The day dawned with torrential rain and appalling visibility out in the Bay, so I decided to return later to the Obs at high tide just to count the waders. Spring migration is virtually over, and autumn is perhaps only a couple of weeks away (no summer in the bird world!), but the last waders are still moving through to Arctic breeding grounds in Canada and Greenland.
When I returned at high tide several groups of waders were roosting on some of the shingle ridges and my totals were 223 Sanderlings, seven Dunlins, 36 Ringed Plovers and seven Turnstones. You wonder how these birds at this late stage have the time to get to the arctic tundra, rear a brood and return before the weather conditions deteriorate in the far north. Amazing stuff!
The forecast isn't conducive for any survey work for me for at least a couple of days so I'll have to keep myself busy having a look on the sea!
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Mixed Fortunes
Yesterday morning Kim and I checked our Pied Flycatcher boxes in the Hodder Valley. The crucial time for the Pied Flycatchers is coming up as they start to hatch, but for the Tits the crucial time is here and they aren't faring well.
The Nuthatches haven't done well either. When we first checked on 16th May there were seven young, on 25th May four young and yesterday (30th) we ringed just three young!
It was a similar picture for both the Blue and Great Tits, with small brood sizes and some dead young in the nest. It is obvious that the adults are only finding enough food to keep a small number of chicks alive. We ringed four broods of Great Tits yesterday, with brood sizes of 3, 3, 4 and 4; with a mean brood size of just 3.5! Interestingly down towards the coast on the Moss we ringed two broods of Great Tits and these were a six and a seven.
We only ringed two broods of Blue Tits and these were a three and a five, far less than you would normally expect.
So far the Pied Flycatchers have been producing normal brood sizes and we ringed a brood of eight and seven yesterday, but the weather will be crucial for their survival this week. The weather is forecast to be grim tomorrow and Tuesday, and then it is due to warm up later in the week. Let's hope they can survive until then. I'll be making my next check on 6th June, so I'll keep you posted. .
The Nuthatches haven't done well either. When we first checked on 16th May there were seven young, on 25th May four young and yesterday (30th) we ringed just three young!
Nuthatch
It was a similar picture for both the Blue and Great Tits, with small brood sizes and some dead young in the nest. It is obvious that the adults are only finding enough food to keep a small number of chicks alive. We ringed four broods of Great Tits yesterday, with brood sizes of 3, 3, 4 and 4; with a mean brood size of just 3.5! Interestingly down towards the coast on the Moss we ringed two broods of Great Tits and these were a six and a seven.
Great Tit
We only ringed two broods of Blue Tits and these were a three and a five, far less than you would normally expect.
So far the Pied Flycatchers have been producing normal brood sizes and we ringed a brood of eight and seven yesterday, but the weather will be crucial for their survival this week. The weather is forecast to be grim tomorrow and Tuesday, and then it is due to warm up later in the week. Let's hope they can survive until then. I'll be making my next check on 6th June, so I'll keep you posted. .
Friday, 29 May 2015
Rain Stopped Play!
I'm going to give myself ten out of ten for effort this morning after getting up at 0430 to do a sea watch in this morning's weather conditions! Or maybe that should be ten out of ten for stupidity!
It was absolutely pouring down when I got to my sea watching spot and the wind was a good 15 - 20 mph west-northwesterly and it was virtually impossible to find any shelter. We have a choice of two buildings to shelter behind or in front of, but because of the wind direction and the position of the buildings it was near impossible. I could remain sheltered from the wind but get wet, or keep dry but get buffeted by the wind; I went for the second option. However, after an hour of poor visibility and the constant shaking of my scope I packed up and headed home.
During the time I was there I recorded 58 Common Scoters and nine Gannets on the sea. The only waders I had were those feeding in front of me and these were four Ringed Plovers, a Turnstone, a Dunlin and ten Sanderlings. The weather is improving for tomorrow so it will be my third check of the boxes.
