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MAY EASTERLIES!

Bar-tailed Godwit, whimbrel, curlew and oystercatcher at Alston Wetland at ISO51200.

MAY EASTERLIES BRING ARCTIC-BREEDING SHOREBIRDS TO EAST LANCS and the highlights this week for me were Bar-tailed Godwit and Wood Sandpiper, both at Alston Wetland. A lovely Little Gull graced Stocks Reservoirs, hawking insects between the buoys at the entrance to the Hodder Inlet and a Green Woodpecker call there briefly as well. Stepping out of the airport cab I headed off immediately to Alston for the Wood Sandpiper, which is fast becoming an annual migrant there. A Common Whitethroat was singing in the hedge in the SE corner of the site and the first swifts were back in the village. On Friday evening another futile search of Pendle Hill failed to turn up the dotterels of earlier that day. Late on Saturday evening a Lesser Whitethroat was calling and seen in the hedge along Pinfold Lane near the central screen. 

ELOC year list: 119. Wood Sandpiper 120. Common Whitethroat 121. Common Swift 122. Bar-tailed Godwit 123. Little Gull 124. Green Woopecker

Wood Sandpiper, Alston Wetland.

Little Gull (second calendar year), Stocks Reservoir.

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SODDING NORTHERLIES!

Minimalist Goosanders on the Ribble from Ribchester Bridge.

A COMBINATION OF NORTHERLY WINDS AND BAD LUCK combined to scupper most of my birding efforts over the last few days. I spent hours on Pendle trying to track down the dotterels from Thursday and Friday and learned today that Thursday's trip was flushed by an inconsiderate dog walker who let his mutt off its lead and it promptly flushed the dotties and they left the hill. The lack of respect shown by the majority of dog walkers on Pendle is shocking. Most (not just a few) dogs are off the lead when there are signs all over the place to keep them on the lead and the number of dog shit bags that are slung all along the path is a disgrace. I'd love to know who these people are. There were still six Ring Ouzels present on the landslide slope on Thursday as well as a few wheatears but nothing else of note.

I even managed to screw up a distant Green Sandpiper at Alston Wetland today dismissing it as a Common Sandpiper (my scope is still in Portugal being fixed). Ah well. There was a handful of acceptable additions to the little year list. A House Martin flew over the house on 22 April. Sitting in the garden instead of a three hour hike on Pendle in a freezing northerly wind would probably have been more productive! A cuckoo was singing from Bottom's Beck at Stocks today (thanks Margaret!) and a Merlin was in residence at one of their usual sites on the Fells (thanks Richard!). I didn't fancy looking at a Black Redstart through an elderly lady's kitchen window and I also failed to find a Common Whitethroat (a couple of which have been reported in East Lancs today). Thank goodness for a spectacular day trip to the Natural History Museum in London yesterday with the little one and his grandparents. Now that was really something!

ELOC year list: 116. House Martin 117. Common Cuckoo 118. Merlin

The new Stegosaurus skeleton at the NHM, the majority of which is real rather than a reproduction - spectacular!

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EAST LANCS DAY OUT

Eurasian Whimbrel, Alston Wetland.

A FLOCK OF 36 EURASIAN WHIMBREL AT ALSTON WETLAND was the highlight of a gorgeous sunny spring day in East Lancs. Pendle was glorious but no dotties… yet. At least six Ring Ouzels were on the slopes around the landslide but there was not sign of yesterday's Black Redstart - they do not usually stay for more than one day in spring. Four wheatears were also here and a raven was patrolling the hillside. Stocks was similarly quiet with only a couple of Common Sandpipers and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers of note (and no sound or sight of Margaret's cuckoo, it is still a little early for them here). A pair of Red-legged Partridges that ran across the road between Whitewell and Cow Ark was the only new species for the little year on a day when I expected a few more, there a still loads of easy gaps to fill, although some birds seem to be harder to come by this year, like kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Grey Partridge etc.

ELOC year list: 115. Red-legged Partridge

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PENDLE HILL BLACK RED

Black Redstart, Pendle Hill.

A BLACK REDSTART ON PENDLE HILL this evening was my first there for years and a great find by Mark Breaks and Gareth Morgan. I was lucky to see it before it disappeared just before dusk, presumably roosting somewhere in the rocks of the landslide area. At least seven Ring Ouzels were feeding on the same slope along with a couple of Northern Wheatears. A very nice collection of spring migrants! The day had started with a walk along the river where seven Goosanders were notable but not much else. Several Common Chiffchaffs were singing and around 70 Sand Martins were along the riverbanks prospecting nesting sites. A lovely male Common Ringed Plover at Alston Wetland at lunchtime was a welcome addition to the ELOC little year although there will be plenty more of them in the next few weeks. With light southeasterlies and high pressure the dotties must be due on Pendle any day now! Maybe tomorrow? Let's hope so!

ELOC year list: 113. Common Ringed Plover 114. Black Redstart

Ring Ouzel (male), Pendle Hill.

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