Sanderling from Greenland

We received a batch of recoveries from the BTO this week and rather than bore you with all of them I thought that I would share them with you one or two at a time. In addition to the recoveries from the BTO, Ian had a colour-ringed and leg-flagged Sanderling at Rossall Point a couple of days ago and it was this recovery that I wanted to share with you first.

Ian saw the Sanderling at Rossall on 15th December 2011 and the bird had been ringed at Hochstetter Forland in northeast Greenland. See the google earth image below.

Ian reported the bird to Jeroen Reneerkens from Holland who co-ordinates a colour ringing project on Sanderlings. This Sanderling had been ringed on 16th July 2011 and Jeroen's comments paint a vivid picture. "The bird was ringed in northeast Greenland last summer. It's partner was ringed two days later and two of their chicks were ringed that were guided by the bird that you observed". Awesome!

 Sanderling

This is the second colour-ringed Sanderling that Ian has had at Rossall this year. The other bird that Ian had he observed at Rossall on 25/08/2011 and this bird had originally been ringed at Sandgeroi in Iceland on 23/05/2007 and had sunsequently been observed back there again on 21/05/5008 and 28/05/2009 before being seen at Rossall.

It is likely that the latter of these two Sanderlings was passing through Rossall on its way to wintering grounds in West Africa and the former bird observed this week is probably wintering at Rossall , if not somewhere in Liverpool or Morecambe Bay. Fascinating stuff!

Almost A Raptor Fest!

I called at the feeding station late morning when it had stopped raining and the sun had come out, and bumped into Phil who was out for a bit of birding. As we chatted whilst I filled my buckets with seed we had at least 56 Yellowhammers and a flock of 5 Corn Buntings over. Later we would add a further 8 Corn Bunts to the total.

Walking down to the feeding station Phil picked up a Hen Harrier that gave a fantastic display as it hopped over hedges and weaved in and out of the more open aspects of the woodland. We then lost it and I picked it up sat on the margin of the 'big field' in the sun preening itself. It was having a good old preen lifting its wings in turn and preening underneath, and then twisting its tail to preen its underparts showing its white rump. After a while it departed and floated off over the stubble.

The only Hen Harrier pictures I have are at the nest when I was lucky 

enough to help out  ringing a  few chicks a couple of years ago. The same 

goes  for the  Merlin  further down.

At the feeding station the Tree Sparrows had increased to 230 and were joined by 23 Chaffinch. Later on in Curlew Wood I had a further 25 Chaffinch. We then headed up the '97 hedge' and had 11 Reed Buntings and a single Song Thrush. Perched in the birch trees above the Badger sett was a female Merlin.

I then took a walk across the wild bird see plot and flushed a Short-eared Owl that gave stonking views as it in turn flushed two Grey Partridges. Two Buzzards and a Kestrel added to the raptor score.

Walking back across the stubbles I had 89 Skylarks, 2 Snipe and a Siskin went over. It was then time for me to head home and get on with some work.

More Farmland Birds But Not As Many

Funnily enough I had been asking Phil whether he had seen any or many Roe Deer on the moss recently as I hadn't and when I drove down the track a Roe Deer ran in front of me as if just to prove they were still around! It was blustery as I headed down towards the feeding station with a Kestrel round the buildings and Buzzard alongside Curlew Wood.

I had two Grey Partridges again but only 6 Yellowhammers. As I approached the feeding area I could see a Great Spotted Woodpecker on one of the peanut feeders and 110 Tree Sparrows flew off towards the hedgerow next to the wood.

I had a walk along the '97 hedge' and on to the wild bird seed crop. Reed Buntings were a little more numerous and I counted 20 as I walked the margin alongside the hedge, but Chaffinch numbers had dropped to 231. I had 4 Corn Buntings on my walk and 20 Goldfinch had joined the Chaffinch.

Reed Bunting

Two Lesser Redpolls flying over were a little unexpected and the 10 Skylarks lifting off the 'big field' weren't. Something flushed the Lapwing from the adjacent field and I counted 103. So overall it was a morning of diminishing returns, but no less enjoyable.

A Good Smattering of Farmland Birds

I am now in the cycle of going to my feeding station every other day to feed now and this morning I got the impression that there were a few more birds around, perhaps because of the colder weather further east and north. I had more time today, so after I had fed I had a walk round for about an hour and a half. Not that it will mean much to you, but I headed down the track to the feeding station along the '97 hedge' to the top fields, across the moss to the plantation and back down the lane to my car.

Rather than bore you with the details of exactly where I saw everything I thought I would just give you the raw totals of the more interesting birds that I had. This included 14 Blackbirds, 24 Yellowhammers (an excellent total for this time of year and a actually a good total for any time of year), 13 Reed Buntings, 177 Tree Sparrows, 355 Chaffinch (the highest total I have ever recorded at the site), 140 Skylarks, 2 Grey Partridge and 21 Corn Buntings. A good few red listed species there.

 Yellowhammer

There were a few Pink-footed Geese around but only 307. All of these were mobile so I couldn't look through them for any White-fronts or Bean. Any that flew over me low enough I did look at to see if I could see any barring on their bellies, but I didn't.

