A few digiscoped video clips of the Pennington birds
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Pennington Mega
Photos:
Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, Frodsham Marsh
Curlew Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Dipper, Pennington Flash
29th August
I started Bank Holiday Monday with a visit to HGF in the rain. A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was the best bird – obviously a migrant as I haven’t seen the local birds for nearly two months. Unlike last year I have not seen a single sign of LRP breeding on local pools this year. Last year there were two broods at HGF, at least three at Rixton and one or two elsewhere. Plenty of hirundines (3 species) were feeding this morning.
47 House Sparrows, 6 Tree Sparrows and 22 Collared Doves were at the feeding station this morning. I assume the Tree Sparrows are the local birds from Highfield Farm. At one point the sparrows all metled into the hedge – the usual sign of a raptor and sure enough a male Sparrowhawk came through and was mobbed by a Crow. In this case the hawk was hounded mercilessly with the Crow chasing it all over the place. There was also a build up of 50+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the field.
Mid afternoon I wandered over to Frodsham Marsh – still windy and showery and the rain heaved it down just after I arrived. I then got five minutes of quiet before all the waders decided to bugger off to the shoreline and disappeared. In the brief time I had I did pick up 5 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Ruff, around 30 Dunlin and 85 Black-tailed Godwits. I then noticed a juvenile Avocet feeding nr the blackwit flock. This bird stayed and around 20 minutes later an adult Avocet dropped in and joined it. Migrating birds? There was a single Golden Plover on the mud and a drake Pintail dropped into the little pool in the top corner. The rain soon came back though. On my way home a Hobby dashed across the M6 at the Thellwall Viaduct and off towards Woolsten Eyes.
Later this evening (weather still miserable) I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. I saw nothing at all until I reached the oat field. Here a Buzzard was perched on the ground and two Kestrels were nearby, one hovering over the field and another flying sluggishly and low over the field. The Buzzard suddenly lifted off and headed for the latter Kestrel. To my amazement it closed rapidly and lunged at the Kestrel with talons outstretched. The Kestrel side slipped at the very last second and flew off, now looking normal. Interesting – I wonder why the Buzzard thought it had a chance? Was the Kestrel ill or just being dozy?
A Brown Hare was also in the field and walking back down the lane a skulking little brown job kept flitting up from the verge and landing again a few yards down. It turned out to be a Meadow Pipit – probably reluctant to fly far in the weather and this close to dusk.
I then noticed quite a few coveys of Grey Partridges calling and here and there in the wheat stubble north of the lane I could see heads popping up. Trouble was they were all some distance away and the curvature of the field makes viewing to the north harder, particularly near Parkside Farm. I then decided to walk over to the back side of this field to see what was going on. To my surprise there were Grey Partridges everywhere in a strip which saddled the west-east running hedge which is at the north end of the wheat field (hope that makes sense). All told I saw at least 68 Grey Partridges in coveys of 10, 9, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3 and 2!!! There were probably more but the light was failing rapidly by then.
30th August
HGF this morning was pretty much as was. The current line up is:
57 Coot
27 Great Crested Grebe
4 Little Grebe
28 Tufted Duck
The Teal was rejoined by its friend this morning. A Buzzard was soaring around and a flock of 38 Collared Doves were on the wires by the kennels.
Mid afternoon I managed to escape work early and stopped by Pennington Flash – intrigued by the recent Dipper reports. I wasn’t too sure where it had been sighted so I followed the track next to the brook and initially saw nothing. At one point the track turns left and over a footbridge – from this bridge I looked back downstream and spotted the Dipper on a rock. It would have been obscured by vegetation further down.
The bird was a juvenile and didn’t do an awful lot - mainly stood there and bobbed before having a bath and then seeming to disappear in front of my eyes. A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was another very welcome bird from Teal Hide where three Green Sandpipers were roosting. I had to be back home though and quickly ran out of time.
At dusk I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. It really was very dark by the time we arrived – a couple of Kestrels were seen briefly and then a flock of 25 Swallows came flying through south.
31st August
11 Goldfinches on the feeders in the garden today. Sum total of today’s birding!
I started Bank Holiday Monday with a visit to HGF in the rain. A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was the best bird – obviously a migrant as I haven’t seen the local birds for nearly two months. Unlike last year I have not seen a single sign of LRP breeding on local pools this year. Last year there were two broods at HGF, at least three at Rixton and one or two elsewhere. Plenty of hirundines (3 species) were feeding this morning.
