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From Grey To Blue Post Origin "Phil Blog" added here on January 27th, 2012
Goodness knows I tried today. I set off at 11am and got to Backsands Lane at Pilling where I counted up the waders on the flood, 260 Dunlin, 65 Redshank, 28 Curlew and 33 Oystercatchers, before the rain and clouds arrived. In Lane Ends car park I grabbed a butty hoping that in the meantime the rain might stop but it didn’t, it just got worse and I was back home by 1pm.
So in place of the planned Pilling post, here’s an account of a sunny day in recent Lanzarote, an island which is pretty difficult to bird, where in January not much vegetation grows through the dry volcanic soil, with small birds proving difficult to find. At least it stays sunny, with blue skies throughout and not a drop of rain in our two week stay.
Walks from the hotel through residential streets and out towards distant volcanoes produced plenty of Southern Grey Shrikes. The shrikes seem almost a garden bird in the Puerto Calero area, a habitat they share with the ubiquitous Spanish Sparrows and Collared Doves, small numbers of Chiffchaffs, together with ones and twos of difficult to see but constantly “tacking” Blackcaps. One morning I found a flock of 50+ Lesser Short-toed Larks, but this seemed to be a one off, unlike my occasional sightings of Linnets, but these in threes and fours only. I thought it rather strange that our common Starling is rather uncommon in Lanzarote with my sightings confined to three or four groups of 10/12 birds in 2 weeks on the island.
Chiffchaff
Often the shrikes seemed to be in pairs with the males singing from prominent perches, often TV aerials, and in late January the birds could be at the start of their breeding season. The Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis keonigi I saw on Lanzarote is closely related to the European Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, the species separated in 1997. A couple of the most noticeable features of the southern species seemed to be the darker grey colouring and larger head, with a few individuals I saw having a very narrow, often indiscernible white line above the black face mask, or a hint of a coloured flush among the breast feathers. With the shortage of small birds I imagine the shrikes feed mostly on small insects, a probability confirmed by the ones I saw spending considerable time either on lookout posts or searching the dusty ground below.
Southern Grey Shrike
Southern Grey Shrike
A sign on a well-worn track hinted I might find Houbara Bustard, but searching across the barren ground in several areas on a number of days produced none, just Berthelots’s Pipits and Linnets. A local tourist guide told me that the bustard is virtually extinct on the island, confined to a few places I never reached.
Bustards About?
Berthelot’s Pipit
Linnet
Coastal walks north and south from Costa Calero harbour could be more productive, with lots of gulls patrolling the shore, Sandwich Terns, more shrikes and pipits, and a chance of a wader or a passing Kestrel, the latter the only bird of prey I saw on the island. The Kestrels on Lanzarote, Falco tinnunculus dacotiae are noticeably paler than our UK nominate race, although I think migrant Kestrels occur here too.
Yellow-legged Gull
Kestrel
In the harbour one morning we chanced upon a Common Sandpiper which posed quite nicely for my camera. This was the morning we found other Lanzarote birds posing for a fashion photo-shoot, the assembled yachts providing a colourful backdrop.
Common Sandpiper
Lanzarote Posers
Lanzarote Posers
There, I just knew those sunny scenes would cheer everyone up.
15TH SPACE COAST BIRDING FESTIVAL, FLORIDA – DAY TWO Post Origin "Mike Watson Blog" added here on January 26th, 2012
American Bittern, Viera Wetland
BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED TODAY WE HAD TIME TO SQUEEZE IN SOME MORE AMERICAN BITTERN! A visit to Viera Wetland eventually resulted in the hoped-for bittern sighting, a prolonged view of a bird working its way along the edge of one of the large tanks - life in slow motion. I am rather obsessed by bitterns so this was a particularly welcome result and although backlit it creates quite a nice effect. Also here today were: Blue-winged Teal; Northern Shoveler; Ring-necked Duck; Hooded Merganser; Pied-billed Grebe; Double-crested Cormorant; Anhinga; Great Blue Heron; Great and Snowy Egrets; Little Blue and Tricoloured Herons; Cattle Egret; Black-crowned Night Heron; White and Glossy Ibises; Turkey Vulture; American Osprey (we saw around 15 today); Bald Eagle (two, adult and immature); Northern Harrier; Red-shouldered Hawk; American Kestrel; Common Gallinule; American Coot; Limpkin (including some very tame birds); Sandhill Crane (one); Killdeer; Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls; Caspian Tern; Mourning Dove; Belted Kingfisher; Red-bellied Woodpecker; Eastern Phoebe; Loggerhead Shrike (five); Fish Crow; Tree Swallow; Marsh Wren; Northern Mockingbird; Common Yellowthroat; Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers; Savannah and Swamp Sparrows; Red-winged Blackbird plus Boat-tailed, Great-tailed and Common Grackles. A coupe of otters bounded right past us only a few metres away, completely unconcerned by our presence. There were so many tame birds here a hide is completely unnecessary and in our limited time we look pretty much exclusively for the bittern, finding one in a suitable position just at the right time before the light became too glary. Fantastic stuff despite the invasion of the birders today. The birds did not seem to mind at all.
