Mortified!

The Safari went to a meeting yesterday and on the way back to the office passed a school which happens to have (probably) the oldest tree in town in its grounds. An old Willow tree with a circumference of 3.9m (12.8 feet) and a characterful gnarly twist to its trunk. The actual age will be hard to tell as it has been pollarded/hacked at at various times in the past, is growing alone now and is surrounded by hard ground so its growth rate over the years will have been quite changeable, a rough estimate of 1 inch/yr would give about 155 years. It is believed that it stands on the line of a now drained water course. Well it doesn’t any more as we were shocked to see that it wasn’t there when we passed; in its place was a pile of stump grindings.

This tree was on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt register as a ‘Veteran’ tree

Sadly it is no more and of course it is absolutely impossible to replace a 100+ year old tree, it’s not as if there’s a little corner shop that sells them so you can nip out and buy a new one.  

We never got the opportunity to get a pic of the aged beauty so here's the best we could find - from Google street-view - no pics of it on the school's website or Google images :-(

There is very little news from the patches today. The Song Thrush at the Golden Triangle was heard from the front door as we left Base Camp at 06.15.

At Patch 2 the tide was well down and we counted 146 Oystercatchers and a single Sanderling. Hardly a gull was to be seen on our part of the beach but hundreds over our southern boundary. At sea the stiff westerly wind had chopped up the sea quite roughly so there was no chance of getting anywhere near someone else’s count of 3000 Common Scoters yesterday.

By lunchtime the tide was right up the wall and again there was little happening, we gave up after the fourth face-full of gritty seawater as the splash from waves began to come over the top of the wall; the scope was caked in salt spray by then too so viewing conditions weren’t the best. Only a handful of Common Scoters were seen.

Where to next? The Land Rover is in for its MoT tomorrow so we may have tales of inconsolable woe and expense to relate. Being at Base Camp all day we may have some news from the garden and perhaps Patch 1.

In the meantime let us know what shocked you in your outback.

At least there was a bit of fire in the sky maybe it's a sign a anger from the gods at the unnecessary destruction of one of their own... 

Momentum couldn’t be maintained

The Safari’s excitement of yesterday was given a severe quashing this morning as we woke up to a damp dank dreary drizzle infested morning. Yesterday’s haul was all the more notable in that, probably for the first time ever, we ‘beat’ the South-side’s indefatigable super seawatcher BMcC for quality if not quantity although he was watching for several hours longer than we were able to. (See comments here for his counts). Will we ever achieve that feat again?

Today was extremely poor by comparison but not totally lacking in interest. On Patch 1 a different Song Thrush was heard singing away across the school playing fields; in the dreary conditions we cut short Frank’s early morning walk so nothing else was recorded.

At Patch 2 the thick mizzle was all-enveloping we couldn’t see the tops of the rides at the nearby Pleasure Beach and out to sea was just a filthy grey murk.

The rapidly incoming tide had yet to cover the last few yards of beach and we counted 102 Oystercatchers and a Knot (P2 No 31). One of the Oycs was a very distinctive leucistic individual we’ve never seen before. It had a very white head with just a mask of black around the eyes, a broken black breast band and a smoky charcoal grey mantle interspersed with white speckling – a really bonny looking bird, it also had a limp and spend much of the time sat on the beach while all the other Oycs were feeding around it.

Only two of the Great Crested Grebes were seen today and Common Scoters could have numbered anything as we couldn’t see most of those probably out there for the low cloud.

A noisy flock of House Sparrows (88) was thrashing its way through the garden shrubbery, the males all wings a-flutter displaying wildly.

There was a little hazy sunshine for our lunchtime safari and the mist and low cloud had lifted. A small flock of Grey Plovers (89) came whizzing past but other than that it was all Common Scoters with a few distant Red Throated Divers. Great Crested Grebes on the other hand put in a fine performance with 11 being found mostly tucked away in the scoter flocks.
As we turned to leave we heard the fsst of a Rock Pipit (90) from the other side of the wall.
Again no pictures :-( must try harder!
Where to next? More of the same although the weather isn't forecast to be as bad as it was today.
In the meantime let us know whose feathers are ruffled in your outback.

