Lockdown week 7 brings a real treat

The Safari took a wander along the North Blackpool Pond Trail on a warm Monday morning. At the reedbed through the gate a pair of Dunnocks were busy looking for nesting material, one disappeared into the thick Brambles with a feather while the other was on the look out for more.

We had no luck getting a pic of either of the two Sedge Warblers that were singing at each other from further back in the reeds. 

Mooching slowly on listening to Robins, Blackcaps and Wrens we came to the Community Orchard where the alarm calls of the gulls had us looking up. A Buzzard came into view coming our way mobbed by an entourage of closely following gulls.

 It dropped a bit lower to avoid the worst of their attentions and came directly overhead skimming the tree tops - awesome view!

We wonder how it came by the damage to its wing, hopefully not from gunfire - can't believe in the 21st century there's still far too many people think these birds pose a threat to them and still persecute them all too often.

 In the field a few yards further on a pair of Jackdaws searched the dry ground for something to eat.

At the Black Pond the family of Mallard ducklings were busy hoovering up invertebrates dropping of the Marsh Marigold flowers above their little heads.

After the close Buzzard encounter in the morning the afternoon provided another at Base Camp when again the gulls alerted us to a bird of prey. Looking up we watched three Buzzards circling tightly in a 'kettle' gaining altitude and drifting towards the coast right over the garden.

Moth trapping has been a dead loss so far this year with our efforts being thwarted by clear skies, the bright moon and mostly cool temperatures. However some warm calm days brought hope but it wasn't to be as our neighbours have installed a floodlight in their yard worthy of a football stadium so even more light pollution to contend with along side all the garden destruction being wrought by folk stuck at home suddenly discovering their gardens and wanting to 'improve' them which basically seems to mean ripping out all the shrubs and felling all the trees - we've got real eco-anxiety this week with all the deforestation going on. If you think the Amazon is bad Blackpool is worse and we have far fewer trees to lose.

Tuesday saw us back along Chat Alley. Not a lot going on down there although we weren't expecting to see a rather late skein of Pink Footed Geese heading out to see on route to Iceland.

A Great Crested Grebe was sat on the sea some distance out, secretly we were hoping the white dot we could see was a Red Throated Diver we could add to our 1 mile bird blitz but it wasn't to be. 

We spent the afternoon watching the Red Mason Bees around the Bee Hotel

and spotted a tiny fly lurking furtively around the entrance holes and occasionally sneaking in - what is it and what's it up to?????

The compost heap was also worth watching with all the spider activity but above it a small Crane Fly caught our attention. Quite a bonny one compared to most of the other members of the family.

The Wolf Spiders on the compost heap were in fine form but getting them to sit facing the light was an issue - they're not the most obliging of models.

Then we noticed a pair on the edge of the pond. These two allowed us to approach quite closely and watch their mating ritual. Lots of pedipalp waving and while the is was going on the front legs were also beating a rowdy tattoo on the wood. he inched closer, mate or death were the options...until the female scuttled away unimpressed.

Disaster happened when we missed a call from CR that would have told us another Osprey was coming our way. By the time we'd called back we'd missed it.

A Grey Squirrel was in the garden under the feeders early morning on Wednesday, probably looking for spillage. The first we've seen at Base Camp for a few weeks.

Our walk was again along Chat Alley where there were no chats but a few Swallows zooming up and down along the the cliffs kept us entertained trying to get an in-focus pic. 

We totally missed the late Sand Martin that zoomed through, wasn't expecting that! Nor were we expecting the at first unidentified bird coming towards us from way out to sea, it turned in to a Wood Pigeon as it drew closer - where'd that come from???

The fine afternoon meant the garden was lively. 

Not sure what species this Club Horned Wasp is. Last summer we had a 5 spotted species, Sapyga quinquepunctata, this one appears to have only four spots but could it be a male? They prey on solitary bees especially Osmia Mason Bees.

The little Longhorn Beetles Grammoptera ruficornis were out again, at least three of them including a mating pair - We reckon they are fairly well established round here despite not being previously recorded.

The warmth brought a good number of Honey Bees to the garden too.

Solitary bee sightings included this tiny wee shiny metallic one which we've been told is one of the  Lasioglossum morio agg. species

Another small wasp/sawfly thingy remains unidentified.

