What A Difference A Day Makes!

I'm in receipt of some brilliant images of some equally brilliant birds which have recently been on and around the River Lune.

'Probable' Siberian Chiffchaff Tuesday 6 January. Howard Stockdale.

The header for this post - and the one above - is of a 'probable' Siberian Chiffchaff, found on St Georges Quay in Lancaster, and recorded by two local birders.

'Redhead' Smew Tuesday 6 January. Howard Stockdale.

On the very same day 6 January, a 'redhead' Smew was an excellent find by another Lancaster birder. As opposed to the Chiffchaff, this little diver excited many a birder for a couple of days....What a difference a day makes!

I am grateful to Howard Stockdale for the permit to use his images in this post.

I'd sooner be birding, but unfortunately I'm not at the moment 😢

The Smew.

It was great to see a Smew 'redhead' found yesterday 6 January on the River Lune in Lancaster. This find was the first in the LDBWS area since one found at Aldcliffe 13 years ago in January 2013, and gave me an incentive to do some research through my records for a bit of history about the Smew in our recording area.

Drake Smew. Jan Larsson.

I was able to rewind 37 years where I found a redhead Smew recorded at Leighton Moss in November 1988 by John Wilson. When I traced back to the 1990's, personal records read that I found a drake Smew on 22 November 1992, which returned to the then named Dockacres for many years.

Redhead Smew. Pete Woodruff. 

After this bird, my selective records are....

December 1992. Two redhead Smew present at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve, one saltmarsh, one Public Hide.

December 1992. Drake Smew on the River Lune at Snatchems. Six days later I found a drake Smew at Greyhound Bridge on the River Lune, and presumed it to be the same bird. 

March 1993. I found a drake Smew at Blea Tarn Reservoir, Lancaster. I regard this record as one of the earlier magical moments of my birding.

Through the 1990's, the Smew was recorded in the LDBWS recording area as a 'scarce but almost annual winter visitor'.

February 2009. A redhead Smew Leighton Moss.

January 2010. A redhead Smew Freeman's Pool 24 January to 21 March.

December 2012. A redhead at Leighton Moss, moved between three sites to be last seen at Aldcliffe 28 March.

January 2013. A redhead at Aldcliffe 25 January to 1 March.

Thereby the tale of the missing Smew begins....until 13 years later 6 January 2026 that is!

Thanks to Lancaster birder Barrie Cooper for this excellent record of this excellent and scarce bird.

Happy Days.

Black-throated Diver. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery 

As a mega for the location, I had to twitch the Blea Tarn Reservoir juvenile Black-throated Diver yesterday, after all it's on my doorstep, well about a mile away anyhow, and with a little elevation over the reservoir from the track to Middle Langthwaite Farm, the bird gave good views, and at one point obliged by keeping still whilst preening....Nice.

Smew. Jan Larsson @ Vingspann  

The perfect example of 'right place, right time' to find the mega diver there, and reminded me of a visit I paid to this very same reservoir 25 years ago on 5 March 1993, when I called there on my way to do my Saturday bit in the days of delivering car parts, to find a stunning drake Smew there, a scarce if not rare sight in our area today. 

Another record I came across, was that of up to 300 finches seen on 5 December 1995, my record reads....'A flock of Chaffinch and Brambling held up to 300 birds found below a Beech at Levens Bridge in Cumbria, the greater majority of this flock was of up to 250 Brambling with Chaffinch'....They were seen in a year when the beech mast crop was excellent, and when I had found eleven mostly local Brambling locations....Happy Days. 

Thanks to Martin and Jan for the excellent photographs.

Buzzin' In 2013 Part 2.

More selected sightings which kept me buzzing - and my passion growing - during the second half of 2013 from July onwards....most found/my own records but (*) I went to see.

July.

5. 4 Stonechat White Greet.

12. Common Sandpiper Blea Tarn Reservoir.

17. Bonaparte's Gull Heysham Harbour *

22.17 Common Sandpiper (peak count).

22. Painted Lady Cockersands.

24. Curlew Sandpiper Conder Green (scarce adult summer plumage). 

31. 3 Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool (juveniles).

August.

