IT

Green Sandpipers, Newton Lake

Sparrowhawk, Risley Moss

Buzzard, Rixton landfill site

Buzzard

Main pool off Moat Lane, Rixton

Second Moat Lane pool

View from hillside above Earby, West Yorkshire

Earby, looking towards Skipton

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IT - IRRITATING TECHNOLOGY! I've spent quite a bit of time recently buggering about with the blog, trying to get the images to show larger. I figured out how to change the HTML code to make the columns wider but found that the only way to make the photographs fit the new column width was to stretch them with unpleasant results (not that the photos were award winning anyway!). I decided to try PhotoBucket, and immediately got an annoying piece of malware called Personal Antivirus on my computer. Doubly annoying - it was the company laptop!

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I ran the McAfee anti-virus software and it found nothing. I then realised the software was 18 months old! Lovely. Upon getting into work yesterday I found that the company had migrated to a different anti-virus software about 18 months ago, however I was on the road at the time and knew nothing about this. I finally got some new software and got rid of Personal AV and around 13 other viruses/spyware etc which had embedded on the machine.

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Anyway back to birding. Or lack of. To be honest I am in completely can't be arsed mode at the moment - I wander around with Bill for the sake of being outside but don't take birding seriously. So consequently not much in the way of excitement to report.

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At HGF the Coot flock is now up to 80+ with the other species more or less the same. We have been down to a single juvenile Black-necked Grebe for several days - this one went walk about for a day or so at the weekend but is now back. Friday and Saturday a couple of juvenile Ruddy Ducks made a change and this morning around 85 Swallows were feeding over the newly dropped barley field nr Midhops.

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In the garden the sole interesting sighting was a male Sparrowhawk who visited a couple of times on Saturday. When we first moved down here, a female Sparrowhawk was a regular visitor. I reckon I saw her in the garden around 10 times each month on average and in the first year that we lived here she took 13 Collared Doves that I know of plus a few other birds. While she visited the garden regularly, I never saw a male. Unfortunately she disappeared during winter 2007/08 and while a new female occasionally visits, the male is now the regular visitor. I suspect while the old female was around he kept well out of her way!

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On Saturday evening I had a wander over to Newton Lake, primarily to see if any Teal had arrived back. None had, however the first thing I noticed when I got there was a calling Green Sandpiper. I enetually spotted the bird on the mud flat at the back of the pool - as I watched a second bird walked out of the undergrowth. Five minutes later I heard a third bird calling behind me and one flew in from the direction of town! They looked like two worn adults and a very smart fresh looking juvenile. They also settled down quite happily and were still there half an hour later when I got back from walking Bill. I have always wondered why I never see waders on this mud flat. Although it could be said there are too many people around, there were plenty on Saturday and even when Common Sandpipers pass through here they spend more time at the front of the pool and are rarely seen on the mud flat. Curious! Not seen them since though this evening the first female Teal is back and the Little Grebe family from the pool in the back wood is now present.

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On Sunday I had a walk up to Risley Moss, more because I couldn't think of anywhere to go than any interest in seeing a Hobby. As soon as I arrived the locals announced that no Hobbies had been seen for several days. I wasn't that fussed. A couple of Sparrowhawks circled over together but that was about it. I didn't stay long - although a couple of the locals were chatty, at least two were regarding me as though I was a new species of cockroach! One of them was shocked when I attempted to talk to him so I gave up and left.

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At Rixton Moss a bit more life. A couple of Buzzards and two Kestrels were floating around with at least 55 Goldfinches along the lanes. On the tip pool was a large flock of Canada Geese and around 90 Swifts passed through heading west. First sign of migration? On the Moat Lane pools the juvenile Great Crested Grebe has now been abandoned by mum and dad and an adult Little Grebe was at the back. On pool two, two female Tufted Ducks were swimming around, one with two young juveniles and one with a single slightly older juvenile. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called nearby.

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This evening while travelling along Parkside Road I spotted large flock of finches on the wires. When I stopped I counted 57 Linnets, yet another sign that summer for the birds is over. By the large house further along the lane two Kestrels were hunting and in the distance a Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a large flock of hirundines. A few days ago a Buzzard was wandering around in this field with a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls - no sign tonight!

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Yesterday afternoon was a visit to the dentist - our dentist is in Earby (W Yorks) near where we used to live. Lovely to be back in the land of hills - I wandered up the lane at the back of town and took a few snaps of the landscape looking towards Malham and Skipton - views don't get much better than this!

