Must be nearly spring

The Safari’s late night constitutional provided a year first in the form of a Leopard Slug wandering about on the pavement, a sign of the current warmer conditions but looking at next week’s weather forecast things might well be cooling down again.
This morning Patch 1 was thrush heaven. Although the park was silent and nothing was stirring, not even a mouse, the Golden Triangle’s singing Song Thrush was in full voice again, a Blackbird tuned up with a few short phrases from a nearby garden and in the darkness of the school grounds a Mistle Thrush was giving it plenty of welly.
Still no chance of an early morning Patch 2 safari and no proper lunchtime safari either although we had an errand to run and were able to take in a site that has held a few Waxwings over the last few days. Suffice to say we found the still-berried tree but not the birds. Could really do with getting to grips with them soon as there’s no guarantee they’ll turn up next back end. Whilst looking for them we did get out first sighting of a Wren this year and a pair of Peregrines flew over heading towards the coast. A quick stop and scan of Fairhaven Lake in the sunshine didn’t produce the Red Necked Grebe, if it had of been there and close to the edge we’d have tried to get a few better pics of it for you.
Getting back to Patch 2 we could see a large flock of gulls on a sandbank to the north but didn’t have the scope and they were just out of range for the bins. In front of us was a smaller but still sizeable flock but just as we began to work through them a woman with two dogs appeared and flushed them all apart from 16 brave Herring Gulls and a single Black Headed Gull which may have been ill as it was closest to the rushing dogs but didn’t even attempt to stand up. The others flew a few hundred yards to the south and landed on a patch of brightly shimmering wet sand where they were impossible to view properly. Dog-woman walked nearly up to them but before they took off again she turned back – why couldn’t she have stopped short the first time? Would it be too ingracious to have bird flushing dog walkers burnt at the stake? – having Little Bertha means we’ve got plenty of matches and firelighters...
A very quick look at the birds on the shimmering sand picked out two Great Black Backed Gulls, on account of their bulk but we couldn’t see any smaller waders only Oystercatchers, then our retinas burnt out.
With the tide quite low and lacking the scope there was no real point to looking to sea.

A lorra lorra gulls were going southwards to roost at sunset, almost all were Herring Gulls but we did pull out a single Lesser Black Back.

These two are Herring Gulls.

This is what they were flying out towards.

After a brew at Base Camp Frank's evening game of footy gave us the Peregrine roosting on its ledge...three in one day can't be bad!
Where to next? Back to the Iceland Gull at the dock and hopefully we won’t forget the Willow Tit tomorrow.
In the meantime let us know what’s shimmering in your outback.

At the end of Week 2 2011 the Safari’s lists stand at...
Birds year 85,
Birds Patch 1 26,
Birds Patch 2 19,
Birds Base Camp 18,
Birds Nature Reserve 53,
Mammals 3,
Moths 0.

