A Quiet Week

I haven't posted for a few days because I haven't had anything to post! There has been a great deal of interest shown recently in an Egyptian Goose that has been knocking about in the Conder Green/Cockersands area. Local birders have been twitching it to get it on their 'Fylde' list. What a load of bollocks! It is an obvious 'fence hopper' and is as wild as an escaped budgie, but the 'mob rules' ticking mentality prevails and all must see it. Madness!

Thinking about it I have seen some exotic birds 'in the wild' in the Fylde in the past so perhaps I could be adding Golden Pheasant, Guineafowl, Reeves Pheasant, Red-eared Waxbill to name but a few to my Fylde list! I could if I kept a Fylde list of course. Anyway I have wasted enough time on this nonsense.

It would definitely seem that the Tree Sparrows are starting to disperse from the feeding station at Rawcliffe Moss as I had 95 last Wednesday (24th) and 71 yesterday (26th). I have to feed again tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how many are left. Chaffinch and Yellowhammer numbers have also reduced and everywhere I go at the moment male Chaffinches are setting up territories and singing their heads off.

I had six Stock Dove in the week at Rawcliffe Moss as well as six Corn Buntings. Four Grey Partridges were still at the feeding station and the skies were still being patrolled by the local Buzzards and Kestrels.

It was some conservation work for Gail and I this morning in the form of checking and replacing boxes for Pied Flycatchers in the Hodder Valley. We carried out any maintenance work required on the 35 boxes I have up there and replaced any in need of replacing. I took nine new boxes with me and put all of them up. In fact I could have done with three or four more. So I think it's a trip to the timber merchants for me next week for some more wood for boxes.

Gail removing the plate from an old box

The 'new' number 13

There was some activity in the woodland and a few Blue and Great Tits were prospecting some of the boxes. We had Nuthatch, which was expected, and a calling Marsh Tit that we couldn't get on to. They do occur here, but have been getting scarce over the years. After two hours of hard work I treated Gail to a Wild Boar sausage barm cake. I know how to treat a lady!