7. Painted Lady Clougha (my second of only two sightings this year).

8. 19 Whimbrel Cockersands.

Whimbrel Martin Lofgren

September.

9. 20 Wheatear Cockersands.

10. 5 Curlew Sandpiper Cockersands.

October.

29. Firecrest Heysham Harbour * 

November.

13. 3 Curlew Sandpiper Fluke Hall Lane (late record in stubble field).

13. c.95 Twite Cockers Dyke area.
19. 15 Bewick's Swan LEGD.

22. 3 Brambling Plantation Lane Abbeystead (scarce this winter).
25. 16 Bewick's Swan Cockersands.

Bewick's Swan Marc Heath 

December.

3. 75 Goldeneye LEGD (peak count this winter).

17. c.450 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD (a good count but only half the number counted on 19 March).

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE TWO WIDGETS BELOW HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY ON TO THIS POST, THEY DON'T APPEAR IN THE DRAFT AND SO I'M UNABLE TO DELETE THEM.

Buzzin' In 2013.

Some selected sightings which kept me buzzing - and my passion growing - during the first half of 2013....most found/my own records but (*) I went to see.

January.

9. 8 Waxwing Conder Green.

15. Snow Bunting Cockersands 

16. c. 20 Siskin Bailrigg.

18. 2 Stonechat Freemans Pools perimeter fence. (An excellent winter record).

29.14 Bewick's Swan Jeremy Lane.

Siskin Richard Pegler

February.

6. c.700 Bar-tailed Godwit Lune Estuary Glasson Dock (LEGD).

6. Smew 'redhead' Freemans Pools *

7. Chiffchaff Fluke Hall.

13. Spoonbill LEGD * 

13. c.600 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD.

17. 2 Stonechat Rossall Point.

18. c.80 Goldeneye LEGD (Peak Count).

19. c.290 Whooper Swan Moss Lane Cockersands (an excellent count).

Chiffchaff Antonio Puigg

March.

8. 3 Lesser Redpoll Stodday.

19. c.850 Black-tailed Godwit LEGD (unprecedented count here).

19. Avocet Cocker Channel.

26. 2 Pintail LEGD (rare here).

26. Stonechat (female) Cockersands.

28. Stonechat (male) Cockersands.

28. 2 Wheatear Cockersands (my first of the year). 

April.

2. 2 Little Ringed Plover Conder Pool.

3. Jack Snipe Conder Pool *

8. 6 Siskin (our garden).

12. Water Pipit Conder Green *

16. Dotterel Cockersands.

Dotterel David Cookson

May.

29. Scaup Conder Pool.

June.

5. 2 - possibly 3 - Cuckoo Tower Lodge area.

7. 2 Cuckoo Cross of Greet.

7. 4 Whinchat Bloe Greet.

17. 5 Little Ringed Plover River Lune Bull Beck.

19. Osprey Public Hide Leighton Moss (almost certainly a Foulshaw Moss breeder).

....and a little twitch!

I don't think it's an all time record, but I was at Conder Green yesterday at 8.00am....early for me. The first bird to greet me here was a Greenshank in the creeks, followed during the circuit by 3 Spotted Redshank, the Common Sandpiper had found its way down the Conder channel again. I found 10 Little Grebe here again seven of which were in the creeks and three on Conder Pool where I noted at least 75 Lapwing and 12 Curlew.

At Glasson Dock on the canal basin, 9 Goldeneye, 3 Little Grebe, and a Great-crested Grebe. On the Lune Estuary I noted up to 700 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.250 Dunlin, and 37 Goldeneye which  - added to the canal basin birds - is the best count of 46 at Glasson Dock this winter. In the field off Moss Lane today's count totalled 252 Whooper Swans.

I must admit I never yet came birding to Cockersands and didn't enjoy the experience, but I must say yesterday was pretty void and the cold Arctic wind was pretty thin to say the least, but the hardy Snow Bunting was scratching away like a mouse in a cheese factory on Plover Scar for its 24th day, otherwise the only birds to qualify for the black book were 3 Greenfinch, and a Peregrine Falcon rocketing through and making a dive at something I didn't identify before continuing on its way.

