Whin-Whin Situation

Dan here. Hello.

April finally came to Aldcliffe today, with warm weather and a surge in migrant numbers. Plenty of smart common summer/passage stuff and, (I felt) a chance of a scarcity. I couldn't help but have fun.

Migrant highlights-- year ticks for the patch are in bold:

2 whinchats, 22 wheatears, a grasshopper warbler, a garden warbler, a sedge warbler, a common sandpiper, five whimbrels, around 20 swifts, fifteen house martins on the move, and a good easterly passage of swallows (c80 per hour).

Eight lesser whitethroats and 4 commons wasn't terribly impressive for the end of April but a good influx of willow warblers was, with around 70 birds noted. I also felt that blackcap numbers were raised somewhat, with 16 singers noted.

5+2+1 siskins headed over, NE, mid-afternoon.

In the outstanding bravery category of this blog, I helped an adult male mute swan that had somehow lodged itself in brambles between parallel barbed wired fences about a metre apart.

I climbed in behind it, seized it by the neck just below the hissing head and tried to lift its body with the other arm.

After some wrestling I returned it to safety. What a guy.

Some butterflies were out and about, with around fifteen orange tips, twenty small tortoiseshells and the first few speckled woods noted.

DH.

Whimbrel.....

Freeman’s Pool same as yesterday, with up to 30 Swallow and a few House Martin hunting along the south edge of the wood, and keeping sheltered from the cold north easterly wind. On Frog Pond were a couple of Tufted Duck. On the track Goldfinch, Linnet, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Great/Blue/Long-tailed Tits and 1 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap, another 3 Lesser Whitethroat heard along the track to picnic site. On the Flood 2 LRP a Shelduck, 5 Pied Wagtails and approx 15 Meadow Pipits. On the marsh just passed walled meadow a Whimbrel showed well before flying onto the edge of the river bank, possibly 2. 2 Little Egret also present, on the river Goosander with 6 young. 

Steve


Freeman’s Wood – TPO upheld at Appeal Hearing...
Some good news re Freeman's Wood click Friends of Freeman's Wood link to read.
Steve

Good numbers....

Was hoping for a swift but none to be had, a few Swallows bombing about. Freeman’s Pool very quiet with only a couple of Tufted Duck and Gadwall present. Track had a number of Linnets, up to half a dozen maybe, they were going back and forth which made a count difficult. A local Buzzard over trig point hill. " LRP on the Flood and a few Pied Wagtail. Common Whitethroat 1, Lesser Whitethroat at least 5, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler numerous, It might be just me but there does seem to be more Willow Warblers this spring. Blackcap, a pair near railway cutting. On the river 8 Eiders made good viewing as they came in very close. Ravens near pylons.

Steve

A Barn Bought The Farm

Dan here.

The cold and blustery north-easterlies made conditions a little difficult both for birds and locating them this morning.

However, a flock of thirteen wheatears was the best showing for this species so far this year, and three lesser and one common whitethroat were noted.

One of the male blackcaps was seen excitedly courting a female- the first hen I've seen here this year and perhaps a recent arrival.

A bit of finch passage seemed to be on, with 2+2 siskins and 2 lesser redpolls observed as they laboured low into the wind. Around fifteen swallows and two house martins were hunting over Freeman's Pools at noon.

The windswept estuary at Marsh Point had a lone black-tailed godwit in breeding plumage, and the goosander with six young was seen swimming beneath the pylons.

Bird of the day would have been the barn owl near Freeman's Wood.... had it not been profoundly dead. I checked the gory corpse's legs for rings but there were none.

Yours Morbidly,
DH.

Pump up the volume.......

Freeman’s Pools were quiet. On the track by the gates a Common Whitethroat was seen, and singing at a good volume. Also on the track Greenfinch, Backcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Dunnock and a pair of Linnet. In the stubble were 2 Grey Partridge. Wildfowlers’ Pool saw 3 Gadwall, 3 Redshank and a pair of Oystercatcher. The top track saw Lesser Whitethroat, Wrens and Robins. Dog walker on salt marsh left nothing for me. At railway cutting another Lesser Whitethroat, and on the way back one heard near the walled meadow. 4 Song Thrush and a Mistle Thrush at riding school meadow. Peregrine at the pylon, Ravens heard, Buzzard usual spot. 4 Linnets near the picnic site, and Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff. 

Steve