Monday, October 18, 2021
Blog regulars may think the reason for a lack of recent posts is that I took a day or three off birding to do a few household chores, look after grandkids or spend time with my long suffering wife. The truth is that all three played a part in my being AWOL but the major reason was the good old British Weather. For the last four days it has blown the proverbial gale with up to 70mph gusts coupled with lots of rain, and then for good measure the occasional burst of snow or sleet. And all of this in our so called “Spring”.
On Wednesday morning I set off for Fluke Hall where I gave it an hour or two in the cold air and then quickly packed in after I saw and heard very little. The few highlights proved to be watching a pair of Nuthatches collecting nest material before they flew into the nearby woodland to their chosen nest site.
There was a flock of c700 very flighty Golden Plover which eventually scarpered off over the sea wall after being spooked by the antics of crows and Lapwings and their customary arguments. By the early afternoon there was more rain so I was happy to be ensconced at home with a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive, postponing the birds until someday soon.
There was a flock of c700 very flighty Golden Plover which eventually scarpered off over the sea wall after being spooked by the antics of crows and Lapwings and their customary arguments. By the early afternoon there was more rain so I was happy to be ensconced at home with a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive, postponing the birds until someday soon.
Finally, and by Wednesday evening there looked to be a window of weather for Thursday morning so Andy and I arranged to meet up 0630 at Oakenclough. It was a whole week of missing visits and we weren’t quite sure what to expect apart from having to don winter wellies and a couple of layers in preparation for the forecast 3⁰ degrees.
We continued where we left off with yet more redpolls plus a number of other finches in a total of 19 birds, 13 new ones and 6 recaptures.
New birds: 6 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Siskin, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Long-tailed Tit. Recaptures: 2 Great Tit, 1 Siskin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Long-tailed Tit.
The morning was pretty cold and we didn’t see or hear the Chiffchaff until we caught it. There was no sign or sound of Willow Warblers even though they are due in on 1st April.
Below is a rather splendid example of a bright adult male Lesser Redpoll, one of six lessers caught today, bringing the total here this Spring close to 40.
One of the two Siskin caught was a recapture from January, suggesting that there are still very few Continental immigrants around. Pictures are of an adult male and a second year male.
Birding proved as quiet as the ringing apart from a fly over Osprey (Thanks PK) heading North West and out towards Morecambe Bay about 0915. Perhaps the one flying over over Burton Mere, Cheshire earlier in the morning?
Otherwise - 4 Pied Wagtail, 3 singing Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Kestrel.
More soon - stay tuned to .
In the meantime I'm linking this post to Eileen's Saturday Blog.
We continued where we left off with yet more redpolls plus a number of other finches in a total of 19 birds, 13 new ones and 6 recaptures.
New birds: 6 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Siskin, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Long-tailed Tit. Recaptures: 2 Great Tit, 1 Siskin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Long-tailed Tit.
The morning was pretty cold and we didn’t see or hear the Chiffchaff until we caught it. There was no sign or sound of Willow Warblers even though they are due in on 1st April.
Chiffchaff
Below is a rather splendid example of a bright adult male Lesser Redpoll, one of six lessers caught today, bringing the total here this Spring close to 40.
Lesser Redpoll
Lesser Redpoll
One of the two Siskin caught was a recapture from January, suggesting that there are still very few Continental immigrants around. Pictures are of an adult male and a second year male.
Siskin- second year male
Siskin- adult male
Siskin - second year male
Birding proved as quiet as the ringing apart from a fly over Osprey (Thanks PK) heading North West and out towards Morecambe Bay about 0915. Perhaps the one flying over over Burton Mere, Cheshire earlier in the morning?
Otherwise - 4 Pied Wagtail, 3 singing Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Kestrel.
More soon - stay tuned to .
In the meantime I'm linking this post to Eileen's Saturday Blog.