Slow Thaw

A slow thaw has now set in and it is a slow thaw. Yesterday when I went to feed the Tree Sparrows (or lack of them) it was very treacherous with a film of water on top of the ice. As I approached the moss the first bird I had was a Merlin perched on top of a low tree. I stopped to get a better look but unfortunately it flew off.

As I approached the track to the feeding station a female Sparrowhawk 'flap-glided' across the track and on towards Tree Sparrow Wood. Thinking about it, the Sparrowhawk may well have been the reason for the lack of Tree Sparrows this morning as much as the weather.

At the feeding station there were only 34 Tree Sparrows, two Grey Partridges and five each of Blackbird and Chaffinch. Interestingly as I approached the feeding station seven Corn Buntings flew away and these were the first that I have had since the start of the cold snap.

As usual four Yellowhammers were around the Pheasant feeder and ten Lapwings were feeding in the pasture next to the track, presumably trying to feed on the now 'uncovered' sward.

Ian sent me some pictures recently and you will find two of them below. The first one shows 'yours truly' grappling with a Coot and the second a male and female Yellowhammer from a recent ringing session on Rawcliffe Moss.

Catching Coot

It was a first for me this morning; catching Coot by hand in Stanley Park, Blackpool. Craig has been keen to have a go at catching Coot here for a while and with permission sought from Blackpool Council, this morning was our first opportunity. So armed with G rings, colour rings and six loaves of bread we made our way to the piece of water that wasn't frozen and where all the wildfowl were congregating.

The wildfowl are fed regularly here by 'Joe Public' so they have become quite approachable, but 'Joe Public' don't haul them out of the water! We were going to colour ring the Coot as part of Kane's Northwest Coot Colour Ringing Project, that's if we could catch any of course!

Ian in position

We started throwing bread out and within a couple of minutes Craig had caught the first bird. Then he got another, and another and then Ian caught two. Within 20-30 minutes we had caught and ringed five Coot. All of the birds were fitted with three colour rings in addition to the metal ring so they can be identified as individual birds. Not bad, but from this point on we didn't catch any more as the birds had become very wary.

Fitting the colour rings

Measuring the wing

The finished article

These were only the 3rd - 7th Coots that Fylde Ringing Group had ringed, the last ones being back in 1991 on Clifton Marsh. There were probably over 100 Coot on the lake and mingling in with them were 14 Shovelers and a couple of Tufted Ducks.

It Doesn't Get Any Warmer

I was due to feed on Rawcliffe Moss again today so me and 'her indoors' slid our way to the feeding station. There was still 15 cm of snow and it was still freezing cold! A few flocks of Pink-footed Geese were moving around this morning, presumably trying to find somewhere suitable to feed. In all we had 403 made up of different groups.

'Her indoors' ready to face the elements

As we set off down the track only two Yellowhammers were at the Pheasant feeder. As usual I scattered some seed from the feeder around the base of it to make it easier for the birds to feed. In fact as we walked towards the feeding station it was obvious that there were few birds around. Only thirty Tree Sparrows and four Chaffinch were feeding on what was left of the feed. Half a dozen apples and two buckets of seed were put down and we set off for a walk round.


As we walked along the '97' hedge we had seven Roe Deer in the adjacent field including a buck with antlers in velvet. Later on we would see the same group of deer crossing the track to feed in a stubble field. We had a walk through the L Wood but it was very quiet except for a few Wrens feeding at the base of mossy trees trying to find invertebrates. They will certainly be a species that will suffer in this cold weather.

Dodgy digi-binned Roe Deer

On the way to the plantation we had five Grey Partridges either in the field before the plantation or in the plantation itself. The plantation looked very much like the Taiga in winter and probably held less birds! As we came out of the plantation at the north end we had a Buzzard fly out of the fir wood continually harassed, as always, by a small squadron of Corvids.

The Taiga or the plantation!

Looking towards Rough Holme Farm we picked up a Barn Owl hunting over some frozen pasture. They must find it tough in these conditions. The walk back along the track to the car didn't reveal much more other than a Kestrel and 65 Lapwings heading west towards the coast.

Tomorrow I will be hopefully colour ringing some Coot with some lads from the 'group' so I'll let you know how we get on.

