More LSW action

Spent 2 hours at the nest today. The male was in residence almost throughout, but did leave the hole 5 times for between 3 and 7 minutes. He was clearly agitated when great spots or squirrels passed by, when he'd watch from well back in the hole. On his trips outside he would sometimes call softly. Hopefully they are still incubating. The nest is now registered as part of a national monitoring scheme and we should be able to get a nest cam in there this week.

 

Cup Final Birding with Mr C.

After the tragic events in Manchester this week football is unimportant, but nevertheless the mighty reds of Manchester were playing Ajax in the final of the Europa League, so my attention was diverted to Stockholm (via the pub with Mr Carroll, of course) and a fine night it was!

2-0, another European trophy and back in the Champion's League again. 'av it!

Next morning Andy and I dragged our hungover selves out of bed and, for once, set of for a great day of birding in Cheshire and North Wales on a baking hot day.

First stop Hatchmere, where we spent a lot of time faffing for breeding Mediterranean gulls. Why?

Next up, Burton Mere wetlands for a smorgasbord of waders and waterbirds; great white egret, Med gulls (again), godwits, avocets, little egrets and so on (but we missed the breeding cattle egrets as they hid from view).

Cemlyn Lagoon on Anglesey is always a pleasure, with Arctic, Sandwich and common terns zooming by at close range as they commute to the breeding islands. Yet another Med gull (yet again)on a nest, plus a couple of little egrets and red-breasted mergansers.

South Stack is another favourite - a scenic seabird city with it's rows of guillemots and razorbills. Eventually we found a couple of puffins too (apparently there are a mere 10 pairs here). Kittiwakes were noticeably rare, but it was a pleasure to watch the local chough acrobatically flying into a breeding cave. Stonechats were in evidence, and a posy of 5 wheatears seemed to be very late migrants.

South Stack lighthouse, I remember coming here with my parents at a kid. Unchanged, as it should be!

Heading back to Cheshire, Woolston Eyes No 3 bed produced sumptuous black-necked grebes with chicks (the largest colony in the UK of this rare breeder), 2 male ruddy ducks (soon to be an extinct UK bird - the last of the Mohicans!), broods of pochard and lots of other waterbirds. It's just down the road yet never fails to impress me, imagine what it can become now the RSPB are involved.

Warrington's hidden wetland wonderland, Woolston Eyes

Finally, just time to call in to the patch for the breeding lesser spotted woodpeckers, with the female helpfully appearing at the hole a couple of times. I'm delighted this species has reappeared, there is hope yet! Tom's video below, taken last weekend, is ace.

Friday 19th May

After a quiet few days on the patch, where the lingering pair of wigeons were the highlight, it was good to get out and do a BBS near Chelford this morning.

The same two little ringed plover nests were still actively incubating, with another pair present too. Lapwings with eggs and young were present too, despite the relentless dog walking here. Not a lot else of note, aside from singing sedge warblers.


Lapwing nest

Lapwing chick, still with egg tooth

Later in the day I sneaked out of the office early and skipped down to the RSPB Burton Mere reserve to see the lovely buff-breasted sandpiper found earleir today, a real cracker as this American visitor always is. Birds galore on the reserve, most surprising of which were the cattle egrets on a nest in the little egret colony. As far as I know this is the first breeding attempt here and possibly in the UK. The egret cacophony was entertaining too. Also a spoonbill, along with stacks of black-tailed godwits, avocets, ruff, snipe and dunlin providing entertainment.

phone-scoped buffy!

Better image by John Tyman

Breeding cattle egrets, climate change in action!

Early am patch 12th May

Conditions looked promising for some passage action so I was out on the flashes early. An hour at Neumann's was disappointing, so on to Ashton's which was initially just as quiet. I entertained myself by watching newly hatched lapwings and their protective parents, then heard a loud plaintive whistle - grey plover! A good bird thesedays, eith the last one at least 5 years ago. It appeared to head into the central pool so I headed round to look for it there. No sign, but then a drake garganey appeared on the pool. Great stuff. BT Dave then messaged to say the plover was back too, so I watched it with him, Malc and Rose until leaving for work.

Phone scoped grey plover

9th May 2017

Glorious sunshine with little time for birding, but i made a flying visit to Haydn's Pool to see a wood sandpiper. Always delightful birds, this one was close in front of the hide but sadly in terrible light for photography.

Wood Sandpiper by Greg Baker

Weekend patching

Several visits to the Flashes over the weekend in promising easterlies. Saturday morning was quiet, but an evening return revealed 3 ringed plovers, 2 common sands and 2 LRP. Early Sunday morning started with 2 2nd-s Mediterranean gulls circling Neumanns before heading west. An avocet was a nice surprise, it lingered until 8.30 before debunking to Sandbach. Then around 7.45 a flock of around 25 black-tailed godwits circled and seemed to depart, with 17 dropping in half an hour later! Ace to watch migration in action. Yesterday's waders were still present too, and 2 late teal were notable. Greylags and Canadas have young and lapwings were (as usual) defending their doomed chicks on Ashtons. The pair of redshank were again on there, perhaps settling to breed out of sight. Also nice to see swift numbers building and a remarkably showy garden warbler.