A Speckled Wood butterfly was the first of the year in the garden - butterflies have been very thin on the ground (or even in the air here so far this year) and while having a brew we got buzzed by a large ladybird flying round us and later found a second much smaller 7-Spot Ladybird up by the compost heap. 

Our best record of the day wasn't a sighting but a 'heard only' SWIFTS screaming way up high overhead - so glad they're back!

At last the moth trap had something in it when we opened it on Thursday morning. Not much - just one Tachystola acroxantha - but better than all the blanks we'd drawn recently. 

Very close to the trap we disturbed a male Light Brown Apple Moth. 

Yet another mooch along the cliffs gave us some wader movement perhaps due to the high tide washing them off a roosting site. We had some Oystercatchers on the move

as well as some new species for pur 1 mile bird blitz whe na mixed flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers came past for number 63 and 64.

And they were followed by another addition, a Cormorant, which was good as we'd missed one flying past a couple of days earlier. #65

More sunshine at Base Camp in the afternoon gave us the chance to get a phone snap of this parasitic wasp that's been seen most days but until now hasn't really posed nicely for a pic.

A Pond Skater was on the pond which is quite an unusual occurrence. If any aquatic life arrives the fish soon gobble it up but it seems the fish or at least almost all of them are no more - we think we've had nocturnal visits from a Heron that has taken advantage of the bright moonlit nights and scoffed all but the very biggest fish in the pond. Well we always wanted a wildlife pond but now we have to break the bad news to Wifey who won't be happy she's lost her fish.

Not long after that another unusual visitor to the garden was found. We saw it struggling in the water and hoiked it out to dry off. It was only then we saw that it was a St Mark's Fly - don't think we've ever seen one in the garden before.

Friday's moth trap was successful - just. A female Light Brown Apple Moth and a small brown Caddis Fly were secreted in the egg boxes. Are things looking up at last?

There's nothing to reprt from our morning walk. Back in the garden the Lasioglossum bee was back this time nectaring on the Aubretia flowers.

A fly landed on a nearby leaf - it looks like a Yellow Dung Fly if it is one it's the first record for the garden. e normally see them not too faraway in the horse fields along the North Blackpool Pond Trail where they are associated with - yes you've guessed it! perhaps blown our way by the run of easterly winds.

Saturday was forecast to be the last day of fine weather but overnight no moths had found their way into the trap. We had a change of scenery for our morning walk heading out early to the park passing this small wood, it's only about 20 x 30m in area, on the way. We affectionately call it Magpie Wood as it holds a roost of about 50 or more Magpies over the winter months.

In recent days just outside our 'comfort zone' there's been a flurry of decent scarce migrant birds including Redstart, Whinchats, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers which we would have loved to have seen but couldn't. However, this morning passing this scrap of woodland we thought we heard a Wood Warbler, listening hard we heard the trilling at the end of a Wren's song among the songs of Blackcap, and Chiffchaff and put it down to our aging ears playing tricks and the unlikeliness of the habitat on we went to the park where there is much better habitat for a grounded Wood Warbler. 

Despite the warning and the proximity of other recent good species we didn't even check the park but walked the rough fields as usual with our eyes and ears open just in case.

There wasn't much happening there just the usual two Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat in the old  hedge and Blackcaps and Chiffchaff singing in the scrub. A Sparrowhawk called from there too.

On the way back we definitely heard a Wood Warbler both calling and singing. Putting the news out more for folks' information than anything else as no-one should be twitching at the current time we were surprised to get a txt from SD who just happened to be passing the top of the road on his way to the prom. Minutes later he arrived and was able to get this pic. Many thanks to him for letting us use it.

We had an errand to run later in the morning and called in with the big lens hoping it was still there. After a few minutes it sang to reveal its presence, but it was right at the top of the trees. We did get a bit of a pic  for #66 of of 1 Mile Bird Blitz and #146 of our Vertebrate Challenge.

What a great little bird to turn up on our local patch and what a weird place. It just goes to show that during migration time anything can turn up anywhere you've just got to keep your eyes and ears open - which we nearly didn't!

Back in the garden we spent yet more time with the Longhorn Beetles

Also in the garden was another (or perhaps the same although we'd nor  see nit since despite lots of looks) Pond Skater.