Still In The Icy Grip

I had another ice driving session this morning as I made my way to Rawcliffe Moss. I didn't have long, just a quick dash to feed. It was pleasing to note that, as predicted, the Tree Sparrows had increased to 80 and correspondingly the Chaffinch to 12.

As usual a Grey Partridge called from the field in front of Curlew Wood and four Yellowhammers were at the feeding station. A few Blackbirds and a couple of Fieldfares seem to be surviving on the apples I put out and they make short work of them too.

Driving off the moss and past the 'Little Owl tree' I could see the resident Little Owl looking down at me and staring right into my soul with those piercing yellow eyes. Tremendous!

More Of The White Stuff

This morning we received yet another dollop of snow and we received so much that I abandoned my attempt to get to the office. It was an enforced day off from work. After lunch it stopped snowing and I decided to have a go at getting on to Rawcliffe Moss as the Tree Sparrows needed feeding. I didn't go the usual 'scenic' route, but stuck to the main roads as far as possible. The minor roads and tracks on to the moss were a little adventurous, but two buckets of seed were duly loaded into the car.


This is the third time in as many weeks that I have had to take my shovel with me in case I got the car stuck and also to clear some snow away to put some feed down.

Robin at the infamous Pheasant feeder

As I made my way down the track it was obvious that there were few birds about. No Yellowhammers at the Pheasant feeder, but as soon as I cleared some snow away around it and scattered some seed a Robin was straight in. A few Blackbirds and a couple of Fieldfares were down the hedge, feeding on 'I don't know what'.

Snowy Ditch

At the feeding station itself 33 Tree Sparrows were hanging on, only sustained by the two peanut feeders I suspect. They were accompanied by half a dozen Chaffinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker called from Curlew Wood and a Grey Partridge from the adjacent field. Snow cleared and food put out I made my way back to the car. To the east at least 2,500 Pink-footed Geese moved from one field to another to feed and two Lapwings winged their way west.

It is going to freeze tonight and over the next couple of days, but there isn't any snow forecasted for our area. So hopefully the numbers of Tree Sparrows will build up again.

Wet Saturday Morning

So much for the cold frosty start with some wet stuff coming in later! Don't worry I'm not going to get on my soap box again and start going on about the weather forecast. As a Tree Sparrow slave I had to make my usual visit to feed on Rawcliffe Moss this morning, and unfortunately it was either raining, hailing or sleeting all the time I was there. This meant that my walk round was cut to a minimum.

I have been mixing some barley in with my bird food to make it go further and try and cut the cost of running the feeding station. One of the unfortunate results of this is an increase in the number of Woodpigeons coming to the feeding station and when I looked down the track from the gate this morning there were 30 on the seed.

Thrush wise I only had a couple of Song Thrush, a handful of Blackbirds and calling Redwings that I couldn't see. No Fieldfares at all. Seven Yellowhammers fed from the Pheasant feeder and a Kestrel perched on top of a single hawthorn kept a watchful eye. Numbers of Tree Sparrows had increased, as expected, to a more respectful 140 and 19 Chaffinch were associating with them.


As the weather was fairly atrocious I decided that I would cut back through Curlew Wood to the car to try and keep dry and also in the hope that I might flush a Woodcock or two. I did keep dry, but didn't flush any Woodcock. All I did flush were two Grey Partridges from the rough field next to the wood.

I then nipped to my office to top the feeders up there and as soon as I had filled the sunflower heart feeders two Nuthatches were straight in.

News Year Eve and Day - A Quick Update

I called briefly at the feeding station on Rawcliffe Moss yesterday on my way out with 'her indoors' and put some seed out. I didn't really have time for a mooch round, so it was a quick march down the track to the feeding area and back again. A few 'Pink-feet' were moving around and I had 286 in total. Paul was telling me that there are currently 15,000 Over Wyre.

At the feeding station itself there were 65 Tree Sparrows, seven Chaffinch and two Yellowhammers.

This morning at about 10:00 I got a phone call from my mate Ian saying that the drake Ring-necked Duck was on the western most of the Fleetwood Marine lakes and was showing well in fantastic light. I dashed up there for another helping of this delightful duck and got one or two reasonable shots, one of which is now the header for my blog. With it being the 1st January, everyone who had twitched it when Ian first found it on 29th December were twitching it again for their year lists!



Also on the Marine Lakes were five Tufted Ducks, with which the Ring-necked was associating with, and 120 Turnstones.