Wet week

XXXXXUpper Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXX Lower Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Grey Heron, Lower Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXXXXXXSandwich Terns, Rhos Point


XXXXXXXXXRed Knot with Turnstone, Seaforth

XXXXXXXXXVery dark Black-tailed Godwit with the Knot flock, Seaforth

XXXXXXXXXCommon Tern, Seaforth


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This week has been wet and windy and more like late Autumn than mid summer. Nice to see the Met Office have revised their prediction of a long hot summer and are now opting for more wet and windy. Might as well get the wellies out!
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HGF has been relatively quiet this week. The Coot numbers have gradually crept up to a peak of 72 birds with Tufties and Pochards fluctuating between 25-35 and 3-6 respectively. 7 Little Grebes, 3 Black-necked Grebes and 12 - 14 Great Crested Grebes have been present all week along with the ever present Mute Swans and drake Wigeon. Highlights include two Common Sandpipers on Monday (adult plus juvenile), Little Ringed Plover and a Teal on Tuesday and Wednesday and male Sparrowhawk cruising down the road just a few inches above it on Thursday. This evening 78 Black-headed Gulls flew over heading in the general direction of the Mersey - the first significant flock of gulls here for months.
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The garden has remained quiet - partly thanks to the juvenile Goldfinches sussing out what the feeder is for. Otherwise nothing of note. This evening on Waterworks Lane a couple of Yellowhammers were perched in the top of a recently trimmed hedge along with three Linnets and five Goldfinches. I also flushed 12 Mistle Thrushes out of a small tree as I walked past - another sign that the breeding season is almost over for many birds.
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Thursday was an interesting day. Working in Wales I managed to get 20 minutes at Rhos Point while I had my lunch. The tide was well out and the sea flat, however it was nice to be by the seaside, as the song says! A group of noisy Sandwich Terns (approx 130) were the highlight until some tosser decided to walk on a section of beach with signs everywhere saying do not enter. Yeah - you guessed it, he flushed the birds! Also present were 30+ Curlew, 20+ Turnstones and 3 Ringed Plovers. Offshore the only birds present were a single Gannet, 6 or 7 Guillemots and around 10 Kittiwakes.
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On the way home I nipped in to Frodsham. Sadly I spotted a Lapwing hobbling up the track with a broken wing - when I caught it I found it was a right mess - it looked like a raptor had been eating it alive. I put the bird out of its misery and felt rotten again. Around 60 Dunlin were present on No. 6 tank with a large group of Lapwings. Four Ruddy Ducks also present and a few Reed Warblers squeaking around. On the track were two juvenile Grey Partridges while six Kestrels were observed, a family group of four at the western end and a pair at the eastern end. I didn't stay long as the workmen were busy with the new road they are constructing.
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In the evening I paid a swift visit to Hope Carr. Seven Green Sandpipers on the hidden pool with an eighth on the main lake. A Grey Wagtail was also on the hidden pool and a partridge flew off from near here - I was too far away to ID the species. This evening I paid a quick trip to Foulridge Reservoirs after work having been in the area this afternoon. Two Black-tailed Godwits were the only birds of note and were soon flushed by some idiot who decided he could walk across the reservoir bed right up to them. Lots of Black-headed Gulls but no Med Gull.
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Earlier in the week at Seaforth around 2200 Knot were present on the pool nr hide tide. Just a few were still in brick red breeding plumage though most were in the familiar winter grey with some showing shades in between. Around 50 Black-tailed Godwits were there including one very dark individual along with 27 Curlews, 400+ Oystercatchers and 1 Common Sandpiper. Around 25 Turnstones, all still in stonking breeding plumage were asleep on the causeway. The Common Tern numbers were down to around 220 with no sign of any Roseates.
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Won't be long now before migration kicks in though in reality it is already underway. Many warblers will be disappearing now with new arrivals from northern europe providing a seamless transition. Also waders moving through now in large numbers - I would love a Buff-breasted Sandpiper this autumn or the White-rumped Sandpiper that regularly visits Skipool Creek. We need a few days of hot weather so that the farmers can drop the cereal crops - I can then find out how the local Grey Partridges have fared this year!

Splash of colour on a grey day

xxxxxxxxxxxRoosting Bar-tailed Godwits, Tagg's Island

xxxxxxxxxxxxMore Barwits!

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Sandwich Tern, Aimsdale Beach, Southport

XXXXXXXXXSanderlings, Ainsdale Beach

XXXXXXXXXXSanderling

LXXXXXXXXLesser Black-backed Gull

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. Note the size compared to the juvenile XXXXXXXXXXGreat Black-backed Gull in the background!

XXXXXXXXXXXLesser Black-backed Gull. I have a bit of a fascination with gulls!

