Didn't get much birding in today, but managed a walk with Mrs C down the cycle track and up the seawall (keeping my eyes ever skyward in anticipation of passing honey buzzards etc...)
A female merlin was on the marsh and 5 little egrets were dancing around one of the flashes.
Then a distant large raptor came into view, high and heading in a south-westerly direction. After trying my best to make it into something more interesting I had to concede, as it finally gave better views, that it was a common buzzard - albeit very likely a migrant given its behaviour.
Then came the year-ticks alluded to in the title, in the form of a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster Bomber passing over the estuary to turn and make their scheduled appearances for the crowds at Morecambe. Got a good 20 minutes out of them too. Very nice.
Lots of common darters, migrant hawkers and a couple of brown hawkers around.
Nipped out again at 4ish to pluck some blackberries for tonight's pud, once more keeping my eyes mainly skyward, but a lone green sandpiper on the pools was my sole reward. Apart from the blackberries, of course...
Welcome to Aldcliffe & Freeman's Wood, Lancaster - an area of the Lune Estuary in Morecambe Bay, North Lancs.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Saturday, 13 September 2008
Out for the count....
Did my WeBS count today (as opposed to tomorrow) for a number of reasons that: a) I cannot be bothered going into and; b) won't interest you in the slightest...
Some interesting stuff along the way. Set off on foot, started my count at Aldcliffe at 10.15am and finished it at Conder Pool at 2.10pm then walked back doing a little 'leisure' birding.
Highlights included:
3 green sandpiper at the Wildfowlers' Pools
8 little egret in total (3 Aldcliffe)
5 little and 1 black-necked grebe (the latter and 2 of the former at Conder Pool)
1 rather late common sandpiper on the Lune as well as 2 greenshank, 2 ruff (quite a surprise) and - a scarce bird for Aldcliffe - a ringed plover.
6 wigeon flew in at Waterloo and a female goosander was present.
A female merlin scattered the waders and excited the swallows at Conder.
A nuthatch was an unexpected find in the hedge along the seawall at Aldcliffe.
A whitethroat was eating blackberries by the cycle track at Aldcliffe.
3 wheatears were on the marsh and kingfishers were seen at Ashton Hall lake sluice and on the Conder.
2 pair of raven honked around Conder and Aldcliffe.
What was presumably the same dead razorbill as found by Dan the other day was still rotting nicely at Waterlooo.
Other notable counts included: 212 mute swan, 328 greylag & 339 Canada geese. Despite the large numbers of BH gulls along the Lune I couldn't find any Meds, though to be honest I wasn't overly-diligent...
Some interesting stuff along the way. Set off on foot, started my count at Aldcliffe at 10.15am and finished it at Conder Pool at 2.10pm then walked back doing a little 'leisure' birding.
Highlights included:
3 green sandpiper at the Wildfowlers' Pools
8 little egret in total (3 Aldcliffe)
5 little and 1 black-necked grebe (the latter and 2 of the former at Conder Pool)
1 rather late common sandpiper on the Lune as well as 2 greenshank, 2 ruff (quite a surprise) and - a scarce bird for Aldcliffe - a ringed plover.
6 wigeon flew in at Waterloo and a female goosander was present.
A female merlin scattered the waders and excited the swallows at Conder.
A nuthatch was an unexpected find in the hedge along the seawall at Aldcliffe.
A whitethroat was eating blackberries by the cycle track at Aldcliffe.
3 wheatears were on the marsh and kingfishers were seen at Ashton Hall lake sluice and on the Conder.
2 pair of raven honked around Conder and Aldcliffe.
What was presumably the same dead razorbill as found by Dan the other day was still rotting nicely at Waterlooo.
Other notable counts included: 212 mute swan, 328 greylag & 339 Canada geese. Despite the large numbers of BH gulls along the Lune I couldn't find any Meds, though to be honest I wasn't overly-diligent...
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Lieutenant wigeon
Not too much to report from a briefish post-work visit this evening.
The 2 wigeon, as spied by Guy McC previously, were still present on Freeman's Pools though there was little else there. A greyish juv-like chiffchaff with an odd piercing call was with a small tit flock in the hedge by the pools.
A single green sandpiper was seen at the Wildfowlers' Pools and a pair of little grebes were on The Flood.
Only around 20 swallows coming in to roost, though more were heading that way a little later - as seen from my house.
The 2 wigeon, as spied by Guy McC previously, were still present on Freeman's Pools though there was little else there. A greyish juv-like chiffchaff with an odd piercing call was with a small tit flock in the hedge by the pools.
A single green sandpiper was seen at the Wildfowlers' Pools and a pair of little grebes were on The Flood.
