LANCS: Lanky's still about.

The Ribble Estuary Great White Egret was relocated on Hesketh Out Marsh by Graham Clarkson today so I thought I'd pop along and see if I could get some closer views.

Great White Egret, Banks Marsh 17 September 2009. It wasn't always like this!

Viewing from the public footpath overlooking Hesketh Out Marsh I could see at least 4 Little Egrets but no sign of GWE. News that the big white one had returned to Banks had me driving west after a quick look round Hesketh Out Marsh, but on arrival it was nowhere to be seen.

It was sometimes like this .......

Once again this large bird showed its amazing skill for appearing out of nowhere, suddenly easy peasey at about the same range as the other day. Not as much on the splashes as the other day with Spotted Redshank the best of the gathering that also included 2 Ruff, 2 Golden Plovers, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 15+ Dunlin and 30+ Redshanks.

Or even this!

But did get better.

Thankfully Egbert came a bit closer allowing me to get a few record shots at least. In fact it performed very well on the splashes, mingling with several Little Egrets. Couple of hundred Pink-footed Geese down on the salt marsh behind the pools too.


Marsh Harrier, Merlin, Greenshanks and Pink-feet at Hesketh Out Marsh, more Swallows around today (35+ over the Hesketh pools) and larger flocks of Meadow Pipits. Plenty to look forward to with autumn getting into gear.
No sign of the Spoonbills still (they were around again yesterday afternoon). Spoonbills have history in this area by the way; a pair raising two young in 1999 (The Birds of Lancashire & North Merseyside).

LANCS: The Ribble Big White One falls at last!

What is it about Great White Egrets? Whopping great big white birds with a huge yellow dagger of a bill - no problem, should stick out a mile...... Why have I looked so many times on the Ribble Estuary without joy? This morning was my first opportunity to look for a GWE, first seen on Saturday morning so I set out early to beat the local school traffic, stopping at various spots on the estuary's south shore. After nearly four hours of gawping onto the marshes and seeing more than 20 Little Egrets I found this:

Probably the most pointless image I've ever posted on this blog (still need a new camera to digiscope by the way), but incredibly I'd been standing for about 30 minutes on the seawall with one other observer, before spotting this bird. As you can see it was in the company of a pair of Black Swans and a long way off (well behind the swans) but thankfully it did at least show and the yellow dagger was easy to see, even in the shimmering heat haze. Watched it on and off for over an hour, savouring every moment and the estuary had a great autumnal "feel" to it this morning with 2 Merlins, Peregrine, several Kestrels and a Marsh Harrier hunting over the marshes, hundreds (didn't get time to count them) of Teal, Wigeon and Pink-footed Geese, several Ruff and 146 Golden Plovers on Banks Marsh in one flock with others scattered elsewhere. Quality birds (apart from GWE) included single Spotted Redshank, and a Curlew Sandpiper and at least one Little Stint with 50 Dunlin on Banks. There may well have been other goodies out there but the heat haze made observations difficult.
Top marks to Lee Harrison for finding the GWE originally on Crossens near Marshside, and Ron Jackson who relocated it on Banks.

Lancashire Evening Post 10/02/04: Ribble Estuary - place to be apparently.

LANCS: In the Pink.

Pink-footed Geese near Martin Mere WWT, October 2008.

"There's a man in our skip!". I was just expecting to see some bloke leaning over the edge of the skip sifting through our discarded garage contents when Mrs B. uttered these words yesterday morning. But no, sure enough, there was a man IN our skip. Thankfully he hadn't just been dumped there after a night on the ale and he was moving. After politely asking about his intentions I let him get on with his business for the next few minutes before he disappeared, probably to the next goldmine in front of some unsuspecting local resident's property. Various local kids and passing gents found it proper to inspect the skip contents throughout the day before Mrs B and I had the opportunity to take a local walk in the hope of a few birds. On an afternoon where expectations were not too high it was nice to at least see the first Pink-footed Geese of the autumn near Hesketh Bank. A grounded group of 22 birds fed on the marshes as 4 "wink-winking" birds headed south east overhead. A Ruff was about the only new bird to add to the recent list of species for this area, an individual that confirmed the demise of my camera as I haplessly attempted to capture the moment.
Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, 7 Little Egrets, 45 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Greenshank and 23 Wigeon made it into the notebook on a splendid afternoon. Mrs B. found a lampshade in a field as we scanned for Golden Plovers. "Obviously about to plant bulbs" was my answer to her quizzical comment. You'd think she'd know better after more than twenty years of marriage, wouldn't you?

