BTO Surveys

January is always a busy month, and sadly it often entails spending time indoors. I have my annual tax return to file before the end of the month, then I spend lots of time getting my bird notes for the previous year up to date for the county recorder, loading records on to iRecord for plants, butterflies, moths, mammals and assorted invertebrates, all of which takes time. I am always relieved when January is out of the way. But, I did manage to get out over the past three weeks, even completing three BTO surveys.  

Our first BTO survey was just over a couple of weeks ago, when Gail and I had a ringing session at our feeding station on our good friend's farm near Nateby. We had clear skies, a light south-easterly breeze, and a slight frost. 

Between net rounds, sitting at the ringing table, I record everything that we see and hear, and from an observation perspective it was quiet. We logged a couple of Fieldfares and a Song Thrush, and two Buzzards, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, and 24 Lapwings went over. 

We ringed 33 birds as follows (recaptures in brackets):

Tree Sparrow - 17 (1)

Great Tit - 5 (5)

Chaffinch - 4

Robin - 2 (1)

Goldfinch - 1

Dunnock - 2

Wren - 1

Blue Tit - 1 (7)

 

Tree Sparrow
 

A couple of days later, we undertook BTO survey number two, our Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) count on the reservoir adjacent to the Wyre estuary, and the old docks at Fleetwood. 

It was another clear morning with a light south-easterly wind, and it was cold. In fact about 80% of the reservoir was frozen, and this is where all the birds were congregating. It doesn't usually hold any numbers of dabbling ducks, but I suspect that we had all the Shovelers from water bodies in the local area that were still frozen.

 

Shovelers on the ice
 

We counted 55 Shovelers, 5 Little Grebes, 21 Coots, 2 Mute Swans, 4 Moorhens, 4 Mallards, 24 Tufted Ducks, 7 Herring Gulls, and 2 Black-headed Gulls.

 

Mute Swan and Coot

 

Coots on the edge of the ice

 

Ten days ago, we were in the shelter underneath the lighthouse overlooking the Wyre estuary to carry out a Winter Gull Survey (WinGS). This was BTO survey number three for the month, and this time we had full cloud cover, but that cold south-easterly wind still troubled our fingers and toes. 

 

Our Gull roost survey totals were 51 Black-headed Gulls, 65 Common Gulls, 7 Great Black-backed Gulls, 619 Herring Gulls, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. 

 

Also in the estuary, were 11 Eiders, that were joined by a female Teal, and ten Shelducks. It was a very pleasant couple of hours, although we were glad to get back in the car to warm up!

 

Just rewinding to early afternoon, before we set off to complete our WinGS survey, we noticed that the 2nd winter male Sparrowhawk was back in our garden. Once again, he was perched in the apple tree, and he was looking at the ground where the mice feed below the feeders. At one point he looked up, and that was because a Greenfinch had landed in the apple tree above him. He's a cracking bird!

 

Sparrowhawk (above & below)

 

Looking at the apple tree, I noticed some fungus on one of the Willows, and after the Sparrowhawk had flown off, I went out and had a look. I identified it as Silverleaf Fungus, and my identification was confirmed by fungus guru, Fungal Punk Dave. Not rare, but we had never recorded it before, so we were very pleased.  

Silverleaf Fungus

 

We have been keeping the feeding station going, and it requires topping up about every four days. About a week ago, I went to top up, and it was a dreich day, but I decided to have a wander through the woodland to see if I could detect any early signs of spring.  

 

A Brambling was new in, but sadly I only heard it, but locally there has been a few around this winter. I came across three Brown Hares in the woodland, with one coming very close to me as I sheltered from the rain. I tried to get through the wet woodland, across the dyke, and in to the drier ancient semi-natural woodland, but the water was too deep. Out on the wetland were at least 150 Teal, but surprisingly no Wigeon.

I came across some Jelly Ear Fungus, and the male Hazel catkins were opening, but I couldn't find any of the delicate, red, female flowers. Perhaps it is still too early. 

 

Jelly Ear Fungus (above & below)

 

 

Male Hazel catkins
 

This morning,Gail and I had a walk to Rossall Point over the high tide to have a look at the roosting waders, and it would mainly be waders that we recorded. We found the area of the shore that the waders were roosting on, and we had 87 Turnstones, 7 Oystercatchers, 221 Sanderlings, 2 Dunlins, 7 Knots, 45 Ringed Plovers, and 2 Purple Sandpipers. We bumped into Barry, and it was nice to have a catch up with him. 