Our topsy-turvy world

The Safari was out counting the roosting Magpies from ‘behind’ at 06.00 today, we got a rather low count of 34. The reason for the different counting position was that in the dark drizzly conditions they were easier to see their silhouettes against the streetlights from the bottom side of the wood. The counting was warm work this morning, the digital mercury hitting a full 8ºC or as much above ‘normal’ as it was below ‘normal’ a couple of weeks ago! For much of the day Warren’s patch, admittedly down South near the Tropics, was as warm as a nice April day here! But the warmth has brought mist and fog. The park was like something out of a Victorian Jack-the-Ripper movie with swirls of thick mist hanging round the trees and over the grassy areas. A Robin sang up near the road and a Heron winged its way over the trees from the pond like a giant moth in the darkness as we approached.
On the way back to Base Camp the Song Thrush was once again singing with plenty of gusto from the Golden Triangle, the two Robins were singing at each other too.
Absolutely no chance of getting a Patch 2 safari in before work as it was still dark with pea-souper of a thick fog thrown in for good measure.
Mid morning we had a meeting to attend at the northern end of town and on the way back called in at the nature reserve for a quick shuffy. The feeding station was busy, plenty of Blue and Great Tits, a party of Long Tailed Tits, a minimum of 11 Chaffinches, Reed Buntings were coming and going for fun, Robins, Dunnocks, a couple of Moorhens, Woodpigeons and a Collared Dove all came to the feeders or fed on the food scattered on the ground while Blackbirds and Fieldfares were chomping on the remaining apples hanging from the trees. We gave it a good few minutes but the hoped-for Brambling didn’t put in an appearance.
Moving round to the viewing platform we heard a Cetti’s Warbler singing loudly to our left and another away across the water. The gulls were at the wrong angle looking in to the light and we couldn’t get much on the larger ones, plenty of Black Heads, a few Commons but sadly no Mediterranean Gulls. Four drake Goldeneyes graced the water and we roughly counted around 350 Teal. Really we were hoping the Otter(s) might put on a show but there was (predictably) no sign of them. A largish flock of about 500 Pink Footed Geese landed in the far fields but we didn’t have the time to walk all that way nor a scope to go through them properly – it would be just our luck to find someone reporting a ‘tundra’ Bean Goose or Greenland White Fronted Goose, or even the dodgy Red Breasted Goose with them on the Bird Club’s website tonight!
The Rangers met up with us and we all went back to the feeding station, they continued on their rounds and we stayed and watched but there was much less activity than earlier, which didn’t bode well. As we were umming and ahhhing about whether to high tail it back to the office or not another birder came in to the hide. Within a minute of him sitting down he noticed that the Brambling had come on to the feeder on the right hand side – well done that man! This was just the stroke of luck we needed, Brambling (85) in the notebook, and one that can be a little tricky for the Safari so better to knock it off now than hope for one next back end. It didn’t stick around for a pic, no sooner having had a very quick feed it was gone again and didn’t reappear. Two other birders joined us and said they’d had a singing Cetti’s Warbler at the far end of the reserve, making three in all – not bad! Within a few minutes five Tree Sparrows had come on to the feeders and the usual tits were joined briefly by a Coal Tit. That was enough for us; it was time to head back to work. On the walk back to the car a group of Fieldfares suddenly got up out of the nearby trees, looking up we watched two Sparrowhawks, a male and a female flying close together, not quite displaying but good to see a pair out together. As far as we are aware they haven’t nested on the reserve yet but could do soon to add yet another breeding species to the site list.
Back at work we quickly ate our butties and went out in to the thick fog to Patch 2. Not sure why as visibility was down to less than 100 metres, but it just has to be done! We couldn’t see the sea from the sea wall and the gulls on the beach were just ghostly apparitions. Not much chance of pulling anything from amongst them.
Where to next? Gotta be some more wadery things on Patch 2 tomorrow assuming it’s clear enough to see them.
In the meantime let us know how far you can see in your outback.
No pics today – well you wouldn’t want to see the inside of a cloud, would you? Perhaps we should have taken one of the gulls on the beach as seen from the sea wall so you’d have an idea of how bad it actually was!

