Over on the right you will see that I have updated Fylde Ringing Group's ringing totals for 2015, or should I say I have put up the first month's totals for the year. In January 2014 we only ringed an abysmal 27 birds, so at 177 ringed for 2015 we are quite a bit up.
Below are the top five ringed birds in January 2015:
1. Blue Tit = 60
2. Long-tailed Tit = 31
3. Great Tit = 29
4. Blackbird = 11
Chaffinch = 11
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Larids
I took an hour and a half out this morning to go and have a look at the Gulls on the river. As I walked along the edge of the saltmarsh I had full cloud cover with a light northwesterly wind. Pink-footed Geese were leaving their estuarine roost and heading off to feed and I had 550 go over.
I didn't see much else as I walked along the edge of the saltmarsh other than a couple of Reed Buntings, a Song Thrush, Rock Pipit and 700 Lapwings. I started to look through the Gulls and estimated there to be 7-800 Herring Gulls with low double figures of Great Black-backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 80 Black-headed Gulls. All I could find amongst the Herring Gulls was a single adult Yellow-legged Gull.
In addition to the Gulls I had 14 Reed Buntings and when I got back to the Nature Park (that name's a laugh) I had a male Stonechat. The Nature Park is a very depressing place now with huge number of dog walkers that have trashed and continue to trash the site, and this morning I could actually smell the disgusting aroma of dog shit floating towards me on the northwesterly breeze!!!
A couple of singing Skylarks brought me out of my 'dog walker' induced depression, whilst a Cetti's Warbler called from the margins of the pools and two Pochards and six Tufted Ducks were on the pools. Back at home I had the adult Med. Gull that has wintered around my house for the second year now.
It's site visits in deepest, darkest, inland, upland Lancashire for me tomorrow so I'm not too hopeful for many birds. I'll let you know.
I didn't see much else as I walked along the edge of the saltmarsh other than a couple of Reed Buntings, a Song Thrush, Rock Pipit and 700 Lapwings. I started to look through the Gulls and estimated there to be 7-800 Herring Gulls with low double figures of Great Black-backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 80 Black-headed Gulls. All I could find amongst the Herring Gulls was a single adult Yellow-legged Gull.
Reed Buntings
In addition to the Gulls I had 14 Reed Buntings and when I got back to the Nature Park (that name's a laugh) I had a male Stonechat. The Nature Park is a very depressing place now with huge number of dog walkers that have trashed and continue to trash the site, and this morning I could actually smell the disgusting aroma of dog shit floating towards me on the northwesterly breeze!!!
Stonechat
A couple of singing Skylarks brought me out of my 'dog walker' induced depression, whilst a Cetti's Warbler called from the margins of the pools and two Pochards and six Tufted Ducks were on the pools. Back at home I had the adult Med. Gull that has wintered around my house for the second year now.
It's site visits in deepest, darkest, inland, upland Lancashire for me tomorrow so I'm not too hopeful for many birds. I'll let you know.
Monday, 9 February 2015
The Usual Feeding Station Fayre
I had a break from report writing this morning to carry out a feed at my feeding station. Under full cloud cover with a 15 mph northwesterly wind I headed down the track loaded with apples, peanuts and seed. At the feeding station were 17 Chaffinches, 44 Tree Sparrows and four Yellowhammers.
Walking back along the track I had 400 Pink-footed Geese go over and two Buzzards were around the woodland. I decided to go and have a look on the stubble field and on my way there I flushed two Grey Partridges from the hedge bottom. In the woodland alongside the stubble's a male Tawny Owl called, and on the stubble's were nine Blackbirds, 23 Fieldfares, 80 Starlings, 15 Corn Buntings and 13 Redwings.
The forecast is looking quite good for ringing over the next couple of days, but I have some site visits to complete, so I might just try and sneak out birding for a couple of hours tomorrow morning.
Walking back along the track I had 400 Pink-footed Geese go over and two Buzzards were around the woodland. I decided to go and have a look on the stubble field and on my way there I flushed two Grey Partridges from the hedge bottom. In the woodland alongside the stubble's a male Tawny Owl called, and on the stubble's were nine Blackbirds, 23 Fieldfares, 80 Starlings, 15 Corn Buntings and 13 Redwings.