I see there is a female Red-headed / Black-headed Bunting at Galley Head in Cork today. Apparently it is in Shite Lane. Has to be a wind-up surely? Isn't that where Spurs play?

LANCS: No Pinks yet.

Right now birding opportunities are limited with work, visits to recycling centres and clearing the house ready to sell. Apart from all that the camera's decided it's time to pack in so any advice on the latest models for digiscoping use will be gratefully received. It did at least have the decency to die on me here; good timing with a Brazil tour on the horizon I suppose.

No bird pics so here's the contents of our garage. Much better than Little Stint?

The arrival of Pink-footed Geese in north west England heralds the beginning of autumn for me. A couple of visits this week to the South Ribble Marshes in late summer weather (in contrast to the blustery "early autumn weather" of the past week) failed to produce any geese, although birds have been seen at nearby Martin Mere WWT and Marshside. Not that the absence of grey geese meant that the excursions were uneventful though, far from it in fact. Marsh Harriers, Sparrowhawk and Merlin continue to frequent the marshes, with one of the harriers scattering at least 282 Teal and the first Wigeon of the season. Little Egrets reached the dizzy heights of a dozen birds on 9th September at high tide and yesterday included a ringed bird although details were difficult to observe (yellow right leg, possibly creamy coloured on left with "A" on it). Waders have not been prolific apart from impressive numbers of Lapwing (520 11th), but included 35 Ringed Plover (9th), 7 Snipe (9th), 27 Curlew (11th), 8 Black-tailed Godwits (11th), 11 Redshank (11th) and 5 Greenshank (9th) and single Golden Plovers. Dunlin have been pretty scarce away from the estuary but a brief visit of 20 birds carried a brace each of Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers (all juveniles) on 9th. A Spotted Redshank heard was the only other noteworthy wader. Yellow Wagtails continue their impressive record south of the river with single birds seen on both recent visits but otherwise scarce passerines remain just that ....... scarce.
It's a pleasure to see the back of our garage after eight years and rumour has it you can even get a car in it!

Much better than Curlew Sand'?

LANCS: Giving Med' The Cred'!

Where it all started: Epsom Common, Surrey 3 February 1979 - a day birding in the London area that also included Long-tailed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, and Smew (including a flock of at least 20 on Queen Mary Reservoir). Those were the days ......

Three hours on the home Ribble patch this morning produced little out of the ordinary but some nice stuff nonetheless. Raptors were well represented south of the river with single Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, female Merlin, 2 Sparrowhawks and 4 Kestrels. Wildfowl numbers continue to build with 46 Shelduck, 171 Teal (bet there was a Garg' too but just too distant), but no sign of any Pink-footed Geese yet (they have been seen this weekend at Martin Mere WWT and Marshside). At least 9 Little Egrets in the creeks and pools but waders poorly represented apart from 4 Greenshank and best of all a Green Sandpiper. When I say "poorly represented" I suppose the 477 Lapwings represents something significant but just 10 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 1 Golden Plover, a Snipe and 17 Redshank present I was hoping for better.
As for small stuff, well a few Meadow Pipits have arrived (71 counted) but the Wheatear was the only evidence of migrants apart from a steady flow of Swallows.
So what's all this about Med' Gulls then? Didn't see any today and in fact I didn't even take a single photo of anything out there. A great excuse to show the Loch Ryan Med' Gull gallery then: The fine adult above was my first Loch Ryan Med' and a what a superb specimen as a D&G tick!

Here's the latest round.

At the Wig, March 2008.

Broadstone Road shore, August 2008.

Bishop Burn, August 2009.

Broadstone Road shore, September 2009.

And finally back to the two from October 2007 on the shore at Bishop Burn.

SOLWAY: Bird Tour D&G (Part 3).

Corsewall Point, 4 September 2009.

3 September (PM).

After visiting Wigtown I headed west along the A75 towards Stranraer, stopping at Loch Ryan for an hour and a half or so before arriving at Kirkolm for the night. Ryan was pretty quiet apart from a nice 1st winter Mediterranean Gull on the shore at Broadstone Road, but there were plenty of birds at the Wig. Seventy-six Golden Plovers, 27 Knot, 6+ Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, single Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Sanderling were feeding amongst the seaweed with a Wheatear on the fence posts. A tight group of 5 Kittiwakes over the loch had me wondering about the following day's seawatching prospects but by 7PM I decided I'd had enough and checked in at the Blue Peter Hotel in Kirkolm (see links) where I was given a warm welcome by Ian & Ruth. Don't miss the dark ale brewed on Orkney if you visit by the way.

