Red Alert!

A wander along the Lancaster Canal about 10 miles south of Lancaster was one of the best decisions I've made this year, and if I'm honest I don't remember the last one to come anywhere near it in recent years.

For some reason I had Water Lilies on my mind, and as I soon came across large patches of them by the canal side, a feeling of excitement was beginning to build.

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

It was just the one male Blue-tailed Damselfly, but it was a precursor to something much better. In just a few hundred metres along the towpath, I came across large areas of Water Lilies, and soon remembered why they had been on my mind....

Small Red-eyed Damselfly Lancaster Canal 11 July. Pete Woodruff.

Within the 30 minutes I spent here, I had noted at least 30 Small Red-eyed Damselfly...A Mega for the little black book! 

Mating by the Small Red-eyed Damselfly usually occurs on floating plants, and in the case of canals, on floating Water Lilies. 

The Small Red-eyed Damselfly was first found in Britain 27 years ago, on the Essex coast in July 1999, and had become locally abundant in south-east England 3 years later in 2002. There appears to be a range expansion taking place today, and the species is now present at Middleton NR in North Lancashire, were there is a feeling of colonisation expressed by some observers there.  

The Bees That Weren't!

In my last post Thursday 9 July, I featured a photograph of supposedly Common Carder Bees pairing....well isn't that what they are? Well actually no, in fact this was an error which left egg on my face, but who cares, I'm not some know-all who never gets it wrong!

Merodon equestris. Pete Woodruff.

It's an image of a pair of the best bumblebee mimics in the land, the hoverfly Merodon equestris....Well who'da thought!

Conder Pool & Birk Bank.

Conder Pool 27 August.

Having landed at least two first records this week - four in my book - Conder Pool has earned the recognition of one of Lancashire's birding hot spots. This weeks header for B2B bears testament to that claim with a grand total of 46 Little Egret, seen on Conder Pool early Wednesday morning as an all time best count. On the same day, a Little Stint was on Conder Pool.

Little Stint Conder Pool. Tom Parkinson.

The second of four first records in my book at least, I don't recall a Little Stint on Conder Pool before.

Wednesday was a good day, and 31 Greenshank was certainly an all time best count here, and represents first record No 3....All this and more, whilst I was waiting to get my motor fixed 😝

Conder Pool 28 August.

I put in a couple of hours on Thursday to join Mark, a birder I respect, and who is as keen and dedicated as anyone I know for accuracy of the count. During my stay, Mark probably counted through the species a dozen times to come up with a result of 19 Ruff....Yet another all time best count No 4 for Conder Pool. 

There's a Black-tailed Godwit in the video, it thinks it's a Ruff!

Green Sandpiper Conder Pool 28 August. Pete Woodruff.

Other notes on Conder Pool for the little black book, a Green Sandpiper, was seen in pursuit around the pool of a Common Sandpiper, 420 Redshank were accompanied by 22 Greenshank, 4 Snipe, and 15 Little Grebe.

As soon as I set the camera for a video, the Green Sandpiper shot off and disappeared behind an island.

A Whimbrel was in the creeks and was another first in my book at Conder Green. As with the Little Stint on Conder Pool, I don't recall seeing a Whimbrel in the creeks before.

Birk Bank 25 August.

I connected with just three species of dragonflies today, but observed some interesting behavior. Five Keeled Skimmer were seen as two pairs in tandem and a lone female, all the females were noted to be 'old'. It was interesting that a male never let the female out of its sight, following its every move, and hovering around the female whilst she was egg laying and seeing off any other dragon that approached it.

Five Black Darter were seen as 2 pairs in tandem and a lone male. It was fascinating to watch the pair thrashing quite violently whilst egg laying.

The third species seen were 6 Common Darter, they were all males.

And Finally.

More pictures from my inbox....

  

Small Red-eyed Damselfly. Martin Jump.

Martin continues with his luck to find the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, and to achieve excellent results in his images.

Wasp With Green Bottle Prey. Martin Jump.

It's a one word comment here from me....WOW!

Red Admiral. Ian Mitchell.

Buff Ermine. Ian Mitchell.

Ian progresses with his success of butterflies and moths in flight.

Small Tortoiseshell. Pete Woodruff.

And we continue to get some nice butterflies and bumblebees in the garden.

Red-tailed Bumblebee. Pete Woodruff.

Steam Days And Birding!

With the breeding Common Tern and Avocet all departed, and just 6 Greenshank to be seen, Conder Pool took on a look of desolation, but the count of 17 Little Grebe turned the pool into a mid-winter feel. 