The sort of morning that makes life worth living

The Safari had a real humdinger of a morning. It started early with singing Blackbirds (plural!) as we closed the door and left for Patch 1 in the darkness. Several Robins were singing too, in fact almost all the Robins we heard were singing and not a lot of that ticking was heard. Rounding the corner approaching the Golden Triangle we heard a Song Thrush (84; P1 No 12) singing, which was good to hear. Thought we saw one yesterday on the path but it flushed and we didn’t get enough on it in the light from the street lamps for confirmation.

On the tower two Peregrines were still asleep and although the Magpies in Magpie Wood were jumpy we counted at least 45.

All of a sudden Frank’s nose began to twitch and he stopped and stared into the wood...a Fox (Mammal No 3) shot out of the far side and scampered as low to the ground as it could get, almost mustelid like – never seen that before) towards its earth in the Golden Triangle...not bad for starters but far better was to follow.

At Patch 2 the tide was just about to cover the last few square yards of beach and we had to quickly count about 140 Oystercatchers and nine Redshanks before they were flushed by the incoming sea. Nothing overly special in that and with no beach it was time to check the sea.

Lots of Common Scoters were on the move as usual and we soon found two Great Crested Grebes not far out, a third was seen later.

In the distance a Red Throated Diver flew south, followed by 10 more over then next 20 minutes or so.

A flock of three Common Scoters tazzed by fairly close in but the fourth bird with them was a female/immature Long Tailed Duck!!! (85) Not an easy bird to find along the Fylde Coast.

We were quite excited now as the gentle conditions and rising tide were bringing out some decent birds at last. Before too long a single male Velvet Scoter (86) flew past, its white secondaries being very different to the silvery shimmer of the Common Scoters' wings...again not an easy find along our coast. It was now not a really good morning but a really excellent morning – one of our best ever!!! Good things come to those that wait (and watch).

The duck theme continued when first seven then two more Shelducks (P2 No 29) bucked the trend and flew past northbound.

Way way out in the haze of the horizon we could see the dancing white specks of a flock of gulls, possibly Kittiwakes which appeared to be feeding on a large fish shoal. Every so often they would move a few hundred yards then return to the original place; they repeated this a few times as we strained our eye down the scope for a hint of a cetacean...would have bet a pound to a penny there were some there but we never saw anything...ohh for the gulls to have been half a mile nearer! Ahh well you can’t have everything!

This was one of those mornings when work was definitely a spoiler and before too long we had to go in and make a start on the day’s business.

Obviously we couldn’t wait to get out at lunchtime but once over the road and at the wall there wasn’t much going on. A few scans revealed only small numbers of Common Scoters and just one of the Great Crested Grebes. A Red Throated Diver headed south in the distance. A few scans later we picked up a distant Cormorant coming towards us, after a while it looked like a white breasted young bird but something about it wasn’t quite right. As it drew nearer it morphed into a Great Northern Diver (87) Holy cow ...what a day!!! When it was only about 800 yards out two Red Throated Divers flew over it giving remarkable contrast of size, bulk, wing beat pattern and all that jizz. It carried on towards us and pitched in only about 500 yards offshore between a flock of 14 Common Scoters to its left and five to its right. After settling briefly giving a reasonable broadside view it disappeared. We stared and stared and stared but never saw it again...where did it go? The scoters to either side of it bobbed about in their usual fashion appearing and disappearing up and down on the waves but the diver simply vanished which was a great shame as it was close enough to have given some really good views which we very rarely get from here, normally we only ever see a flying bird in the distance and then only once in a blue moon.

Then the rain started...well we had nearly 24 hours respite...if you ever see a bloke with long flowing robes and a big bushy beard in the hardware store buying a bucket of pitch and a big bag of nails start to worry...

