Weekend in Glasgow















I didn't expect to further my 2010 list on a pissup weekend in Glasgow... but I did.
My hotel was right on the Clyde. I saw my first meadow pipit (78) of the year on a building site in the city centre.
After a night out at the Stand comedy club, we dawdled along the river to the nearest weatherspoons for hangover brekkie. Spotted 4 female goldeneye (79) and then six males a bit further along. Then, at last, number 80 on the list this year 3 GREENFINCH! Where have they all been?
After another night on the beer I spotted a pair of Peregrine (81) hunting together over the city skyline. Possibly the pair that nests high in the Kelvingrove museum.

So this will be my last post here until I return from a scuba trip to Lanzarote.

This film, that I made in 2007, recently won a competition. The prize is flights, hotel and car hire in Lanzarote for a week.







Obviously, I'll be filming underwater again, but when not diving, I plan to film the Houbara bustard displaying as well!





















Back 2nd Feb, watch this space!

Newton marsh pool

Big change since last weeks fleeting visit.
Last week there were only a few redshank and lapwing, the pool was totally frozen.
Stopping from my delivery route today was a different matter.
1000's of wigeon (very late 2010 year tick no.76) had returned. No little grebe, which still evades me this year. 100's of curlew, 1 shelduck, a few shoveller and teal. I heard a skylark but I'm not counting "H.O.'s" this year.
















Eventually spotted a distant raptor..... which then flew straight towards me. A merlin! (year tick no.77)















It landed on a road-side post (it was probably pissed-off with the wind) but fled when one of those dust-bin lorries roared past, before I could dodgy-scope it.
















Lucky it landed in the nearby field, posing for pics whilst ignoring a flock of 50+ linnets.

Tiger shark in the river Calder


I thought I'd take a short Sunday walk along the Calder to see if the wintering common sandpiper was still present.
The litter washed up on the banks was deplorable.









































I saw a few mallard, 1 moorhen and a pretty big gull roost, but no common sandpiper.
On the walk back, I took a football ( amongst all the bottles, I had a choice of many! ) for my mates Jack Russell to play with.
I found this freshly half-eaten pike. Must have been a grey heron as the fish was 12"+

















The most ridiculous piece of flotsam on the banks was this 6 foot tiger shark! (gull roost in background)

In the garden

















It visited for about a month before the snow came. After the thaw its back! Quite an unusual garden visitor.

Grannies bay, Lytham

Whilst on my deliveries in the Preston/Freckleton area today, I added another 10 species to my 2010 list (total now 75) with a stop at Grannies bay.

66. Redshank
67. Turnstone
68. Sanderling
69. Black-tailed godwit
70. Dunlin
71. Curlew
72. Linnet
73. Northern Pintail
74. Shelduck
75. Oystercatcher

In the garden at Barrow

Found this dead male bullfinch this morning, still warm, but near the house, leading me to believe that it flew into a window, rather than starved or froze.
Beautiful bird, theres been a few pair around this winter, very shy though and doesnt come to the feeders.














On the other hand, the nuthatch has been coming to the garden more often than usual.






















I'm still seeing a lot of snipe and a single woodcock flying around the back fields every day. On my travels, I'm seeing more Roe deer than usual too. I think thats just because the snow makes them more visible.

Marton mere

Another lovely crisp day for us humans but a harsh, bitter day for the wildlife. Of course I've been feeding the garden birds plenty, but some species with more specialised diets must really be suffering.
On arrival at Marton mere. We (Jill came with me today) saw a 53 seater bus with a sign saying "Leicester RSPB members" arrive. I cant stand crowded hides or the general pfaff these groups tend to create, so we picked up the pace to get to the LEO's first.
On route to the owls, a skein of pink footed geese flew over. My first PFs of 2010. Species number 59 on my uk year list. Considering I got a half century on new years day, I've not really been scoring well since.
Anyway, on to the LEOs, 2 birds easily visible, there were probably others but we could find them.































































