - just like a harrier jump jet doing an airshow performance. Stonking!

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I know, I'm easily pleased. At lunch I popped in to see the Common Tern chicks at Rixton - the family was doing well. I remember Jonathan saying recently that he felt a bit like a broody hen (or something lke that) the way he kept fussing over these terns - I know the feeling. If they were at Pennington we probably wouldn't bat an eyelid.

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On Saturday morning I got up late and the only birding of the day was a 90 minute wander around Abbeystead. I decided to walk along the path down past the reservoir and it was well worth it. The female Pied Flycatcher by the car park was busy taking food into the nest - no sign of the male. A Kingfisher sped down stream. The usual woodland species were around with plenty of tits and finches and the odd Nuthatch. Eventually my walk took me past an area where a calling male Redstart popped up. I stood there and watched a little while as he continuously brought food into the nest site. He had a little circuit and some favourite perched which I began to suss out. A second male soon appeared and has a nest site no more than 50 feet away from the first one. On the walk back I heard a third male singing and after scanning a stand of oaks I soon found him. Four Blackcaps and three Garden Warblers (one in the midst of the Redstart territories) were also heard and a Pied Flycatcher sang briefly nearby (different territory to the car park pair).

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On Sunday morning I decided to repeat the walk as I had more time to spare. I found all three male Redstarts and then a fourth not too far from the nesting males from yesterday. Again it was fascinating watching their little circuits. Presumably from the lack of sightings of females they are probably incubating. I also found three Treecreepers in very different parts of the wood. While I stood and watched the Redstarts a Green Woodpecker called from the hill behind and then a Cuckoo began singing from no more than 100 yds away - I never saw it though. It's calls echoed through the wood. The Kingfisher called again from the stream and four Garden Warblers were singing today. The Pied Flycatcher pair by the car park were busy and a female Bullfinch flew across the path. Nice, lazy, quiet weekend and some cracking birds!

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On the way back to the van for lunch I made a quick pit stop at Tower Lodge. The Spot Fly was almost immediately on one of it's favourite perched in a beech tree and a Common Sandpiper was creeping up the brook. Oh and it rained most of the morning, but who cares.

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Late Sunday afternoon I took Bill for our usual visit to Halton Mills weir. The first sighting was a Common Sandpiper which was making its way upriver. The rain had just about stopped and it was promising to be a good evening. A family of five Grey Wags were in the river with the youngsters making sure that dad knew just how hungry they were! A Kingfisher was fishing a pool on the far side when another 2 Kingfishers flew past it and upriver in formation flight! The Dipper was busy taking food into the nest as usual. On the way back a gull flock had formed in the field behind Crook O'Lune picnic site - 108 Lesser Black-backs and 10 Herring Gulls.