 

Knot and Turnstones

 

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones 

 

Ringed Plovers 

 

Sanderlings 

 

The forecast isn't looking too bad over the next few days, so hopefully we'll get out some more. 

 

Looking back in my notebook for this time last year, I had male Common Frogs calling from my garden pond, but I haven't heard any as yet! I'll have to make sure I keep popping out at night to have a listen. I suspect that it is too cold at the moment.

Post Festive Field Excursions

I'm glad all the festive celebrations are over, and we can get back to normal. Apologies to those of you that enjoy the mid-winter festivities, however you celebrate! 

It was Boxing Day before Gail and I could get out, and after all the family had departed, we managed an hours walk after lunch along the Wyre estuary from the Quay. It was a very grey day, one of those days where it seems to barely come light, but at least it was calm, and therefore didn't feel too cold. 

There were a few waders out on the mud in the quay, namely 35 Redshanks, 11 Oystercatchers, and 11 Knot. We had a group of 19 Teal, plus four other birds (two pairs) that were doing what I call 'sledge feeding'. This is resting their breast and belly on the mud, and pushing themselves along with their feet, as they move their heads from side to side feeding. It is of course just filter feeding, but the sledging helps them to feed. 

 

Knot

 

Teal - sledge feeding
 

Out on the Wyre we noticed a hundred Lapwings, and 150 Golden Plovers get up, and we assumed they had been flushed by the pair of Peregrines that were knocking about. A group of 50 Wigeon were on the edge of the river, and that was it for birds.

We found some Smooth Sow-thistle that was flowering, and some Vetch and White Stonecrop that looked particularly verdant, making us think that spring was just around the corner, when we know there's a fair bit of winter to get through yet.

 

Vetch sp. looking particularly verdant
 

Since I last posted, Gail and I have been keeping our feeding station going, but haven't managed to have a ringing session as yet. A couple of days before the end of December, after we had topped all the feeders up, we had a wander through the woodland that the feeding station is next to on our good friend's farm. It was nice to have a wander amongst the trees, and in the process we flushed three Woodcocks, and a Tawny Owl heard us coming and made an exit before we got anywhere near it. Interestingly, it was fairly close to a box that was used by Tawny Owls last year, so that could be promising.

 

We found some lovely examples of Birch Polypore on some fallen Birch dead-wood. It is a very common fungus, and according to my Collins Fungi Guide, one of the commonest in England, but spectacular nonetheless. 

 

Birch Polypore
 

We didn't get out on New Year's Day, mainly because the weather wasn't great, but managed a walk in the crisp sunshine along the back of the golf course to Rossall Point, and back along the shore. 

Going back to the 1980s, the back of the golf course, or behind the sea wall, used to be regularly frequented by flocks, yes flocks, of Snow Buntings and Twite. Not today alas, just a Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail foraging around the wet flushes and rank grassland. 

 

Meadow Pipit

 

Pied Wagtail
 

The tide height was over 9 metres, and this had pushed 91 Oystercatchers onto the golf course, where some roosted, and others fed. As we reached the dunes, we were greeted by a pair of Stonechats that were feeding along the interface between the sea wall, that faces south into the sun, and the dunes. They were using the fence posts to perch on, and sally forth from on their feeding sorties. 

 

Oystercatchers

 

Stonechat
 

On the shore, over a couple of sections of beach, and out on the new stone groynes, 161 Turnstones, 70 Ringed Plovers, 60 Sanderlings, a Dunlin, and a Purple Sandpiper roosted. We didn't have a 'scope with us, so all we recorded on the sea were 20 Eiders and a Red-throated Diver that headed west. 

 

Dunlin, Sanderlings and Turnstones

 

Purple Sandpiper

Turnstones
 

On the way home, we had a look through the Pink-footed Geese, c. 500 of them, that were feeding in the farm fields, but we couldn't find any other species lurking amongst them.

 

Pink-footed Geese
 

We were back at the Quay a dew days ago, and the complete cloud cover was keeping all the cold in, and the south-easterly wind was biting. Not quite as many Redshanks and Oystercatchers this time, just 15 and 9 respectively, but the Knot numbers had increased to 21. 

No sledge feeding Teal today, just 12 hauled out on the mud. A group of 22 Mallards were feeding in the creeks of, and on the saltmarsh, and 60 Wigeon were on the river. A Great Spotted Woodpecker along the edge of the old ferry car park was a good record. 

On the way home we had a look through the Pinkies again, and there were 700 of them, and nothing else. The forecast is looking not too shabby for the next few days, but typically I've got various things on. I think it's called Sod's law!