So now I'm on my way to a do a little twitch and see somebody else's bird by way of a change at Freeman's Pools to find the 'redhead' Smew being floodlit by the blinding sun and giving excellent views. Also of note, a single drake Goldeneye, 3 Little Egret, 4 Little Grebe, c.30 Goldfinch,13 Pied Wagtail and 3 Meadow Pipit were feeding together, and up to 150 Dunlin and a similar uncounted number of Redshank were on the flood. 

Out on Plover Scar. Pete Woodruff. 

I was definitely not at all happy to see this thing out on the scar today and will be making enquiries to find out if any laws were being broken by it being there, it looks bigger and even worse if you 'clik the pik'. I was left wondering if perhaps Mrs Mutt was a better sight on there than this bloody machine, by the way she was there with 15 hounds unleashed recently.

Sorry there are no 'and finally' pics but I'm out of time here. 

Stonechats Again....Yes Stonechats.

Throughout last year I've been sent several records of Stonechat (St) in and out of our area and it goes without saying how much I appreciate this. These records together with some more recent birds seen add up to something like twenty locations and a rough estimate of 26 birds seen in 2012 being a mere fraction of birds that could have been seen just 4 years ago 

I just wanted to make note of a record kindly forwarded to me second hand a couple of years ago, of St in mid-winter which had been reported as heard only. So as to avoid sounding like some authority on the St, I have to say these records have me scratching my head.

There are two aspects about the St voice which should be noted, in the first place they are far less vocal at times outside the breeding season, and are rarely - if ever - heard during the winter. Having started to sing at the start of the breeding season the male might continue to do so throughout the breeding cycle, he is the only one to sing, the female has no song. The male can be heard in song from around late February and the peak period is March and April, after which it virtually ceases until early July after which it generally ceases altogether.

At the risk of repeating myself you will no doubt have heard me say what a complex species the  St is, and here is one example of the complexity of this bird. At the beginning of the breeding season the song of most species is usually associated with attracting a mate, but with the St many males don't start to sing - if they sing at all - until after they are already paired. From personal records, despite my interest in the St for 'a few years' I only ever heard the song on two occasions, both of which were of the male in song flight, this is an elaborate display which has him holding his body at an angle with trailing legs and toes pointed backwards, tail fanned and depressed, the white neck patches, rump, and wings are all prominently displayed. He may periodically hover, and sometimes rises and falls as if on elastic....a truly spectacular display by this delightful favourite of mine, but not at all an easy sight to come across and witness I assure you. 

And finally....I never heard a St singing or calling in winter, and to be honest....never expect to.

Perhaps I should spare you all from any more Stonechat pics, well this time....

 Smew 

Instead a couple of in flight record shots of the Smew found on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock last Friday 1 February. With my thanks to the reliable contact who alerted me to this little beauty.

Smew 

These images give some useful upper and underwing in flight detail and are both 'Copy Permitted' with my thanks.    

Gone With The Wind!

The headland at Cockersands is not the ideal place to be with a howling westerly blowing behind an almost 10mtr tide, but that's where I was on Thursday afternoon and so was the hardy little Snow Bunting fighting against this howler of a wind on Plover Scar for its 18th day. Ten Snipe went into the air to find somewhere to escape the oncoming high tide, along with c.70 Turnstone also on the same mission. Good numbers of waders had also taken to the fields and of note were at least 2,500 Golden Plover and 550 Dunlin with uncounted Lapwing and Curlew, 7 Brown Hare were also to note.

 Little Gull. Peter Guy.

Theres been some movement of Little Gull seen along the coast in recent days, the 1st winter bird in the photograph above was one of many passing Rossall Point yesterday and thanks to PG for sending me this excellent image of the Little Gull looking very 'little' whilst fighting its way over the huge breakers. An adult Little Gull was also seen at Cockersands on Thursday and I'm grateful to SP for the mobile alert to this bird - and the Smew at Glasson Dock on Friday - unfortunately the Little Gull decided to fly off upstream on the River Lune before I got onto it, and having no time for a 'chase' I'm afraid this is the one that got away.

Although I'm not know for my dedication to the religion of counting birds, I did my utmost to accurately assess the birds still in the field off Moss Lane but I'm unable to change Tuesdays count of c.220 Whooper Swan of which I noted only around twenty were immature.