After tea it looked like a bit of a sunset was shaping up so we persuaded Wifey to turn the telly off and we took the mutt for a short walk along the cliffs. It as so clear we could almost see the sheep grazing the hills on both the Snowdonian mountains and the Lake District fells, shame the Isle of Man was lost in the low cloud. It as just that low cloud that gave the sunset its colour though.

Looking north to the Lake District

Well worth going out for the last of the day's sunshine.

The week ended on a moth high. The forecast was slightly wrong and we got another night with the moth trap in situ. Sunday's trap held easily our best catch yet and increased our year's tally by almost 50%. There were five moths in the trap; that shows just how poor this year has been. two Heart & Darts was our first multiple catch of a single species!

The others were a White Shouldered House Moth looking nice and fresh.

A female Bee Moth and another Tachystola acroxantha were the other two. here's hoping 'moffing' picks up soon!

The weather changed to bally chilly and we have nothing else to report from Sunday.

Where to next? More of the lockdown same we suppose.

In the meantime let us know who's turned up unexpectedly in your locked down outback

Stay safe - Stay physically distant - keep watching that wildlife, it's good for you you know.

 

Creeping along

The Safari apologises for the lack of recent updates, inexcusable we know but we have been away for a week in a rather windy southern Scotland. But before we get over the border we've been on a few other safaris loser to home doing our best to add to our Photo Year List Challenge. At the time of writing we're currently in third place with no hope of catching the front runner (from British Columbia) unless something awful befalls her, there are a others who are hot on our heels too.

A cold, drizzly and windy Fleetwood golf course early in the month gave us this poor Skylark pic for 116 - yet another to try to improve on as soon as possible.

CR took us up to the private reserve in southern Lakeland but the weather transpired against us with no reptiles and few birds seen so by lunchtime we decided to call it a day and head south to Leighton Moss RSPB reserve where we spent much of the afternoon enjoying the Black Headed Gull and Avocet colony. However our fave pic of the afternoon as of this bathing Oystercatcher.

 quick stop at the nearby quarry on the way back to Base Camp gave us a brief Raven (PYLC 117)

An improvement in the weather brought some migrant birds with Wheatears being seen along Chat Alley but only when we werre camera-less. A wander round Marton Mere gave us our first Willow Warbler  (PYLC 118) of the year. Always a joy to hear their liquid cadence filling the morning  air.

Now armed with a camera we headed to the cliffs again and were successful in our quest for Wheatears (PYLC 119)

The cliffs aren't 100% natural but we have been allowed it as the 'hand of man' can't really be discerned in the pic - phew! 

We've had several visits to Marton Mere, mostly with the aim of coming across one of the many Cetti's Warblers but the skulky little devils continued to avoid us as they had done all year so far - hearing them isn't problem; seeing them out in the open for more than a split second is a different proposition entirely. We were rewarded one morning with a handsome drake Garganey (PYLC 120) that was unfortunately a little too far away to do it full justice

And then to Dumfries and Galloway we went for a week with Wifey, LCV and family. For the first half of the week there was a very cold wind blowing in all the way from the far side of Moscow that was keeping many migrants at bay. The second half of the week warmed to almost tropical temperatures so it was beach and ice-creams wit hthe family. not until we'd visited the Red Kite feeding station at Bellymack Hill Farm - a must visit if you're in the area, open every afternoon of the year. Like everyone else there we filled our boots with pics but chose this slightly blurred one for our challenge pic (121), they stoop very very fast when the food appears!

There's a whole heap more Red Kite pics on our Flickr site. 

Morning visits to the nearby RSPB Mersehead reserve gave us lots of Barnacle Geese but few migrants other than chiffchaff, a couple of Willow Warblers and a few Blackcaps, one of which was photographed very poorly for number 122.

The star of the show there are the Barnacle Geese and we spent a lot of the time just  enjoying them and trying to read some of the Darvik rings some of them sported.

