LANCS: Weekend at home.

29th November: Mrs. B. and I returned to see the Waxwings in Preston at lunchtime. At least 70 birds in the tall trees above the student accommodation this time and quite a few birders around by now.
Still plenty of Rowan berries in the small trees by the roadside this morning (30th) and a few photographers taking advantage of the approachable birds.








Once we'd had our fill of Waxwings we drove south of the Ribble (seeing another small flock of 30 or so Waxwings by Blockbusters near the ring-road) to Martin Mere. We really didn't expect to see too much in the dense foggy conditions but it was nice to attend the North West Birding Festival and have a browse at the books and other goods there. Great soup in the Pink-foot Pantry as usual but we couldn't make much out on the mere in the poor visibility.

30th November: Another cracking day's weather so I couldn't resist another scout around Preston in search of Waxwings. The usual 60 or so were near the University once again and after watching these for half hour or so I headed for the Ashton area. About 80 Waxwings were seen here yesterday so I was keen to see if I could prove these were different to the University birds. No sign of them on arrival and I met Steve Jones (finder of the Haslam Park Yellow-browed Warbler a few years ago) who'd seen them briefly here yesterday around 10 AM. I'd guess they are the same birds as I watched the Uni' birds fly off around 09.45 AM yesterday and they didn't return for at least 20 minutes or so.








No news on the Milnethorpe Cattle Egrets by lunchtime (I fancied a bit of a "twitch" today) so I returned home for a cuppa before heading out again to the Ribble. Surprisingly there were loads of birds out on the marshes despite the sub-zero temperatures when wildfowl and waders normally flee the hard ground.







Hundreds of Wigeon as usual out on the pool but best of all 62 Mallard - easily the most I've had here on Newton Marsh. Just the 5 Shoveler but a respectable 60 Teal on the marsh and single Little Grebe on the pool.







The ground must have been soft enough and to the liking of Black-tailed Godwits though, as there were about 250 out there along with 20 Redshanks and 5 Dunlin. Just 2 Snipe flushed from the pool by the GBB Gull though. No finch flocks on the stubble today and no raptors.







I spent the afternoon at Warton Bank in the hope of Hen Harrier but failed once again, although it had been reported earlier. The Glossy Ibis was on view though and at last there were some wild swans - 63 Whoopers and best of all a single Bewick's Swan.

LANCS: Preston Waxwings.

Sixty Waxwings again by the University of Central Lancashire again this morning. Watched them for a while on the Rowans and perching in the tall trees above. A pair of Mistle Thrushes and several Blackbirds were there too and the Waxwing flock appeared to split up about 9.45 AM and I didn't see them again in the next 20 minutes. A Sparrowhawk piled into the Blackbirds while I was there but was unsuccessful and a Redshank few over in the foggy conditions.
Checking back through the few Fylde Bird Club and Lancs bird reports I have this Adelphi Road area of Preston has a good track record for Waxwings. Other good local spots include Ashton-on-Ribble (where they have been already) and the docks so still plenty of opportunities for more this winter I think.

More later .....

LANCS: Still plenty to see on the patch.

Another beautiful afternoon locally with plenty of birds out on the Ribble Marshes once again. The marauding G.B.B. Gull was at it again this afternoon, flushing the Wigeon out of the Entrance Pool at Newton Marsh but at least it revealed just how many wildfowl were out there. At least 80 Teal and 30 Shoveler were put up by the gull and 12+ Mallard is a good count here in fact, Single Shelduck and Little Egret at the back of the pool where the fields were covered in Lapwings (1500+), Black-tailed Godwits (250+), Redshanks, Curlews and 50+ Golden Plovers. A flock of 22 Stock Doves was a welcome sight out on the stubble but still only a couple of Corn Buntings and nothing of note near the water treatment works apart from a pair of Red-legged Partridges.

I'd left it a bit late but I did pay a visit to Warton Bank in hope of Hen Harrier. The "Messiah" Maurice Jones had seen a male but all I could manage was the Glossy Ibis, Merlin, Peregrine and a flock of 250+ Golden Plover. I'll have another go this weekend. No wild swans again but not too surprising as they all seem to be south of the Ribble at the moment (counts of 800 or so Whoopers achieved recently on the mosses down there).

Still a few Waxwings knocking about in Preston although I didn't see any as I drove through the favoured sites today. Can't remember when winter birding was this good on the Ribble of late.

LANCS: Waxwing Stop Press.

Sun shining through the office window after a wet morning meant only one thing. I drove down to the University for another look at the Waxwings and they were still there, if a little split up.

Didn't hang around too long as taking pictures outside student accommodation may not be the best move I'll ever make.

