Saturday, June 30, 2012

News With Views

Just birding this morning, beginning at Knott End where the time of year begins to dictate a few visits, particularly when early morning rising tides push waders and hopefully terns in from Morecambe Bay. 

No terns this morning although Oystercatcher numbers are building with 220+ today as they leave inland breeding haunts to congregate on the sands and the mussel beds. It was mostly Oystercatchers today, with just a couple of Redshank, 35 Curlew and several Shelduck. From the jetty I counted 9 Eider and then a fly past from a visiting Peregrine again. It’s just a glide across the River Wyre to Fleetwood where the Peregrines have bred again this year, rearing one youngster. Alongside the golf course I could see 3 Pied Wagtails along the first fairway and in the nearby conifers a Whitethroat was busily feeding a fledged youngster. 

Pied Wagtail

Peregrine

Eider

I noted a couple of Swift and House Martins then motored on to Pilling. Lane Ends car park was quiet, just the 2 regular Blackcap and a newly singing Chiffchaff but no sounds from the patches of reeds where Reed Warblers have been noisily singing of late. On my travels yesterday I checked two nests, one of Whitethroat the other of Goldfinch and both of them had been washed out, two nests better placed to survive the lashing from wind and rain that a typical Reed Warbler nest must have endured this past week. 

A walk to Pilling Water found 2 Common Sandpiper,105 Curlew, 30 Redshank, 14 Oystercatcher, 15 Goldfinch, 4 Linnet, 5 Greenfinch, 3 Swift, 8 Swallow, 3 Pied Wagtail, 16 Skylark and 4 Corn Bunting. The Corn Buntings are definitely making a breeding attempt here, confirmed as I watched a bird collect nest material from the sea wall and then accompanied by a second bird, drop with the material into the silage. I now think there may be two pairs in this field with others in similar silage fields towards Cockerham. As Corn Buntings are now so scarce in this area of Lancashire it’s good that they may be utilising this habitat, but more than a little risky if their timing coincides with silage cutting.

Corn Bunting

Down at Fluke I chatted with a HiFly guy who’s looking forward to the shooting season in 9 week’s time, if only the maize would grow and the silage become dry enough to cut. Its odd how according to our own particular interests we all take a different view of how things should turn out.! But over the recent controversy about Buzzards we agreed on one thing - Buzzards are too lazy to take game birds, they prefer to sit around and wait for a spot of road-kill or other carrion.

Tune into Another Bird Blog again on Sunday for more news and maybe a few views.

8 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Phil, looks like another great outing. The birds are all wonderful. a great sighting of those Curlews, or is 105 a normal amount. I would love to see them. Wonderful photos, have a great weekend!

Gail Dixon said...

You really have a lot of success with your birding. I'm loving that pied wagtail.

Isidro Ortiz said...

Grandes capturas,me gusta en especial la del Halcon peregrino.Saludos

Carole M. said...

enjoyed this series; especially the pied-wagtail!

grammie g said...

Hi Phil...My name is Grace, I found you through a comment on Grammie G's blog!! Interesting blog ; }
I bet you thought I had died and gone to heaven and left you behind hee-hee!
Love those Eiders I see then here!!
Hope to be keeping up better then I have...got to keep up with that birding man!! ; }}
Grace

Choy Wai Mun said...

Great post, Phil. The Eider is a real beauty.

S K Ditta said...

Hello Phil, only when reading the last few lines did it become clear why the post is called "News with Views" - a birder meets a hunter - wow!

The pictures, espcially of the Peregrine, are beautiful. But then each bird mentioned and those depicted in pictures have a special place, don't they?

Thanks for sharing this informative post.

Gary Jones said...

Hi Phil, some great shots there, especially the Peregrine.
Regards Gary

http://walksnwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/

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