47 House Sparrows, 6 Tree Sparrows and 22 Collared Doves were at the feeding station this morning. I assume the Tree Sparrows are the local birds from Highfield Farm. At one point the sparrows all metled into the hedge – the usual sign of a raptor and sure enough a male Sparrowhawk came through and was mobbed by a Crow. In this case the hawk was hounded mercilessly with the Crow chasing it all over the place. There was also a build up of 50+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the field.
Mid afternoon I wandered over to Frodsham Marsh – still windy and showery and the rain heaved it down just after I arrived. I then got five minutes of quiet before all the waders decided to bugger off to the shoreline and disappeared. In the brief time I had I did pick up 5 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Ruff, around 30 Dunlin and 85 Black-tailed Godwits. I then noticed a juvenile Avocet feeding nr the blackwit flock. This bird stayed and around 20 minutes later an adult Avocet dropped in and joined it. Migrating birds? There was a single Golden Plover on the mud and a drake Pintail dropped into the little pool in the top corner. The rain soon came back though. On my way home a Hobby dashed across the M6 at the Thellwall Viaduct and off towards Woolsten Eyes.
Later this evening (weather still miserable) I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. I saw nothing at all until I reached the oat field. Here a Buzzard was perched on the ground and two Kestrels were nearby, one hovering over the field and another flying sluggishly and low over the field. The Buzzard suddenly lifted off and headed for the latter Kestrel. To my amazement it closed rapidly and lunged at the Kestrel with talons outstretched. The Kestrel side slipped at the very last second and flew off, now looking normal. Interesting – I wonder why the Buzzard thought it had a chance? Was the Kestrel ill or just being dozy?
A Brown Hare was also in the field and walking back down the lane a skulking little brown job kept flitting up from the verge and landing again a few yards down. It turned out to be a Meadow Pipit – probably reluctant to fly far in the weather and this close to dusk.
I then noticed quite a few coveys of Grey Partridges calling and here and there in the wheat stubble north of the lane I could see heads popping up. Trouble was they were all some distance away and the curvature of the field makes viewing to the north harder, particularly near Parkside Farm. I then decided to walk over to the back side of this field to see what was going on. To my surprise there were Grey Partridges everywhere in a strip which saddled the west-east running hedge which is at the north end of the wheat field (hope that makes sense). All told I saw at least 68 Grey Partridges in coveys of 10, 9, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3 and 2!!! There were probably more but the light was failing rapidly by then.
30th August
HGF this morning was pretty much as was. The current line up is:
57 Coot
27 Great Crested Grebe
4 Little Grebe
28 Tufted Duck
The Teal was rejoined by its friend this morning. A Buzzard was soaring around and a flock of 38 Collared Doves were on the wires by the kennels.
Mid afternoon I managed to escape work early and stopped by Pennington Flash – intrigued by the recent Dipper reports. I wasn’t too sure where it had been sighted so I followed the track next to the brook and initially saw nothing. At one point the track turns left and over a footbridge – from this bridge I looked back downstream and spotted the Dipper on a rock. It would have been obscured by vegetation further down.
The bird was a juvenile and didn’t do an awful lot - mainly stood there and bobbed before having a bath and then seeming to disappear in front of my eyes. A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was another very welcome bird from Teal Hide where three Green Sandpipers were roosting. I had to be back home though and quickly ran out of time.
At dusk I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. It really was very dark by the time we arrived – a couple of Kestrels were seen briefly and then a flock of 25 Swallows came flying through south.
31st August
11 Goldfinches on the feeders in the garden today. Sum total of today’s birding!
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Seaforth saves the day
Photos:
Green Sandpiper, Rixton
Juvenile White Wagtail?, Seaforth
Juvenile Citrine Wagtail, Seaforth
26th August
I managed to escape from Brum a little early today and thus found a bit of time to call in at Rixton on the way home. The mosses were relatively quiet, a flock of 15 Mistle Thrushes, three Buzzards, two Kestrels and a flock of 40+ Goldfinches on Holly Bush Lane. When I reached Prospect Lane where I spotted a small brown job perched up on top of the barley. I got my scope on it and found it to be a juvenile Whinchat. Nice one! The little sod didn’t stop for photos though – it soon flew off over the fields to the north west. A Green Sandpiper was also present on the small pool at the base of the tip here, plus a second bird on Moat Lane pool 1. A juvenile Little Ringed Plover plus a couple of Teal and the usual swans were also there. Going down Dam Head Lane a Jay was being mobbed by Magpies and a Sparrowhawk flew over the fields to the west.