1st winter Mediterranean Gull at Broadstone Road, Loch Ryan 3 September 2009.

4 September.

Bacon butties and tea set me up nicely for a morning's seawatch from Corsewall Point today. The wind was still howling as I packed the car, but the conditions were not as promising as hoped for earlier in the week, with the wind to the WNW. I was first at Corsewall at 7AM and hopes were fading of a classic day when my first decent bird (a Bonxie) appeared after a full hour of gazing on the sea. Five hours produced at least another 2 Bonxies and plenty of Manx Shearwaters "blogging" with Gannets and Sandwich Terns further offshore. I find counting seabirds very difficult when they may be just going round in circles.
I suppose the highlight of the morning had to be a petrel not too far offshore. Being the seawatching numpty I was the last of the birders present to get on to it, but thanks to Pete Berry I managed a couple of brief 'scope views as it veered low over the waves. Unfortunately I lost it in the troughs and for personal reasons I'd have to leave it as "petrel sp." owing to my inconclusive views. I couldn't see sufficient pro-Stormie features but couldn't confirm characteristics of other species either.
A man can only take so much and I left at midday, calling in at the Wig and Bishop Burn at Loch Ryan and Piltanton Burn in Luce Bay. White Wagtail and Whimbrel were about the only birds of note at the latter site so I set of for Lancs, arriving home for tea with 505 miles done on Bird Tour D&G.

SOLWAY: Bird Tour D&G (Part 2).

Thursday 3 September.

The view across the Cree to Cairnsmore of Fleet from Wigtown Harbour LNR 3 September 2009.

Blustery, overcast and squally showers greeted me this morning as I gazed out of the window of my room in the Nith Hotel at Glencaple. Porridge and the full works of the "Nith Grill" set me up nicely before gathering my gear and venturing out. Although the wind was a little to the north of west I gave the sea the benefit of the doubt at Southerness but after half an hour of nothing more than a few Sandwich Terns, Gannets and a Whimbrel, I gave in.
With the tide on the rise I decided to spend a little more time in the Southerness area and made the short hop to Powillimount on the east side of Gillfoot Bay as the waders were congregating. Very spectacular it was too - 1320 Oystercatchers, 35 Redshank, 11 Bar-tailed Godwits, 38 Golden Plover, 5 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and 24 Curlew covered the sand and seaweed-strewn rocks. A small gull roost, again mainly Common Gulls, had 164 Sandwich Terns and 3 Common Terns with them. The impact of the nearby caravan site and expansion of the village here had been raised in the previous night's WeBS meeting, but the problem doesn't stem from land acquisition but the use of Gillfoot Bay for leisure and dog walkers.
Over the next hour I so I spent my time in the area of my recent Corn Bunting sighting, scanning the fields and checking wires and fence posts. The task was made difficult by flooding (I could view from the car but couldn't get out!) and also the bird flocks appear to have dispersed. Unusually for this area there was no sign of any migrants either. The nearby Mersehead RSPB was next up where I spent a lot more time than first anticipated. Not that there was an awful lot there but the Corn Bunting had been reported here again (2 September) meaning a thorough grilling of the hedgerows and fields. No luck but it would appear that there is at least one individual in this area given my isolated sightings and these records over the previous 2 years. Single Barnacle Goose, 35 Shoveler, 2 Peregrines, 50 Lapwings and juvenile Spotted Flycatcher were the only birds to trouble my notebook this morning at Mersehead.

Wigtown Harbour Local Nature Reserve, 3 September 2009. Now, if I were a Blue-winged Teal .......

