BOWLAND FELLS

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Eurasian Curlew, Bowland Fells

CURLEWS ARE ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BIRDS. I can never tire of them, whether it is on a windswept estuary in winter or watching their glorious bubbling song flights on the fells near where I live. We ought to spend more time watching them as in a global context they are one of our most threatened species, classified as 'near threatened' by Birdlife International it gets an amber warning rating, having declined by 53% in the UK during the period 1970-2005 and 37% over the period 1994-2006. I was hoping to record their song today but although it was perfectly still when I left the house, it was very windy up on the Bowland Fells...as always. Three wheatears were presumably newly arrived this week and there were still around 80 Fieldfares on Champion Moor. Six Golden Plover along Lord's Close Road were also new since last weekend on a lovely hazy spring morning.

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Shorebirds like lapwings ought to benefit from the high water table at the moment!

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Adder (or Common Viper), Bowland

RETURN TO THE FELLS

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Two female Adders tangled together on a bed of bracken in Bowland.

ALTHOUGH MOST PREDATORS APPEAR TO VANISHED FROM THE BOWLAND FELLS a pair of beautiful tangled adders was a wonderful highlight of a spin around my former local patch with Alan McBride. The snakes were presumably freshly emerged from hibernation, one still had mud on its eyes, and they flattened their bodies as much as possible to absorb the warmth of the sun's rays on another chilly spring day of occasional hail showers and sunny intervals. I love the way the patterning on the snake's spine mimics the leaves of bracken. Ironically I spotted a buzzard in the valley en route to Bowland. 'Should I stop?" said Alan. 'Nah'. It was the only one we saw all day. There may be some raptors bigger than a kestrel left in Bowland but if there are we did not see them today. Where there used to be Hen Harriers, Peregrines, buzzards and ravens there was nothing. We were also a little early for the wheatears and Ring Ouzels, which will surely return within a few days. Nevertheless, the sound of curlews and lapwings on the upland pastures was a delight, as always and it is an ill wind that at least they will benefit from, following the illegal eradication of raptors that has surely been going on in this region. After all, the absence of raptors in suitable habitat is regarded by many as a strong indication of persecution. This is one of the reasons I have stayed away for the last couple of years. Bowland feels empty to me without them.

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The Lancashire Witches 400 marker in Croasdale with the dark shadow of Pendle in the background.

We also had a look at the new Lancashire Witches marker in Croasdale, which bears a poem by Poet Laureat, Carol Ann Duffy:

"The Lancashire Witches

1.     One voice for ten dragged this way once by superstition, ignorance.

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

2.     Witch: female, cunning, manless, old, daughter of such, of evil faith; in the murk of Pendle Hill, a crone.

3.     Here, heavy storm-clouds, ill-will brewed, over fields, fells, farms, blighted woods. On the wind’s breath, curse of crow and rook.

4.     From poverty, no poetry but weird spells, half-prayer, half-threat; sharp pins in the little dolls of death.

5.     At daylights gate, the things we fear darken and form. That tree, that rock, a slattern’s shape with the devil’s dog.

6.     Something upholds us in its palm – landscape, history, place amd time – and above, the same old witness moon

7.     Below which Demdike, Chattox, shrieked like hags, unloved, an underclass, badly fed, unwell. Their eyes were red.

8.     But that was then – when difference made ghouls of neighbours, child beggars, feral, filthy, threatened in their cowls.

9.     Grim skies, the grey remorse of rain; sunset’s crimson shame; four seasons, centuries, turning in Lancashire.

10. Away from Castle, jury, judge, huge crowd, rough rope, short drop, no grave, only future tourists who might grieve.

CAROL ANN DUFFY"

2012 marked the 400 years anniversary of the trial and execution of the Pendle Witches and a group of local artists and historians started a fascinating project Lancashire Witches 400 to commemorate the event as well as to highlight the modern day issue of the persecution of witches. I also learned about Lancaster charity Stepping Stones Nigeria, who defend children's rights in the Niger Delta, where children are still labelled as witches and blamed for all manner of things including affliction by HIV/AIDS. It is remarkable that in the 21st century stuff like this is still going on.

LOCAL PATCHWORK

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Eurasian Curlew on its breeding territory in Ribchester - I can hear this one calling early each morning from my bed!

A MORNING WALK OF HAIL AND SUNNY INTERVALS along the riverbank added three new birds to the Ribchester year list - Common Redshank (one on the river at the water treatment plant bend), Common Linnet (a pair on the riverbank opposite Osbaldeston Hall) and Peregrine (a long expected addition, flying north over Preston Road). The count was a surprisingly good 45 species and included four Common Goldeneye still on the river, although no Goosanders today for the first time this year. Buzzards were in evidence with at least five included four, two pairs, soaring together to the north of Singleton House suggested some migration but there was also a single bird sky dancing over Old Park Wood, while a couple of Grey Wagtails had paired up on the riverbank there. There appear to be three pairs of Common Oystercatchers along this stretch of the river, at least four lapwing territories and a pair of curlews just to the south of Singleton House. A Goldcrest was singing from a lone conifer opposite the school and there were still at least 11 Sand Martins along the river despite the snow on the car this morning. A couple of flocks of Fieldfares were still in the Boat House area and other birds on the move included at least five Meadow Pipits. The year list for this walk now stands at 65!

SPRING IS HERE!

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Sand Martin, River Ribble at Ribchester

SEVEN SAND MARTINS AND A SINGING CHIFFCHAFF were the highlights of this weekend's walks along the riverbank and are a sign that spring has finally arrived. Pied Wagtails seem to be back in the breeding areas and a couple of flyover Meadow Pipits were another sign that birds are on the move north again. A pair of curlews has taken up residence in their usual fields and there are five pairs of lapwings around the village. Despite the BBC Weather forecasting a 97% chance of rain from 1000 today (it still hasn't started yet as I write at 1300) it remained dry this morning long enough for another 40+ species walk around the doorstep patch. It is interesting as I do more walks this year that the count is usually around 40, ranging between 37 and 45. I try to keep more or less to the same route but I did wander much further north than usual yesterday. Common Moorhen was new for the year and Little Grebe made another appearance today while my first two nuthatches in Ribchester came within a day of each other. The Ribchester year list now stands at 62, which makes me wonder what might be possible? You can see the total on Ebird here in bar chart form, another great visual feature of their recording site.