EDIT: Finally up to date with the Brazil posts now. See below.

LANCS: Wet morning but more Waxwings!

Grey, blustery and wet today so just a quick dash out on the estuary early this morning for me. No sign of any Waxwings as I drove through the "Waxwing Triangle" and rain started as I past a seemingly empty Newton Marsh. My first stop was Granny's Bay where a quick check of 120+ BHG's produced nothing of note. This small flock of Pintail was nice though just off the sea wall.

There's a nice flock of Pochard and Tufted Ducks on the lake at the moment, also attracting several Goldeneye and two female Scaup. Thought I'd go and have a look (just in case) but both females were bigger than the Tufties with nice bulbous heads so it saved me trying to string them into something a bit more interesting. This lake is overdue a good duck though and I expected a good quacker after seeing Ferruginous Duck here on my first visit after moving to Lancs.

Not much else going on here this morning apart from Dabchick so let's hope something of the quality of last Spring's Ross's Gull turns up this winter.

Stopped in at Newton Marsh on the way back but the driving rain made it impossible to view, even from the car. Had to pop into Preston on the way back to get a few bits and pieces for work and noticed a flock of Waxwings in the tall trees near the University. Quick count up - made it 60! Not bad.

LANCS: Local Round-Up 25 & 26 November 2008.

Newton Marsh, Lancashire 25th November 2008.

Plenty of birds on the North Ribble Marshes at the moment. Tuesday 25th was a glorious early winter's day; clear sky with sunshine and a "crisp" feel to the air. Newton Marsh was on top form and the fields were literally littered with birds. I wish I'd had more time to make accurate counts but time was tight. The waders were most impressive: 94+ Black-tailed Godwits, 300+ Curlew, 50+ Redshank, 600+ Lapwing and about 20 Golden Plovers were well spread over the fields. Two Little Egrets were flying around, dropping into hidden pools every now and then - still a good record on the north side of the Ribble away from the shore. It was good to see a Merlin on its regular concrete perch once more.

As usual there were plenty of ducks on the entrance pool, mostly Wigeon (500+) with small numbers of Teal, Shoveler, a couple of pairs of Mallards and a single Shelduck.

Today (26th) was a bit of a different story. Dull weather and very few birds on Newton Marsh had me ruing my missed opportunities thanks to lack of time the previous day. Single Little Egret and 60 Black-tailed Godwits were still noteworthy but my intention today was for a look over the saltmarsh from Warton Bank. Our old friend the Glossy Ibis is back and it didn't take long to find it along with at least 5 Little Egrets and another Merlin. Still no wild swans though and no sign of any harriers this morning.

I drove across the Fylde to Knott End at lunchtime but failed to see the Little Bunting due to lack of time again (it turned up about half hour after I left). Hopefully it'll hang around for a day or two. I checked the Preston "Waxwing Triangle" as I passed in the car, but failed to see any the last two days. They are still about though, but mobile.

LANCS: Waxwings make it to Preston.

Waxwing (one of a flock of 54!) in Preston, Lancs 24 November 2008.

Prime Waxwing habitat in Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston.

Well it was only a matter of time wasn't it? A fine crisp morning just seemed perfect for Waxwings locally today. I made an excuse to escape from the office, taking a leisurely walk to the post office and bank listening for any shrill calls overhead. No luck but it was hardly surprising to get the news of some Waxwings in Preston on my return. A flock of 54 had been seen in Ashton (where I'd been looking the past couple of days) so I jumped in the car and headed to their "traditional site" at Stocks Road.

It was no surprise either that on arrival there wasn't a single Waxwing on the Rowan trees. The Mistle Thrushes are very territorial and they'd moved on. It didn't take long to relocate them though and a bunch of these Scandinavian invaders piled into a berry-laden tree as I drove around the neighbourhood.

Waxwings perching in the trees above the car in Preston this morning.

Sure enough there were 54, all perched in one tree at one time. Despite being quite mobile and splitting up at times the Waxwings performed very well indeed.

Let's hope they stick around a while, but at the rate they were stripping the trees of berries today they'll be very mobile and tricky to keep track of.

LANCS: In search of local Goldies.

I resisted the temptation to go to Martin Mere and dip on yet another Lancashire Cattle Egret today, opting for another few hours on the Ribble Estuary. The weather was pretty dire early on so I waited a bit before venturing out thinking that things were about to improve.