Still no sign of the crowds, so on seeing the small patch of unfrozen water on the mere and the angle of the sun, we headed to the South "holiday park side" hide.
Immediately added pochard, gadwall, shoveller and reed bunting to my yearlist.
Then in flew a bittern! Fantastic views in-flight and stalking along the edge of the ice. We watched this bird in perfect light for about 10 minutes before the masses arrived; screaming kids and dogs included.
We pointed out the bittern to them and left the hide.



















































Had a scan around other areas of the mere for water rail but to no avail.
Stopped in the feeder hide to see if I could get a greenfinch! Yep, greenfinch have evaded me thus far in 2010.










































































Quite a short visit but 7 more birds for the year. Jill doesnt really like the longer visits anyway, she'd rather be back home playing World of Warcraft!
The views of the LEOs and the bittern had me more than satisfied!

New years day birding

I'm going to try to dedicate more time this year to my real hobbies, rather than playing too many computer games (which is still a hobby, its just that I play for too long)
I'm going to keep a year list for 2010, and update this blog more frequently.

I always enjoy opening the curtains just after first light, to reveal the winner of "first bird species seen this year". And the winner was....tada!....

1) Carrion crow

I put some food out on the back feeders and some mealworm for last years first bird, the robin.
the next bird to turn up were

2) House sparrow - about 10 of them
3) Magpie
4) Jackdaw
5) Cormorant - flying high over the River Calder
6) Collared dove - pair displaying to each other
7) Black headed gull - also over the river
8) Robin - last years winner, came to collect his prize of mealworm
9) Blackbird
10) Blue tit

No surprises really yet

11) Dunnock
12) Song thrush - somewhat scarce in the garden recently
13) Starling
14) Great tit
15) Coal tit
16) Rook - 4 seen out of the front window feeding in field
17) Wood pigeon

out of the house now, drive up to barrow to drop Jill off and then over to barrow lodge for the scoter......hopefully

18) Chaffinch
19) Moorhen
20) Mallard - about 100 whilst scanning lodge for the scoter
21) Canada goose - pair on the lodge
22) Coot
23) Velvet Scoter - yes it was still there!
24) Treecreeper - calling and then seen on a hawthorn near the lodge
25) Grey wagtail - over the lower lodge while I chatted with Mike Watson
26) Common Buzzard - has been hanging around the A59 recently, a good find for the list
27) Kestrel - also by the A59

I drove over to Rishton res to look for the Black-necked grebe

28) Goldfinch - in cutwood park
29) Lapwing - circa 30 in flight over the res
30) Common gull - the first gull that I scoped on the ice
31) GBB gull
32) LBB gull
33)Herring gull














34) Teal - 2 pairs on the ice
35) Black-necked grebe - in flight around the almost completly frozen res. Frantically flying in circles pursued by hungry gulls. I really thought it would be a goner until it found a patch of water amongst the canada geese. Phew!














36) Great crested grebe - a couple amongst the geese
37) Tufted duck
38) Mute swan - a juv also in flight, eventually landed on the ice and slide along to a stop.
39) Kingfisher - quite a surprise this early in the list, flew past the promenade over ice, I didnt relocate it.
40) Wren - quite late on the list

I was disturbed by too many screaming kids and equally noisy parents, so decided to move on

41) Great spotted woodpecker - in small wood in cutwood park
back in Barrow

42) Grey Heron - usually seen earlier in the day
43) Bullfinch - 1 pr seen, more calling
44) Lesser redpoll - many feeding in the alder trees




























45) Mistle thrush - only just realised that I was missing most of the "winter" thrushes
46) Woodcock - our resident bird, I still havent managed to photograph it before it flushes, even though it stays in a pretty small patch.
47) Redwing - at last, many with the mistle thrush and starling, feeding in the fields.















48) Nuthatch - heard only
49) Snipe - in gellys field opp our house in Bilington
50) Tawny owl - heard only, in the dark back in Barrow.

A half century! (well nearly, I dont usually count "heard only")

Anyway, a lovely days birding, with the species appearing in quite a strange order.