Aldcliffe revisited

Lesser Yellowlegs (left) with Redshank at Aldcliffe Marsh.

Wood Sandpiper, Aldcliffe Marsh

Knot, Morecambe

Curlews, Morecambe

Oystercatcher, Morecambe

Saturday 17^th November

This morning I kicked around locally, initially without much enthusiasm for doing much. I had forgotten to put any seed down at the feeding station during the last week and consequently it was quiet when I turned up. I duly placed them a good supply down, I’m sure the Tree Sparrows will quickly find it.

This is I think my 6th winter of putting food down here for these birds and I still struggle with statistics like 93% of all Tree Sparrows present in 1980 have disappeared. It is sometimes worth pndering this when I am sitting watching what I often, wrongly, consider to be my own personal flock. A reminder of how lucky I am to have these birds so close to home....

Eventually I decided to head up to North Lancs and in particular Aldcliffe Marsh. This place is still largely under water and when I arrived there were no other birders present. I wandered up and down the lane leading to the wildfowlers pool, continually scanning the flooded fields which are sandwiched between the lane and the saltmarsh to the west. Eventually I spotted a few waders and, squeezing between some hawthorn bushes, I was soon watching the juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs. The bird was initially distant but flew around with the Redshanks and soon dropped in directly opposite my viewing position. The light isn’t good in this direction and it alternated between harsh glare when the sun was out to dark gloom when the clouds obscured the sun. I did get a few digiscoped record shots though.

After a while three other birders (a pleasant couple and another guy who just happened to arrive at the same time) turned up and, unaware I was in the hedge, started talking about the bird and not seeing it, so I popped out to tell them I had found it. The lone guy immediately decided I was in his way and barged in and decided to use my scope to watch the wader. I though fair enough if he hasn’t seen one before. Next thing I know he was climbing over a nearby gate and stood in the field in plain view, wondering why all the waders had flown off. Selfish di**head. The other couple were none too impressed having yet to see the bird.

The three birders then stood staring at an empty flooded field, no doubt hoping that the Lesser Yellowlegs would miraculously reappear in front of them. I know I have no patience whatsoever at the moment but I can’t help but wonder why some birders just stand and stare at empty fields, trees, pools etc instead of getting up and going looking for a bird. Which is what I did and I re-found it a few fields away. I let the others know plus some other birders who had turned up in the meantime and they were soon watching it though at some distance. Also here was a Green Sandpiper but I couldn’t see the Wood Sandpiper for love nor money.

More info on Lesser Yellowlegs here:

http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/427/articles/introduction

I had never previosuly bothered to check up on this species before and was intrigued by the distrubtion map i.e. this species summers largely in Canada and winters laregly in Central America. I suspect the Aldcliffe bird is missing Barbados right now...

After fruitlessly looking for the Wood Sandpiper I decided to head off back. While walking back along the path at the top end of the lane, I suddenly heard a Wood Sandpiper making the distinctive chiff-iff-iff call from somewhere over the salt marsh (so that’s where the little skulker had been) and the bird duly flew over and landed in a flooded field to the east of the lane where it gave good views.

More info on Wood Sandpiper below:

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3025

Like the Lesser Yellowlegs, this bird should be in warmer climes (Africa) right about now, a flooded field next to a salt marsh in North Lancs just doesn't really compare...

Next I trawled up the seafront at Morecambe, checking the groynes. Disappointingly there were very few birds around with only 7 Eiders seen on the sea. I also checked out the salt marsh at Bolton-Le-Sands but there was not much there other than Oystercatchers and Curlews. Finally I headed over to Leighton Moss and parked up at the laybye on the road overlooking the reserve.

The Starlings this evening were disappointing – the roost site has clearly moved some distance and very few birds were actually seen from my viewpoint. I did hear a Cetti’s Warbler call from the nearby reed bed and a Peregrine perched in the dead tree by the egret roost for over half an hour. Eventually I counted 78 Little Egrets into roost with the Great White Egret last in. Also here were 2 Marsh Harriers including the 2cy male and a calling Green Woodpecker.