A quick visit to HGF and two Teal were present today – looks like the now semi-resident bird has found a friend. A covey of 5 Grey Partridges were nr Myddleton Farm. Two Kestrels and a Buzzard were hunting the fields.
Barrow Lane this evening was relatively quiet – a single juvenile Kestrel along with five coveys of Grey Partridges totally 23 birds. Late tonight a Tawny Owl was heard hooting around on Waterworks Lane.
Having seen some sparrows flitting around in the hedge by Waterworks Lane feeding station I have taken a punt and decided to put some seed down to see what turns up.
27th August
Quietish day today for a weekend. Too tired to be honest – long hours in Birmingham plus the travelling and I generally don’t feel like doing much when I have free time.
Had a quick look at Newton Lake this morning. A single Green Sandpiper was present plus 12 Teal and 4 Gadwall. It then started raining heavily so I left. The garden was busier today than I have seen it for a while though with tits and finches flitting around all day. I can’t remember seeing so many birds for a while though to be honest I don’t watch the garden too much these days. I did check out the feeding station in Waterworks Lane – 17 House Sparrows were busy feeding there! A juvenile Whitethroat was skulking in the opposite hedge.
28th August
I got some decent time for birding today and mostly it went wrong. I started off at Hoylake on a rising tide. There were good numbers of Sandwich Terns on the distant shoreline plus a few waders, however the wind was horrendous. I couldn’t keep the scope straight so I quickly gave up. Next stop was Leasowe Gunsite for a bit of seawatching. I know the wind was in the wrong direction, however a few things had been turning up recently. I saw sod all. I then wandered over to Heswall. Timing all wrong – it was high tide and most of the salt marsh was flooded. There were lots of waders but all hidden in the remaining remnants of the salt marsh. At least 22 Little Egrets were present and 750+ Shelduck floating on the water. Final stop was Parkgate. Two Peregrines were perched up way out on the marsh and around a dozen Little Egrets were moving about. The new flash further down looks good, however when I turned up all the waders (mainly Dunlin and Ringed Plover) were roosting with heads tucked away. I got fed up at that point and decided The Wirral wasn’t really playing ball today.
Next I decided to head for Seaforth. Good move as a Citrine Wagtail was then reported. Funny though when I arrived there was no one around. I plonked myself in the hide overlooking the long bank where wagtails usually appear and sure enough quite a few turned up. One was superficially a little like a Citrine but looked like a juvenile White Wagtail to me. There was no sign of the Citrine Wag. Sod it – not going well today.
I wandered round to the main hide where a birder had appeared and very casually said the Citrine Wags on the little pool at the side of the hide. And sure enough it was! I watched it for around five minutes before it disappeared. Later I picked it up twice more – in the company of a few Yellow Wagtails.
There were not too many Common Terns left today – around 80 or so and a juvenile Black Tern made a welcome distraction. A Common Sandpiper was also patrolling the pool edge and around 40+ House Martins and a few Swifts were present. On the rough ground backing up top the containers there were at least 13 Wheatears. This was much better birding!
At HGF this evening there were quite a few Grey Partridges kicking around in the newly dropped fields. At one point coveys of 35, 6, 5 and 7 all flew together into the field opposite the kennels making a loose flock of 53 birds! Spectacular to see. A male Whitethroat was skipping down the path through the south field. Little change on the water – the Teal is still present but its friend has gone. A couple of Buzzards were also hanging around – one had a very smart white rump with a black sub-terminal band. It also looks pale but is clearly a Common Buzzard. I’ve not seen this one before – it might cause a little confusion if it sticks around.
At Waterworks Lane feeding station this evening were 31 House Sparrows plus 4 Grey Partridges (2 adults, 2 juveniles).
I managed to escape from Brum a little early today and thus found a bit of time to call in at Rixton on the way home. The mosses were relatively quiet, a flock of 15 Mistle Thrushes, three Buzzards, two Kestrels and a flock of 40+ Goldfinches on Holly Bush Lane. When I reached Prospect Lane where I spotted a small brown job perched up on top of the barley. I got my scope on it and found it to be a juvenile Whinchat. Nice one! The little sod didn’t stop for photos though – it soon flew off over the fields to the north west. A Green Sandpiper was also present on the small pool at the base of the tip here, plus a second bird on Moat Lane pool 1. A juvenile Little Ringed Plover plus a couple of Teal and the usual swans were also there. Going down Dam Head Lane a Jay was being mobbed by Magpies and a Sparrowhawk flew over the fields to the west.
A quick visit to HGF and two Teal were present today – looks like the now semi-resident bird has found a friend. A covey of 5 Grey Partridges were nr Myddleton Farm. Two Kestrels and a Buzzard were hunting the fields.