It was absolutely pouring down when I got to my sea watching spot and the wind was a good 15 - 20 mph west-northwesterly and it was virtually impossible to find any shelter. We have a choice of two buildings to shelter behind or in front of, but because of the wind direction and the position of the buildings it was near impossible. I could remain sheltered from the wind but get wet, or keep dry but get buffeted by the wind; I went for the second option. However, after an hour of poor visibility and the constant shaking of my scope I packed up and headed home.
During the time I was there I recorded 58 Common Scoters and nine Gannets on the sea. The only waders I had were those feeding in front of me and these were four Ringed Plovers, a Turnstone, a Dunlin and ten Sanderlings. The weather is improving for tomorrow so it will be my third check of the boxes.
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Ringed P's
After a few cracking pints of real last night an early start wasn't on the cards, particularly as I had been up since 0430! It was gone on eight this morning before I got to the Obs and I only had a couple of hours to spare. My aim was to count the waders at high tide, have a brief look on the sea and try and locate the three Ringed Plover chicks that Ian found yesterday before jetting off to Bulgaria!
It was hard work walking along the front in the blustery west-northwesterly wind without any shelter. I found the roosting waders and there were 146 Sanderlings, 27 Ringed Plovers, a Turnstone and six Dunlins.
I found the Ringed Plover chicks, or should I say chick, and I spent a great deal of time making sure that there wasn't more than one. There definitely was only one and I duly ringed it. Fingers crossed that it survives!
I retreated to the front of the tower for some shelter and spent half an hour seawatching and had an Auk sp., five Gannets, two Fulmars and a Sandwich Tern. The only vis was two Swallows flying west into the wind.
It's going to be some more seawatching for me in the morning, although it will be wet, as the weather isn't good enough for survey work.
It was hard work walking along the front in the blustery west-northwesterly wind without any shelter. I found the roosting waders and there were 146 Sanderlings, 27 Ringed Plovers, a Turnstone and six Dunlins.
Sanderlings
I found the Ringed Plover chicks, or should I say chick, and I spent a great deal of time making sure that there wasn't more than one. There definitely was only one and I duly ringed it. Fingers crossed that it survives!
Ringed Plover
I retreated to the front of the tower for some shelter and spent half an hour seawatching and had an Auk sp., five Gannets, two Fulmars and a Sandwich Tern. The only vis was two Swallows flying west into the wind.
It's going to be some more seawatching for me in the morning, although it will be wet, as the weather isn't good enough for survey work.
The View From The Office
I've been working in north Cumbria this past week and I thought I would share with you a couple of views from 'the office' this week.
Looking towards the Uldale Fells (above & below)
Looking across the Solway to Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland
So, what of the birds? I've been carrying out breeding bird surveys in young broadleaved woodland and the above pictures were taken yesterday on my way to a site. I had nothing out of the ordinary when surveying yesterday but as always it was delight to see and record Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Redstart and Tree Sparrow in some of the compartments.
A bit of news from the Obs to follow shortly.
Monday, 25 May 2015
The Latest From The Boxes
I do apologise for a lack of posts of late but work is getting in the way of birding at the moment. Perhaps I shouldn't grumble as I do manage to scrape a living out of the natural world, but it is usually the case that when the weather is good to get out on the patch it's also good to carry out some of the surveys that earn me a living! Saturday morning was a beautiful morning and normally I would be out on the patch but instead I was doing a breeding bird survey in the north Lakes, but I have to admit the views of Blencathra and other mountains in the north Lakes were stunning and partly made up for not being able to get out on the patch!
This morning Kim and I made our second visit to the Pied Flycatcher boxes. Brief results of which are below:
Blue Tit - five boxes with incubating females, one box with six warm eggs and one box with six small young still naked & blind.
Nuthatch - one box with four young still naked & blind. Interestingly this box held seven small young last weekend, so three birds have perished during the week!
Pied Flycatcher - seven boxes with females on eggs. We lifted three females off the nest and two were un-ringed, so we ringed these, and one was a female that we lifted off the nest and ringed in 2009! We have lifted her off the nest in every subsequent year except 2014. This bird is at least seven years old and just think what mileage she has clocked up flying to Africa and back every year! One box had seven young in, but they were too small to ring as they were still naked and blind.
