Wigeon 9
Tufted duck 15
Kingfisher 1
Mute swan 2 adults
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Monday, 29 September 2014
Eccleston Mere
Tufted duck 35
Pochard 1 male
Coot 140
Kingfisher 1
Possibly the largest flock of tufties I've seen at the mere this year.
Appleton Reservoir, Warrington
Gadwall 56
Wigeon 12
Shoveler 9
Tufted duck 15
Chiffchaff 2 calling
Mute swan 2 ads
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Leighton Moss
Great white egret 3 (2 at Lillian's hide, 1 at Eric Morecombe hide)
Little egret 30
Little stint 7 (5 at Lillian's hide, 2 at Eric Morecombe hide)
Curlew sandpiper 3 (Eric Morecombe hide)
Greenshank 1 (Eric Morecombe hide)
Cetti's warbler 1 (singing near Eric Morecombe hide)
Snipe 20
Eric Morecombe hide
Eric Morecombe hide
Lillian's hide (with a little egret in the background!)
Second great white egret at Lillian's hide.
Little egret 30
Little stint 7 (5 at Lillian's hide, 2 at Eric Morecombe hide)
Curlew sandpiper 3 (Eric Morecombe hide)
Greenshank 1 (Eric Morecombe hide)
Cetti's warbler 1 (singing near Eric Morecombe hide)
Snipe 20
Second great white egret at Lillian's hide.
Jenny Brown's Point, Silverdale
Great white egret 1
Little egret 13
Black-tailed godwit 500
Redshank 200
Curlew 50
Oystercatcher 500
Lots of birds on the sandbank at Jenny Brown's Point just after the high tide today, including yet another great white egret.
Little egret 13
Black-tailed godwit 500
Redshank 200
Curlew 50
Oystercatcher 500
Lots of birds on the sandbank at Jenny Brown's Point just after the high tide today, including yet another great white egret.
Cyclamen, Silverdale
I found a small group of wonderful cyclamen growing on the edge of some woodland near Silverdale. Cyclamen are not native to the UK, but they are members of an exclusive club of plants which take my breath away when I see them. Other plants in this club include wild crocus, gentians and most tiny alpine plants. Way back in September 1989 I found wild cyclamen growing on a large boulder on the island of Thassos in the Aegean sea. It was a bulb about 3cm diameter, from which a leafless culm grew with a single, beautiful purple flower. It was hard to see where the roots went or how the plant got it's nutrients perched in it's precarious position, but it was just a stunning sight and these plants today brought back memories of that day.
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Burton Mere Wetlands
Cattle egret 1
Little stint 3
Spotted redshank 5
Water rail 2
Ruff 5
Pink footed goose 50
Little egret 1
Wheatear 1
Wheatear 1
Friday, 26 September 2014
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
More from an Irish bog
Red grouse 8
At one time Irish red grouse were considered to be a different race to those in the rest of the UK, but I believe that recent research has found no evidence to back this up.
Just a few short weeks ago I was admiring Devil's bit scabious on dry, limestone grassland on the Burren, where it grows to a height of 1m. Yet here it is in full flower, no more than about 5 cm heigh, growing on the edge of an acid blanket bog in the company of sphagnum, bog bean and bog asphodel! I guess it's actually just another Burren oddity. The plant normally prefers acid soil, but it certainly also thrives on the limestones of the Burren.
The ochre coloured sphagnum at the bottom of this photo is the very distinctive, Sphagnum papillosum.
Here it is a bit closer.
This is my NVC quadrat. NVC surveys are plant community surveys, which involve identifying every plant in the quadrat, including all forbes, but also grasses, mosses, sedges, rushes and lichens etc. The composition of the plants in this quadrat when taken in associaton with other quadrats allows a community type to be assigned. Plant communities form the basis of habitat conservation and protection. I'm currently working on a mosaic of bog and heath communities in Ireland. Really interesting stuff!
I was quite surprised to find this lone bog asphodel in flower. Most of the rest are well over.
Golden plover 5
Here it is a bit closer.
This is my NVC quadrat. NVC surveys are plant community surveys, which involve identifying every plant in the quadrat, including all forbes, but also grasses, mosses, sedges, rushes and lichens etc. The composition of the plants in this quadrat when taken in associaton with other quadrats allows a community type to be assigned. Plant communities form the basis of habitat conservation and protection. I'm currently working on a mosaic of bog and heath communities in Ireland. Really interesting stuff!
