SOLWAY: A personal D&G first after 20 years!

Folly Pond, Caerlaverock.

With the high tide late in the afternoon (meaning: I'm not getting up for the early morning one!) we found ourselves at a bit of a loose end on the morning of 26th. Lack of imagination and inspiration led us back to Caerlaverock in search of the Crane once again. A nice male Hen Harrier passing by the hide was an unexpected treat but patience was wearing thin so Mrs B was dispatched out over the fields and merse to "flush out" that Crane. Under strict orders not to return unless the target bird of the day was firmly "in the bag" she set out in her Barnacle Goose costume, with her determined gait down the stairs and into the field. Less than an hour later she returned triumphant. The "In The Hand" photo below shows how small birds look close-up. Size illusion at its most intense. We'd run out of rings so we stuck a label on it.

Photo #124: submitted to SRBC and awaiting decision. Should be OK I reckon?

Flushed with success we continued to the Inner Solway in search of waders and less frivolity. The tide was still well out at Browhouses but a walk on a sunny Saturday afternoon produced 17 Goosander, 3 Greenshank and 33 Golden Plover (above). Still plenty of Whitethroats around scolding in the undergrowth. Plenty of insects too including a Common Hawker, a couple of Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals and loads of Meadow Browns.

The Solway is taking on a bit of an autumnal feel at the moment with plenty of Oycs out on the rocks, Lapwings and Curlews on the mud. Not many Dunlin to sift through here - just 20 or so at high tide.


Next stop was Seafield Bay at Annan where there was very little exposed mud but a bonus bird in the form of a 1st summer Little Gull with BHG's. Another D&G year tick!


We strolled out on to the old viaduct in the late afternoon sunshine but there was little else apart from a few Common and Sandwich Terns offshore.

We finally found some Dunlin to look through at Newbie and with the tide still up they were congregating on the shingle shore close in. As the mud became exposed they started to feed making life a bit easier for the hopeful observers. Thinking out loud I expressed that there just has to be a Curlew Sand' or even a White-rumped there somewhere. There wasn't (at least we couldn't find it) , but a Pec' Sand across the water at Port Carlisle (Cumbria) the following morning fills me with expectation for my next visit here.
There were about 300 Dunlin, maybe 100+ Ringed Plovers and a single Turnstone at Newbie at high tide on 26th. We finally admitted defeat and headed back to the car stopping to admire some snazzy summer plumaged Barwits, Knot and Golden Plovers on the way back.




And at last here it is. A first after 20 years of travelling up to D&G. The Steamboat Inn at Carsethorn was OPEN! We were so shocked we didn't even go in!

Amazingly on 27th we visited Caerlaverock on the way home just for a change. Even more amazingly the Common Crane appeared! Yes, it was miles off in the fields towards Brow Well where it manages to hide itself in the Phragmites reed bed or some creek.




All is forgiven ........... for the moment at least. D&G 2008 stands at 183 now.






Off to Brazil for a couple of weeks on Thurs.

SOLWAY: Crane frustration 25 July 2008.

Woken by a strong south-easterly wind, I thought that a quick dash down to the point at Southerness was in order this morning. Visibility was OK and I spent a very pleasant 90 minutes seawatching from the car with the rather scatty ramblings of Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 for company. The main feature was a considerable movement of Manx Shearwaters (170+ east) with other "noteworthy" birds being a single Arctic Skua passing by then bothering gulls over the rocks near the lighthouse, a single drake Scaup, 2 Kittiwakes and a Whimbrel. A distant skua appearing bulky was possibly a Pom', but remained a "Pom / Arctic" in the notebook.
Wogan on Radio 2 signalled breakfast time.

With the wind dropping we drove to Mersehead RSPB. Very pleasant walk but like so many of my visits here quality birding was sadly lacking with only Stonechat and Sparrowhawk troubling the notes.

Another birding masterclass. Watching a Greenfinch at Mersehead. Note the telescope at a comfortable height making the binoculars drag through the sand dunes and the camouflage shirt - Captain Fieldcraft strikes again!

Brow Well near Caerlaverock.