Common Sandpiper Richard Pegler  

At Conder Green the Common Sandpiper had found its way down the Conder channel almost out of sight and on to the Lune Estuary, 2 Spotted Redshank were also here with 2 Bar-tailed Godwit. Of note on Conder Pool, 4 Goldeneye, 4 Little Grebe, a Little Egret, a Goosander, and c.420 Black-headed Gull with a 'few' Common Gull in the mix. 

And finally....

Barn Owl Martin Jump  

MJ thought he was wasting his time setting off in the fog on the day he achieved this and a few other brilliant ghostly images of the Barn Owl looming out of the gloom. Another 'pic with a difference', where does it all end. Thanks Martin....it'll never end, and your efforts on the day were certainly not a waste of time.

Moving On.

In late October/early November huge numbers of Fieldfare, Redwing, and Blackbird made landfall on our east coast, in the case of the latter I observed a figure of up to 60 Blackbird on a walk in our area on 29 November. My observations of the Redwing in each winter appear to indicate fewer in number than those of its cousin the Fieldfare. These arrivals on the east coast quickly move on inland and spread themselves out across the country, and a walk in the countryside around our area today would make it clear with fewer sightings that they have moved on even further south in search of food in a suitable wintering area, most likely to be in France and northern Iberia.

The Waxwing also arrived in the UK in 2012 and eventually there was an estimate of c.5,000 birds, the figure now stands at more like 1,500 and in recent weeks some have been seen leaving the south coast. If we get a prolonged spell of harsh icy weather there will be difficulties for more bird species to find food which becomes hidden and locked under frozen water and Herons and Kingfishers which aren't already on the coast will move to get there where the saline waters remain largely ice-free. A couple more examples of bird movement in these icy conditions are those of the Skylark and Wood Pigeon which will also leave the country if forced to and in spectacular numbers too. 

Smew. Copy Permitted.

  

Converse to all this movement, if these kind of conditions are prolonged on the continent wader and waterfowl numbers may see an increase and species like the Smew and Goldeneye may well move to our estuaries as a lifeline. In the case of the Smew a bird long overdue, and the Goldeneye, January is the peak period for this one.

And talking of the Waxwings....

Waxwing Martin Jump

Yet another waxwing image, and yet another brilliant one with a difference. I don't know this as a fact, but I reckon this bird is launching into a dive to retrieve this berry it had but lost. Excellent stuff as always Martin.

And some more exotica....

Ring-necked Parakeet Brian Rafferty 

The Ring-necked Parakeet which BR saw at Lytham recently. I've yet to see my first one of this species, the UK's only naturalised Parrot, in flight it has pointed wings, a long tail, and a very steady direct flight. Nice one Brian, and thank you. 

The Red Grouse.

Its difficult for me to have a favourite upland bird - following on from the Stonechat that is - but the Red Grouse (RG) stands well up the list for me. 

The RG has a range restricted to areas of blanket bog and upland shrub heath. I hate to relate to this but....for well over two hundred years many areas of heather have been managed to produce the RG for shooting, in fact grouse shooting is one of the major land uses of the uplands and as become an important source of income for many estates.

There is no need to point any fingers at anyone, any area, or some areas of wildlife when it comes to how and why numbers of raptors in upland areas have declined as it is all to painfully obvious to us all. Estate management are never happy to see any increases in  - for example - foxes, crows, and raptors, and it seems likely that predation pressure by both mammals and predatory birds has increased on many moors according to the shooting fraternity and estate owners.

But hey....nature has itself has a hand in the decline of the RG too and around one third of grouse moors carry louping ill, a viral disease transmitted between host animal and ticks, an 'upland person' once told me it needs just one chick to acquire just one tick and every other bird in the nest dies too. The presence of louping ill causes serious levels of reduction in chick survival, and in the North of England in an area we all know well shooting was put on hold for many years, and the last time I had a conversation with any gamekeepers a couple of years ago here the 'hold' was still in place....but I don't pretend to be bang up to date in 2012 on that one. 