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Larne Lough, Northern Ireland
Greenshank 5 (Glynn station)
Kingfisher 1 (Ballycarry bridge)
Little egret 5
Curlew 20
Red breasted merganser 30
Hooded crow 15
Redshank 10
Monday, 22 September 2014
Appleton reservoir, Warrington
Wigeon 3
Gadwall 50
Shoveler 7
Tufted duck 12
Mute swan 2 adults
Butterflies: 7 red admirals, 1 comma
Saturday, 20 September 2014
A mega day at Spurn
Masked shrike 1 juv
Having returned from Scotland just yesterday, I decided that today I was just going to potter around locally. However as usual, before I left for Eccleston Mere at 9:45, I checked the Birdguides app on my phone. My attention was immediately drawn to a report of an olive backed pipit at Spurn, which would be a new bird for me, but I didn't seriously consider going for it, even with a supporting cast of a woodchat shrike, because all I wanted was a nice quiet day, and I really couldn't face that drive. I continued to the mere.
By 10:30 I was racing back to my car. I had abandoned my visit to the mere even before I got to the south west corner; Spurn was suddenly back on the agenda, and it was the pipit that was now the supporting cast because the woodchat shrike had been upgraded to a masked shrike, only the third record for Britain! I wasn't certain if I'd misread the original message (a trait of the elderly) or if it had genuinely been originally reported as a woodchat shrike, but that didn't matter, because there was no doubt about the message on the app now.
I called in at ASDA and filled up with petrol, then shot home, made up a few sandwiches, a flask of coffee and grabbed my scope and just before 11:00 I was on my way to Spurn, 140 miles away on the east coast, cursing shrikes and pipits alike, and the fact that it was now almost midday and the journey would take two and a half hours even in good traffic conditions, giving me at best half a day at Spurn.
Fortunately the M62 was pretty clear and with no major hold ups, I arrived at the Crown and Anchor at Kilnsea near Spurn, at 13:30. There was a line of cars at the side of the road and I just pulled into the first available space and jumped out. There were two groups of birders. One group was watching the masked shrike, the other was watching a great grey shrike! I lifted my bins, and there was the great grey showing well, perched on a wire. And that was about as long as I spent watching it for now. My priority was to join the other group who were watching the star attraction.
Immediately I saw it, the juvenile masked shrike perched on a wire fence about 100m away. A bit distant, but it was a good view through the scope and at least I'd seen it. I breathed a big sigh of relief, two minutes after getting out of the car and I'd seen two species of shrike! I could now relax and I settled down to watch it for a while.
I could see why it had initially been reported as a woodchat shrike, but it was clearly a smaller bird, with a slim bill and a relatively longer tail. For most of the time it kept a good distance away on the fence, but it did once make its way down the hedge near to where we were standing and came quite close for a while, though it was often hidden from view and we had to wait for it to fly down to the ground and then hope that when it returned to the hedge it would land in a more prominent position, which it didn't often do. Apparently that's a feature of masked shrike, they don't perch so prominently as other shrikes.
Eventually I had seen enough and headed off to see some of the other goodies on offer. First stop was the canal pool hide, where there was a very obliging jack snipe bobbing away on the edge of the pool. Probably the best view I have ever had of the species. Then I walked towards the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust shop where they had a migrant convulvulous hawkmoth on show, but not before stopping off to admire a probable Siberian lesser whitethroat (my second of the year).
Convulvulous hawkmoth. This individual was about 2.5 inches long.
Jack snipe.
Walking back along the sea embankment towards the Crown and Anchor, I could see directly down the masked shrikes favourite fence, and was amazed to see both the masked shrike and the great grey shrike in the same bush! I set up my scope and watched for a while in awe as the much larger great grey shrike had go at its smaller cousin. I half expected to see the masked shrike meet its end, impaled on a thorn! Thankfully though it fought its corner and survived!
Continuing on to the Crown and Anchor I waited patiently with a small group of birders, hoping to see a red-breasted flycatcher in the pub garden. A pied flycatcher flitted about, and a spotted flycatcher put in a brief appearance, but no RBF. I started to walk back towards the car, but immediately bumped into another group of birders who were watching a red-breasted flycatcher at Cliffe farm! It was that kind of day, groups of birders everywhere and each watching their own scarce migrant! At times I didn't know which direction to walk for the best.
It had been a dull, misty, drizzly afternoon on the east coast and by 17:30 it was getting dark so I decided to call it a day, but not before I called in at Vicars lane in Easington to see a yellow-browed warbler. I was home for 20:15. What a day!