Back north along the coast we called in to the Merritt Island NWR, where the stars were three Florida Scrub-Jays. Amazingly confiding and inquisitive they were a true delight. I had to back off them with the 500! Also new here were: Brown and American White (one) Pelicans; Black Skimmer; Northern Flicker (two, yellow-shafted) and a Gulf Fritillary, which was another lifer for me. Florida Scrub-Jay is now very local and its small population (around 6,500 individuals only) is in decline owing to development, disturbance and the suppression of the fires that are necessary to maintain its preferred scrub habitat. It was very impressed with it and although it took some time to find as walked down the trail in the wrong direction at first, when we did find them they were much mroe strikingly pale mantled than expected and are a very smart bird. I am hoping to have another try with a little more time to improve on my photos so far...
From top: American Bittern; Glossy Ibis (and American Coot); Limpkin; Boat-tailed Grackle (female); Florida Scrub-Jay and bottom: US birding legend Paul Lehman calls in to say at the Birdquest/Wild Images booth - he has probably found more firsts for North America than anyone else in recent decades.
Think Pink… Post Origin "Jon Carter Blog" added here on January 26th, 2012
Quick jaunt through the Parish today. Freeman’s Pool was quite lively with 20 or so Teal, 6 Tufted Duck, 6 Goldeneye, Mallard, Coot, Little Grebe, Heron and BH Gulls. The track was quiet, today a brisk wind was blowing and heavy rain sleet showers. On trig point hill sheltering from the very high tide were 125 Pink-footed Geese I separated out 5 European White-fronts amongst them. The Flood saw Curlew 48, Shelduck 3, dozen Mallard and 26 Redshank. A Buzzard, local, landed in the field.
No Harriers For Lunch Today Post Origin "Fleetwood Birder Blog" added here on January 26th, 2012
On my way back from seeing a farmer client I called at my feeding station on the Moss. It was looking as though it was going to clear up as the sun was starting to break through the clouds, but this wouldn't last for long, and I was looking forward to a walk after feeding the Tree Sparrows.
Raptors were represented by a Kestrel and two Buzzards, but no Hen Harrier today. As I headed down the track 68 Lapwings went over heading southeast and I pushed a few Yellowhammers along the hedge. At the feeding station were 232 Tree Sparrows, 24 Chaffinch and 6 Yellowhammers.
As I headed up the '97' hedge I could see the weather closing in from the west and I pushed on as far as I could before the rain came in. On a field that had fodder radish in, but now had been stripped bare by sheep, were a flock of 120 Black-headed Gulls and out on some ceral stubble were 11 Stock Doves.
As I headed through the wild bird seed crop two Grey Partridges lifted along with 34 Skylarks and it was from here that the rain came in. I turned and quickly headed back to the car. I heard some Redwing and Fieldfare calls to the east of me and through my rain splattered bins I could just about make out there were perhaps a dozen birds but I couldn't make out the split.
Redwing
It's going colder towards weekend and there is a chance that it might be calm enough for some ringing on Saturday or Sunday; fingers crossed!
Wary Times Post Origin "Phil Blog" added here on January 26th, 2012
It looked as if the afternoon might be the better part of the breezy day, so I delayed my trip out to Rawcliffe Moss until lunchtime; mistake, within minutes of arriving the showers began and I spent the next couple of hours warily studying encroaching banks of cloud or dodging bouts of rain and hail. In between I managed to see a few bits and pieces, details to follow.
As I drove onto the farm where we ring I saw 2 Kestrels in the vicinity of a several holey trees, one of which Kestrels bred in last year. The winds of the winter have done their best to finish off already damaged trees and come springtime I imagine there will be lots of suitable sites for hole nesting species like Kestrels, owls and Stock Doves. Talking of Stock Doves I saw a flock of 21 here today, the largest number I have seen for a while, with a slightly larger number of 40+ Woodpigeon. Unlike Wood Pigeon, the Stock Dove is not classed as a quarry species, but I find the dove is as equally wary of man as the well shot at Woodpigeon. I had to hide away in an old shed and be very quiet and unobtrusive to get the photograph below where the doves cautiously approach food put out for free range hens.
Stock Dove
At and near the feeding station were 220+ Tree Sparrow, 45 Chaffinch, 8 Reed Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer, 3 Goldfinch, 15 Long-tailed Tit and 4 Blackbird, with an overflying gang of 30 Linnets.