Barrow Lane this evening was relatively quiet – a single juvenile Kestrel along with five coveys of Grey Partridges totally 23 birds. Late tonight a Tawny Owl was heard hooting around on Waterworks Lane.
Having seen some sparrows flitting around in the hedge by Waterworks Lane feeding station I have taken a punt and decided to put some seed down to see what turns up.
27th August
Quietish day today for a weekend. Too tired to be honest – long hours in Birmingham plus the travelling and I generally don’t feel like doing much when I have free time.
Had a quick look at Newton Lake this morning. A single Green Sandpiper was present plus 12 Teal and 4 Gadwall. It then started raining heavily so I left. The garden was busier today than I have seen it for a while though with tits and finches flitting around all day. I can’t remember seeing so many birds for a while though to be honest I don’t watch the garden too much these days. I did check out the feeding station in Waterworks Lane – 17 House Sparrows were busy feeding there! A juvenile Whitethroat was skulking in the opposite hedge.
28th August
I got some decent time for birding today and mostly it went wrong. I started off at Hoylake on a rising tide. There were good numbers of Sandwich Terns on the distant shoreline plus a few waders, however the wind was horrendous. I couldn’t keep the scope straight so I quickly gave up. Next stop was Leasowe Gunsite for a bit of seawatching. I know the wind was in the wrong direction, however a few things had been turning up recently. I saw sod all. I then wandered over to Heswall. Timing all wrong – it was high tide and most of the salt marsh was flooded. There were lots of waders but all hidden in the remaining remnants of the salt marsh. At least 22 Little Egrets were present and 750+ Shelduck floating on the water. Final stop was Parkgate. Two Peregrines were perched up way out on the marsh and around a dozen Little Egrets were moving about. The new flash further down looks good, however when I turned up all the waders (mainly Dunlin and Ringed Plover) were roosting with heads tucked away. I got fed up at that point and decided The Wirral wasn’t really playing ball today.
Next I decided to head for Seaforth. Good move as a Citrine Wagtail was then reported. Funny though when I arrived there was no one around. I plonked myself in the hide overlooking the long bank where wagtails usually appear and sure enough quite a few turned up. One was superficially a little like a Citrine but looked like a juvenile White Wagtail to me. There was no sign of the Citrine Wag. Sod it – not going well today.
I wandered round to the main hide where a birder had appeared and very casually said the Citrine Wags on the little pool at the side of the hide. And sure enough it was! I watched it for around five minutes before it disappeared. Later I picked it up twice more – in the company of a few Yellow Wagtails.
There were not too many Common Terns left today – around 80 or so and a juvenile Black Tern made a welcome distraction. A Common Sandpiper was also patrolling the pool edge and around 40+ House Martins and a few Swifts were present. On the rough ground backing up top the containers there were at least 13 Wheatears. This was much better birding!
At HGF this evening there were quite a few Grey Partridges kicking around in the newly dropped fields. At one point coveys of 35, 6, 5 and 7 all flew together into the field opposite the kennels making a loose flock of 53 birds! Spectacular to see. A male Whitethroat was skipping down the path through the south field. Little change on the water – the Teal is still present but its friend has gone. A couple of Buzzards were also hanging around – one had a very smart white rump with a black sub-terminal band. It also looks pale but is clearly a Common Buzzard. I’ve not seen this one before – it might cause a little confusion if it sticks around.
At Waterworks Lane feeding station this evening were 31 House Sparrows plus 4 Grey Partridges (2 adults, 2 juveniles).
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Local Wheatears
Photos:
Pair of Peregrines at Upton Warren
Wheatear at Barrow Lane, Newton-Le-Willows
15th August
Early evening I managed to get out and about a few places locally. I started with a drive around the mosses at Rixton. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was an interesting find on Holly Bush Lane – a Red-legged Partridge and a covey of 8 Grey Partridges was also there. On the tip pool was a Green Sandpiper and large numbers of Swallows with a few Swifts were busy feeding nearby. 5 Kestrels were around the place, a small flock of 23 Canada Geese and the usual two Mute Swans were on Moat Lane pools.
HGF saw large numbers of Swallows and smaller numbers of Swifts feeding over the fields near Midhops. Four Little Grebes were on the pool. Finally there was a large build up of Black-headed Gulls in a ploughed field off Waterworks Lane but nothing more interesting with them.
16th August
Bit of a non-day. The only birding was a brief visit to HGF with nothing much to report and staring out of the conservatory window at a couple of Coal Tits on the feeders.