Seeing nothing is generally an accepted part of birding in July so spirits were still pretty high come lunchtime given decent haul from the previous day. The afternoon's schedule had been carefully constructed to include some Inner Solway sites in search of that elusive trans-Atlantic wader that was no doubt hanging around. So after lunch we set off around the Nith and we just about made it across the bridge in Dumfries when the mobile starts bleeping. Mrs B who is now like a coiled spring, reads: "Common Crane again this morning at Caerlaverock from Avenue hide".

Brilliant. Quick turn about turn and down the Nith to the reserve. Sounds good, then those little dipping demons start nagging away. Key words in the message "this morning" (it's now 2.10 pm). That Red-breasted Goose feeling was starting to kick in but we strolled into the reserve centre full of hope.

Presenting our membership cards I calmly asked if the crane was still about.

"Ppppffff" was the rather unexpected reply from the gent behind the desk as he made a sound like a flatulent horse and shrugging his shoulders.

Hopes rose as the nice lady by his side explained "Yes, it's still here - I saw it this morning!".

"Oh good" (subtext "Oh sh#t, she said THIS MORNING!).

Never mind, we scurried down to the Avenue tower hide and sure enough in the Lochar field was ....................................... a tractor!

We spent the rest of the afternoon scanning from the tower hide without any luck. In desperation we drove down to Brow Well (as visited by Robert Burns and part of the Solway Heritage Trail), but no Crane. A couple of Barnacle Geese out on the mud were unexpected and a Kingfisher in the creek was only our second D&G record this year. Now what happened to that crane I wonder?

SOLWAY: Spoonbill at Kirkudbright 24 July 2008.

Spoonbill, River Dee, Kirkudbright 24 June 2008.

A glorious start to the day (summer has arrived at last!) saw us deserting our Southerness bolthole in favour of the Galloway Forest Park. After some superb raptor watching on the Raiders Road (as well as Golden-ringed Dragonflies) we headed down to the coast at Gatehouse of Fleet where the bay was disappointingly devoid of birds at high tide. Back up to the uplands then to Gatehouse Station where Whinchat was pick of the bunch near the viaduct there.

Back down to the coast on on to Kirkudbright where a Spoonbill had last been reported nearly a month ago (!). A quick drive along the western shore at high tide revealed very little - gulls, Redshanks, Curlews, etc so we headed into town to check the east side. An inspired hunch took us down to the marina where we found a footpath alongside the estuary. There, to my amazement was the Spoonbill dipping in and out of view on a salting. We watched this very welcome D&G tick (remember we dipped on a pair in June?) for over an hour before it wandered off onto the by-now exposed mud as the tide ebbed. Great day.

SOLWAY: Caerlaverock & Southerness 23 July 2008.

Time for another break in D&G with Mrs B. I've never birded the Solway in July before so it seemed like a good opportunity to try a few new spots plus some old favourites in a new season.

The beach at Southerness: Mrs B has captured the adult Med' Gull in this pic just right of centre on the horizon!


In keeping with our new "Never drive past Caerlaverock" policy we called in at the WWT reserve for a quick look round the hides. The Crane hadn't been seen for 10 days or so but was presumed to be "present somewhere on site" due to the fact that it hadn't wandered far in five weeks or so (proven by sporadic sightings) and the sprained wing. A couple of Ospreys were on view out on the merse and a Peregrine flew over while we were scoffing lunch in the shelter.

Meadow Walk, Caerlaverock.

We took advantage of the open access to the meadows afforded by the absence of geese at this time of year, watching Four-spotted Chasers, Common Darters and Blue-tailed Damselflies on the pools.

Over 30 years of birding experience in one picture: Me (centre - I know I'm hard to spot) blending in with my surroundings, watching all kinds of creatures that are totally oblivious to my presence thanks to my specialist birding clothing courtesy of BHS, Cotton Traders and Littlewoods.

Arriving at Southerness we dumped our gear and went out for an evening stroll along the beach. Very nice adult Med' Gull with the BHG's and 6+ Golden Plovers but little else apart from a steady trickle of hirundines east along the beach.

Almost invisible!

The lighthouse, Southerness Point. Not sure what those two are doing at the side of the lighthouse. Mrs B took this - honestly.

LANCS: All quiet on the estuary.