Raptors were conspicuous with their absence and all I had was a single Buzzard and Kestrel. Continuing in the single species vein were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush. I had a walk through the L Wood in the hope of flushing a Woodcock or two, but I didn't have anything at all.

The forecast for the rest of the week is looking like more of the same with a succession of Atlantic depressions from the west bringing more windy weather. I'll try and make the best of it!

Horizontal Birding

I wanted to go seawatching this morning with the 30 mph southwesterlies we have at the minute but I have several reports to write and my Tree Sparrows needed feeding so it was the feeding station that I headed to. Walking down the track to the feeding station my posture was almost horizontal due to the strength of the wind and consequently it was difficult to do any birding.

Tree Sparrow numbers reached a seasonal high this morning as I counted 228 accompanied by about 30 Chaffinch, only 6 Blackbirds and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew from the feeding station to Curlew Wood as I got close. The only other bird I had was a single Buzzard.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

I daren't look at the weather forecast anymore for the coming week because it is so depressing. Well, I did just have a look and it is going to remain windy, not always gale force, but too windy for any ringing for the foreseeable future i.e. all next week! Mind you within our ringing group our mantra is always 'there's time for it to change'!

Rails, Red-headed Sparrows and Ringing Totals

If I was a sad lister and kept a 'birds seen from the car' or 'birds seen flying in front of the car' lists then I would have added a new species this week. I was driving home through some lanes towards dusk and as I drove through a flood that was spilling out from a roadside ditch a bird flew in front of the car and in my headlights I could pick out dangling legs and fluttering flight. It flew along in front of the car for a few seconds and then dropped into a gateway and ran into a field. It was a Water Rail!

It's been cold and windy so far all week and when I called at my feeding station late Monday afternoon it was bitterly cold. In fact there were frequent hail showers blown along with the 25-30 mph wind that made it too unpleasant, and pointless, too have a walk round. All I did was dash down the track and feed.

A couple of Buzzards were calling and flying along Curlew Wood and Blackbird numbers at the feeding station had increased to 10. I wondered whether this was possibly because of snowy weather to the north and east pushing birds our way as on some adjacent fields was a flock of 850 Lapwings. As it was late in the afternoon Tree Sparrows (local name in Yorkshire is Red-headed Sparrow) numbered only 35 with 4 or 5 Chaffinch.

 Lapwings

I had a meeting yesterday at Crooklands in south Cumbria and when I could see across to the Howgills they were covered in snow. Very seasonal. Yesterday it looked like there might be a window in the weather to do some ringing on Saturday, but it has all changed now.

I have updated the ringing totals for Fylde Ringing Group in the panel to the right and you will see that we have ringed 4,377 birds of 61 species so far this year. Hopefully we will be able to push the totals over 4,500 by the end of December. It isn't really the totals that matter, more the species and information gained that is important, but the totals give an indication of all the effort that is put in. As usual I have listed the top ten 'movers and shakers' below and as you will see now that we are in winter things are remaining fairly static.

1. Chaffinch - 641 (same position as last month)
2. Meadow Pipit - 414 (same position as last month)
3. Tree Sparrow - 368 (same position as last month)
4. Goldfinch - 357 (up from 5th)
5. Swallow - 330 (down from 5th)
6. Siskin - 260 (same position as last month)
7. Whitethroat - 191 (same position as last month)
8=. Greenfinch - 183 (same position as last month)
8=. Blue Tit - 183 (up from 10th)
9. Lesser Redpoll - 172 (down from 9th)

There were no species that dropped out of the top ten from last month.

I'm Still Here......

......and I haven't a great deal to report other than what has been at my farmland bird feeding station over the past week. I've been busy at work and this has prevented me from getting out as much, but hopefully this has now all been sorted.

Earlier in the week there were still 170 Tree Sparrows at the feeding station, but there were only 72 today. The Tree Sparrow count can change depending on the timing of your visit. Interestingly, as I was feeding late morning birds were flying in so they may well have built up to 170 or more.

I had a little time to spare so I had a walk along the 97 Hedge, round the wild bird seed plot and back to my car. There were quite a few Chaffinch around this morning mainly in the Birch trees by the Badger sett and I had 50 in total. Corn Buntings numbered 7 and a female Sparrowhawk drifted south over the 'big field' and lifted 34 Skylarks.

 Corn Bunting

A couple of Grey Partridge flew out of the grass margin and 3,066 Pink-footed Geese dropped onto the top fields. Eight Reed Buntings were feeding in the cover by the ditch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker called from Curlew Wood. Walking back down the 97 hedge and to my car I added singles of Snipe, Stock Dove, Song Thrush and a male Yellowhammer perched on a telegraph pole.

On the way home I had a look on the river and had a pair of Goldeneye and 18 Curlews feeding in a riverside field.It looks as though it is going to remain windy for the rest of the week and westerly. Not much chance of any ringing, but hopefully some opportunities for some birding. I'll keep you posted.