Sadly not a single pic to corroborate all those stringy sightings :-(

Where to next? How on earth is tomorrow going to compete with that little lot?

In the meantime let us know which pages of the field guide you no longer have need for in your outback.

We would have said 'fandabidozi' but with the recent revelations (you'll have to Google them) and the fact that Monika is still ahead of us we won't

Plenty of scoters but precious little else

The Safari has some news to share before we reveal our next thrilling installment...

The first piece of news is from KB about his colour ringed Coot we saw at the nature reserve the day we saw the three Otters. “This is a nice record, as this bird was ringed at Redesmere Lake, Macclesfield in Cheshire last August, seen at Marton Mere Blackpool (81 km, NW, 126 days)” K says “Any further sightings of this bird or other cr-ringed Coot would be most welcome!” So keep your eyes peeled wherever you are.

Then we heard from CB and his Nuthatch sighting from mid November at the nature reserve’s feeding station – a site first which he didn’t realise at the time. “The Nuthatch flew in from the trees backing onto Swift Close.
As previously mentioned it flew straight into the feeding station calling loudly and then fed around for a bit.”. The trees backing on to Swift Close may or may not be there much longer depending on a whether a planning permission is granted or not. This is not the route by which the site’s first Nuthatch might have been expected to come by so it might not have come from the local core population, if it has it’s come by a circuitous route.

We got a text off ‘young un’ AB telling us of some early Daffodils he’d seen in flower, and then another couple told of the Crocus flowering in their garden. Season’s gawnnn mad!!!

All interesting stuff and that’s just about where this post’s interest stops!

Only the Peregrine still fast asleep to report from Patch 1 early doors.

At Patch 2 the wind had died down a bit and the rising tide had already reached the base of the wall so there was no beach. Out at sea it was still quite choppy and there were a lot of Common Scoters on the move with scattered small flocks all over the place, probably in excess of 300 altogether. Gulls were disappointing until six adult Kittiwakes came past in the middle distance. Close in a Great Crested Grebe rode the swell rebounding off the wall.

By lunchtime the wind had dropped further and the sea calmed considerably, so much so that for the first time in a long time we saw only a handful of white horses, still a high swell for stuff to disappear in though – but now it was too calm!!! AAArrrrgggghhh. Lots and lots and lots of scoters and absolutely nothing else...couldn’t even relocate the grebe.

We saw the sun today...

Then when we got home we came across this on the doorstep...anyone any field guides to Chinese shells?

Think the starfish are plastic...but perhaps not being from the Far East.

Where to next? More of the same it might even have calmed down further – enough to find real exotica like auks and divers...

In the meantime let us know what’s flowering when it shouldn’t be in your outback.

An American sneaks over the border

The Safari couldn't decide where to go this morning as the weather closed in. But before we tell you where we ended up have a look here at the second pic down, that to us looks like it could well be a Shag in which case it is likely to be the first record for the big park.

We desided the day would be spent at the nature reserve but shortly before setting off a text from AB decided for us and we headed a little further to the freshwater marshes near the river.

The American Wigeon seen yesterday on the South-side had been flushed by the high tide and/or shooters to the right side of the river so twitching it was a must. We got to the roadside lay-by from where it had been seen to discover it had flown with several hundred 'normal' Wigeon only a few minutes before we arrived  :-( We did see our first Shelducks (79) of the year from here though and our main quarry was still in the field though and fortunately MMcG refound it fairly quickly.
Viewing conditions were worse than dreadful with low cloud and heavy drizzle being driven right in our face by a stiff breeze. To view the flock we had to wind the Land Rover's window down and it just about filled with water during the half hour we spent watching the flock grazing.

There is an American Wigeon (80) in the pic - honest...see if you can find it. The pic has been digitally enhanced to make it easier for you; the real conditions were much worse than this!!! - and we were viewing through the outer branches of a Hawthorn bush

Further out in the field/murk a couple of Curlews (81) were seen - there won't be many years that we see an American Wigeon before our first Curlew!