The forecast is looking quite good for ringing over the next couple of days, but I have some site visits to complete, so I might just try and sneak out birding for a couple of hours tomorrow morning.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
No News Today
Just in case you were expecting news of a cracking ringing session at the water treatment works I thought I should tell you that we weren't able to get a session in due to the weather. Overnight we had quite a dense fog and in fact this morning it was so dense that I didn't go birding. It didn't really improve at all during the day so Ian and I met at the water treatment works late morning just to top the feeders up. The feeders were virtually empty, so that was good news, but we didn't have many birds as we were topping them up; in fact just a couple of Song Thrushes. The high pressure is supposed to stay around all week, so fingers crossed for some birding and ringing during the week.
Saturday, 7 February 2015
Yesterday's News
Over the past few days my birding has been limited due to attending the above beer festival, and as I write I have just returned from yet another very pleasurable afternoon sampling a variety of real ales!
Yesterday morning I headed down to the estuary in calm, crisp conditions and it was a pleasure to be out. The usual mix of hedgerow species greeted me as I walked through the linear Hawthorn scrub including Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit.
Walking down to the estuary you pass a small reedbed and at this time of
year I enjoy the contrast of colour between the grey seed heads and
golden stems.
Looking towards the mouth of the estuary and the lakeland fells beyond.
Out on the estuary were the usual mix of waders and wildfowl including 34 Redshanks, 1,440 Pink-footed Geese, 40 Curlews, 70 Wigeon, 722 Herring Gulls, 22 Shelducks, 117 Lapwings, eleven Teal and 80 Dunlins. Walking back over the saltmarsh to have a look on the pool I had two Rock Pipits and on the pool itself were 17 Tufted Ducks, three Pochards, five Little Grebes and five Goldeneyes.
Tufted Ducks
Before heading to the beer festival I called at my feeding station and I had yet more Ravens in the form of two calling birds; at last the Ravens were singing! Numbers of birds at the feeding station over the past couple of weeks have been fairly light and all I had today were 32 Tree Sparrows, seven Chaffinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, two Yellowhammers and five Fieldfares.
The weather looks fit for some ringing tomorrow and fingers crossed I'll be out at the water treatment works.
Monday, 2 February 2015
More Ravens And Still They Refused To Sing
With reports to write and a farmland bird presentation to prepare I was forced to remain indoors today other than to call at my feeding station to feed. On my way to the feeding station I had two Ravens go over as I was down by the river. Funnily enough Ian and I were commenting yesterday that in Feb you do seem to get a few birds moving about.
It was quieter than I expected at the feeding station with just 48 Tree Sparrows, a Song Thrush, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Yellowhammer. Raptors were represented by a single Buzzard and Kestrel, and a flock of 50 Golden Plovers went over.
It's still looking calm towards weekend so I am keeping my fingers crossed, but if I don't get out ringing I've got two afternoons at a beer festival to look forward to!
It was quieter than I expected at the feeding station with just 48 Tree Sparrows, a Song Thrush, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Yellowhammer. Raptors were represented by a single Buzzard and Kestrel, and a flock of 50 Golden Plovers went over.
It's still looking calm towards weekend so I am keeping my fingers crossed, but if I don't get out ringing I've got two afternoons at a beer festival to look forward to!
Sunday, 1 February 2015
The Raven That Refused To Sing..........
..........(And Other Stories) is a cracking Prog album by Steven Wilson and if you're a bit of an old, or even new, Prog Rocker like me you'll love it! The Raven that flew over the Water Treatment Works this morning as Ian and I were topping up the feeders, also refused to sing, but it looked fantastic against the crisp blue sky.
A late night courtesy of some folk rock in the form of Fairport Convention and a still biting north-northwesterly wind, caused me to switch my alarm off before it rang out at 6:30 this morning. Instead I met Ian at the Water Treatment Works and as I have already said we topped the feeders up. It wasn't exactly jumping and in addition to the Raven we had a couple of Song Thrushes, ten Goldfinches and a Buzzard.
It's remaining northerly, more or less, next week, but there is a chance that some high pressure might build towards the end of the week and hopefully this my lead to some ringing opportunities. Fingers crossed!
A late night courtesy of some folk rock in the form of Fairport Convention and a still biting north-northwesterly wind, caused me to switch my alarm off before it rang out at 6:30 this morning. Instead I met Ian at the Water Treatment Works and as I have already said we topped the feeders up. It wasn't exactly jumping and in addition to the Raven we had a couple of Song Thrushes, ten Goldfinches and a Buzzard.
It's remaining northerly, more or less, next week, but there is a chance that some high pressure might build towards the end of the week and hopefully this my lead to some ringing opportunities. Fingers crossed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)