Viewing entries tagged
BTO BirdTrack

Comment

MEDITERRANEAN GULL

Another adult Mediterranean Gull, this time over Red Bank, Ribchester CLICK IMAGE FOR LIGHTBOX.

MED GULL STOLE THE SHOW AGAIN on a glorious springlike day. The valley was full of bird song even after a frost overnight. Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Wren and Great, Blue and Coal Tits were all adding to the chorus. However, ever ungrateful, I had just complained that there was hardly any movement today (Black-headed Gull didn’t even reach three figures and Common Gull was down to its usual three or four instead of yesterday’s 33) when a small flock of gulls appeared ahead of me at Red Bank. I could see one was a Common Gull so why not photograph it? It would look great against a clear blue sky. As I was lining it up I noticed the others were Black-headed Gulls but the fourth bird was…BAM! An adult Mediterranean Gull with a half-black hood. I had plenty of time to lock onto it as it came past me on the top of the small hill, not far above eye level. You can see from my other mostly poor Med Gull photos from Rib that they do not always co-operate, and/or I have not always been ready in time/had the correct settings dialled in etc. They are very much a feature of the valley at the moment, Bill Aspin had five at Brockholes yesterday afternoon and Paul Holt also had five feeding in the show field at Salesbury late this morning. We had a walk along there in the afternoon but they were all gone by then. It makes me laugh that Mediterranean Gull isn’t really a typical gull of the Mediterranean in the same way that Yellow-legged and Audouin’s Gulls are and it’s scientific name actually means Black-headed Gull! Meanwhile Black-headed Gull has a brown head and a scientific name that means Laughing Gull! And so it goes on, what a mess!

The rest of the birding around the village was mostly things that have been around for a while now. Lapwings exceeded 40 again, with several displaying pairs. Curlews were singing their hearts out again but didn’t break double figures today, all presumably local breeding birds now. Oystercatcher has dwindled to only 15 (most have probably gone upstream to breed now) but one of the wintering Little Grebes was still at Red Bank. Fieldfares had increased to 62 and walking the fields north of Red Bank I found a flock of 10 Redwings near Eatoughs. However, the two other best sightings were a Peregrine on one of the pylons (probably the same youngster, which has been around for a couple of months) and four Teal on one of the hidden shooting ponds. Ha! They are not on it now and are hopefully somewhere safe instead. Interestingly an adult Great Black-backed Gull was hanging aound the sheep up here this morning, maybe it knows that some tasty afterbirth is on the way soon? I do not see many mammals around Ribchester but Brown Hares are particularly conspicuous at the moment, with 6 seen today. So February ended on 72 bird species, one ahead of January but more significantly my Ribchester patch year list moved up to 76 and February is now four clear at the top of the all time chart with 77. Probably just a product of the 12 BTO BirdTrack walks I did this month.

Common Buzzard (adult) over Eatoughs on a bright sunny morning.

Feel the power! Another pylon Peregrine.

Can you stand another Med Gull?

Comment

Comment

DULL

Mediterranean Gull, Ribchester 27 December 2020

DECEMBER HAS BEEN HEAVY GOING with mostly dull, overcast and very damp weather. That combined with bad news very close to home of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant a rather subdued Christmas in Ribchester. The leaden skies persisted but at least the throng of Black-headed Gulls attracted by the slurry spraying in the fields along Boat House Lane had up to two adult Mediterranean Gulls in tow. The green concrete is good for something, although the slurry is not great for the environment, the nearby brook ran dark and stank of it all weekend. Among the hundreds of gulls were a few Common Gulls and almost 100 Herring Gulls, which is way more than we usually see on the ground around the village. Two Great Black-backed Gulls patrolled the river on Christmas Day, maybe the same adult and second winter that have been around for a couple of weeks now and three Little Egrets on Boxing Day was another local highlight. An influx of lapwings has been noticeable over the holiday period too, with maybe as many as 37 on Boxing Day. A flock of 23 oystercatchers at Hothersall was also maybe very early returnees, encouraged upstream by the mild weather? There were several hundred starlings in the fields too, almost enough for a murmuration! However, we have yet to see a goldeneye this winter and Goosander is all but absent. Little Grebes continue on the river at Red Bank and a kingfisher was along the river at the ‘promenade’ in Ribchester today. I am stuck on 103 for the year as time runs out, maybe I will be able to add one more by New Year’s Eve? It has also been interesting to see that some folks lack the common sense not to mix at the moment. Seven cars was the maximum on one drive, the owners of the property usually have two on it. Maybe if they had family members in hospital they would change their minds? No wonder the pandemic rumbles on.

An old willow leans over the Ribble behind the allotments at Ribchester

Comment

Comment

THE BALLERINA IN RIBCHESTER

Pink Waxcap (‘The Ballerina’), Ribchester

IN A DEPARTURE FROM MY NORMAL ROUTINE, I had a look at some fungi with Phil Larkin today. I wonder if there is a synonym for twitching among fungi enthusiasts? The most notable was Pink Waxcap Porpolomopsis calyptriformis, sometimes known as ‘The Ballerina’, on account of how it ‘lifts its skirt’ as it grows. What a cool name for a living thing? It is red-listed across Europe and the UK is probably the easiest place to see it but it is still uncommon here and is found mostly in the west on short turf, uncultivated grassland sites. Here it is growing on the lawn of 18th century almshouses. There were a number of other species here and in the adjacent churchyard. I am far from getting to grips with fungi but I’m inspired to learn some more. Thanks Phil!

A walk along the river today added my first BTO BirdTracks for October, the highlight being a Green Sandpiper, which took my Ribchester patch list to 95 for the year. 100 is looking possible now with almost three months to get them and fairly easy ones like Whooper Swan and Woodcock still missing. Little Owl is somewhere in the east of the patch and I can find another two new ones by the end of the year. The river was up a couple of metres following over 24 hours of steady rain, my observation spot of the ‘Tush’ was underwater, as was the footpath by the Roman Baths. In fact there was not much flying over after dawn, just as the rain stopped, for obvious reasons I guess. A trickle of swallows, House Martins and Meadow Pipits continued over the village all morning and the number of Greenfinches and Blackbirds has increased. A group of 3 ravens flew over the Boat House and there were still four chiffchaffs in the hedgerows today.

Common Reed Buntings behind Lower Alston Farm were showy again today

The flooded path along the brook by the Roman Baths in Ribchester (Mike Watson)


Comment