Stone Me

Despite the blizzards birding was a joy today at Aldcliffe. Highlight was a male Stonechat on the sea wall opposite Snatchems. Along with up to 15 Meadow Pipits. Freeman’s Pool was frozen apart from one small bit which held 9 Coot. The hedge by the dung heap continues to be a hot spot, had Tree Sparrows, Dunnock, Chaffinch and Reed Buntings. While in the surrounding fields saw up to 70 Crows along with a good selection of waders, hence why the only bird I actually saw on the marsh was 1 Little Egret, all the geese were miles away in fields on the far side. Had a good look at owl roosts but nothing doing. Full list...........
Surrounding fields east of track.
Curlew 23
Lapwing 60
Snipe 1
BH Gull 175
Carrion Crow 78
Moorhen 11

Track and hedge near dung heap
Tree Sparrow 16
Chaffinch 15
Reed Bunting 6
Dunnock 4
Fieldfare 1
Redwing 3
Song Thrush 6
Little Grebe in ditch.

Wildfowlers’ Pool, mainly frozen.
Mallard
Coot, Moorhen,
Shoveler 4
Snipe 1

Marsh
Stonechat 1m
Little Egret 1
Goldfinch 16
Kestrel 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Greenfinch 2
Meadow Pipit 12/15
Skylark 2

Steve

Skid row

Icy conditions down on the track. A couple of teenagers were busy developinga 30 foot ice slide. Oh to be young again!

Most of the news came from other people. Ray Hobbs reported seeing 19 tree sparrows on the maize fields and 40 coot in a small ice free patch of Freemans pool.
One of the regular dog walkers reported seeing the barn owl last week at Freemans pool last week. Good to see that it is in the area still but was it visiting the eastern side of the Lune from a roost on the the other side?

An unusual sighting were 2 ringed plover with 2 dunlin 100m upstream of the pylons. Not a patch tick for me but I did treble the number of ringed plover I have seen down here.
A kingfisher flew over heading from the sewerage works to the river, 1 water rail on the frozen cycle track and 4 song thrush in a field with a few blackbirds.

Guy

Tree Sparrows...

Spent a freezing hour and half this evening looking for owls and saw none. However, I did see 20/25 Tree Sparrow near the dung heap hedge along with 30 Chaffinch, making quite a sight. On Freeman’s Pool were the usual Coot and 4 Gadwall, solitary Canada. A Kestrel came in and landed in a tree nearby and followed by a Woodcock flying over, almost dark at this point and my numb feet told me time to call it quits.
Steve

Sunday omnibus

Todays journey round the parish seemed a repeat of the visits I have made this week.

Chiffchaff at Stodday sewer works. Good views this time seemed to suggest that the bird is of the abietinus race shown in Collins.
4 goldeneye in the river.
1 red breasted merganser flying upstream.
10 redwing to the east of the sewer works and 120 redshank in the sewer works.
3 barnacles on the marsh.
2 squealing water rails along the flooded cycle track.
4 meadow pipit and 2 pied wags on the frozen flood.
1 golden plover with mixed gull/wader flock on fields.

Guy

Could not locate the Barnacles or Water Rails this morning. There were 8 Snipe at freeman’s Pool and 9 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander at Marsh Point and a Pochard on the Wildfowlers’.
Steve.

Back on the Rails

E 0-2, 1 okta, ice on the shallower pools.

I tackled the parish in a pincer movement this afternoon, scanning it from the far side of the estuary and having a quick wander down the track just before sunset.

The geese on the marsh weren't having a relaxing weekend, being unsettled by light aircraft and (terrestrial) shooting. But aswell as canada and greylags there were:

four snow geese
three barnacle geese and
six pink-footed geese.

30 black-tailed godwits were at Marsh Point.

Wildfowl on Freeman's Pools included six goldeneye, eight gadwall and three tufties.

Two water rails were quite showy on the flooded part of the track.

The flooded Wildfowler's Pools fields had 40 redshanks, 5 shovelers, and a hedge-full of tree sparrows (about 20).

Just out of the parish, five rock pipits were near The Golden Ball pub.

Dan.