With one leg and the whole of the inside of the Land Rover just about soaked through we decided to call in at the nature reserve for a few minutes on the way back...well we had to pass it anyway...
Several Lapwing were roosting on the bund and we found a sleeping drake Pintail (82) in amongst a portion of the Teal. A Grey Lag Goose (83) cruised out from behind the bund honking loudly - unusually it appeared to be on its own.
Gulls-wise it was very quite, the Iceland Gull had put in an appearance from about 10.00 - 11.00 its 'regular' time.
We noted a good number of Linnets on the wires across the field and MJ got a count of 120 with his scope along with 40 Fieldfare also sat on the wires - good numbers of both species for this winter.
Meanwhile the regular Moorhen climbed the bank almost reaching the hide - this pic has had only a tiny crop off each side. The rain had stopped but it was no less gloomy, one day we'll get a much crisper pic of him/her...soon?

Across on the island a pair of Kestrels were hunting giving some excellent views and a Sparrowhawk tazzed across the mere and along the reedbed. Behind the hovering Kestrels two skeins of Pink Footed Geese came into view heading our way and eventually hit the recording area's airspace (MMLNR No 56 - over half way).
Suddenly MJ shouted he'd seen something by the red bush in an excited voice - sure enough within a few seconds one of the Otters put on a performance for a good few minutes...we moved along the bankhundred yards or so with MMcG in the hope of getting a pic/vid but it didn't stay at the surface long enough, however we did hear a Water Rail scream and one of the Cetti's Warblers was singing...a fabulous end to a great, if wet, day's safari-ing...back to Base camp for a warming and celebratory cuppa...the American Wigeon was a new Fylde bird for us having missed all the others over the last 20 years!
Where to next? Patch 2 will be back in play tomorrow - let's hope the cloud has lifted by then and we can actually see the sea!
In the meantime let us know who snuck in to your outback

Deep purple

The Safari had a quick visit to Chat Alley for the high tide as the sun came over the houses this morning with the specific intention of having a look for the Purple Sandpiper that seems to be wintering in the area. When we got there we thought the tide might have been a bit too rough and the roosting waders flushed off to somewhere else.

We needn't have worried as the Purple Sandpiper (75 - we forgot to add Pink Footed Goose to our list to the year's tally has jumped by 1) was right at the front in the middle of the small flock. 

Also in there was a Knot (76), although the number in their thousands on the estuary they are not often seen along Chat Alley and we've never seen one in the roost before. Also unexpected was the Guillemot (77) the bounced off the top of an incoming wave and disappeared over the back of it never to be seen again.

After a few minutes were we joined by SD who was the original finder of the Purp and can be seen here trying to avoid getting a soaking. 

We sent a txt to CR who came along just as we had to go. He may well have got some better pics - check his website later. Late edit - It's up here

Then it was off for our radio interview, which if you missed it you can catch up with it here if you're desperate. While we were on air we spotted two Jackdaws (P2 No 26) on the green.

Where to next? Not sure yet but a local Safari is likely, possibly northwards over the river.

In the meantime let us know who's top of the pops in your outback.

Crikey - that was our 1000th post - thanks for sticking with us and reading all the rubbish wot we rite...to the next thousand and beyond...
Late Edit - on the way back from our radio interview there was a Goldcrest (78) calling in the street at Base Camp.

The wind dies down on Broadway

The Safari isn’t referring to Broadway New York but Broadway Fleetwood a few miles up the road. For older readers (or younger readers with a penchant for a certain ‘old fashioned’ genre) there is a somewhat obtuse musical reference in there somewhere. ♫♪♫

Anyway enough of the waffle and on with the wildlife news, some of which is good! We got around half of Patch 1 this morning well before any hint of glow from the sun in the eastern sky but we could see the Peregrine sat on its ledge. Walking slowly past Magpie Wood we counted roughly 50+ of the roosting incumbents – they were a bit jumpy and kept flitting about in the process of waking up as we walked past doing our best not to disturb them. A Robin sang from what’s left of the understorey and was answered by another in the shrubbery across the road and a third sang from the Golden Triangle across the green. Although it was still well before dawn the Peregrine had left its roost by the time we got back round there. The walk back to Base Camp gave us a Blackbird in almost full song, which was very uplifting to hear, and several more Robins ticking away in various gardens.