Wrong! Warton Marsh was windy, wet and cold and don't be fooled by the public footpath signs in the foreground - it's like a bog this time of year, Plenty of birds about though, mainly at the edge of the saltmarsh but quite "do-able" with a 'scope. Spotted Redshank in with the Lapwings was bar far the best. In fact it's the first time I've had one here I think, although I know of a few sightings during spring tides in the past. Single Grey Plover and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits in with 120+ Dunlin but only 5 Golden Plover. Two Little Egrets brightened up the scene until a Peregrine spooked the lot and more rain meant it was time to move on.
Thoughts of a look for Hen Harriers or Short-eared Owls at Warton Bank were put to bed by the weather so I stopped off to overlook Freckleton Marsh once again. This time the fields were full of birds, mainly Lapwings and at least 1200 Golden Plovers. The Naze Pool was much the same as yesterday apart from a couple of pairs of Gadwall only seen after a Peregrine put everything up. I spent about an hour with the Goldies but couldn't find anything in them. Nice to see so many birds on the marshes today.

By the way - still updating the Brazil posts. See below.

LANCS: "Ribble Richard's".

No bird pics today, but plenty of birds as a grey but dry morning on the Ribble was surprisingly good. I started with a quick look at Preston Docks but very little to report from there with just a pair of Great Crested Grebes on the water and a fly-over Grey Wagtail.

On to the North Ribble Marshes with another look at Newton and Clifton Marshes again. Despite spending a fair bit of time here I couldn't really add much to yesterday's sightings apart from a large flock of 215 Curlew and a couple of Corn Buntings. Teal were more conspicuous with about 125+ at the back of the Entrance Pool and there were a couple of skeins of Pink-footed Geese heading south totalling about 600 birds.

A walk along the embankment above Freckleton Creek allows good views over Freckleton Marsh and the Ribble across to Longton Marsh. At first there seemed to be very few birds around but patience paid off this morning as Fieldfares, Redwings and Mistle Thrushes appeared in the Hawthorns and a small party of Long-tailed Tits passed by. The fields, usually heaving with birds were quite empty until a flock of Lapwings flew in accompanied by Redshanks, 25 Golden Plovers and at least one Ruff.

The Naze Pool was pretty quiet apart from a Greenshank, 7 Black-tailed Godwits and a pair of Snipe flushed by a passing Sparrowhawk. Little Egrets were present with one nearby and another in with the sheep (no, it wasn't a Cattle Egret unfortunately) out on Longton Marsh. No wild swans about, no Merlins and no Stonechats. Winter is still to come, hopefully.

After a long chat with a local chap about the disgusting behaviour of some unsavoury characters earlier on the marsh in pursuit of Brown Hares with their dogs (subsequently dealt with), I was just about to stroll back when a large pipit came towards me quite low and calling loudly. "Richard's Pipit!" The loud and rather deep sparrow-like call was uttered several times as I watched the pipit fly south, bounding as it went, towards the Ribble and out of sight. By far the best bird I've seen at Freckleton in seven years.

LANCS: North Ribble Marshes.

Found a bit of time to drive out to Newton Marsh (only about 6 miles from home) on the Ribble at lunchtime today. Breezy today and very wintry with about 500 Wigeon out on the entrance pool, some very near the road.

Newton Marsh Entrance Pool, 20 November 2008.

Only small numbers of other ducks - 25+ Teal, 12+ Shoveler and just a couple of Mallards on the pool. The damp fields had attracted a few waders including a flock of 30 Curlew. Lapwings seemed scarce until a flock of 150 flew over accompanied by 30 Golden Plover. There were loads more out on Freckleton Marsh that I could see from the road so if tomorrow morning is fine I'll take the trudge out for a look (there's an American Golden Plover somewhere on the loose in Lancs, last seen in Morcambe Bay a few days ago).

Large flock of Starlings in the stubble with 100+ Fieldfare and a dozen or so Redwings too. No Corn Buntings or finches though (I've seen Bramblings here in Chaffinch flocks). Perhaps they were just hunkering down in the strong wind. I used to see Merlins regularly here - where is everything? Early days I suppose.

I checked a site favoured by Waxwings in recent winters on the way home but no joy. Can't be long until we get them in w. Lancs though.

Remember to check below for the Brazil entries being added periodically.

SOLWAY: Winter Birding in D&G - You just can't beat it!

What better way to relax after an Air France strike-ridden journey back from South America than a rainy winter's day in South-west Scotland? I'll be adding Brazil posts bit by bit by the way when I get time. Must admit I wondered if I'd done the right thing as I drove up the M6 in the driving rain today (17th) but the lure of recent Waxwing arrivals in D&G was just too much. The only sightings the day before (near New Galloway) were just a little bit too far for a day out, but surely there had to be some at the east end of the Solway near Gretna?