Grey and dreek but mild

The Safari saw the Peregrine asleep on the ledge late last night but by 06.30 this morning it had done a bunk.
Out and about looking like it was searching the grassy field for worms was the Fox, and sitting still by the bushes we were able to get good views of it for several minutes as it went about its business before trotting off home for the rest of the day – needless to say Frank was seriously over-excited by this time and we were having our work cut out trying to keep hold of him – he does like that Fox!
Once again conditions conspired against us and we were unable to do a Magpie count although it looked like there were quite a lot, say 50-ish +, tucked away in the tree tops. The park was deathly quiet but getting back to the Golden Triangle spring had sprung, a Song Thrush was singing its little lungs out, very nice to hear. A couple of Robins were singing at each other from in there too while a handful of Blackbirds hopped about on the grass, a paler thrush was with them and as they flushed when we walked past on the other side of the hedge the thin seeep of a Redwing was heard.
At lunchtime we safari-ed into the grey murk across the road to find the small amount of beach annoyingly seriously disturbed by dog walkers and fishermen. Away to the south was a plethora of gulls, several thousands of them, but sadly they were well out of range and the light was atrociously poor. The closest ones gave us nothing of note, one looked a good candidate for a Yellow Legged Gull but it wasn’t really claimable. A thorough search of the nearest Black Headed Gulls couldn’t find us a Mediterranean Gull (woulda been ‘off-patch’ anyway). What we would have given for an hour or two of time and somewhere closer, warmer and more comfortable to set up and have a good proper look through them all.
Closer was a flock of around 120 Redshanks, we could have got a more accurate count if the flock hadn’t been disturbed by two dog walkers approaching them from opposite sides, a small number of Turnstones were with them. Later, as the tide rose and they started to get ready to roost on the wall a Knot had joined them, taking Patch 2’s 2011 total to a whopping 19.
Out at sea besides the 50 or so Common Scoters there was nothing but dirty grey murk and a couple of Cormorants.
Also found this adult Herring Gull that had come to grief on the beach, it has an interesting wing tip pattern.

Upperwing first...Then underwing...

All this feathery nonesense goes to prove we haven't a clue! We think it is an argenteus type due to the black notch on the outer web of P5 but that all white tip on P10, is that white fringe on the inner web 'normal' and total lack of mirror on P9 is atypical - the more we look at gulls the more we're convinced there's no such thing as 'typical' and no two are the same...certainly among the LWHGs.

Where to next? More of the same tomorrow but it is forecast to be the warmest day for two months, just hope it’s not as grey and dreary as today.
In the meantime let us know what shade of grey it is in your outback.
Talking of outbacks – you can’t fail to have heard of the floods in eastern Australia – a bit serious. One bizarre/amazing combination of statistics was bandied about the other day on the news. The area under water is the equivalent of a good half of Western Europe, ie the area of France and Germany combined, that’s from here in the Safari’s sitting room at Base Camp to Poland’s western border! Then they said that it was total devastation with as many as twenty (YES - ONLY TWENTY) towns and cities affected, there’s more than that between here and Manchester, an hour or so drive away! That was before Brisbane copped for it though and no matter how bad the floods ever get here we’re not likely to get Salties or Bull Sharks roaming the watery streets!!! To give you an idea of how remote much of Queensland is if you were to head north from the corner of New South Wales and Queensland along the South Australian border aiming for the ‘Top End’ a distance of about fourteen hundred miles (Blackpool to Athens), you would only cross three tarmaced roads!

Ah red dust, hot heat and flies - can’t wait to get back there!!!

A better day?

The Safari was out early doors on Patch 1 in a cold strong wind. Nothing was moving, everything was still fast a-kimbo waiting for the dawn. Suddenly a Carrion Crow fluttered around above the tree tops in the darkness, like a giant bat, after being disturbed from somewhere by something.
No count of the roosting Magpies this morning just a question – how do they manage to cling on to their twigs all night when the branches are dancing and swaying like mad in the stiff breeze?
Returning past the Golden Triangle the first, and only, Robin of the morning sang in the light from the streetlamps and an early rising Blackbird hopped around on the grass the other side of the hedge.
Still far too dark for a pre-work Patch 2 safari but there is light at the end of the tunnel – or at least in the early morning commuting sky so not long to wait before we can get out twice a day again.
The media circus came to work this morning for the unveiling of a model of the new Blackpool trams, which all being well will be running along the promenade in about 15 months time once the all the track has been re-laid and the stations built. It was a actually unveiled not once but several times as the different TV, radio and newspaper reporters turned up for their ‘exclusives’. Hopefully these swish new trams will be a speedy and comfortable replacement for the ‘heritage’ fleet of boneshakers and we might just be tempted to use them. Would have to start a ‘seen from the tram’ list wouldn’t we? Could get some good stuff, we know of people who have seen Basking Sharks from the upper deck of the existing trams though sightings like that might be more difficult from the new trams as they are only single deckers.