XXXXXXXXXXGrey Plover, Taggs Island

XXXXXXXXXXXGreat Black-backed Gull, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Great Black-backed Gull

XXXXXXXXXXDunlin, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXXCommon Gull, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXXThe usual drake Wigeon at HGF - well into moult

XXXXXXXXXX Cormorant, HGF

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A very wet day today - bloody weather! Anyway it provides me with a convenient excuse for the dodgy digiscoping!

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I started off this morning sitting in the conservatory, staring out of the window and wondering whether the rain would stop at all today. The garden was very quiet for a while, all of a sudden the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared on the peanut feeders, followed shortly after by the male Bullfinch. The rain didn't stop until lunchtime, as soon as the last drop had fallen I was off out to HGF. Nothing much new there though. Yesterdays visiting drake Wigeon had left, leaving the resident bird alone again and the only bird on view near Midhops was a Skylark. Very quiet morning all round.

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Mid afternoon and I decided to wander up to Southport for a couple of hours, primarily for sea watching which is the one thing I didn't do when I got there. Consequently I missed the only Arctic Skua on show. Next a bit of irony. Yesterday I was admiring a Sanderling photo on John Dempsey's blog and I took note of his comment that the birds would approach close if you sit and wait quietly for them. I decided to try this and after 15 mins of kneeling in wet sand and watching the Sanderling apporach painfully slowly, they suddenly spooked and flushed just when I thought I would get some snaps. I turned round to see what had made the noise behind me which was responsible - it was John Dempsey right behind me in his Land Rover!

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On the beach at Ainsdale were approx 2500 Sanderling and a similar number of Dunlin though carefull scanning did not produce any scarce waders or even the ringed Sanderling that John had come to advise me on. Around 30 Ringed Plovers, 26 Common Terns and at least 40 Sandwich Terns were also present on the beach. I spent a good hour just watching the little waders scurring around - I still can't get over how many different shapes, colours and sizes Dunlin seem to appear in.

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Out at sea three Gannets were the only birds of interest - not even a Scoter today. I decided to head up to Tagg's Island (Weld Rd) next and this is where the splash of colour comes in. At least 1800 Bar-tailed Godwits and around 200 Knot, most of them in breeding plumage, were roosting on the marsh. At least 6 Grey Plovers were also there. This sight alone was worth the trip up - I do love Barwits and Knot in their breeding colours - they cheer up any day!

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I am currently watching Gryff Rhys Jones doing his programme on rivers - tonight he is doing the River Tummel which runs through Lochs Rannoch and Tummel. This where we have spent out Scottish holidays for many years now - watching the programme makes me feel a little homesick in a way - probably because for the first time in years we are not going there this year!

Bits and bobs birding

Small White, garden

Gatekeeper, Neumann's Flash

Speckled Wood, Neumann's Flash

Small Tortoiseshell, garden

Painted Lady, garden

Painted Lady

Painted Lady. The Budlea in the front garden is now proving popular with seven species of butterfly on one bush this afternoon!

Mallard with brood, HGF

Green Sandpiper, Haydn's Pool

Goldfinch, garden. Two adults were present today with four newly fledged juveniles in tow begging for food. They gave the Starling flock a run for its money in the noise stakes!

Garganey - drake in eclipse plumage, Brockholes Quarry

Gathering of Coots, HGF

Common Tern chicks, Doffcocker Reservoir courtesy of David Edwards

Juvenile Common Tern, Pennington Flash. I photographed this bird in mid June - it is one of the three chicks ringed by David Edwards (above) at Doffcocker.

Male Bullfinch on feeders in garden. Dodgy photos through two windows again!

Male Bullfinch on lookout in garden!

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe, HGF

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The last few days have comprised a few short birding sessions here and there - essentially grabbing ten minutes when I could.

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On Thursday morning the usual trip to HGF found the Black-necked Grebes back up to seven birds and the Little Grebes up to six. The Common Sandpiper was still present with a Willow Warbler singing in the east hedge - the first for a while. A female Yellow Wagtail flew up nr Midhops, calling and headed off high to the NE. Not seen a Yellow Wag since. At home the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Stock Dove and a male Bullfinch were the highlights in the garden.

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I managed a swift trip to Frodsham in the afternoon on my way back from N Wales. Another hybrid Ruddy Shelduck was present - a different bird to the previous one. This one looks like it has a lot of Cape Shelduck in it - the body was OK but the head and neck were solid, uniform grey. The previous bird looked good for Ruddy Shelduck except for too much white on its face - todays bird had none! Around 500 Black-tailed Godwits were in the water, many of them stunning Islandica (Iceland) birds. Around 300 Lapwings and 230 Dunlins were also there, however careful scanning of the flocks failed to produce a hoped for Curlew Sandpiper or Little Stint.

