A bit of distant festive whiteness

The Safari has had a family and friend filled festive holiday and hopes you have too. On Boxing Day we had a wander up the prom with Wifey and Monty. It wasn't a bad day with little wind and some sunshine so everyone and his or her uncle was out walking off their excesses from the previous day. We didn't see a great lot of wildlife to to be honest we weren't looking too hard. Away on the top of Bowland's highest peak point, Ward's Stone, the afternoon sun was lighting up a little cap of snow, now if it fell on the fell before midnight that would make it a white Christmas in Lancashire.

The following day we were visiting friends just over the Cumbria birder where a walk to the pub gave us lovely views of the Lake District fells showing their good covering of snow on the higher ground.

In the snow; L>R Bow Fell, Pike o' Stickle, Gimmer Crag, Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark

We think the 'big one' is Red Screes

This morning's early morning dog walk through up a pleasant surprise when we heard a Raven (P1 #43), only the second time we've had them here in 13 1/2 years. Looking round we saw a Carrion Crow and thought we'd made a mistake but then heard the 'cronk' again and looking round behind us watched two soaring in synchronised flight around the top of the water tower - nice!!! 

Later we met up with CR for a spin round Marton Mere. He'd arrived a little before us and had already seen a nice blotchy leucistic male Blackbird. We stopped in the hide affectionately known as Ice Station Zebra, it wasn't too cold today. There were a few Herring Gulls, plenty of Coot and Wigeon but not a lot else. Looking well to our right to see if we could get a glimpse of any more gulls further down the mere and got a surprise view of a Bittern flying across the water into the far corner.

At the Bird Club hide we again scoured the gulls, more Black Headed Gulls and fewer Herring Gulls here but also good numbers of Teal and more yet Wigeon. Best of the rest was a female Mallard lording it over everyone else being Queen of the Castle on the 'goalpost'. That would come into play later too.

Big full crop there!

We continued the circuit seeing not much more than a few more Teal on the way, the embankment and scrub were very quiet apart from a handful of Robins. No sign or sign of any of the Bullfinches. 

Round at Heron Hide the light was horrid but we still had to scan the gulls of which there were more Herring Gulls now. One of them raised up and had a flap in front of the 'goalpost' - oh yes the Iceland Gull (190, MMLNR #89, YBC #167) was there and we got pretty good views through the bins despite the rotten light as it took to a vigorous bathe. But by the time we'd lowered our bins and raised the camera it had drifted a little way and in the dreadful light we couldn't find it in the viewfinder so had to resort to taking a 'scattergun' of shots in the hope it would be there and in focus. It was, but it wasn't.

Something unseen flushed the gulls and many of them moved further down the lake but a good few left, unfortunately the Iceland Gull was with that group. 

From the Viewing Platform we counted at least 225 Wigeon and we knew there were more hidden in the reeds at the far end so probably over 250 were on site, a good number for here. C saw a Little Grebe that we missed but that probably didn't make up for him not seeing the Bittern nor the Iceland Gull.

Back at the car a couple of Magpies were in the tree by the hedge too close for the 600mm but we had to snap away as the opportunity was too good to miss before we headed off back to Base Camp for a brew.

Where to next? Might well get back out to Marton Mere again tomorrow.
In the meantime let us know who's lording up in your outback.

Weekend wildlife wander

The Safari has had an enjoyable mooch about across several different sites this weekend. And thankfully the weather has been quiet kind and conducive to wildlife spotting. 

Recently we've been fretting about the loss of the Sneezewort at Monty's favourite walkies site. We were worried that all the tree planting that had been done on the site had shaded it out. Luckily it turns out it's still there and we'd been looking in totally the wrong place, those trees had changed our point of reference. Not only was it still there but there seemed to be more of it than we've seen in the past.

Sneezewort - phone pic

Well that was a relief! It was also a bit of a relief when we were allowed to go out to the nature reserve for a couple of hours with CR and without Monty.