17th August
A few Swifts kicking around when I walked Bill to HGF this evening plus a few larger gulls in the ploughed field off Waterworks Lane. Quiet.
18th August
Today I managed an early evening visit to Seaforth in the rain (working nearby). Nothing much about and the rain didn’t help visibility. Birds seen on my brief visit were:
Common Sandpiper
130+ Common Terns
76 Cormorants
85 Tufted Ducks
17 Curlews
112 Lapwings
20 Teal
12 Grey Herons
40+ House Martins
4 Little Grebes
Nothing new at HGF late evening. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the garden today.
19th August
A Skylark, a Buzzard and a singing Chiffchaff provided a little variety at HGF today. A Teal was also present on the pool.
20th August
Dawn found me stood at Barrow Lane (NLW) with Jonathan. 22 Yellow Wagtails came out of their spud patch roost. A Sedge Warbler and a Corn Bunting also emerged while a Whitethroat was in the north running hedge. Three Kestrels were also seen.
We then headed off to Rixton so I could show Jonathan how to get to the pool on the landfill site and Moat Lane pool 3. The former contained a Little Grebe feeding a youngster and also, unusually, two young Tufted Ducks with no adults present. On Moat Lane pool 1 were a couple of Teal while nr pool 3 a Treecreeper and 2 Willow Tits were picked up. I left Jonathan then and headed off over the mosses. A female Sparrowhawk was observed flying into the middle of a potato crop! Two coveys of Grey Partridges (8 and 3), 9 Mistle Thrushes and a flock of 110+ Linnets completed the interest.
I then headed up to the van where a Jay and a Nuthatch were loitering. A Buzzard has also been hanging around for the last few weeks, constantly calling and I assume a juvenile. It was as usual making plenty of racket today with its plaintive wailing.
Mid afternoon on a rising tide I nipped over to Red Nab. The usual two Little Gulls were still present along with five Meds (3 adults, 2 juveniles) and 8 Sandwich Terns. I timed this a bit wrong as everything was flushed shortly after I arrived. I then headed up the coast stopping at various points. Teal Bay was disappointing with just a few Eiders and a single Red-breasted Mergansers on show. At Hest Bank the wader line up included 15 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Black-tailed Godwits plus a Little Egret. Bolton-Le-Sands had more action with the usual large flock of Oystercatchers joined by 1100+ Black-headed Gulls, 550+ Curlews, 80+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 180 Dunlin and 90+ Ringed Plover. Then some dick head (not dog walking) decided to walk right out to the roosting hordes and flushed them!
21st August
Not much birding today. Karen dragged me off shopping (the psychological trauma will probably affect me for ever). A Little Egret was on Teal Bay when we drove past. Later a Sparrowhawk flew past the van.
Late evening I managed to escape to HGF having arrived back home. The Teal from the other day was still present – interesting as they usually don’t stay on here longer than a day. Little Grebe numbers have increased to four.
22nd August
Early morning visit to HGF. The Teal is still present and a female Shoveler was a nice surprise. A Chiffchaff was singing in the south hedge and around 90+ House Sparrows were flitting around near the kennels. A couple of Swifts were also feeding over the pool.
At lunch I managed to nip out to Rixton. A Green Sandpiper was on Moat Lane pool 1 – Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats also seen briefly skulking. Two Buzzards circled over the pools.
A female Sparrowhawk was in the garden this evening. A little later I ventured out on an errand in Warrington and another Sparrowhawk flew over the A49. A late evening walk down Barrow Lane with Bill was largely fruitless though three Grey Partridge coveys were seen.
23rd August
Early afternoon visit to HGF today. The Little Grebes have increased to five and around 200 House Sparrows were hanging around Midhops, however the best bird seen was a Yellow Wagtail which flew around Midhops.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. Six Buzzards were in the air and a single Yellow Wagtail flew over. By the concrete bollards was a male Wheatear with a further two (female/juvenile) birds down the track at the end of the south running hedge.
A build up of large gulls in the dropped field in Waterworks Lane which backs up to our garden today. 60+ Lesser Black-backs, a few Herring Gulls and 7 Common Gulls.
24th August
Barrow Lane at dawn. 12 Yellow Wagtails flew out of the roost and the male Wheatear from yesterday was still present though he dived into the spud patch and kept his head down. A Corn Bunting also emerged from here, a few Reed Buntings flew round and two Buzzards were stood in a distant field to the north. Four coveys totalling 20 Grey Partridges were also seen.