I have seen masked shrike once before, a stunning male in North East Greece in 1987. Like last week at Burton Mere Wetlands, it just shows what a good year I've had when I can go to Spurn on a day like today and return with just one year tick! Oh, and what of the olive-backed pipit I hear you say? Apparently it was seen flying south before I got to Spurn, so nobody was really looking for it. A pity really, because it was seen again in the same place the following day, so clearly hadn't flown very far south! Oh well, one for another day.
Great grey shrike 1
Red breasted flycatcher 1
(Siberian? ) lesser whitethroat 1
Yellow-browed warbler 1 (Easington)
Jack snipe 1
Yellow-browed warbler 1 (Easington)
Jack snipe 1
Pied flycatcher 1
Spotted flycatcher 1
Garden warbler 1
Redstart 1
Tree pipit 1
Dark bellied Brent goose 6
Dark bellied Brent goose 6
UK life: 401, year: 275 (masked shrike)
Having returned from Scotland just yesterday, I decided that today I was just going to potter around locally. However as usual, before I left for Eccleston Mere at 9:45, I checked the Birdguides app on my phone. My attention was immediately drawn to a report of an olive backed pipit at Spurn, which would be a new bird for me, but I didn't seriously consider going for it, even with a supporting cast of a woodchat shrike, because all I wanted was a nice quiet day, and I really couldn't face that drive. I continued to the mere.
By 10:30 I was racing back to my car. I had abandoned my visit to the mere even before I got to the south west corner; Spurn was suddenly back on the agenda, and it was the pipit that was now the supporting cast because the woodchat shrike had been upgraded to a masked shrike, only the third record for Britain! I wasn't certain if I'd misread the original message (a trait of the elderly) or if it had genuinely been originally reported as a woodchat shrike, but that didn't matter, because there was no doubt about the message on the app now.
I called in at ASDA and filled up with petrol, then shot home, made up a few sandwiches, a flask of coffee and grabbed my scope and just before 11:00 I was on my way to Spurn, 140 miles away on the east coast, cursing shrikes and pipits alike, and the fact that it was now almost midday and the journey would take two and a half hours even in good traffic conditions, giving me at best half a day at Spurn.
Fortunately the M62 was pretty clear and with no major hold ups, I arrived at the Crown and Anchor at Kilnsea near Spurn, at 13:30. There was a line of cars at the side of the road and I just pulled into the first available space and jumped out. There were two groups of birders. One group was watching the masked shrike, the other was watching a great grey shrike! I lifted my bins, and there was the great grey showing well, perched on a wire. And that was about as long as I spent watching it for now. My priority was to join the other group who were watching the star attraction.
Immediately I saw it, the juvenile masked shrike perched on a wire fence about 100m away. A bit distant, but it was a good view through the scope and at least I'd seen it. I breathed a big sigh of relief, two minutes after getting out of the car and I'd seen two species of shrike! I could now relax and I settled down to watch it for a while.
I could see why it had initially been reported as a woodchat shrike, but it was clearly a smaller bird, with a slim bill and a relatively longer tail. For most of the time it kept a good distance away on the fence, but it did once make its way down the hedge near to where we were standing and came quite close for a while, though it was often hidden from view and we had to wait for it to fly down to the ground and then hope that when it returned to the hedge it would land in a more prominent position, which it didn't often do. Apparently that's a feature of masked shrike, they don't perch so prominently as other shrikes.
Eventually I had seen enough and headed off to see some of the other goodies on offer. First stop was the canal pool hide, where there was a very obliging jack snipe bobbing away on the edge of the pool. Probably the best view I have ever had of the species. Then I walked towards the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust shop where they had a migrant convulvulous hawkmoth on show, but not before stopping off to admire a probable Siberian lesser whitethroat (my second of the year).
Jack snipe.
Walking back along the sea embankment towards the Crown and Anchor, I could see directly down the masked shrikes favourite fence, and was amazed to see both the masked shrike and the great grey shrike in the same bush! I set up my scope and watched for a while in awe as the much larger great grey shrike had go at its smaller cousin. I half expected to see the masked shrike meet its end, impaled on a thorn! Thankfully though it fought its corner and survived!
Continuing on to the Crown and Anchor I waited patiently with a small group of birders, hoping to see a red-breasted flycatcher in the pub garden. A pied flycatcher flitted about, and a spotted flycatcher put in a brief appearance, but no RBF. I started to walk back towards the car, but immediately bumped into another group of birders who were watching a red-breasted flycatcher at Cliffe farm! It was that kind of day, groups of birders everywhere and each watching their own scarce migrant! At times I didn't know which direction to walk for the best.