We had three 'B's on our hit list. First was a Blackcap - yes we're still missing this on our Year Bird Challenge. No sight or sound of them on the walk in at all. Our first stop was at the Viewing Platform where we hoped a/the Bittern might be stood out in plain sight - it wasn't but four Herons were. Scanning round the water three Wigeon were a bit of a mid-summer surprise.

At the nest hide Reed Warblers flitted around teasing us as always.  Never giving us a clear view unless they hopped up to the top of the reed stem but when they did that they flitted off the instant the camera was raised towards them.

Still no Blackcaps were seen or heard in the scrub as we walked further down the trail...neither were any Bullfinches although to be fair this would be a corking bird to get a pic of at the reserve. We managed it once - just!  Annoyingly we had a cracking male in our sights once too but it was flushed by a dog on the 'wrong' side of fence a billi-second before we pressed the shutter button - grr grr and double grrr.

CR's sharp eyes picked out a couple of intriguing insects along the track. Some dark shiny black flies revealed bright yellow abdomens with a dark stripe.

Identified later in the day by GB by simply just using Google - now why didn't we do that? Sciara hemerobioides, a Fungus Gnat. Not knowingly recorded in our local area before.

CR also picked out a small micro-moth resting on a Black Knapweed head. This one took a little more persistence to get ID'd...eventually those clever local lepidopterists on Facebook provided an answer - Eucosma sp they weren't able to get it down to species level.

Whilst CR was loking for Common Blue butterflies we spotted a Whitethroat checking out a ripening Blackberry.

I found it - it's mine - now get lost!!!

No butterflies for CR unfortunately, it was a bit overcast and cool to be honest - the forecast was for all day sun.

Back at Base Camp the sun did come out and with Wifey out for the day we were in for the duration looking after Monty so we spent the time in the garden trying to get some pics of the insects that were buzzing around the Oregano plants.

Ersitalis tenax - a fluke the real subject had done a bunk from the flower

Myathropa florea - the 'Batman' hoverfly

Marmalade Hoverfly

Scaeva pyrastri

Great Pied Hoverfly - Volucalla pellucens

Look at those feathery antennae - almost moth-like

This morning we were out earlish with Monty, there was a mist lying over the low ground between us and the high ground of Bowland. Ah Bowland - where in a months time thousands of Red Grouse will be used as target practice and to provide the ridiculously large numbers of surplus Red Grouse the habitat is 'altered' dramatically to suit them and them alone and anything and everything that might prey on them is 'removed' legally or illegally as in the case of the Hen Harrier and other birds of prey. It's time for for things to change in our uplands...please get yourselves along to one of the Hen Harrier Days coming up soon and find out what really happens in our 'lovely' uplands.

Yesterday on Patch 1 we missed a Blackcap by seconds in the gloom under the trees, this morning there was lovely sunshine but no sign of any Blackcaps. Bizarrely there was a Moorhen poking around on the lawn by the pond, they are usually on the smaller but much more densely vegetated top pond.

A wander round the fields with the dog walking crew in the sunshine gave us a glimpse of the male Whitethroat and a soaring male Sparrowhawk and not a lot else.

Later in the morning we set off with Wifey and Monty for a wander in the dunes to the south. Mostly throwing a ball for Monty and supervising his meeting n greeting but we did have the camera with us on the off chance of something interesting. There's always something interesting in the world of wildlife!

Sea Bindweed

Common Centaury

Harebell

We were hoping for the uncommon Grayling butterfly to put in an appearance. It didn't but yesterday's missing Common Blues were on the wing today.

As were several Gatekeepers.

Butterflies we would expect and we saw a few Burnet moths flying around but perhaps the most unusual find of the trip was this Smoky Wainscot moth - what was that doing out during the day - other than nectaring on Yarrow of course.

And so ended a pretty good wildlife filled weekend.

Where to next? Next weekend is National Whale and Dolphin Watch and we have a full programme of watches lined up for you to join.

In the meantime let us know who's put past their bedtime in your outback.

Hen Harrier Day 2016

The Safari and Wifey picked up GB (no not the one from Western Australia - this one) and photographer JH earlyish on Sunday morning and headed out east.