Great Tit - one box had a female incubating eggs and the remaining five boxes had small young in, with very small brood sizes. The only brood we ringed was a brood of two, so early signs are showing that these birds are struggling to find food this year with all the poor weather.
At the Tree Sparrow boxes we ringed a brood of three and a brood of one, and the remaining four boxes had either warm eggs or too small young. One Tree Sparrow box with a Tree Sparrow nest in it contained an incubating female Blue Tit! There were also two boxes with Great Tits in and these were too small to ring.
The weather this coming week is going to be crucial and it will be interesting to see how they have all got on when we check the boxes again next weekend.
This morning Kim and I made our second visit to the Pied Flycatcher boxes. Brief results of which are below:
Blue Tit - five boxes with incubating females, one box with six warm eggs and one box with six small young still naked & blind.
Nuthatch - one box with four young still naked & blind. Interestingly this box held seven small young last weekend, so three birds have perished during the week!
Pied Flycatcher - seven boxes with females on eggs. We lifted three females off the nest and two were un-ringed, so we ringed these, and one was a female that we lifted off the nest and ringed in 2009! We have lifted her off the nest in every subsequent year except 2014. This bird is at least seven years old and just think what mileage she has clocked up flying to Africa and back every year! One box had seven young in, but they were too small to ring as they were still naked and blind.
Does she look seven?
Pied Flycatcher nest
Great Tit - one box had a female incubating eggs and the remaining five boxes had small young in, with very small brood sizes. The only brood we ringed was a brood of two, so early signs are showing that these birds are struggling to find food this year with all the poor weather.
At the Tree Sparrow boxes we ringed a brood of three and a brood of one, and the remaining four boxes had either warm eggs or too small young. One Tree Sparrow box with a Tree Sparrow nest in it contained an incubating female Blue Tit! There were also two boxes with Great Tits in and these were too small to ring.
The weather this coming week is going to be crucial and it will be interesting to see how they have all got on when we check the boxes again next weekend.
Monday, 18 May 2015
A Sea Going Marsh Hawk
It is absolutely pouring down as I sit and write this on a thoroughly miserable Monday morning, so no site visits for me today. Yesterday it was cold with a 20 mph west-southwesterly wind and the only thing to do was a bit of sea watching. I didn't get to the point until 0630 and was joined later by Howard and then Ian.
The flavour of the morning once again was Gannets and we had 119 come out of the bay. The best bird of the morning was undoubtedly a female Marsh Harrier that I picked up a long way out heading northeast across the outer bay. Marsh Harriers heading east in to the bay during the spring are annual and they are usually just off-shore hugging the coast. This bird, however, was a long way out and crossing a substantial area of sea!
We had just two Skuas during the 'watch' and these were very obliging dark morph and pale morph Arctic Skuas 'rocketing' in to the Bay just over the surf!
The supporting cast on the sea included 1,080 Knots, 33 Kittiwakes, nine Auk sp., 36 Common Scoters, two Red-throated Divers, ten Manx Shearwaters, two Sandwich Terns, two Guillemots, two Fulmars and two Common Terns.
The only vis was twelve Swallows flying west in to wind and a single Swift.
Weather permitting it's more breeding bird surveys in Cumbria for me this week and it could well be weekend before I am out on the patch again.
The flavour of the morning once again was Gannets and we had 119 come out of the bay. The best bird of the morning was undoubtedly a female Marsh Harrier that I picked up a long way out heading northeast across the outer bay. Marsh Harriers heading east in to the bay during the spring are annual and they are usually just off-shore hugging the coast. This bird, however, was a long way out and crossing a substantial area of sea!
We had just two Skuas during the 'watch' and these were very obliging dark morph and pale morph Arctic Skuas 'rocketing' in to the Bay just over the surf!
The supporting cast on the sea included 1,080 Knots, 33 Kittiwakes, nine Auk sp., 36 Common Scoters, two Red-throated Divers, ten Manx Shearwaters, two Sandwich Terns, two Guillemots, two Fulmars and two Common Terns.
The only vis was twelve Swallows flying west in to wind and a single Swift.
Weather permitting it's more breeding bird surveys in Cumbria for me this week and it could well be weekend before I am out on the patch again.
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