After a rather uninspiring mid week visit to Brockholes I decided I'd take a look at the Ribble Estuary at the weekend. Strong winds from the westerly direction had driven a few Storm Petrels inshore at various points off the Lancs and Merseyside coast this weekend. Fairhaven is just about as close I get to proper 'open sea' on the estuary and although most sensible local birders would've rushed out to Rossall or south shore Blackpool, thoughts started to drift back to a couple of Decembers ago when several Leach's Petrels could be seen from the seawall at Fairhaven Lake.

The tide was coming in when I arrived but the wind had veered round to the north west (I had the Leach's on south westerlies). Nevertheless I stuck it out but a Fulmar was about the best I could find. Lots of Swifts and a few House Martins pretending to be stomies over the lake but little else of note there. A count of 47 Eider (mostly juv's) plus 288 Black-tailed Godwts out at Granny's Bay but little to get the pulse going.

Dropped Mrs B. off in Freckleton later that evening and sneaked a quick look Newton Marsh where a juv Little Egret sprang from the entrance pool. Blowing a right gale though.

Summer finally arrived today so me and Mrs B. took a stroll along the prom' at Fairhaven and Lytham. Nice walk, shame about the birds. A couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, 50+ Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plovers and 4 Sandwich Terns just about crawled into the notebook.

LANCS: Ribble dribble .....

Saturday night and latest tour report all finished so thoughts of a bit of birding by the Lancashire coast start entering my head ........

"Early July - waders?" Good start - keep going ......... "Wader habo - Marshside with a quick look in at Martin Mere WWT maybe?". Pretty sound and always good to act on a birding hunch.

So on a nice sunny Sunday morning I get up at sparrow's fart and head out towards Southport. Yes? No. I get up go into the office and start faffing around again without doing anything constructive. Lap top on ........ Birdguides website ....... "Oh Glossy Ibis at Marshside. Off there later anyway".

Another hour writing some more drivel and "Spoonbill between Polly's Creek and Sandgrounders" pops up on the net.

So off I go to Marshside, park near Sandgrounders and there you have it - hazy white blob (still sunny) sitting in high grass with a load of Blackwits. Great! 'Scope out, zoom in = Little Egret. Bugger!

I don't normally spend much time in the hide at Sandgrounders because of the deafening sound of crunching crisps from seemingly hollow heads (not in a bad mood or anything, you understand) but thought it wise to check this morning.

"Too late!" was the welcoming chirpy little scouse tones from a young birder waving his camera screen at me with full frame preening Spoonbill.

"Gone!"

"Did you see it fly off?" I politely enquired.

"Yeh" .......... [waits for bit more detail]

"Did you see which way it went?"

"Yeh ................Dat way"

Hmmmph . Having established that the bird had disappeared in a southerly direction I had a quick look round (Avocet, Ruddy Duck .......help!) and then jumped in the car and drove to the most southerly point with a bit of water at Fairclough's Pool (where the Ibis had been seen earlier).

Fairclough's Pool, Marshside 13/7/08.

Shelduck 1

LBBG 2

Herring Gull 1

Bit of white junk resembling roosting Spoonbill watched for 10 minutes with 'scope - 1.


So I've decided that birding south of the Ribble is just not for me and I'm never going there again. Until the next good bird turns up of course.

Feeling less than impressed (Ibis wasn't even there) I gave MMWWT a miss and returned to Brockholes where I knew there was at least some water (Marshside is very dry).

Brockholes Quarry 13 July - much better than Spoonbill.

Not much at the quarry in feathers but Black-tailed Skimmers and Broad-bodied Chasers were on the wing. Apologies to the lucky young birder in Sandgrounders - nice Spoonbill pics and just ignore grumpy cockney birders in totally inappropriate shirts for birding in the future.

LANCS: Worthwhile Hobby?

Nice thing about birding is that there's always something on the horizon. Needn't be a corking rarity, but a half decent bird can lift the spirits on a dull day.

View across the meadow at Brockholes towards Boilton Wood - the home of phantom Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers, tranvestite tramps (it's a long story - some other time maybe) and rather unsavoury scrotes from across the M6 in Preston.

