MORE SIGNS OF AUTUMN ON THE RIVERBANK

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What we do in the sallows - chiffchaff

ANOTHER BTO BIRDTRACK WALK ALONG THE RIVERBANK at Ribchester from the allotments to Red Bank was again dominated by the Meadow Pipit migration, with over 250, some moving south and also this time some grounded on Red Bank too. Where there were Willow Warblers a month ago there are now chiffchaffs in the sallows, a Spotted Flycatcher was still in the dell at Red Bank and the riverside Willow Warbler is still in the same patch of vegetation opposite Old Park Wood, where it has been since 6 September! There were fewer swallows today, no House Martins and signs of winter included the first Pinkfeet of the autumn, a skein of 12 that got as far as Lower Alston Farm and then turned and headed back west. Snipe were conspicuous today and another flock of 29 lapwings flew upstream. However, the biggest event today was a total of 15 Little Egret sightings, my highest total in Ribchester by far. Eleven were definitely different, a flock of 9 followed by another 2 but the next 4 may have been duplicates. There is no doubt they are on the increase and smashed Grey Heron out of sight today 15-3. A total of 225 Mallards is apparently significant for Lancashire too, it looks like no-one shoots them along the river here.

LOOK WHAT THE MEADOW PIPIT MOVEMENT BROUGHT!

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Hen Harrier, juvenile - my first in Ribchester.

THE SQUEAKY CALLS OF MEADOW PIPITS could be heard as I walked out of the back door and towards the river first thing today. A brisk easterly wind blew all morning and as the clouds gave way to sunshine the southerly movement of pipits kept going in ones and twos easing off towards lunchtime. My final total was exactly 240. Ok I would rather have been at Spurn today in an easterly wind but this is as about as exciting as migration gets in Rib. I have never seen a pipit movement like this here… as I am not usualy birding here at this time of year! A small number of swallows and finches were on the move too in what turned out to be a classic Ribchester BTO BirdTrack walk. I ended up with 58 bird species including a new one for my patch, Hen Harrier. It seemed to be following the same line as the pipits across the river and although very distant I managed to fire off a few frames that later showed its diagnostic 5 primary fingers and broad arms. Its dark inner underwing and paler underhand indicated it was a juvenile too [we can forget the remote possibility of Northern Harrier as it lacked such bright ginger tones]. Thanks to my ID guru Pete Morris for comments! It is the first one I have seen away from the uplands in ELOC, they are so rarely seen down in the valley bottoms here! Although we can’t be certain, it is nice to think it was following the pipits.

The morning kicked off in fine style with an Otter in the river off the ‘Tush’, which swam upstream constantly harassed by Black-headed Gulls. A Grey Heron stopped to take a look at it too! A curlew flew upstream early on and a juvenile Peregrine powered down the valley scattering everything in its path. It felt like autumn today with a nip in the air but there were still a few warblers around, the Willow Warbler is still present in the same patch of vegetation by the river at Old Park Wood, where it has been for a fortnight now and there were some chiffchaffs and a Blackcap too. A Siskin and 11 redpolls flew south and the number of starlings has shot up to around 250 in the last week. I always check every one I see! The same went for the 9 cormorants today, all sinensis form, again. Lapwings and Common Gulls are back in the valley and three House Martins lingered. It will not be long before they are gone for the winter. A single Little Egret was barely noteworthy, although I check every one of them too carefully just in case!

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Peregrine, juvenile - the first of the autumn

SEPTEMBER SWIFT

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A lone swift hawking for insects above Ribchester on 6 September. Note the Lammergeier tail shape (Mike Watson)

SEPTEMBER SWIFT is a term I learned from Steve Lister at Spurn in 1982. I think that was the first time I realised that most of them had already left the UK, bound for their winterting grounds in Africa by the end of August. Ever since, I have always been happy to see a swift in September, so imagine my delight when there was one wheeling over the village this morning! Our breeding swifts had all left a couple of weeks ago so I wonder where this one came from? Funny that the first four birds new for the month on my BTO BirdTrack walk today all began with the letter ‘S’ - the swift and then Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush and Siskin. Four nuthatches around the village this morning was also notable. Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were both along the river by the school and the Tree Sparrow flock behind Lower Alston Farm has reached at least 61, with many juveniles. They obviously had a good breeding season. I didn’t walk from Old Park Wood to Lower Barn today owing to the amount of rain we had overnight meaning I would have got drenched cutting along the side of the maize field but instead spent about an hour with the Willow Warbler, which was still in the same riverside vegetation as yesterday and this time I was able to get some nice views of it in the early morning sunshine before the rain set in. There are fewer nicer birds around here than a lemon yellow juvenile Willow Warbler and I am making the most of them before they too have gone south for another year.

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Willow Warbler juvenile by the Ribble at Old Park Wood, look at those orange feet! (Mike Watson)

A SEPTEMBER BTO BIRDTRACK WALK IN RIBCHESTER

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Common Whitethroat at Red Bank. Red Bank never lets us down! (Mike Watson)

MY FIRST COMPLETE SEPTEMBER LIST on the BTO’s BirdTrack along the river at Ribchester only just broke 40 species despite going slow and checking every bird, even scanning into the distance! It can be hard work at times but I appreciate being able to see birds like Little Egrets, Kingfishers and Tree Sparrows just a few minutes from my back doorstep. Alexander even found the first Little Egret today himself, he’s coming along regularly now. Notable sightings today included 8 Meadow Pipits flying south, they have started to move now and a gorgeous Common Whitethroat in the dell at Red Bank. A pair of oystercatchers was the first for a while but no Sand Martins were around today, maybe they have gone now? I am looking forward to what the rest of the autumn will bring. I am hoping to find an uncommon migrant in the willows along the river, let’s see what it will be.

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Little Egrets on the River Ribble by Ribchester School (Mike Watson)