On arrival at work we shut the Land Rover door locked up, turned round and immediately saw a little bird flit off the path in front of us. It disappeared into the darkness but within a couple of seconds we heard the flat little warble of a Dunnock (P2 № 14) coming from the hedge a few yards to our right...another Patch 2 tick...and, like the Blackbird, very uplifting to hear the song after all the minging weather we’ve had to endure this week...unfortunately it’s due back later today just in time for the weekend...not good :-(

We got onto the sea wall just as the sun crept over the rooftops behind us and immediately saw a Shag (67) flying north not far out. An auspicious start to the session. Common Scoters flew hither and thither no doubt relishing the calmer conditions, so calm in fact that there were only a very few white horses. A flight of Cormorants came by, the bird looked small and leucistic until we got on them properly and realised that six Cormorants were being led by a male Eider (68). (NB we made a misleading right information/wrong box booboo on the FBC sightings website). More Cormorants were seen totalling 37 in all. A Great Crested Grebe (69) must have been fishing close to the wall as it flew out a hundred yards or so not far to our left.

Three small ducks hurtling southwards at close range were Teal (P2 № 18), an annual but not a regular sighting from the wall.

The only ‘half-decent’ gull this morning was a Great Black Back, no sign of any Kittiwakes or Little Gulls in the much more benign conditions.

By lunchtime the sea had left a bit of beach and hundreds of gulls were thronging along the strandline picking through the remains of the millions of shellfish. Further to the south just over the Patch’s border we shudder to think just how many more gulls there were and Oystercatchers too must have numbered well over 2000. The light wasn’t too good for looking at the gulls and they mostly had their backs to us and were constantly being disturbed by the resident mutt owners but one of the nearest to us was a fine adult Mediterranean Gull (P2 № 19), a species not often seen here. Also found in the throng was a BTO type ringed Black Headed Gull but too far away to read and we did pick out one ‘argentatus’ Herring Gull.

From the bottom of the opposite side of the wall we heard the calls of Turnstones (70) as nine flew out and along the beach into view below us. There were no other waders apart from a lone Redshank.

Out at sea conditions were still fairly calm although squalls out in the distance were heading slowly our way. Above one small flock of resting Common Scoters a Red Throated Diver (71) flew southwards.

While we were scanning the waves for other goodies – the earlier Great Crested Grebe was still there - the familiar ‘chi’zick’ of a Pied Wagtail (72) was heard from above and behind us. Looking round we didn’t see it but did spot the massed ranks of Starlings (P2 № 23) sitting on the tram wires whose calls our brain must not have registered.

Looking northwards the light across the beach was superb for grilling the gulls. We checked back and forth several times eventually coming across a fine and dandy adult Yellow Legged Gull (73) but nothing else of note, no larger white-wingers, certainly no long billed, long legged and very white headed first year birds or any yellow legged, pale mantled, heavy billed Common Gulls.

Can’t complain though as it was very pleasant to be able to stand up without being battered about for a change and stay dry! The birds provided some excellent entertainment too – all in all two very good short safaris.

As we left work we had two Robins (P2 № 25) in the car park and two Pied Wagtails flew over, one landed angd gave a short burst of song - very nice way to end the day.

But again no pics :-( so here's an old one from the big park, a little more black on the hood than today's bird

Where to next? Fame and fortune beckon on BBC Radio Lancashire tomorrow lunchtime – listen if you think your ears can stand it...

In the meantime let us know what surprised you with song this morning in your outback