Only around 20 swallows coming in to roost, though more were heading that way a little later - as seen from my house.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Fowl Weather
The following account of birding Aldcliffe on tuesday 9th is by Dan Haywood aged 33-and-a third.
On my way out I spied a wheatear alighting atop a lamp-post on the Marsh estate.
I rushed down the road on my Raleigh Chopper hoping that this urban chat indicated some sort of a passerine fall in the parish...
Not so. I managed to pish out a few willow warblers and a goldcrest from some sheltered cover at Stodday, but any scarce sylvias or hippos were staying silent and well-hidden!
Only ducks were 'new in' so far as I could tell... A pair of gadwall were keeping a green sandpiper company at Freeman's Pools, and two pintails and 16 teal were making 'the flood' look pretty.
On the saltmarsh a scrum of 6 little egrets was mercilessly ridding a tiny pool of animal life--a bit like shooting fish (or shrimp or crabs?) in a barrel.
A few sand martins were a small part of a hirundine swirl (c.100 birds) over the sewage tanks. Twos and threes of swallows seemed to be heading south here and there.
Four migrant hawkers were on patrol inbetween downpours.
On my way out I spied a wheatear alighting atop a lamp-post on the Marsh estate.
I rushed down the road on my Raleigh Chopper hoping that this urban chat indicated some sort of a passerine fall in the parish...
Not so. I managed to pish out a few willow warblers and a goldcrest from some sheltered cover at Stodday, but any scarce sylvias or hippos were staying silent and well-hidden!
Only ducks were 'new in' so far as I could tell... A pair of gadwall were keeping a green sandpiper company at Freeman's Pools, and two pintails and 16 teal were making 'the flood' look pretty.
On the saltmarsh a scrum of 6 little egrets was mercilessly ridding a tiny pool of animal life--a bit like shooting fish (or shrimp or crabs?) in a barrel.
A few sand martins were a small part of a hirundine swirl (c.100 birds) over the sewage tanks. Twos and threes of swallows seemed to be heading south here and there.
Four migrant hawkers were on patrol inbetween downpours.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Just Swell
Dan reporting for Mr. Carter's hard-earned readership!
The swollen Wildfowler's Pools were the focus this morning, with three greenshanks, 4 green sandpipers, 12 redshanks and 17 black-tailed godwits using the grassy edges.
The 'flood' just N of Aldcliffe Hall Lane had a kingfisher and two little grebes. A med. gull was reported to me as being present a little later.
A modicum of visible migration in the parish with c60 meadow pipit, 5 alba wagtails and 3 grey wagtails over SE, noted between 0915 and 1100. No hirundine movement though.
Stodday sewage works seemed to have pulled down a few migrant wags, with nine grey wagtails on-site.
Spent much of the day honing my pishing-craft, but the bushes were hardly bursting with passerines. My vocalisations did have the undivided of a juv. whitethroat and a few chiffchaffs for a little while though.
And I can really rile a robin.
Thanks Dan - now Jon's breaking news bit...
Well, hardly breaking. 15 snipe were flushed by a sprogbasher at the Wildfowlers' Pools this evening though only a handful of redshank and lapwing, plus a couple of curlew, were present.
The greater sand-lapwing was again amongst the flock feeding in the fields - it really is a striking looking bird.
Little else of note bar the huge distant flocks of birds dropping into the Cockersands / Pilling area as viewed from Aldcliffe Marsh - I can only guess that they were pinkfeet? There were probably a couple of thousand birds...
The swollen Wildfowler's Pools were the focus this morning, with three greenshanks, 4 green sandpipers, 12 redshanks and 17 black-tailed godwits using the grassy edges.
The 'flood' just N of Aldcliffe Hall Lane had a kingfisher and two little grebes. A med. gull was reported to me as being present a little later.
A modicum of visible migration in the parish with c60 meadow pipit, 5 alba wagtails and 3 grey wagtails over SE, noted between 0915 and 1100. No hirundine movement though.
Stodday sewage works seemed to have pulled down a few migrant wags, with nine grey wagtails on-site.
Spent much of the day honing my pishing-craft, but the bushes were hardly bursting with passerines. My vocalisations did have the undivided of a juv. whitethroat and a few chiffchaffs for a little while though.
And I can really rile a robin.
Thanks Dan - now Jon's breaking news bit...
Well, hardly breaking. 15 snipe were flushed by a sprogbasher at the Wildfowlers' Pools this evening though only a handful of redshank and lapwing, plus a couple of curlew, were present.
The greater sand-lapwing was again amongst the flock feeding in the fields - it really is a striking looking bird.
Little else of note bar the huge distant flocks of birds dropping into the Cockersands / Pilling area as viewed from Aldcliffe Marsh - I can only guess that they were pinkfeet? There were probably a couple of thousand birds...
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