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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.

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SWANS TO THE EAST OF ME, CRANES TO THE WEST

Slurry spreading from Lower Alston Farm usually means a chance of seeing Mediterranean Gulls in Ribchester. CLICK IMAGES FOR LIGHTBOX

A DESPERATELY DISAPPOINTING DAY SPENT SCANNING THE SKIES for Whooper Swans, and not seeing any of the hundreds passing through East Lancs (none of them ventured further west than Clitheroe), followed by the news of two cranes were visible to the west of Alston. At least I learned later from their finder, Bill Aspin, that they had not entered Rib airspace. That’s 7.5 hours spent on visible migration this weekend, not seeing very much of it! A handful of Meadow Pipits and a flock of 38 Fieldfare heading north were the only signs of anything happening. All the other sightings may just have been local movements. The afternoon effort was brightened up by a nice pair of breeding plumaged Mediterranean Gulls among a throng of Black-headed Gulls on the ‘freshly’-spread slurry along Shorton Lane.

Kingfisher activity was good again with sightings from ‘The Tush’ at 0751, 0808, 0818 and 0920 (2 birds) and raven and siskin were new for the month as I creep towards the benchmark 70 spcies, with 67 so far. March is now the best month of the year on 79 all time. There were five buzzards in the air together again today and the other interesting sighting was a fight between two pairs of Grey Wagtails on the shingle opposite ‘The Tush’. The curlews on Gary Paul’s fields continue to sing and a pair of Stock Doves was still display flighting on the other side of the river.

Mediterranean Gull pair, with Black-headed Gulls, passing the 16th Century Osbaldeston Hall on the south bank of the Ribble.

Today’s only Common Gull, they become scarce this far downstream from about now until the autumn.

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SAND MARTIN IS BACK!

The first returning Sand Martin at Ribchester this morning.

AFTER FOUR HOURS WAITING FOR WHOOPER SWANS AT RIBCHESTER THIS MORNING I decided to pack in and stood up. A last quick scan revealed a distant Sand Martin, hawking over the ‘Tush’ behind the allotments. This is the first returning bird I’ve seen this spring and in fact the first Trans Saharan migrant of any kind so far. There was one insanely early bird at nearby Brockholes three weeks ago but there have been very few since and none on our local stretch of the Ribble. Hopefully this will pave the way for the likes of Chiffchaff and Blackcap over the next few days and maybe even a wheatear? There used to be a flourishing Sand Martin colony opposite the village when I first moved here but the riverbank has slipped away to such an extent here it is no longer suitable. A few still breed both upstream and downstream from the village though where the riverbank is steep enough.

I was asked about kingfisher several times this week so I made a note of the timing of my sightings this morning, all from the benches by the school: 0838, 0856, 0933, 0934, 1000, 1018, 1029 (2 birds) & 1056. So they can be easily missed but if you spend an hour or so you ought to see one. As always usually heard before seen. Two Little Egrets flew upstream and there was a handful of Meadow Pipits moving north in line with national sightings at the moment but sadly no northbound herd of swans, yet. Other residents included at least seven buzzards, one of which was sky dancing high over the valley. They are always very conspicuous at this time of year and may include northbound birds too?

A kingfisher sits quietly in an ancient willow overhanging the river at Ribchester.

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SPARE A THOUGHT FOR BARN OWL

Barn Owl, Ribchester, March 2021

THE RAIN IS HAMMERING ON MY WINDOW AGAIN this evening as normal service is resumed in East Lancs. A series of depressions is on its way across the Atlantic that are going to lash us with rain for the next few days. There’s a yellow wind warning too of gusts of up to 55mph. This has rather stopped my only enjoyment at the moment, birding walks, in its tracks and it looks like there will not be a decent day until next week. Although this is going to make me even more depressed than I already am it’s nothing compared to what our poor local Barn Owls will have to endure. At least I’ve got plenty of food and stuff to do indoors. Hunting is going to be very difficult for the owls over the next few days, for birds that rely so heavily on their hearing to catch mice and voles. That’s without the ever increasing acres of #greenconcrete with nothing living in it, cut right up to the bonsai-ed hedgerows. Despite all this we are still lucky to have Barn Owls around the village and presumably they will sit out the bad weather until it passes. Top tip, after a period of rain they will be hungry as hell, so Tuesday is looking particularly good with some sunshine, for them to be out hunting in daylight in the early evening. Pick your spot and wait for them to fly past on their terms, don’t go chasing them around.

A Barn Owl passes across the dark shadows of a wood in the evening sunhine

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