"A lull" is the best expression to describe this moment in time I reckon. Maybe even "dulldrum", but a quick visit to Brockholes between showers this evening did the trick. Black-necked Grebe ..... gone. No Redstart. Hordes of Dunlin to sift through on Main Pool for that elusive Yank wader - nope. Still, good to be out (er, yeah - right?). Global warming? Forgot me gloves!
Loads of Swifts over No 1 Pit and then something bigger - Hobby! Shamefully this was a year tick but Black-necked Grebe, Redstart and Hobby locally, in the space of a week is respectful to say the least.

LANCS: Black-necked Grebe at Brockholes Quarry 9 July 2008.

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe, Brockholes Quarry 9 July 2008.

With the weather a little better I returned to the quarry again at lunchtime. Not just to photograph the Black-necked Grebe but with the added incentive of a Redstart found by Bill Aspin just before midday (thanks for the text Bill). Only the third Redstart to be recorded at the quarry so the Rapid Response Twitching Machine made the six mile journey from my home by 13.45PM! Anyway, the quarry mega (a nice juvenile) was still on show perched on the barbed wire fence along the Ribble Way when I arrived being suitably patch-ticked by various birders called Bill and at least one Tony. Few LRP's around No 1 Pit where the juv' Black-necked Grebe was showing well in one corner. Main Pool is still crying out for a rare wader ..........

LANCS: Ribble birding 7 - 8 July 2008.

Ribble Estuary at Fairhaven 7 July 2008.

No. 1 Pit, Brockholes Quarry 8 July 2008.

Bit of local birding over the last couple of days. Remembering last year's Caspian Tern at Fairhaven I thought I'd give the high tide another look there on 7th. Pretty bleak and miserable it was too, and of course there was no rare tern either. Just 3 Sarnies in with the BHG's on the mud, a couple of hundred Oystercatchers, 50+ Curlew and 5 Dunlin in their summer black belly dress. Numbers should build in the next fortnight or so before I leave for my next jaunt abroad hopefully.



Found myself down at Brockholes this lunchtime. Bill Aspin dropped me a text yesterday about a juv' Black-neked Grebe so it was a good excuse to visit the quarry today. Main Pool (above) is looking good for attracting migrants at last and certainly appears the most promising since the Lancs Wildlife Trust took over the property. Hopefully it'll be as productive as when Hanson's Aggregates owned the site a few years back and fulfill its potential to attract wildlife AND wildlife enthusiasts.
Anyway, the Black-necked Grebe was indeed still on No 1 Pit but distant and no chance of a picture due to the showers and strong westerly wind (seawatching may have been good today?). Still, Bill got some good pics - see his blog here. With a bit of luck it'll stick around long enough for me to get some shots.

LANCS: Fairhaven Lake 2 July 2008.

Popped out for a bit of fresh air at Fairhaven. Not much of interest on the estuary at high tide - just single Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, a few hundred Oystercatchers, 50+ Curlew and the usual Herring and Black-headed Gulls to sift through.

Cackling Canada Goose (right) with Greater Canada Geese, Fairhaven Lake 2 July 2008.

Made my way back to the car past the lake and spotted this escaped Cackling Canada Goose in with the Greater Canadas. Dwarfed by its cousins and easy to spot, it would look far more interesting in a local Pink-footed Geese flock in the winter.

N PERU June 2008: Great Spinetails.

Great Spinetail, San Marcos June 2008.

Just two in this one ..........

27 June.

Another early start as we headed out from Cajamarca to San Marcos in search of our final target bird of the trip. Great Spinetails can be tricky customers. Not this morning though - heard calling and popped into view without any 'encouragement'. Not just one either, but three together! Highlight of the trip for me - 3 Great Spinetails in the 'scope at once in the early morning sun. Buff-bridled Inca-Finches flitting through the Acacias, Spot-throated Hummers darting around and Black-necked Woodpeckers calling in the distance. Does it get any better? Well I didn't have a cup of coffee in my mits at the time .......... but it was pretty good I suppose.

Back to Cajamarca then to grab the packed lunch before heading out again on the coastal road towards Chiclayo (remember the flight cancellation?).

Just had to stop in a gulley just outside Cajamarca though and get Unicolored Tapaculo. Colin, Dennis and Peter pictured above appreciating the dazzling shades of grey plumage as the tapaculo creeps through the bushes. Nice end to the trip.

Next one - Brazil in August.