I'd been keeping a keen eye on the "Unofficial Birder's Weather Website" over the last week and noticed some prime seawatching conditions for Friday in the Stranraer area. Pete Berry (who was staying on the Mull) had kept me informed with the latest prognosis so a quick call to Ruth at the Blue Peter Hotel in Kirkholm, secured a room for the night and extending my D&G tour.
So with license to roam I headed west at lunchtime and taking a detour south from Newton Stewart to "The Book Town" of Wigtown. The super wetland local nature reserve at the harbour here (just added to my mini-guide to the Solway on the right of this blog) has been a bit neglected by us over the last few years. In fact I've not popped in for about 3 years now since that grey, rainy November afternoon when Mrs B and I sat in a local cafe after dipping on a Black Tern here. Actually I've never seen this Black Tern record in the bird reports come to think of it and while I wouldn't make so bold as to doubt anyone's competence, the thought that this might just have been better than a Black Tern (admittedly a brilliant D&G record anyway) has crossed my mind once or twice given the unusually late date. Unreserved apologies to the observer in advance once this record is documented of course. Phew!
Anyway back to the present day. Spotted Redshank and Garganeys had been seen on the reserve just prior to my departure from home. The Spotshank had been seen on 2nd again but no sign of the Garg's and today there had been no news either way on whether the birds were around. So, as the very least I could do was provide "negative news" I settled in to the hide and started scoping the wetland: Single Little Grebe, 52 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 4 Mallard, 77 Lapwing, 1 Snipe, 31 Redshank and this .......

OK, not the best photo, but you get the point. A nice Spotted Redshank on the islands with the Redshanks and a good D&G record despite this year's better than average showing for this species.

Garganey (2 on the left of island) with Teal, Wigtown Harbour LNR, 3 September 2009.

Something scattered all the Teal (probably just a Crow that had been harassing the Lapwings), shuffling the pack up a bit and revealing the 2 Garganey on one of the islands. Just in case you don't believe me .......


After all this excitement I made for the car, phoned the news in and headed west along the A75 towards Stranraer.

Bird Tour D&G Part 3 (or "Petrel Shortage") to follow.

SOLWAY: Bird Tour D&G (Part 1).

Wednesday 2 September.
An invite to the Solway WeBS counters meeting at Caerlaverock was just too good to turn down. After all, why go all that way for a meeting? Have to take in some birding - well, it would be rude not to after all so I booked a night in the nearby Nith Hotel in Glencaple and planned my break around the meeting.

First stop as usual was Browhouses on the Inner Solway, with plenty of exposed mud despite the incoming tide. This meant lots to count - 139 Golden Plover (some pictured above with Lapwings), 146 Curlew, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 664 Lapwings, 83 Oystercatchers and disappointingly just 2 Dunlin. Interestingly numbers of the latter have dropped drastically over the last few weeks on the Solway (noted by local observers too), something noted around this time last year here in Lancs as well - we are apparently between "movements" of Dunlin (departure of birds eventually wintering in W. Africa and arrival of European wintering birds). Thank goodness for good birding websites like the LDBWS one and local birder expertise.
Yet another Med' Gull, this time an adult and 2 Goosander made up the other notables (not that I ever tire of those Med's).


Seafield Bay near Annan was next on the agenda but the short journey was interrupted by a Marsh Harrier over the B721 near Dornock. Pulling over quickly I could see this was a different bird to the dark immature seen recently at Carsethorn and Caerlaverock, showing paler overall brown plumage, a paler (colder) gold crown and pale patch on the breast. I watched this bird drift west before giving Birdline Scotland and RBA an update.

Curlew, Seafield Bay 2 September 2009.

Very little of note at Seafield at high tide so I sped off inland to Castle Loch but failed to locate much of interest. Lots of Common Gulls around at the moment, inland and on the coast, keeping me busy searching for that elusive Ring-billed that must surely drop onto my D&G list (that I don't keep) soon. Not today though.

This pond is just outside Annan. I've driven by many times, sometimes there are lots of Teal on it, often a few Herons. I've never stopped but one local birder had the common sense to do just that of late and found this .....

Teal and Garganey (right) at Annan, 2 September 2009.

BirdTrack flagged up the recent influx of continental breeding Garganey and they've been well represented in D&G over the past fortnight.
Last stop before checking in at the hotel was Brow Well near Caerlaverock. A nice selection of birds noted here in just over an hour included 3 Greenshanks, 47 Golden Plover, a Common Sandpiper, a Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Goosander and a Sand Martin. At least 500 Common Gulls were on the exposed sand.
The WWT staff allowed me to stay on the reserve until the WeBS meeting started and I was grateful for the shelter provided by the hides at Caerlaverock. At least one Greenshank "chu-chu-chuing" as it flew around, 26 Snipe, 83 Curlew and a single Osprey kept me amused before the start of a very interesting get-together and a good excuse to put some faces to names. A Badger running along the road alongside the Nith was the final event of the day as I drove back to the hotel in a deluge.

More strange tales from north of the border to follow.