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Also on Thursday a swift drive down Hollybush Lane produced a nice male Sparrowhawk and nothing else and at Hope Carr five Green Sandpipers were the highlight along with a Bullfinch and a Jay and again nothing else. The Green Sands were on the hidden pool - it is virtually impossible to approach without being spotted and all five birds duly flushed and disappeared.

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Friday and the grebes had started disappearing with all three species down on previous counts. No sign of any waders either. A Great Spotted Woodpecker in the south hedge was a nice change though - I still see these birds rarely on this patch. In the garden the Stock Dove was back and a bit of a catastrophe in the evening. The cock Feral Pigeon which has been hanging around the garden for several years was caught and badly wounded by a cat. Unfortunately I had to put the bird out of its misery - I felt horrible for the rest of the day and I still fucking hate cats!

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Worked in Blackpool yesterday and I decided to have my lunch at Brockholes Quarry on the way back home. I was only there for ten minutes, however as soon as I arrived the Lapwings spooked and flew up high. Seconds later a very large juvenile Peregrine drifted over the main pool and headed off north. The drake Garganey is still present along with a couple of Common Sandpipers. Late in the evening I wandered over to Moore - nothing much except for a few singing Yellowhammers and a Little Owl which entertained while hunting. No sign of any Barn Owls and I also missed the Little Egret which flew into Lapwing Lake to roost.

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Garden early am this morning and the Great Spotted Woodpecker and male Bullfinch on the feeders. Later in the day the garden became very noisy with the presence of 45+ juvenile delinquents (Starlings) and a very noisy young brood of Goldfinches. At HGF a surprise when I found two drake Wigeons present - the new bird is a lot further along in the moult compared to the resident bird - perhaps this is the Pennington Flash drake. The Black-necked Grebes were down to three birds - two juveniles and an adult. The other two grebe species were back up to normal numbers with a juvenile Great Crested Grebe present for its second day. 93 Lapwings were in the field nr Midhops.

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This morning I had a mooch around Neumann's Flash. I walked down the path bewtween the pool and Ashton's where I met a bloke who had walked there every day for several years and had never seen a woodpecker. Five minutes later, three juvenile Green Woodpeckers playing on the fence and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flying over having a tiff and I left him shaking his head! The other highlights were a couple of Dunlin in amongst 400+ Lapwings, 2 Green Sandpipers on Haydn's and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler opposite the hide at Haydn's. I also found a Nuthatch and a Willow Warbler in a tit flock, another GSW and various other warbler species.

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In the garden this afternoon there were loads of butterflies. On one particular Buddlea bush I found several Painted Ladies plus Peacock, Red Admiral, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. Plus a Brimstone in the back garden. At Neumann's there were literally hundreds of Gatekeepers - a good day for the insects!

Grebes, grebes and more grebes

Grey Heron, HGF

Pair of Cormorants at HGF - adult left and juvenile (browner with whitish belly) right. The moulting drake Wigeon is in the background.

Cormorants drying out

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe, HGF

Juvenile Common Sandpiper, HGF

Buzzard, Rixton Moss

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The story of HGF the last few days has been the grebes. This morning I recorded 17 Great Crested Grebes on the pool - the most I have recorded here. The Little Grebes seem to flit in and out with 3 or 4 birds present each day but the mix between adults and juveniles different. The Black-necked Grebes are also flitting in and out with a maximum of seven birds present on Monday - 4 adults and 3 juveniles - only five birds present today.

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Yesterday an adult Little Ringed Plover was present with two juveniles - this morning both adults present with three juveniles. Looks like they have bred successfully in the area - superb! A juvenile Common Sandpiper seems to be resident at the moment. Elsewhere pretty much as was with a couple of Cormorants dropping in now and then to make a change, nine Stock Doves incuding a few juveniles were in the bare field nr Midhops yesterday. Perhaps the juvs have come from the Barn Owl box in the dutch barn east of Highfield Lane - I noticed a few weeks ago that Stock Doves had occupied it. Not a chance of Barn Owls in the box - there being no suitable hunting habitat locally.

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Rixton mosses on Monday was very quiet - even gulls seem to be missing from the tip. Two singing Corn Buntings and a Buzzard perched on the stay wire for a telegraph pole were the only birds of note. Yesterday evening the female Great Spotted Woodpecker was present in the garden, as was a gang of Long-tailed Tits. And that's all folks!