We weren't on the quest for wildlife because sadly we knew today we weren't going to see anything special as the opportunity has been taken from us this year by the local grouse shooting fraternity. 

The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has as its logo a Hen Harrier. This year there are none to be found. A male turned up early in April and began skydancing to set up a territory but 'disappeared' after a few days - now why would it leave a chosen breeding area while waiting for any females to turn up???

A female or at least a 'ringtail' too - Stolen from
http://markavery.info/2015/06/25/bowland-signs-times/ we're sure he won't mind

Not that this area has much natural beauty, outstanding or not, there's no denying it's very rural and picturesque but natural beauty, it's about as natural as a golf course!

Here's some real natural upland beauty from our trip to Poland a few years ago when we enjoyed a cruise down the Dunajac Gorge.

Notice how the hills are forested with a mix of conifers and broadleaves except where it is too rocky for them to grow. Now look at a typical Bowland hill.

The only trees are along the river apart from a few isolated ones dotted around the hillside. These are mostly 'weeds' being self seeded from the forestry plantation - the dark green area.

From above it looks like this.

'C' is a clear felled area of forestry whereas the very unnatural looking patchwork quilt effect of 'A' and 'B' is burned areas of heather for grouse moor management resulting in no trees and damage to the peat preventing it soaking up rain water and releasing lots of carbon dioxide. It was this 'management' that we had come to protest against, along with the continued persecution of Hen Harriers and other birds of prey. This year is the first year ever when not a single pair of Hen Harriers or Peregrines have been allowed to nest in these uplands. Allowed as in permitted by the grouse shooting estates. Nothing, absolutely nothing, that interferes with their Red Grouse is tolerated. Traps are set for small mammals such as Weasels and Stoats, Foxes are shot or snared as are Badgers. Why all mammals bar a few serious pests like Rats and Mice and a very select few others aren't protected like the birds we don't know but might hazard a guess it was down to big land owners like these in the past. Not that it stops them killing our protected native wildlife like the birds of prey - allegedly...if any crimes have been committed up here finding evidence and bringing the culprit(s) to court are nigh on impossible. In Scotland even the (possibly) world's rarest cat has succumbed to the gamekeepers and it's only now known as the Sottish Wild Cat because, yes you guessed it, gamekeepers wiped it out from the rest of Britain long ago, although we have to admit that it was probably doomed due to interbreeding with so many domestic cats by now anyway...but that's doesn't excuse what happened to them by way of trap, snare, gun or poison.

The time has come to stand up and be counted and so no more, enough is enough. And that's what over a 100 of us had gathered for.

This is the only Peregrine in Bowland!

The mighty AB thinks he's seen one - he hasn't, there aren't any!

Pesky towny lefties with no idea how the countryside works - one of them is an ecologist

We have had enough of the moorland mularky and we have some serious looking allies on our side, we reckon driven grouse shooting is doomed, maybe not this year, maybe not next year, maybe not even the year after but sooner rather than later.

You shouldn't have to walk far from where we were stood but sadly that's not possible due to somebody's hobby/pastime - it's not a sport and neither is it an industry even if it is carried out on an industrial scale

It's not only Hen Harriers, where's our Red Kites, Peregrines, Short Eared Owls and we should have Golden Eagles up there too. This ecologically illiterate remnant of Victoriana has to stop. The more people start to realise how much of our wildlife is being destroyed, how much environmental damage is being caused, how much their water and insurance bills are being increased, how much more often their homes are being flooded the more likely they are to look for change.

If you do nothing else please sign this UK petition to bring the matter to a debate in parliament. And ask, cajole, implore your friends and contacts to sign too.

We wonder what the effects of any subsidy changes will be or even if this mega-rich demographic actually get any subsidies taken off them. We won't hold our breath, they'll probably be the only ones to keep their subsidies!

A huge thank you to TP and co for organising again - it'll be even bigger and better next year.
And many thanks to JH for letting us use her quality pics

Where to next? Back to Patch 2 tomorrow.

In the meantime let us know how many have signed the petition in your out back - get them signing and sharing and lets hear who has to say what in that parliamentary debate.