In 15 minutes looking from the viewing screen, I counted 10 Migrant Hawker passing, and saw 2 Red Admiral. I think the property on Corrick's Lane is now holiday accommodation and not the cafe it once was, 6 House Martin were around with a nest still active there.

Common Darter Saltcote Pond. Pete Woodruff.

 

On Saltcote Pond, a few Common Darter included a female seen oviposting over open water, also a few Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselfly. Along the canal towpath Glasson - Conder Green, a low count of 8 Migrant Hawker, I think September will change that to something bigger and better, 6 Specked Wood seen.

Pity the birds were distant, but the footage is evidence of an adult Common Tern on the Lune Estuary at Glasson, a juvenile was hovering and plunge diving, and 24 Little Egret seen.

Sunday 27 August.

On the sea defences and shore, 6 Wheatear seen along the Sandylands promenade. 

Picture Gallery.

Having recently received several excellent images, I wanted to show some respect to three of the many authors who continually keep me supplied with news and illustrations of 'what's on' in our area and beyond.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly Haslem Park. Martin Jump.

Black Tern Glasson Dock. Howard Stockdale.

Black Darter Foulshaw. Ian Mitchell.

Thanks to Martin Jump, Howard Stockdale, Ian Mitchell....Much Appreciated.

The happy days in another life came to mind as I pondered for a header pik, when I was a fireman for good old British Railways and dinosaurs ruled the world. I have Peter Guy to thank for the image of the beautiful beast called the Duchess of Sutherland.

Report 2020.

The Lancashire Bird Report 2020 was through the letterbox on Thursday. A welcome sight, something of interest for me to read, and a large-format publication with comprehensive accounts of the birds of Lancashire in 2020, accompanied by pages of excellent images by some of the best local wildlife photographers around.

Cover Image Gary Waddington

I soon found myself at page 125, where there was a full page coverage of the Stonechat, listed as 'Fairly common, increasing breeding bird in upland and coastal areas; fairly common passage migrant and winter visitor'.

There was over 1,200 reports of the Stonechat, and the reporting rate on BirdTrack showed it was reported across Lancashire and North Merseyside more frequently in most months than the same month in any of the past 10 years. It was good to read examples like, 'the total West Pennine Moors SSSI population is probably now approaching 100 pairs, the species is now widespread and common in many moorland edge/fringe habitats, in-bye and some moorland habitats'. 

With the exception of two breeding records within the LDBWS area at the Langden and Hareden Valley's, there was no other mention of, passage, territorial, breeding, or wintering records in the LDBWS recording area. Perhaps not too surprising, when you take into account a year of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a drastic reduction of coverage, and my personal inability to cover some of our upland areas, most notably in what was once the stronghold of Clougha/Birk Bank.

My only three Stonechat breeding records in 2020 were....

Hareden 1 June 11 birds including juveniles

Hawthorthwaite 24 July pair with a juvenile

Caton Moor 26 August 18 birds including juveniles

Stonechat Caton Moor 26 August 2020. Pete Woodruff.

This record was seen as an autumn movement by these birds, they were observed in no more than a mile along and around a wall above the length of a track above the wind turbines on Caton Moor.   

Dragonflies in Lancashire 2020.

With my developing interest in Odonata, two records were of note, the recent colonist Keeled Skimmer, failed to move beyond Birk Bank Bog in 2020, and as usual very few reports of the Golden-ringed Dragonfly were received in 2020. 

Note....According to my records, I think these two reports will read differently in 2021!

Vagrant Emperor Heysham Harbour 9 November 2020. Kevin Eaves.

Other interesting reading in the report....The first confirmed sighting of Hairy Dragonfly, was of a male at Lunt Meadows in May 2020. A Lesser Emperor was at Birkdale in August, and 2 Vagrant Emperor, the first of which was a male at Little Thornton on 3 November, and the second six days later at Heysham Harbour on 9 November, was also a male. The Small Red-eyed Damselfly continued to spread in 2020, being found at several new sites around Liverpool, and the Large Red-eyed Damselflies remained confined to their two historic Merseyside sites at Eccleston in St Helens and Aintree. As a continental migrant, the Red-veined Darter is now expected annually in Lancashire, where the majority of records came from the Sefton Coast between Crosby and Ainsdale.

I'm grateful to Dave Bickerton and Steve White for permitting me to use material in the Lancashire Bird Report 2020. Also thanks to Richard and Kevin for their respective images, both permitted and much appreciated.

Winter Visitors.

Up to 100 Pink-footed Geese >SW over Bowerham Friday afternoon courtesy of KT. Also I note 6 Whooper Swan at Nateby Saturday, courtesy of FBC.