Thursday 30 November 2017

Some Winter Waders in Cumbria ... on the Solway ... and inland ...

Greenshank is always a nice bird to see on the Solway particularly away from the expected prime time of autumn migration in September ... far fewer Greenshanks frequent the north of Cumbria as compared with the Morcambe Bay area ...

So chancing upon one at Glasson Point yesterday made the decision to don the wellies and pick my way through the marshy ground all the more satisfying ...





... feeding along with a small group of Redshanks in the shadow from the low sun ...



... as the bird chased around in true Greenshank style the two colour rings on each tibia came into view in the shallower parts of the water ...


... so now eagerly awaiting a reply from the Greenshank project ... where else has this bird been ? ... perhaps a Scottish breeder which would be likely to winter in Britain or perhaps one that might breed in northern Eurasia and undertake a longer migration to equatorial Africa.

Meanwhile thoughts turn to another wader which has made some welcome appearances for me recently ... on 10th November I flushed a Woodcock from low bushes at the end of my garden - wow, a nice bird ! and so unexpected an addition to my garden list ...
... then on 16th November another flushed from near Howgill on the Geltsdale Reserve ...
... and yet another on the 26th November not far away on Tarn Rigg ...
These may well have been Continental migrants - and so disturbing to think that these birds are a legitimate quarry species for hunters - how far we have to go in this country with protecting our diminishing wildlife !

... but back on the Solway and a careful search through a flock of around 500 Dunlins resulted in picking out a single Little Stint ...


... feeding as the birds were among scattered piles of seaweed and rocks, individuals can be easily overlooked ... specially when tail-on ...  but then it turned and was more obvious ...



... and then more out in the open and giving nice although distant views in the increasing gloom of the mid-afternoon ...






Sunday 26 November 2017

More winter geese ... Loch Ken and around ...

I have known Loch Ken in SW Scotland for longer than I care to remember ... and yet it still holds a fascination and allure much as it did a good half-century ago ... it lies barely any further north from where I live in N Cumbria ... and yet it feels Scottish, quite unlike England ...

One of the important birds that winters in the area is Greenland White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons flavirostris.  This race of White-fronted Goose with its strikingly attractive orange-yellow bill breeds in W Greenland and travels via Iceland to winter exclusively in the British Isles.

A flock of 129 was feeding on grassland near Threave Castle when I visited two days ago ...


... although distant they gave good views on the short turf and flew to the next field showing off the striking tail pattern characteristic of the race ...


... with other wintering areas, notably in Ireland and Islay holding greater numbers, the Loch Ken population is still important ... in 1963 the flock there numbered 400 - 500 but has declined since with only just over 200 birds present in recent winters ... research on the race is ongoing and many birds carry neck-collars ... some were visible on these birds but at such long range it was impossible to read the characters ...

... despite the two races of White-fronted Goose being currently considered to be the same species, these Greenland White-fronted Geese looked so different from the Eurasian White-fronted Geese which I saw a Slimbridge recently ... not only is the bill colour different but Greenland White-fronted Goose has a longer neck, is larger, has a darker mantle and more black barring on the belly as well as having a narrower white band on the tip of the tail ... 
... it becomes increasingly likely that the two races will become recognised as distinct species ...

... the marshes adjoining the River Dee at Threave Castle had good numbers of Pintail, that most attractive of ducks ... with males outnumbering females by a good margin ...





... Wigeon, Teal and Gadwall and scattered Whooper Swans accompanied by encouragingly good numbers of juveniles occupied the flooded marshland ...



... the River Dee itself was well above its normal level and seemed to have few birds ... until a small group of Goldeneye came into view ... five males and a single female ...


... a full adult male swam in front, followed by a rather advanced first-winter male ...


... an adult male and female swam together ...


... and the male instigated some courtship behaviour  ...


... eliciting a rapid but brief response from the female ...


... well it is still only November ! ...

While just up-river a female Peregrine had its mind on other things ... focused on dismembering and devouring what looked like a recently killed Blackbird ...



... the action took place in a recess in the wall of Threave Castle, built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim and subsequently occupied by the Black Douglases who wreaked a good deal of havoc in the area until quelled by King James 11 in 1455 ...
... happier times today, but not for the Blackbird ...

... as the afternoon wore on and in the warm glow of the setting sun some skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew in and over from the east ...






... the low sun illuminating their undersides as they disappeared ...


Friday 17 November 2017

Winter Thrushes ... Winter Geese ... while Raptor Persecution continues unabated

Flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings have been particularly prolific at the foot of the fells on the Geltsdale Reserve ... feeding avidly on hawthorn berries in the low winter sun ...




... and taking refuge among the few remaining leaves of the tall sycamores ...

... with the Barnacle Geese at Caerlaverock was a hybrid goose thought to have Barnacle and Snow Goose parentage but having more than a passing resemblance to a blue phase Snow Goose ... it certainly sent my pulse racing for a moment when I first encountered it last winter ...


... and at Slimbridge a scattered group of fifteen Eurasian White-fronted Geese fed discreetly away from a large flock of Greylags ...


... the Red-breasted Goose of unknown origin but of undoubted appeal was still with the Barnacle Goose flock ...

... and it brought to mind the Peter Scott painting that we called in to see at the Nature in Art Gallery not far from Slimbridge ( thanks Nick for the alert ) ... the single Red-breasted Goose along with Eurasian Whitefronts with a snowy background ...


... that very same painting that was featured on the cover of the excellent 1966 Shell Bird Book by James Fisher ... 


But amid the enjoyment of winter birding looms the spectre of continuing raptor persecution ... with more reports of illegally killed birds coming to light ... and yet more raptors that have been illegally killed just becoming known about ...

... the reasons for this are clear ...


... the new Petition to Ban Driven Grouse Shooting has now reached 12,694 signatures and the Government response to its passing 10,000 is now more than a week late according to statutory requirements ...
... those who signed are being wilfully ignored by this terrible government ...

... please sign to add to the building pressure ...