25th August
Back in Brum so this evening I escaped to Upton Warren for a bit. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the top of the approach path were two Peregrines which were continuously swooping at something in a field on the far side of the reserve. From my vantage point I couldn’t see what. Also here was a noisy and very ragged looking Willow Warbler. While watching it in some bushes a Garden Warbler appeared next to it.
When I got to the hide I could see the Peregrines now perched up in the stubble field opposite, staring at a Buzzard. According to another birder present, the Buzzard had stolen a kill from them. The kill turned out to be a woodie. The Buzzard completely ignored the Peregrines, even though they perched nearby and started at it for at least half an hour, and also ignored an accompaniment of corvids too.
It was strange to look out from the hide at sun-baked mud with not much on it. Just a few weeks ago there was plenty of water and Avocets and Little Ringed Plovers were everywhere. This evening the place was dominated by 282 Black-headed Gulls which had decided to roost on the mud, or at least they did so until the Peregrines got fed up of watching the Buzzard and flew over the ex-pool.
At the back where a muddy fringe remained 5 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers were feeding. A handful of Stock Doves flew down to feed and a Jay passed through, being hassled by Magpies. One of the other birders found a Spotted Flycatcher which was flitting about on a fence to the right of the hide. Apparently this bird had been present all day from the entries in the log book.
Early evening I managed to get out and about a few places locally. I started with a drive around the mosses at Rixton. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was an interesting find on Holly Bush Lane – a Red-legged Partridge and a covey of 8 Grey Partridges was also there. On the tip pool was a Green Sandpiper and large numbers of Swallows with a few Swifts were busy feeding nearby. 5 Kestrels were around the place, a small flock of 23 Canada Geese and the usual two Mute Swans were on Moat Lane pools.
HGF saw large numbers of Swallows and smaller numbers of Swifts feeding over the fields near Midhops. Four Little Grebes were on the pool. Finally there was a large build up of Black-headed Gulls in a ploughed field off Waterworks Lane but nothing more interesting with them.
16th August
Bit of a non-day. The only birding was a brief visit to HGF with nothing much to report and staring out of the conservatory window at a couple of Coal Tits on the feeders.
17th August
A few Swifts kicking around when I walked Bill to HGF this evening plus a few larger gulls in the ploughed field off Waterworks Lane. Quiet.
18th August
Today I managed an early evening visit to Seaforth in the rain (working nearby). Nothing much about and the rain didn’t help visibility. Birds seen on my brief visit were:
Common Sandpiper
130+ Common Terns
76 Cormorants
85 Tufted Ducks
17 Curlews
112 Lapwings
20 Teal
12 Grey Herons
40+ House Martins
4 Little Grebes
Nothing new at HGF late evening. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the garden today.
19th August
A Skylark, a Buzzard and a singing Chiffchaff provided a little variety at HGF today. A Teal was also present on the pool.
20th August
Dawn found me stood at Barrow Lane (NLW) with Jonathan. 22 Yellow Wagtails came out of their spud patch roost. A Sedge Warbler and a Corn Bunting also emerged while a Whitethroat was in the north running hedge. Three Kestrels were also seen.
We then headed off to Rixton so I could show Jonathan how to get to the pool on the landfill site and Moat Lane pool 3. The former contained a Little Grebe feeding a youngster and also, unusually, two young Tufted Ducks with no adults present. On Moat Lane pool 1 were a couple of Teal while nr pool 3 a Treecreeper and 2 Willow Tits were picked up. I left Jonathan then and headed off over the mosses. A female Sparrowhawk was observed flying into the middle of a potato crop! Two coveys of Grey Partridges (8 and 3), 9 Mistle Thrushes and a flock of 110+ Linnets completed the interest.
I then headed up to the van where a Jay and a Nuthatch were loitering. A Buzzard has also been hanging around for the last few weeks, constantly calling and I assume a juvenile. It was as usual making plenty of racket today with its plaintive wailing.
Mid afternoon on a rising tide I nipped over to Red Nab. The usual two Little Gulls were still present along with five Meds (3 adults, 2 juveniles) and 8 Sandwich Terns. I timed this a bit wrong as everything was flushed shortly after I arrived. I then headed up the coast stopping at various points. Teal Bay was disappointing with just a few Eiders and a single Red-breasted Mergansers on show. At Hest Bank the wader line up included 15 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Black-tailed Godwits plus a Little Egret. Bolton-Le-Sands had more action with the usual large flock of Oystercatchers joined by 1100+ Black-headed Gulls, 550+ Curlews, 80+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 180 Dunlin and 90+ Ringed Plover. Then some dick head (not dog walking) decided to walk right out to the roosting hordes and flushed them!
