Quiet Damp Moss

I called at Rawcliffe Moss today before I headed into Bowland once again. There had been a lot of rain overnight and as a result the vegetation was extremely wet. This morning was quite fair with a few bright spells and a light southwesterly breeze. Perfect for ringing, but I was working!

I had time to get as far as the plantation this morning but didn't as I could see one of the locals with her two idiot dogs that would have flushed everything, so I didn't bother.

At least three Corn Buntings were singing and twice as many Brown Hares were in the field next to Curlew Wood and in the 'big field'. From Curlew Wood I could hear a few Blackbirds alarm calling as if they were letting a predator know that they knew it was there! Tawny Owl perhaps?

A number of hirundines were feeding over the fields including 13 Swallows, 2 House Martins and 2 Swifts. I had a few (4) Whitethroats dotted about including a male along the '97' hedge carrying a large green caterpillar. Three Stock Doves went over and I had 13 Tree Sparrows along the '97' hedge. At a farm that I was surveying this afternoon near Nateby I had a pair of Tree Sparrows nesting in an old building and one of the adults was taking in nest material. It was probably sprucing up the nest cavity in preparation for a third brood.

Swallow

Goldfinch numbers had reduced to 14 as a consequence of the 'top field' being cut and the 'thistle' source of their food being removed. So there will be no ringing session there. Quite a few butterflies were on the wing as the morning warmed including Gatekeeper, Meadow brown, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White.