Marton mere then Fairhaven lake then Lytham moss

I had compiled a list of targets for todays trip, long-eared owls were at the top of that list. I parked in the Marton mere holiday park for the first time. Very closley packed static carvans, I dont imagine its a very nice place to holiday.
Lots of smells of fox around the lake, nearly as strong as the smell of urine in the hides. Its disgraceful but I do notice that some cameras have been erected , so that the rangers can keep an eye on the hides.
Anyway....I cant believe that I didnt managed to find the LEOs! I've been to see them in previous winters but I couldnt find them in the usual roost despite an hours scanning :(

The only new ticks for my uk 08 list was a ruddy duck and some reed bunting, I saw a male on NY eve but no more until today.

Quite dejected, I moved on to fairhaven lake in Lytham. Scored a linnet on the shoreline and a little grebe on the lake. Both had managed to evade me so far this year. RB merganser, canada geese, jackdaw and numerous mallard were also present. It was high tide, so not much wader action.


































Time was running out as I had to get back to work the late shift. I took the most direct route back to the M55 on my map and found a new birding spot! Lytham moss...I'd always wondered where that was. I stopped for a scan and found some Whooper swans, 2 mute swans, a few curlew and I think I may have heard a skylark singing but could see any. Also spotted a male stonechat, another common species that had evaded me until today.


































So, six new species for the 08 list, but still a pretty disappointing morning. Still cant believe that I couldnt find the LEOs!!!!!

And to add to my dismay, I dropped my 2 month old digiscoping camera and broke it

:( When it rains it pours

other news - Had to brake for a weasel, crossing the road, just before coffin lodge on the way to Clitheroe. Saw it in the rear view crossing sucessfully.

Barrow lodge - Walkies for Treakle

We took Treakle for a walk round to Barrow lodge today. The Slavonian grebe is still there, and the Kingfisher is still fishing in the far right hand corner from the printworks. All the usual suspects, mallard, 2 pairs of coot, some moorhen and the single drake pochard still hanging around the 2 tufted pairs. Notable however, was that one of the many BH gulls was coming into summer plummage, with a nearly full black head.
There was a goldcrest with the long tailed tit party that flew through and a flock of circa 10 siskin sheltering in a squirrel drey/old magpie nest, near barrow village.

Back at the house there was a pair of bullfinch feeding on new buds.

Nothing new for my uk 08 list.

The RSPB big garden birdwatch

I did my watch yesterday from the same spot as last year. It wouldnt be as accurate if I went out looking in the entire garden area, so just the feeder area was my spot.

6 blue tits (seen at same time, not 1 bird 6 times)
1 great tit
3 robin (still sorting out their territories for 08)
2 dunnock
1 blackbird (m)
1 greenfinch
1 chaffinch
3 redpoll (feeding on the ground in front garden area)

The 8 long tailed tits turned up after I'd done my hour (same as last year).
Other notable absentees were the coal tit pair and the feral pigeons.
The female sparrowhawk took one of the ferals this week, so they seem to be steering clear.
I think the v. windy weather probably contibuted to the poor turnout of birds.


I managed to get a digibinned shot of one of the redpoll in the alder tree. The branches were blowing about in the wind, so the cameras "antishake" function works well.

Meanwhile....back at the ranch......

The weather has been awful this week, so much rain that the River Calder broke its banks, near Whalley. I've only managed to get out for short spells. The female sparrowhawk has been hunting around the garden frequently. It was the male that I filmed killing the collared dove last year.
When Jill and I were walking Treakle yesterday, we flushed a brown bird from the trees in "owl corner". Jill says that this is the bird that she's flushed several times. The first time she reported this to me, we put it down to snipe or even a female pheasant. However now that I've seen it myself (and the fact that it was flushed from a wooded area) I reckon that its a woodcock.
It was only a fleeting glimpse as it flew off, so I havent added it to my UK08 list yet, got to be 100% sure.
I went out today and scanned the ground in front of me with the bins as I walked. Nothing flushed though. Gives me something to target. I'd love a dodgyscope of a hiding woodcock.
The Slav is still on Barrow lodge and is still attracting numbers of twitchers every day.
Also siskin, redpoll, bullfinch and goldcrest around the garden area.

Barrow lodge again

Popped over to the lodge again today to see how the Slav was getting on. Its still there and I thought I'd get some better pics in the slightly better light today.


















The Slav had other ideas though, and dived or moved every time the sun came from behind a cloud. Infuriating and frustrating! Quite a few other local birders out today in the better weather, one I remembered from last April, up Pendle hill, twitching the Dottrel.






































Anyway, I spotted another UK2007 list tick for me in the shape of a common kingfisher, one of my fav British birds.






















































Thats 74 species , so far , this year.

Woohoo! Slavonian grebe on Barrow lodge.

I managed to find a free half hour today....and the Slav grebe stayed! Phew! I'd have hated to miss such a good twitch in my own backyard. I was in Blackpool this morning and planned to stop at Marton mere to see the long eared owls. However, I called Jill to see if the Slav was still there. It was and I changed my plans. Jill had already been round to photograph it, just in case I didnt get the chance.

The first photo with the mallard is Jills, and the rest are mine, taken thru the scope.

Click on pics to enlarge

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

My computer has been down since Sunday am. Now I get in from work to find out that theres a SLAV GREBE on MY patch.
Lower barrow lodge, reported for the last 2 days.
I'm busy from first thing tomorrow and dont even know if I'll have time to get round there until middayish.
What if its gone??!!?? Well nothing I can do til daylight eh? Unless.....I go down there with a floodlight. LOL.

Anyway, while the PC was down, I thought Id amuse myself (on such a rainy day) by photographing the birds on the garden feeders.
Amusing when the long tailed tits invaded in numbers, but the great tit and robin got their fill too.