A walk north led me to find 2 Mistle Thrush, by now a certain pair, and that winter rarity a single Fieldfare. Just 3 Skylark up here, with 4 Grey Partridge and a gang of 200+ Jackdaw and numerous crows feeding in the stubble. Jackdaws from regularly shot farms are as hard to photograph as Stock Doves.
Jackdaw
I walked through the deserted plantation, flushing a Roe Deer from the depths of last year’s growth and sussed out a couple of new net rides for the forthcoming spring ringing. Birds in here at the moment are few and far between, just crashing off Woodpigeons, a few Blackbirds, a couple of Wrens and early singing Dunnocks.
The walk back south to my car gave a single Buzzard and a third Kestrel, two pairs on the farm then - that’s good.
Kestrel
The forecast looks better for Saturday, maybe even a welcome spot of ringing.
15TH SPACE COAST BIRDING FESTIVAL, FLORIDA Post Origin "Mike Watson Blog" added here on January 26th, 2012
American Bittern, Titusville
AFTER SETTING UP THE STAND FOR THE START OF THE SHOW, Matt and I had still had some time for a bit of birding on the outskirts of Titusville at the Blue Herom Plant, the highlights of which were: a couple of obliging American Bitterns; Tricoloured, Great and Little Blue Herons; numerous Common Gallinules and American Coots; Anhingas and Wood Stork (three over). The bushes around the marshy tanks were full of Yellow-rumped Warblers, together with a few Palm Warblers, Grey Catbirds and a Swamp Sparrow. Tree Swallows buzzed overhead and two alligators lurked in the shallows. American Ospreys ar amazingly conspicuous around the town and we saw around ten today, including on the Day's Inn motel sign and even from inside the Subway at lunch (adding to my growing Subway raptor list). The exhibitors part of the festival kicked off this afternoon and we got to meet a whole bunch of folks, mostly from FL but some as far afield as Canada. The next few days promises to be a lot of fun! Especially with an unusually large influx of American Bitterns to the area, maybe owing to the drought in most of the southern USA recently.
From top: American Bittern; American Coot; the Birdquest booth at Space Coast and bottom; time for some more homework at the world famous Dixie Crossroads seafood restaurant
Snow Geese and Rockets………. Post Origin "Jon Carter Blog" added here on January 25th, 2012
After a week ill and cabin fever well and truly set in I thought Aldcliffe is my best remedy. Thankfully all was still as it was, apart from the hedges which have been savagely cut back, cyclists be warned! Freeman’s Pool had Goldeneye 4, Little Grebe 2, Tufted Duck 6, Gadwall 5, Mallard, Coot and a Grey Heron, Kestrel did a fly by. A juicy pile of fresh manure had been dumped by the maize field entrance, more to come hopefully, and will attract more than the Chaffinch which I saw there today. The Flood was busy Shelduck 3, Redshank 10, Curlew 28, Pied Wagtail 2 and BH Gull 60. In the field next door a flock of 20 Pink footed Geese were joined by 15 Greylags and 3 Snow Geese giving excellent views, Dan had texted me earlier having seen them and 16 European White-front Geese.
As it was a big tide I predicted Rock Pipits and was pleased to find 4 near the walled meadow and a few at the sewage works. Wildfowlers’ Pool had Little Egret 1, Shelduck 2, Teal 5 and Moorhen 17. A Buzzard was circling above. Near the old snuff mill were Greenfinch and a flock of up to 25 Redwing. A very enjoyable hour, just the tonic.
Oh no….not another Stonechat post! Post Origin "Pete Woodruff Blog" added here on January 25th, 2012
If per chance another Stonechat post on Birds2blog - well what do you expect - is likely to bore you I'd suggest moving on. But I did manage to find an excellent image below of a close relation just to break the monotony.
It was interesting to find in the introduction in the LDBWS 2010 Annual report, in relation to some severe winter weather in the winter 2009/10 the Stonechat was the most seriously affected species.
Anyone observing this species as I have for in excess of 12 years - especially in the Clougha/ Birk Bank (C/BB) area, couldn't help but see and record the results of this prolonged period of freezing temperatures being the demise of this smart little chat. Concentrating on this area and others - not alI in the LBWS recording area - I had noted an upturn in the status of the Stonechat from zero here on C/BB in the late 1990's to - for example - an amazing 11 pairs on 21 March 2007. However, by an awful coincidence when I visited here a month later in April the 'Guardians of the Countryside' had decided a 'burn' was a good idea and used it as another tool in their armoury for 'control' under the cover of land management. It goes without saying that the result of this 'good idea' was that the 23 birds I saw in March was reduced to 4 though I'm not suggesting that this event was the sole reason for 4 birds to be left from the 23 found but it sure didn't help and I just wish these people would have taken their torches elsewhere on this occasion.