It had been a dull, misty, drizzly afternoon on the east coast and by 17:30 it was getting dark so I decided to call it a day, but not before I called in at Vicars lane in Easington to see a yellow-browed warbler. I was home for 20:15. What a day!
I have seen masked shrike once before, a stunning male in North East Greece in 1987. Like last week at Burton Mere Wetlands, it just shows what a good year I've had when I can go to Spurn on a day like today and return with just one year tick! Oh, and what of the olive-backed pipit I hear you say? Apparently it was seen flying south before I got to Spurn, so nobody was really looking for it. A pity really, because it was seen again in the same place the following day, so clearly hadn't flown very far south! Oh well, one for another day.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
From a Scottish Bog
Wild cranberry. I've seen the plant before, but this is the first time I've found the berry.
Marsh violet, leaves and seeds.
Sphagnum russowii.
Sphagnum palustre.
Sphagnum fimbriatum.
Toadstools. No idea what they are!
Monday, 15 September 2014
Saturday, 13 September 2014
Martin Mere
Curlew sandpiper 5
Little stint 2
Ruff 70
Dunlin 5
Pink footed goose 500+
Marsh harrier 1
Kingfisher 1
No sign of yesterdays pec sand, but it has apparently been elusive. Nice to see a good selection of waders and the returning pink feet.
Eccleston Mere
Tufted duck 17
Coot 140
Kingfisher 1
Mute swan 6 (adult male & 5 cygnets)
Chiffchaff 1 Singing
Very quiet again.
Friday, 12 September 2014
Burton Mere Wetlands (Inner Marsh Farm hide)
Red-necked phalarope 1 juv
Cattle egret 1
Curlew sandpiper 1
Little stint 2
Spotted redshank 14
Ruff 7
Snipe 10
Black-tailed godwit 20
Pintail 50
Little egret 7
Wigeon 100
Teal 500
Year: 274 (Curlew sandpiper)
Curlew sandpiper added to the list at last, but to be honest the year list has shuddered to a halt recently, to such an extent that I now no longer expect to get to 300. It's not surprising really when you look at the great list of birds from Inner Marsh Farm today and then realise that only one of them was a year tick.
Red-necked phalarope with teal.
Cattle egret 1
Curlew sandpiper 1
Little stint 2
Spotted redshank 14
Ruff 7
Snipe 10
Black-tailed godwit 20
Pintail 50
Little egret 7
Wigeon 100
Teal 500
Year: 274 (Curlew sandpiper)
Curlew sandpiper added to the list at last, but to be honest the year list has shuddered to a halt recently, to such an extent that I now no longer expect to get to 300. It's not surprising really when you look at the great list of birds from Inner Marsh Farm today and then realise that only one of them was a year tick.
Thursday, 11 September 2014
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Blacktoft Sands, Goole
Yellow wagtail 40 on the grazing marsh
Waders including redshanks, little ringed plover (2), black-tailed godwits and snipe. No sign of this mornings red-necked phalarope.
Brown hare
Waders including redshanks, little ringed plover (2), black-tailed godwits and snipe. No sign of this mornings red-necked phalarope.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Eccleston Mere
Willow tit 1
Gadwall 3
Mute swan 7 (adult male with 5 cygnets and adult female being driven off by male)
Coot 140
Great spotted woodpecker 2
Swallow 30
House martin 20
Gadwall 3
Mute swan 7 (adult male with 5 cygnets and adult female being driven off by male)
Coot 140
Great spotted woodpecker 2
Swallow 30
House martin 20
Appleton Reservoir, Warrington
Cuckoo 1
Raven 2
Gadwall 37
Shoveler 5
Tufted duck 14
Great crested grebe inc. pair with 2 chicks on their back.
Mute swan 2 ads
My first ever September cuckoo, and my latest by 10 days.
Raven 2
Gadwall 37
Shoveler 5
Tufted duck 14
Great crested grebe inc. pair with 2 chicks on their back.
Mute swan 2 ads
My first ever September cuckoo, and my latest by 10 days.
Monday, 8 September 2014
The Burren
Mullaghmore.
Lough Gealain, part lough and part turlough.
The neolithic burial tomb Poulnabrone Dolmen.
Autumn felwort.
Black Head.
Rusty Back fern.
Wood sage.
A prostrate form of alder buckthorn at Lough Gealain..
Lough Bunny.
Kilmacdaugh
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