Its only two years ago I counted up to forty RG on Clougha - a stronghold for the grouse - so if that was in a bad year for the species, goodness knows what the number would have been in a good one. The RG lives....long live the Red Grouse!


And now the customary stuff.... 

Marsh Harrier Phillip Tomkinson

An excellent 'reflection' image of the juvenile Marsh Harrier....

Smew Tony Duckett

....and the equally excellent shot of the Smew in flight from our man in the park!

And thanks to DC at David Cookson Images for the other excellent shot of the Red Grouse in the new header.


I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!....and the time is getting nearer that I will be but....not yet.

The Return.

Stonechat. Copy Permitted.

The birder who took it, and the bird itself, will never know what it really meant to me when I found this photograph, not just a photograph, but one of a female Stonechat, and not just a Stonechat, but one at Cockersands. March is the time to find the species on return passage, but where has this bird been you have to wonder, my suppose would be southern Europe or perhaps further south in the coastal countries of northern Africa. With two harsh winters behind us these migratory populations of the Stonechat will take up the ascendancy over the resident population which is now at a low with considerable mortality over the past winters. So its down to the migratory population and their offspring to maintain and increase the numbers of Stonechats in the UK until the sedentary population regains the advantage probably over 3-4 years.    

Spotted Redshank. Copy Permitted.

An excellent collage of the Spotted Redshank. This bird is at Conder Green, and if other years are anything to go by it will only be absent from here for up to six weeks in the year. In 2011 I recorded the Spotted Redshank at Conder Green all year round save it moving off after my sighting on 3 May until - according to my records - it/one returned here on 30 June, void of a records search the same would no doubt have been the case in 2010. 


And....

Goosanders/Smew Colin Bushell 

Thanks to CB for the photograph of the 'redhead' Smew which thinks it is a Goosander....

Frog David Cookson

And to DC for the excellent photograph of the Frog.


Out of Africa....


I've edited the post to note a Swallow reported in Somerset today.

Chats in the park....

....and theres more, but not Williamsons Park!

Stonechat. Tony Duckett. 

Since I recently found Tony Ducketts blog covering the Royal Parks Regent/Bushy in London I've discovered a dedication to patchwork worthy of commendation. And hey....in Bushy Park yesterday Tony found Stonechats. So, no Stonechats in our area in the North of England, but Stonechats in February in the metropolis.... who'd a thought!  

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Tony Duckett.  

But wait a minute....not just the Stonechat in the capital, but a stunning little Lesser-spotted Woodpecker on the very same day. 

I'm in disbelief, a species disappeared from our area and beyond since the big freeze of last winter - which thankfully may not be going to return this winter - and a species - the latter - a long time extinct in our recording area and beyond. Add to this the staying 'redhead' Smew and I think I'd better keep an eye on this man to see 'whats next' at his Central London location at Regents Park 


                               

Sorry about the large white void, its a video which I don't appear to have downloaded correctly and I can't get rid of it now either. Obviously not as computer literate as I had first thought!

Kestrel. Tim Crossley.

One or two of my contact/birding/photographer friends have been in touch recently and I've received several images including these two of the Kestrels on the verge of fledging last summer. Tim found this family in an old derelict warehouse in the centre of industrial Lancashire. 

Barn Owl. Ian Tallon.

And Ian sent me this excellent one of the Barn Owl. It was good to be in touch again Tim/Ian and many thanks for allowing me to share the photographs, much appreciated.

A Commercial Break....

.... and a couple of pics of 'southern birds'. 

I don't know Tony Duckett and had no idea anyone was 'covering' Regents Park in London like he does, but I intend to take a closer regular look at his blog in the future to find out just how long he has been engaged in recording the birds of this interesting area.

The picture - which pleased me no end as you can imagine - of the annual report in the blog links you to the full content of the report which covers comprehensively the birds seen during the year. I was duly impressed by the coverage Tony gives the birds in this brilliant park in London which I walked through myself on a recent visit to London in 2010.


Please take a look via the link below at this interesting and sometimes amazing park and the birds it hosts as residents, along with the many surprising visitors it has over a year long period. I was very surprised to find the Check List holds an astonishing 210 species including a currently present for 13 days 'redhead' Smew. Regents Park Birds 


And whilst we're in the south....