My observations of the Stonechat on C/BB proved that the upturn in the status of the species which began at the end of the 90's had peaked around 2005/6 and that by the end of the winter of 2009/10 they had virtually disappeared from just about everywhere though I won't labour the issue with statistics here. However, if I was to compare last years Stonechat records on C/BB with those of 2007 when I visited every month of the year, by contrast when I scaled down my surveys in 2011 at 9 locations, I made just 4 to C/BB by which time the Stonechat had been virtually lost making my efforts almost pointless and we were unfortunately almost back to the late 90's with the species. That said, I did find a male up there on 23 July, and a female on 25 August.
Another previous stronghold was on Harrisend, though this area also only produced 4 birds on 24 March from 6 visits in 2011. I concluded that these were migratory birds passing through as I found not a solitary bird up here despite three more visits in June/July/August by which time I had given up on the Stonechat here too.
It is interesting to note my figures for 2010 agreed with the RSPB findings on the United Utilities Estate on the Bowland Fells where, by comparison to a full survey 66 pairs of Stonechat were found in 2007 representing 50% more than those found in 2010.
Rest assured....I shall renew and pursue the Stonechat relentlessly in 2012 whilst bearing in mind my record of 12 Stonechats on Newby Moor, Clapham on 1 February 2005.
Well, not being able to leave Birds2blog void of a couple of photographs, how about these....
The smart little Black Redstart which has been present at Knott End for 'a while' now. Thanks for this GG.
And here's one to put you on your guard if you think you found a Red -crested Pochard. This bird was found at Marton Mere recently and as it turned out....its a hybrid! Thanks for this goes to Cliff Raby
Foxy Finish Post Origin "Phil Blog" added here on January 25th, 2012
Tuesday’s constant rain wasn’t an incentive for doing much, despite my not getting out much since the holiday. This morning dawned better, so it was good to get back to the local patch today where in a couple of hours I saw more species than in two weeks on Lanzarote, where although my birding was part-time, finding birds in early January proved difficult.
Not so at Pilling today where my walk turned into a good birding session even though the grey skies kept my camera in the bag. Apologies then for archive photos to illustrate today’s sightings.
On my way to Lane Ends I drove along Fluke Hall Lane to the din of 400+ Jackdaws feeding in the wet stubble field. Stopping to look closer all I could find extra were c15 Redshanks and a single Bewick’s Swan, although as I watched, 4 honking Whooper Swans flew over to the marsh. At Damside instead of the usual Lapwings were 65+ Oystercatchers and a few Redshanks probing the soft soil of the soggy fields.
Oystercatcher
I hadn’t done Lane Ends for weeks but I began to see familiar birds. Six European White-fronted Geese were in the field opposite Lane Ends, and when I checked the quiet pool the wintering Kingfisher flew low across the water to a safe distance but where partly obscured by the trees I could just make out the orange breast. Around the plantation about 15 Chaffinch fed, with at least 2 Dunnock in full song.
Kingfisher
I didn’t find any Goldeneye today, just a single Tufted Duck amongst the Mallards. A look for wildfowl on the marsh revealed 4 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 320 Shelduck, and with the tide only partly in, 60+ Teal, 4 Wigeon and 6 Pintail. A walk to Pilling Water turned up 4 Little Egrets, with the sole concession to passerines 3 Skylarks, but give them a week or two and they will be in full song. I can’t wait.
Skylark
Back at the car park I tried to count the distant Curlews and Lawings, a couple of hundred at least of each. It became more difficult when a pair of Red Fox appeared, when as one sat and watched, the other, which appeared to be the larger dog fox, circled the group of by now very alert waders. The fox splashed through the marsh as it unsuccessfully tried to approach the birds, before running off towards the sea wall. By now the second fox had also set off in pursuit of a meal, making a wide arc around the birds, before heading off towards the Cockerham end of the sea wall. Naturally, the foxes caused some panic among the waders but a number of them stayed put, perhaps far enough away from the foxes but from where they could remain watchful.
The foxy encounter was a great finish to a fine couple of hours and it’s good to be back birding on home soil. I’m ending with a picture of a species I saw today, but unfortunately not in such good light or so close, a Little Egret in the Lanzarote sun.
Hen Harrier For Lunch Post Origin "Fleetwood Birder Blog" added here on January 24th, 2012
What a horrible gloomy grey day it's been today. I had a few site visits to do that I was hoping to combine with some birding, but I didn't bother because of the weather. Far better and more productive round the farmhouse kitchen table!
I ate my lunch in the car at the end of the track down to my feeding station. I could see that something had put all the Corvids up and then the female Hen Harrier sailed past my windscreen! I suspect she was heading down to the feeding station to see if she could pick something up for lunch!
At the feeding station were 158 Tree Sparrows and 7 Yellowhammers. I didn't fancy having a walk across the moss afterwards, so I headed into the hills for a bit more grey gloom!