21st August
Not much birding today. Karen dragged me off shopping (the psychological trauma will probably affect me for ever). A Little Egret was on Teal Bay when we drove past. Later a Sparrowhawk flew past the van.
Late evening I managed to escape to HGF having arrived back home. The Teal from the other day was still present – interesting as they usually don’t stay on here longer than a day. Little Grebe numbers have increased to four.
22nd August
Early morning visit to HGF. The Teal is still present and a female Shoveler was a nice surprise. A Chiffchaff was singing in the south hedge and around 90+ House Sparrows were flitting around near the kennels. A couple of Swifts were also feeding over the pool.
At lunch I managed to nip out to Rixton. A Green Sandpiper was on Moat Lane pool 1 – Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats also seen briefly skulking. Two Buzzards circled over the pools.
A female Sparrowhawk was in the garden this evening. A little later I ventured out on an errand in Warrington and another Sparrowhawk flew over the A49. A late evening walk down Barrow Lane with Bill was largely fruitless though three Grey Partridge coveys were seen.
23rd August
Early afternoon visit to HGF today. The Little Grebes have increased to five and around 200 House Sparrows were hanging around Midhops, however the best bird seen was a Yellow Wagtail which flew around Midhops.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk down Barrow Lane. Six Buzzards were in the air and a single Yellow Wagtail flew over. By the concrete bollards was a male Wheatear with a further two (female/juvenile) birds down the track at the end of the south running hedge.
A build up of large gulls in the dropped field in Waterworks Lane which backs up to our garden today. 60+ Lesser Black-backs, a few Herring Gulls and 7 Common Gulls.
24th August
Barrow Lane at dawn. 12 Yellow Wagtails flew out of the roost and the male Wheatear from yesterday was still present though he dived into the spud patch and kept his head down. A Corn Bunting also emerged from here, a few Reed Buntings flew round and two Buzzards were stood in a distant field to the north. Four coveys totalling 20 Grey Partridges were also seen.
25th August
Back in Brum so this evening I escaped to Upton Warren for a bit. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the top of the approach path were two Peregrines which were continuously swooping at something in a field on the far side of the reserve. From my vantage point I couldn’t see what. Also here was a noisy and very ragged looking Willow Warbler. While watching it in some bushes a Garden Warbler appeared next to it.
When I got to the hide I could see the Peregrines now perched up in the stubble field opposite, staring at a Buzzard. According to another birder present, the Buzzard had stolen a kill from them. The kill turned out to be a woodie. The Buzzard completely ignored the Peregrines, even though they perched nearby and started at it for at least half an hour, and also ignored an accompaniment of corvids too.
It was strange to look out from the hide at sun-baked mud with not much on it. Just a few weeks ago there was plenty of water and Avocets and Little Ringed Plovers were everywhere. This evening the place was dominated by 282 Black-headed Gulls which had decided to roost on the mud, or at least they did so until the Peregrines got fed up of watching the Buzzard and flew over the ex-pool.
At the back where a muddy fringe remained 5 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers were feeding. A handful of Stock Doves flew down to feed and a Jay passed through, being hassled by Magpies. One of the other birders found a Spotted Flycatcher which was flitting about on a fence to the right of the hide. Apparently this bird had been present all day from the entries in the log book.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
More Meds
Photos:
Great Black-backed Gulls and Redshanks at Morecambe
Sandwich Tern, Little Gulls (adult plus 2cy) and Little Egret at Heysham
Oh and the odd pic of some Meds at Heysham (no apologies)
13th August
Back at the van today. I started off at Red Nab which was largely deserted aside from a juvenile Med Gull. Nearby a Kestrel was hunting nr the nature reserve. Next stop was Teal Bay where 31 Eiders were floating on the sea along with a Red-breasted Merganser. A single Whimbrel was on the groyne. Jonathan was already at the groyne when I arrived. I then headed off to Bolton-Le-Sands with Jonathan. Lots of waders including a decent number of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits plus a single, breeding plumaged Grey Plover and a couple of Little Egrets.
Mid afternoon I visited Bull Beck. I noticed upriver a handful of Pied Wags and decided to scan them to see if anything more interesting was with them. When I approached more Pied Wags appeared from behind the bank and eventually a flock of around 40 birds flew up and landed on the pebble bank. At least 50 Sand Martins were feeding here – surely migrants giving the colony has been all but deserted the last few weeks? Large numbers of Greylag and Canada Geese were also present.