Song Thrush Warren Baker 

Thanks to the Kentish Mr Baker - a regular contributor to Birds2blog - for the excellent image of the Song Thrush.

Jack Snipe Marc Heath

Thanks to the - also Kentish - Mr Heath for the excellent Jack Snipe image, surely one of the more difficult birds to photograph. A passage migrant and winter visitor to Britain, the origins of which is unclear, though recoveries of birds ringed in Scandinavia indicate Fennoscandia as a likely source.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!

Something of a coincidence!

Ferruginous Duck 

You may like to look up the connection to this little tale I'm about to tell, if you would like to you'll find it HERE 

By something of a coincidence -  irony even - on Sunday morning I hear of a Ferruginous Duck found at Mullaghmore Lough in Co Monaghan, Ireland which was later shot dead. This follows on from a Blue-winged Teal that had met the same fate recently also in Ireland. 


So....void of over labouring the issue, here's the irony....

I was employed to 'do my bit' on Sunday at high tide as a counter for the BTO WeBS Survey which I've been involved with for a year or two now and despite the restrictions of my birding of late to such an extent that I got out for the first time only last Friday since 14 October 2011 I chose to try to continue my involvement with this important survey and succeeded in doing so last month. On Sunday when I arrived at my allocated viewpoint overlooking Glasson Marsh I immediately clapped eyes on two 'sportsmen' on the marsh complete with guns and mutts. Now if you did decide to access 'At it again' - or indeed if you know me - you will have already worked out my next move which was to depart the location just 2 seconds after I had applied the handbrake on the motor having not even had the time to switch off the engine.


As you can imagine I've been in touch with the said BTO and told them I just made my last count - or attempted to -  for the WeBS Survey on the principal that I don't subscribe to the shooting fraternity and my conscience won't allow me to try to count birds whilst they are being shot at.....The story ends there, though I could go on. Of course with these two around there was no birds to count anyway....of course!

Smew. Copy Permitted.

Always worth another look, the smart little 'redhead' Smew on the Lune Estuary on Sunday.

Smew. Cliff Raby. 

And definitely always worth another look, the even smarter drake Smew with thanks to CR for the excellent photograph.

Putting a smile into birding....On 11 January a Great Blue Heron was reported at Kirkwall, Orkney apparently present for its sixth day....the bird was later identified as a Grey Heron! 

The Smew....

....and some pics.

Smew. Cliff Raby

It was always good to find the returning drake Smew on the old Dockacres Gravel Pits in the 1990's and although I'm not making accurate claims with dates here I recall my visiting one day in November to find it had done just that. Unfortunately this is all a thing of the past not least because the DGP's are - and have been for some years - now developed into a fishing lake, something which should never have happened in my opinion, but we'll leave the politics there for now. The bird is now regarded to be nationally in decline and in our recording area sightings are certainly few.

Smew. Pete Woodruff.

In 2009 just one bird was at Leighton Moss for two days in February, and in 2010 I recall only seeing one record on Freeman's Pools for a period, and the picture above is of this 'redhead' individual.

The Smew is a relatively short distance migrant with a breeding range extending from N.Sweden and Finland through Siberia to Kamchatka. The majority of the breeding population is to be found predominantly in European Russia with an estimated up to 15,000 pairs. N.W.Europe is thought to hold a wintering population of 15,000 pairs with up to 10,000 of these in the Netherlands. Only small numbers reach Britain during the winter, most of which occur in Southeast England and East Anglia, the bird is scarce in Wales and Scotland, and very scarce in Ireland. Adult male Smews are far outnumbered by female and 1st winter birds known as 'redheads' which make up more than 70% of all records.

And finally....

Greenfinch. David Cookson 

I can't resist this image of the Greenfinch, a bird seriously declined over the past couple of years. One day I'm going to 'dig out' my record to give a precise date of c.200 seen in the Silverdale area with my old friend and mentor John Leedal probably something like 25 years ago. Today you can claim an excellent record if you find a double figure flock.

Brambling. David Cookson

Nor could I resisit this image of the Brambling, a winter visitor to our area in variable numbers. Thanks for these DC, and to CR for his photograph of the smart drake Smew at the top of this post.