Our lunchtime safari to Patch 2 was made just before the sea hit the base of the wall. There has been a wreck of shellfish and through the scope we could identify thousands of Rayed Trough Shells and good numbers of Prickly Cockles lying on the sand. Unfortunately due to the nearness of the water we disturbed all the closest gulls as soon as we appeared above them. To the south there were many more but all silhouettes in the strong low sunshine. We managed a count of 47 Redshanks in and around the large runnel and two dozen Oystercatchers roosting on the last of a sandbank; a further 87 were on the other side of it before the tide flushed them off.
Looking out to sea not a lot seemed to be going on, only fifty or so Common Scoters today and not many Cormorants, those we did see were all heading out to sea in to the wind. Following them in the scope brought us to a swirl of gulls, at least two Great Black Backs and several Herring Gulls, 2 Red Throated Divers flew towards us but past the feeding gulls without stopping. The Cormorants weren’t interested in what the gulls were after either going past the further out to sea. But the gulls were interesting as the longer we looked we started to notice more and more smaller gulls joining the fray. Kittiwakes (84), at least ten of them and maybe more, the chop and swell were quite deep in the strong wind and they were swooping around all over the place. All this activity was a bit distant and we couldn’t pick out any Little Gulls, which had been seen off Heysham yesterday.
Where to next? More of the same patchy stuff.
In the meantime let us know what’s swirling around in your outback.

So grey we lost inspiration today

The Safari is suffering post MOT depression although the result was positive the waiting was as anxious as ever.

Patch 1 last night gave us an unexpected fly-over in the dark, one or more Golden Plovers. About 65 Magpies were 'counted' roosting in Magpie Wood in the dark this morning.

Patch 1's running total is 24.

At lunchtime we got out for a few minutes before the rain started...a list is all you're getting...sorry

Starlings
2 Red Throated Divers
c100 Common Scoters
28 Redshanks roosting on wall
6 Cormorants
Distant Great Black Backed Gull
Was that a Kittiwake out there in the gloom?
Tide on the rise so no beach but thousands of gulls and a mass of Oystercatchers beyond our southern boundary.

2 Carrion Crows on back field at work.

Total for Patch 2 now stands at 14

If the pic below will enlarge you will see that for the thirty year average 1981 - 2010 the average monthly mininum daily temperature is no significantly higher than it was in the later half of the last century. Daytime there isn't much difference, perhaps it was even a fraction cooler, except June which was decidely cooler for some reason! All we can say is that for the periods examined the 'noughty' nights were definitely warmer than those in the sixties and seventies.

Where to next? TV programme showing up at work tomorrow so best bib and tucker and probably not a lot of time to give Patch 2 a proper going over.

In the meantime let us know what's about in the heat of the day in your outback.

Weird, (A)WOL, wagtails, willow wally!

The Safari set off full of hope with a bright blue sky overhead. On route we had a look along Wild Road and spotted the herd of about two dozen Whooper Swans. Pulling off this single track, but very busy, road onto a farm track we got the scope out and grilled the swans, sure enough there were four Bewick's Swans (77) with them. Hence the 'weird' namely both wild swans on the Year List before the infinitely more numerous Mute Swan. Then it was on to our primary destination. But when we arrived at the dock there was no sign of our intended!!! Wot - not there, but it's been there for AGES!!! Plenty of Pied Wagtails were flitting around the edge of the dock looking for titbits - they didn't have to look hard there was enough discarded food to feed an army of Iceland Gulls! In fact there weren't that many gulls on at all, a few Black Headed Gulls and not a lot else, there was only one first winter gull, a Herring Gull. Later a Great Black Back came swooping in a shuffled everything around but still no luck. Lots of Coot down on the water but we didn't see any with colour rings, also on the water taking the generous offerings of bread was a family of Mute Swans (78).