A quick trip around Gretna drew a Waxwing blank but 3000+ Pink-footed Geese had me chasing the huge flock near to the Cumbria border, but alas they did not settle. Nearly 10 o'clock, still raining and still not got out of the car so I drove down to the Solway for a look at the shore at Grateney and Redkirk Point. Not too much going on here apart from the usual large numbers of Barnacles though. Scouring through the D&G bird reports I'd noticed that the Dumfries area had been a good bet for Waxwings so I ambled along past the by-pass (where up to several hundred have been seen in past years) to a site where a few had been seen over the weekend. I felt really uncomfortable looking for birds between a primary school and a prison (hoping that too much peering around the former with binoculars wouldn't result in a spell in the latter!) and with no sign of any Waxwings I decided to retire gracefully.

The visibility was by now awful so I decided on a quick drive up to Lochmaben where a couple of Long-tailed Ducks had been seen on Castle Loch. Pulling in to the picnic site car park I noticed a large "lump" disappearing under the water and as it resurfaced it was nice to see my first decent bird of the day in the form of a Great Northern Diver. I tried a few record shots in the dismal conditions (at least the rain had eased and I was out of the car).

Just as I was settling into the idea of a full afternoon at the loch news broke of 50+ Waxwings in the middle of Dumfries. Twenty minutes later I was watching at least 20 near the Ice Bowl and then the whole 50 or so in between the primary school and prison where I had been standing a little more than an hour earlier! I managed a couple of record shots in the poor conditions but the flock was quite flighty and eventually moved off nearer the Nith.

Returning to Lochmaben I stopped to overlook Kirk Loch on a side road (above). I couldn't see much apart from a few Goldeneye on the water but the shrill sounds of high pitched calls in the tree above the car had me jumping out to find 15 Waxwings overhead. After a couple of minutes they flew off in the Dumfries direction so I made my way down to Castle Loch.

Very impressive numbers of wildfowl on the loch, most notably 250+ Wigeon whistling in one big flock. I managed to find just the adult drake Long-tailed Duck (the immature was still around somewhere), but with the light fading fast I decided on a quick dash to the hide. With dusk approaching a few thousand Starling were beginning to gather so there must be a roost here, large numbers of Corvids (mainly Jackdaws) and plenty of Goosander were congregating too. Good numbers of BHG's were coming in to roost so I decided to dash back to the west side for closer views. Even after 20 years of visits I'm still learning about the birding D&G has to offer. Manchester (and part-time D&Ger, like myself) birder Pete Berry had mentioned that he'd noticed a gull roost at Lochmaben as he passed, so I was keen to give this a go. A small number of larger gulls (mainly LBBG's and fewer Herrings) was gathering near the bowling green and in the gloom I spotted a "white wing-er", and a bulky one at that. It was obviously a 1st winter Glaucous Gull through the 'scope but I wanted better views and made for a rickety old jetty where I watched this bird until nearly dark as well as getting tantalising views of another Glauc'/Iceland flying off over the loch. A Woodcock flushed from the woods as I left was a fine end to a great afternoon's birding in D&G yet again.

BRAZIL November 2008.

Agulhas Negras Road Itatiaia NP.

Fazenda Angelim, Ubatuba.

Ubatuba.

Me and Fred Tavares, Ubatuba 2008.

Well that's it for Brazil 2008. Thanks to everyone who made the last 3 trips there so enjoyable. I must mention my local guides Fred (above), Ricardo, Giuliano, Leonardo, Luis and Adilei without whom the tours wouldn't have been such a success.

BRAZIL November 2008: Frogs.

Spot the Frog.

Bit easier to see this one.

No idea what these are of course but they are very interesting. In fact we did quite well for unfeathered thingys in Brazil. I suppose the best was the Jaguarundi that crept across the trail at Intervales but Neotropical River Otter, Porcupine, Three-toed Sloth, Crab-eating Fox and Masked Titi Monkey are all noteworthy. I missed a Tayra that dashed across the road in Intervales too.

BRAZIL November 2008: Cotinga-tastic!

Male Bare-throated Bellbird, Intervales November 2008.

Swallow-tailed Cotinga at the nest, Intervales November 2008.

Two very special cotingas - Bare-throated Bellbird and Swallow-tailed Cotinga are best seen at Intervales. We viewed a nest of the latter at a safe distance on our first morning but were horrified at the sight of a chick dangling from the nest at lunchtime. The chick was still alive unfortunately and heaven knows why it decided to venture away from the confines of the nest.

Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Intervales November 2008.

Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Intervales November 2008.

Male Bare-throated Bellbird, Intervales November 2008.