5th May 2017

A quick pre-work down to Neumann's was initially quiet, with just 2 little ringed plovers and a single common sandpiper. Reed warblers chugged away hidden from view, and a trilling little grebe was notable on there. Great crested grebes are settled on a nest and there were the usual shelduck, shoveler and gadwall, but nothing felt like migration despite the east wind. Just as I was about to pack up 8 waders flew in - Ruff - with 7 females and a smart breeding plumage male. They flew around for ages, alighting for few moments twice on the island before heading off. Proper migration, and proof that you need to put the time in. I also saw my first swift of the year, and there was a rather showy garden warbler by the entrance.

4th May 2017

Out surveying locally this morning in lovely conditions. The highlight was finding 2 little-ringed plover nests, my first sedge warbler of the year and lapwings with young chicks.

Later in the day, Greg found a wood sandpiper on Budworth Mere which I called in to see on the way home. Bit of a distant speck, but a wood sand nonetheless!

The east wind continues to blow and no doubt there will be more birds locally and nationally in the coming days. Isn't spring brilliant!!

Pure Pallid Perfection

Late last week an RSPB worker searching for nesting hen harriers discovered what he initially thought was a male hen harrier in fully display near Dunsop Bridge, in the Trough of Bowland. The perilous status of this species has turned into a conservation and political hot potato. The area used to be the national stronghold for this iconic bird, but it has all but been eradicated by grouse estates who shamefully see it as a threat to their profits. The discovery ended up being a bittersweet moment for the RPSB employee when he realised he was watching a male Pallid Harrier. Incredibly, this stunning bird appears to have set up territory on the moors which tragically no longer hold the hen harriers that should be there. A perilous place for it to linger, but an opportunity not to be missed! I'd sort of seen a male previously on Orkney in '95, but that was a disappointing experience due to fog, and I've also seen a juvenile in Sussex (2011), but this was an opportunity not to be missed!



Photo by Mike Watson

Photo by A Dancy

I took young conservation hero Findlay Wilde along and it was great to hear his boundless enthusiasm for birds as we drove and walked up to site. Once there, the bird performed magnificently; hunting over the moors, soaring high, sky-dancing overhead and calling, even collecting nest material. An absolute stunner! We stayed for a couple of hours of birding bliss before wandering back down the valley. Aside from the harrier, we saw a single pied flycatcher, grey wagtails and a few red grouse, but nothing else of note - not that it mattered!

Whilst I was gallivanting around the country chasing rare birds yesterday and today, there had been a good tern passage following the switch to easterly winds. In particular there were good numbers of black terns, so it would have been rude not to call in at Neumann's to see the five birds still present (out of 14 earlier in the morning). Pod's new hide really paid off here, the views were breath-taking as the birds dipped elegantly over the water, occasionally gaining height before returning. Just stunning. Sad to think that Pete never got to enjoy his idea come to fruition, he'd have loved this. RIP mate, still can't believe you're gone.

Not a bad day overall!!

Orkney Outing

A lovely family morning trying archery on Saturday before a spontaneous cinema visit to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 today. Sonya was just booking tickets on my phone when it started ringing like crazy. Familiar names popped up on the screen meaning only one thing - long distance mega. And so it was - RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD on North Ronaldsay! A UK first nonetheless so the first big twitch of the year was well and truly on!

Rapid plans were made and so early morning on Sunday 30th April started with a trip to a Yorkshire airfield for me, Simon Slade, Mark Sutton, Malc Curtin and Al Orton. News of the birds continued presence was spread very early by the NR Bird Obs staff and we were at the airfield waiting for the pilot by 7.45. As we waited, 7 arctic terns went over (part of the big national movement today with the weather finally switching to the east) and a lesser whitethroat rattled and showed in the hedgerow too.

The pilot arrived at 8.30 and we were in the air at 9am. Everything went like clockwork and 2hours and ten minutes later we landed on North Ron. There was some slight confusion as we weren't initially sure where to head, but soon sorted that and walked a few km to the north end of the island. Lots of breeding waders & greylag geese en route, plus a lovely dark arctic skua, rock doves, fulmars, wheatear and swallow. Calling common gulls were all over and looking stunning in breeding attire.
 

The blackbird proved elusive, sticking in the iris beds, so was only showing after organised flushes when it would perch up if you were lucky. We stayed for 3 if these and got good scope views in the first flush, pretty poor views on the second but good views on the third, if a little brief, when it sat up on a chimney. Job done - didn't see that one coming!!!
 

Red-winged blackbird by Stuart Piner

My best effort!

By the finder Simon Davies

We were back in the plane mid afternoon and, after a brief delay as the plane wouldn't start, finally were on our way. The pilot took the scenic route back along the Northumberland coast, often at just 250ft. Breathtaking views of Lindisfarne, Bamburgh Castle and Whitley Bat rounded the day off nicely, and I was home for 7.30pm.
 

All in all a splendid day out!