Smew at Blackmoss res.


Fighting apathy at 7.30am, I decided to check maps to see if I could get access to the reservoir below Pendle hill for a look at the reported female smew. Too tired to look for dotterel at pendle summit.
25+ swifts feeding high above the Judge Walmesley pub and another 4 screaming through the empty streets of Whalley. Its only a week since my first swift sightings this year.
Stopped in at lower barrow lodge on the way. A few bachelor mallards, the single white domestic duck seemed to be all that was there, until a single female mallard appeared with one very small duckling.

At the car park at Barley there was a male blackcap singing, a chiffchaff calling and a pair of mistle thrushes feeding on the lawn. Walking up Blacko lane towards Black moss reservoirs, I saw another 4 swifts, a single curlew, a pair of lapwing and another 3 mistle thrushes.
I kept low behind the wall to the res, in case my luck was in. It was. The smew was in the near corner, only 20 metres from me. My luck changed though. As I dug out my camera from my backpack, the farmer came speeding up on his quadbike, calling his sheep. The smew made a bolt across the res. Bugger! Just managed to digi-bin this shot before a GC grebe chased the smew even further from me.















3 choices now faced me

a) climb pendle again to look for Dotterel
b) drive round to moor piece for Pied Flycatcher and wood warbler.
c) home for brekky and go to the car boot sale with Jill.

Chose C out of hunger and apathy. Bad move. The car boot sale has really gone downhill since our last visit, and I've now read on the ELOC site that a Dotterel has been located! When my luck changes, it goes really bad :(

Anyway, watched this nice dipper in the stream through Barley. Heard it feeding its chicks under a bridge too.














Dropped in to Barrow (Jills folks) after the carboot, to check on the kestrels. Good timing. Just as I got there, the male turned up with a small mammal, gave it to the female, and took his turn on the eggs. She eats his offerings in the next tree and then goes back to the box after about half an hour.

Also in Barrow, my tawny owl(s) have returned to their day roost. Unfortunately, a squirrel seems to have moved into the newest box that I put up for the owls. Time for another eviction.