Viewing entries tagged
Eurasian Curlew

Comment

ALSTON OSPREY

18 April Alston Osprey collage

2021 ELOC OSPREY NO. #3 FOR ME flew over Alston Reservoirs this evening at 1853–1902. It makes a nice change from missing them, which is what I normally do, however, I have made more effort than usual this spring. It was lucky that I turned around and scanned to the south from the central screen when I did, so I picked it up flying in from way to the south. This allowed enough time for Gavin Thomas to scramble and intercept it as it flew from no.#1 reservoir and crossed to no. #2, before pausing to hover briefly and then continue away over the town. I wouldn’t mind a closer osprey this spring but it is always a thrill to see one on migration. Gav tells me they detour to take a look in each reservoir without fail as they fly north over the site. It was getting quite late in the day and we wondered where it might roost this evening.

The rest of the evening’s birding at Alston was fun with highlights the nine whimbrels that flew in to roost with 38 curlews after sunset. A lovely sight and sound although it was all curlew song rather than piping whimbrels. A drake shelduck flew in too and four shovelers were present - more new 2021 5km-from-home-list birds! Other birds on the wetland included a Great Black-backed Gull, nine teal, two Tufted Duck, two snipe and Little Ringed Plovers and three redshanks. Five Goosander was apparently a recent peak count and a flock of 58 Fieldfares was in the trees that line the fields to the south of Pinfold Lane. Spring migration through the ELOC area is always an anjoyable time of year!

Curlews at dusk with a few early whimbrels

Comment

Comment

SPRINGTIME ON THE RIVERBANK

Goosander, female. Sadly evidence of the illegal targeting of these terrific sawbills in the Ribble Valley (i.e. shooting them without a license) has come to light this week. CLICK THE IMAGES FOR LIGHTBOX

A LONE SWALLOW AT BOAT HOUSE, RIBCHESTER ON 27 MARCH was fairly early and our first of the year. Sand Martins continue to build in numbers and made double figures for the last couple of days. The only other true summer migrant so far has been chiffchaff and following one at Boat House on 24 March a couple has been heard singing (at Red Bank and the vicarage garden). Other notable encounters have included a redshank at Boat House on 27 March, up to seven Common Buzzards in the air at a time in the valley (probaby just local birds getting up in the fine weather) and more regular sparrowhawk, kestrel and kingfisher sightings have been a feature. Lapwings, oystercatchers and curlews are still singing around the village but despite increased signs of spring there are still a few Fieldfares around, the last of the winter visitors. An osprey at Elston on 27 March was a near miss but sadly it carried on north and did not enter Rib airspace. The next few days will be our best chance for one of these over the village itself!

Curlew over the Ribble at Ribchester (collage)

The first chiffchaff of the year, at Boat House on 24 March.

Rain clouds over Clitheroe from earlier in March. If can see Pendle you are not lost in the Ribble Valley.

Comment

1 Comment

CURLEW SINGING IN THE SUNSHINE

There are few better sounds in nature than the song of a curlew! (Mike Watson) CLICK IMAGE FOR LIGHTBOX

CURLEWS ARE BACK AND SINGING AGAIN around Ribchester. This has got to be the most welcome spring return of any bird locally after they make their way back to their breeding grounds in the pasture around the village, from a winter spent probing mud at the coast. I’ve been looking forward to it more than ever this year, after a grim winter of bad weather and Covid-19 lockdowns. We saw a couple of very noisy birds today, or ‘whaups’ as they are known in Scotland. Alexander is lucky he will be able to say he remembers curlews singing around his home village, I guess a bit like folks who remember Corn Crakes or my great uncle Barker telling me in the 1970s that he used to have Red-backed Shrikes on his farm near Lechlade in the Thames Valley. Although they are long-lived, curlews need to raise 0.5 of a chick every year to sustain their population and in places where there is no predator control a study in northern England quoted a mere 15% breedng success rate! Down here in the valley there are lots of Carrion Crows and although they are controlled to an extent (I still counted a flock of up to 180 last spring!) the biggest threat to curlews comes from the very early cutting of silage (to achieve three cuts per year for the dairy industry). Hats off to the farmers who look after their curlews, there is no better sound than their bubbling call, which I am still lucky enough to hear from my bed at home and also from my desk at work. I am not sure for how much longer though.

Other interesting sightings around the village in recent days included a skylark over Lower Dutton today, a cracking view of a female sparrowhawk, taking in the morning sunshine in a hawthorn hedge at Little Town (they are usually off like a shot at the sight of me) and a small flock of lapwings, which hangs on by the river upstream from the village in a meadow, once crossed by a Roman road. A pair of oystercatchers was around here too, looking quite settled. Bird activity was generally quite low today but we very much enjoyed a lucky spell of sunshine and blue sky before the rain set in again. The Ribchester bird counter for February edged up a little to 62, some way off January’s 71, which is also my all time total for February, with a couple of weekends still to go this month.

The symbol of ELOC (East Lancashire Ornithologists Club) still hangs on in the Ribble Valley (Mike Watson).

The glare of a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk, taking in the morning sunshine (Mike Watson).

1 Comment

Comment

IN PRAISE OF CURLEWS

Eurasian Curlew, Kemple End.

THE LOCAL CURLEWS APPEAR TO HAVE YOUNG NOW judging by the amount of noisy activity over the Birdquest office at the moment. These photos were taken from the car park! This near-threatened bird has declined across its range it is still fairly common in East Lancs for the time being. One wonders for how long though with such early silage cutting in most of the lowland areas? Let's hope that some of the work done by the RSPB can help this special shorebird. They have always been one of my favourite birds, going back to childhood days in Weardale and the countryside would feel empty without them.

Comment