Lots of sunshine this morning, but few birds.

Freeman's Pools still on the quiet side - 1 common sandpiper, 12 coot, little grebe on nest, 1 moorhen, 5 mallard, 1 grey heron.

Darter Pool, the moorhen family and a little grebe.

A common buzzard was being mobbed by lesser black backs as it hunted over one of the top fields.

4 green sandpiper were visible at the Wildfowlers' Pools plus 5 teal.

A little ringed plover was on the Flood.

A willow warbler was along the cycle track.
Whether it has been anyone's experience elsewhere, I am still absolutely convinced that this species has been in very short supply at Aldcliffe this year. Normally there will be a good half dozen singing males along the track between Freeman's Wood and Railway Crossing Lane (aka Aldcliffe Hall Lane) and this summer there hasn't been one bird on territory. Is this a peculiarly localised event?

Plenty of butterflies and common darters around plus a couple each common and brown hawkers.

Cut and run

Not sure who's been doing what but it looks as if Lancs Wildlife Trust have been doing some management work down at Freeman's Pools today.
A large area has been cut (good owl/vole area methinks!) and some planting has been done at the upper pools. I had a message from Steve Wallis earlier today (see his posting below) to say that the work was being done and he suspected reed planting - I'll see what I can find out...

Consequently, these pools were pretty quiet with just the usual coot and little grebes on the main water.

A lot of grass cutting had been, and was still, going on in the fields too so the whole Aldcliffe area was fairly birdless. Not even any tractor-following gulls to go through, darnit.

2 green sandpiper were visible at the Wildfowlers' Pools plus a lone teal. (Steve had a kingfisher here earlier).

Around 60 Canada geese have reappeared on the marsh.

JC



Thursday 6th Aug.
An abundance of various species of butterfly were definitely the highlight at Aldcliffe today, amongst the dozens of Painted Ladies was a Red Admiral. Also, a Kingfisher at the Wildfowlers’ Pool, Kestrels at least four present. Many Swallows and House Martins throughout the patch. Little Egret 2 on the marsh along with geese, gulls and waders all on the opposite side of the river! Darter Pool had Moorhen, and Little Grebe. Saw 150 or so Black Headed Gulls in the grass on the rim of Frog Pond.
Freeman’s Pool has had some work done, not sure what, maybe planting of some sort, as there is a number of fenced off areas near the top end, also today 2 Green Sandpipers present.

SteveW
.

Summer doldrums...

A quick post-work dash - not much to report really.

Freeman's Pools were quiet with just a common sandpiper and a little ringed plover to break the monotony of coot and little grebes! The tufted duck wasn't even around...

Frog Pond still held the duck mallard and her one surviving offspring, plus 2 moorhen.

Darter Pool's moorhen family were the only things there.

At the Wildfowlers' Pools at least 2 green sandpiper and Tom Wilmer were present.

Other than that, a few swifts, the odd lesser whitethroat and a couple of kestrels were noted along the cycle track.
Jon C

Utterly butter(f)ly

Had a late morning/early afternoon stroll with Jenny and the Aldcliffe area was awash with butterflies. Lots of painted ladies were in evidence, as expected given the caterpillar count earlier. Also good numbers of speckled woods and a few commas though only a couple of small tortoiseshell and peacock.

Bird-wise, the juv little-ringed plover was on the Flood, then latterly the marsh.

Two family parties of lesser whitethroat were heard and seen along the cycle track and lots of groups of goldfinch and greenfinch were noisily buzzing about.

At the Wildfowlers' Pools a shoveler was new in. 5 green sandpiper were visible from the metal gate.

The Frog Pond mallard brood has shrunk to 1 - I wonder what's been predating those? That particular pool seems to have a terrible track record for the successful fledging of wildfowl.

At Freeman's Pools it was business as usual: 11 coot, 3 little grebe, 4 heron, 5 mallard & 2 common sandpiper. Up to 30 swift were feeding here.


Evening visit

Quick blast round on the bike just to see if anything new had dropped in.
The tufted duck was back on Freeman's Pools though there was little else there of note.

3 green sandiper, 1 snipe and the LRP were seen at the Wildfowlers' Pools.

A couple of kestrel were hunting around the area.

Long-eared reprise

Guy McClelland made something of a surprise discovery this morning when he came across a long-eared owl in the Aldcliffe area.
As an optimist, I was always rather hopeful that the birds present near Freeman's Pools earlier this year may have stuck around (they were certainly still in the area well into April) either to breed or, perhaps more likely, as non-breeding 1st year birds. I had a couple of reasons to believe that there were still LEOs around but hadn't found any hard evidence. So, does this individual imply that to be true or is today's birds a post-breeding 'local' migrant? Whichever, it's a great mid-summer record!
The bird wasn't showing nearly as well as on the pic (courtesy of Guy) when I went down later in the morning and it seemed quite settled in its roost.

Other sightings included 2 green sandpiper and 1 juv LR plover at the Wildfowlers' Pools - where a juv kestrel was also present, sat in the water...?!

A whimbrel and a pair of stock dove were on the marsh.

Lesser whitethroat were much in evidence along the cycle track.

The roe deer pair were showing well at Freeman's Pools and a kestrel and sparrowhawk were engaged in something of a fracas there.