We decided to go on a Waxwing hunt for an hour or so, having a walk around the west end of the dock area and a drive round known haunts - fruitless...literally fruitless, not a berry in sight. For some unknown reason we forgot about the enigmatic Willow Tit only a mile away...doh...so we went back to the dock to see if the Iceland Gull had put in an appearance - needless to say it hadn't! We did have a short chat to a lovely couple who admitted to being regular readers of this rubbish, hope the rest of your day was good.

What to do next? Head Over Wyre and twitch the dodgy (although it seems to have somehow become less dodgy since it reappeared) Red Breasted Goose and hit the farmland feeding stations - or just bob in to the nature reserve for the afternoon. The nature reserve won hands down! On the way we spotted a Jay (79) in some roadside trees.

The nature reserve was pretty quiet but we got straight on the a male Goldeneye (80), then another and another...and another but no females. A pair of Grey Lag Geese (81) loafed lazily on the remains of the scrape's bund. Other waterfowl included uncounted Mallards and Teal, 24 Tufted Ducks, 34 Wigeon, 13 Pochards and 28 Shovelers.
Over the island a stonking male Kestrel gave a lesson in aeronautics hovering in the breeze with barely a flicker of its wings.
The feeding station was busy with several Reed Buntings popping in and out. it was a while before the Tree Sparrows arrived, four eventually showed themselves. No Bramblings though. Walking round to the Long Eared Owls we found a small posse already on them and they kindly pointed out an impressive seven, with an eighth a little further down the track but we couldn't find it.

Back at the hide a Grey Heron (82) had landed on the scrape. An unseen Water Rail squealed from the reedbed in front of us. Way across the other bank in a tree above the reedbed a Sparrowhawk (83) sat quietly waiting for lunch to come within range.

The gulls were duly grilled but gave up nothing over exciting apart from a slightly unusually marked third winter Herring Gull...Vega Gull anyone? Don't be daft!!!
And so endeth a somewhat strange safari adventure.
Where to next? Back to the dock if the Land Rover passes its MOT tomorrow.

In the meantime let us know if anything was out of the ordinary in your outback.

Still ill but a good day

The Safari has a nose like Niagara Falls but we had to go out to get some supplies in. Before we set off we took Frank round Patch 1 in daylight hours. The super-duper anti-terrorist attack fencing around the water tower was no match for a few kids with sledges last week!

A Cotoneaster tree is full of inviting looking berries, so where are the Waxwings?

A good flock of Redwings and Fieldfares moved through the trees at the bottom end and there was some tit activity with Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits all being seen in numbers. Nothin was flying over until a tinkling call had us looking upwards to see a Goldfinch (69) leaving the trees by the road. Two passes of the garden with all the feeders gave us no birds in attendance, with all that food on offer you'd think something would be sniffing around.

Our errands took us up the coast a couple of miles and we decided to have a look for the Purple Sandpiper while we were out. We were waiting at a set of traffic lights when a Pied Wagtail (70) dropped down on to the pavement next to us. The tide was in and it was a big one, the rocky breakwater they are usually on was completely covered btu we saw a large flock of Sanderlings (71) roosting on the beach a bit further up so we took a look. 24 Ringed Plovers (72) were counted and just seven Turnstones (73). A lone Knot (74) poked around some seaweed and a couple of Dunlin were in the flock too. Eventually a thorough search through the Sanderlings revealed a dark dot...gotcha! Purple Sandpiper (75) in the bag. We got a little better look when it raised it head and we could see the yellow base to the bill.

It is one...honest!

We even managed to get another chap onto it...then the flock was disturbed by a prat with a dog...surely he could see there were four birders looking at the birds only a few yards away when he and his dog walked right along the beach between us and the birds...flaming dork, and the result was the two newcomers didn't get a chance to pick up the Purple Sandpiper. It's not in amongst that lot of white dots above the surf.

A few Twite (76) were also on the beach, unusual here, again they were disturbed before we could get a proper count but abou a dozen in all.

On the way back to Base Camp the Peregrine was a drive-by sighting on its ledge as Cliff had done yesterday.

Where to next? Iceland Gull here we come but are there any Waxwings still there?

In the meantime let us know if a good day was had in your outback.