Best animal of the whole trip for us though were the Badgers at the last public watch of the year at Mersehead. We hate to admit it but we've not seen a live Badger since the early 1980s so for a few quid, a comfy chair and an almost dead cert chance of seeing them we just had to pay the entrance fee. A bit of a wait that included a couple of unidentified bats and an unidentified 'dark' owl - not the fairly regularly seen Barn Owl was crowned by not one, not two but three Badgers feeding on the peanut butter bait down to six feet from our boots the other side of the window - we just loved it and big thanks to Calum the warden for allowing the group to stay an extra half hour. hopefully our Badger drought has been ended and it won't be 35 years or so until our next sighting of a live one - crikey we'll only be a few years short of the ton by then!!!

Roe Deer are always good to see there too and we could even have reached out of the car window and touched one as it bolted past us on the way out of the reserve from the Badger watch - awesome!!!

The last couple of days of our trip gave us a distant flock of Golden Plovers (PYLC 123) - not quite the summer plumaged pic we were hoping for but an enforced digi-scoped pic at phenomenal range. Also out on the rocks but not photographable were our first Whimbrel of the year and a local scarcity in the form of three Little Egrets.

Our very last morning gave us another year bird, the Sedge Warbler that LCV had heard the day before.

Back in Blackpool it was only a matter of time before we went to Marton Mere and this time we had our Cetti's Warbler (PYLC 124) success - even got it singing. The relief is palpable.

The following day we managed to get a pic of  the Whitethroats (PYLC 125) that had eluded us on 'Cetti's' day

But were still unable to submit Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler,  Reed Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler to the SD card. Later that afternoon news broke of a nice selection of birds at a bit of a flooded field just round the corner from Marton Mere towards Weeton so we piled Monty into the car and set off. Pulling up we scanned the muddy flood seeing some Black Tailed Godwits feeding in the water and lots of Pied and a few White Wagtails on the mud then a little flit of brilliance caught our eye at the back of the field - result one of the two Yellow Wagtails (PYLC 126). It's such a shame that these are now so uncommon - in our youth aka the old days we came across these much more frequently on our birding days that Grey Wagtails. Could have done with it coming a little close though.

Also in the field and taking some finding as we expected them to be on the mud at around the water margin rather than well away from it in the grass were two Little Ringed Plovers (PYLC 127), again right across on the far side of the field.

Our next safari was an afternoon out at Brock Bottoms with Wifey where the Bluebells were at their finest.

Wifey spotted a butterfly resting on some track-side plants which turned out to be a female Orange Tip laying an egg, the plant being Jack-by-the-Hedge/Garlic Mustard/Hedge Garlic.

A change in the weather was due and we txtd CR that Stanley park could be good in the morning with Wood Warbler predicted - and would you believe it on our early morning dog walk news broke of a Wood Warbler in Stanley Park, sixth sense/experienced birder/pure fluke - take your pick. They're only ever a one-day-wonder around these parts.

An hour and a half later we'd picked up CR and were watching it infuriatingly flit through the twiggery giving very poor views. Thankfully eventually it moved a few yards and gave much better views.

Better views were had through the bins when it showed well again later on in the morning but we had no chance of getting a pic then. Still it's one we didn't photograph in either of our two previous challenges so very happy to add it to this yea's tally at number 128.

While in the park we were told of a family of Tawny Owls over the road in Woodland Gardens so after filling our boots with the Wood Warbler off we went for a look. After looking in slightly the wrong place we came across another lad pointing his camera high into the tree-tops where he kindly pointed out the adult and two fluffy youngsters to us.

A top morning out!

The following day we left Base Camp in heavy rain and so didn't take a camera with us. Big mistake as when we were down on the embankment at Marton Mere after seeing very little on the way the gulls got up making a commotion and there above them was our first Osprey of the year and well withing range of the big lens and now the sun was shining - dohhhhhh - - you can't win em all!

Never forget you don't have to go to exotic locations and nature reserves to get close to awesome wildlife - here's a gorgeous Small Tortoiseshell butterfly slurping nectar from the Spanish Bluebells (admittedly an INNS weed) right outside the front door at Base Camp. Just make some space for nature in your gardens, doesn't even have to be all your garden just a bit of it will do for starters.

Where to next? Looks like a wet weekend coming up but we have a kids Bird Bingo event in the morning and who knows what might turn up at this time of year and then next week another further flung safari oop north with CR weather permitting.

In the meantime let us know who's the one day wonder in your outback