Further up the road in Claughton the fields were partially flooded and large numbers of gulls were present though difficult to scan for goodies. There were at least 400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls with 350+ Common Gulls and 250+ Black-headed Gulls. Interesting that the large gulls outnumbered the smaller ones. They just seem to appear from nowhere at times. 18 Teal were also present in the fields.
Late afternoon I was driving past Leighton Moss when I noticed large numbers of Sand Martins over the pools. Around 120 birds were seen from the road above the reserve and around 50 Swifts.
14th August
Early morning visit to Red Nab again proved much more fruitful than previous visits. A grand total of 12 Med Gulls were present with 5 adults, 4 second summers and 3 juveniles. It was interesting the large number of second summer birds. Two of them would have passed for adults at a cursory glance and another interesting point was the variation of bill colour in this age group from a sort of carroty orange to the usual blood red of a breeding bird. Given that all the gulls at the moment are moulting their primaries, I wonder how many mis-aged birds are reported. The usual two Little Gulls and two Sandwich Terns completed the line up.
Back at the van today. I started off at Red Nab which was largely deserted aside from a juvenile Med Gull. Nearby a Kestrel was hunting nr the nature reserve. Next stop was Teal Bay where 31 Eiders were floating on the sea along with a Red-breasted Merganser. A single Whimbrel was on the groyne. Jonathan was already at the groyne when I arrived. I then headed off to Bolton-Le-Sands with Jonathan. Lots of waders including a decent number of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits plus a single, breeding plumaged Grey Plover and a couple of Little Egrets.
Mid afternoon I visited Bull Beck. I noticed upriver a handful of Pied Wags and decided to scan them to see if anything more interesting was with them. When I approached more Pied Wags appeared from behind the bank and eventually a flock of around 40 birds flew up and landed on the pebble bank. At least 50 Sand Martins were feeding here – surely migrants giving the colony has been all but deserted the last few weeks? Large numbers of Greylag and Canada Geese were also present.
Further up the road in Claughton the fields were partially flooded and large numbers of gulls were present though difficult to scan for goodies. There were at least 400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls with 350+ Common Gulls and 250+ Black-headed Gulls. Interesting that the large gulls outnumbered the smaller ones. They just seem to appear from nowhere at times. 18 Teal were also present in the fields.
Late afternoon I was driving past Leighton Moss when I noticed large numbers of Sand Martins over the pools. Around 120 birds were seen from the road above the reserve and around 50 Swifts.
14th August
Early morning visit to Red Nab again proved much more fruitful than previous visits. A grand total of 12 Med Gulls were present with 5 adults, 4 second summers and 3 juveniles. It was interesting the large number of second summer birds. Two of them would have passed for adults at a cursory glance and another interesting point was the variation of bill colour in this age group from a sort of carroty orange to the usual blood red of a breeding bird. Given that all the gulls at the moment are moulting their primaries, I wonder how many mis-aged birds are reported. The usual two Little Gulls and two Sandwich Terns completed the line up.
One of the Meds, a second summer bird with a green ring, was ringed as a pullus on an island in the Elbe River nr Hamburg and has been seen here before:
23 05 09 Pionierinsel, cluster 13 - 15
06 08 09 Presall Sands, Knott End-of-Sea
07 08 09 Presall Sands, Knott End-of-Sea
06 08 09 Presall Sands, Knott End-of-Sea
07 08 09 Presall Sands, Knott End-of-Sea
12 08 09 Presall Sands, Knott End-of-Sea
30 08 09 Heysham Power Station Outfalls
30 08 09 Heysham Power Station Outfalls
06 09 09 Heysham Power Station Outfalls
I also passed Skerton Weir this morning and was intrigued to see 11 Grey Herons all stood in a line and not doing much of anything. A bit like a military parade!
Mid afternoon at high tide I nipped back over to Bolton-Le-Sands. Aside from the usual wader turn out there was a flock of 100+ Linnets buzzing (or is that squeaking) around the marsh and 13 Little Egrets were also present. The latter seem to be adept at hiding on the marsh with so many channels they can skulk in unobserved.
I also passed Skerton Weir this morning and was intrigued to see 11 Grey Herons all stood in a line and not doing much of anything. A bit like a military parade!
Mid afternoon at high tide I nipped back over to Bolton-Le-Sands. Aside from the usual wader turn out there was a flock of 100+ Linnets buzzing (or is that squeaking) around the marsh and 13 Little Egrets were also present. The latter seem to be adept at hiding on the marsh with so many channels they can skulk in unobserved.
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