Saturday, April 26, 2014

Curry Night

There was good birding to be had today, the only problem being that I came back home with 300+ pictures on my camera. This meant more time in the “office” when I should have been making a curry for supper. Looks like a late meal again after the essential blogging. 

The glut of pictures came mostly from a rather smart and obliging Black-tailed Godwit at Conder Green. There were approximately 200 of them again this morning across the far side of the pool, out of camera reach and very flighty as usual. I don’t think experienced adult birds would have been as accommodating as the second year shown here. 

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Other waders today were 4 Common Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 12 Redshank, 10 Oystercatcher and 3 Lapwing. It was good to see Lapwings back on site and with luck they should breed again. 

Wildfowl; 16 Tufted Duck, 2 drake Wigeon, 1 Canada Goose. If this is the Canada Goose which bred here last year with one of its own kind there might be some weird and wonderful offspring this year as it is now paired up with a white, domestic Greylag; an incongruous pair indeed. 

Wigeon

Canada Goose

Magpie!

For a change of scene I drove to Bank End, Cockerham Marsh which can be ok for birding provided the parachute centre isn’t open for business with the constant road and air traffic it entails. Apart from sheep, I didn’t see a lot of stuff - 2 Wheatear, 1 Little Egret, 3 Whitethroat, 4 Tree Sparrows and several Swallows, but by now I was keen to reach Fluke Hall. 

Bank End - Cockerham marsh

Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa

After yesterday’s Willow Warblers today it was the turn of the related Wood Warbler to show. It’s something of a scarce bird around here in in Spring, always late April/early May and agreeable to catch up with on a yearly basis, even if it's usually a single bird. One was in the tree tops and I managed to get a couple of distant shots at the wrong camera setting but the main features are there - striking lemon yellow and white underparts coupled with a noticeably yellow supercilium; altogether a more colourful bird than its cousin the Willow Warbler. 

Wood Warbler

Willow Warbler

There were Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in song and Lesser Redpolls in the tree tops. A Tree Pipit flew over, but after spending too much time elsewhere my Thursday ticket was almost out of time. In any case after Wednesday's huge fall of Wheatears in parts of the Fylde and Lancaster I was busting a gut to do my own Wheatear walk. 

Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa

I found a gang of 12/13 Wheatears along the sea wall, eminently catchable until in their eagerness for a meal worm they set off traps but failed to get caught. Most birds are far cleverer than us humans give them credit for, so the experience of the moving parts of the traps had made them more wary the second time around, even as they returned to the lure of an easy meal. 

After a while I did catch two, both definitely of the “Greenland” type, one a male the other a female. 

Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa

Northern Wheatear- Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa

Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa

An excellent morning of birding for Another Bird Blog. But now if you’ll excuse me, there's a lamb curry to prepare.

"Click the pics" and come back soon.

Linking this post to Anni's bird Blog.

13 comments:

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

Here I am!!!.. :-))) Great set of pictures.. Nice wheatear (Subs Leucorhoa) and lovely Canadian geese.. Greetings from Madrid..

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I really would love to see a large gathering of godwits such as you had. But even more, I'd love to taste your lamb curry. As an old time curry aficionado I always look forward to a new version. How about a curry challenge?

Carole M. said...

the curry would've been most enjoyable after getting your office work complete Phil. It's kind of a wind-down after the job at hand done. I think I could smell that curry simmering.... mmm.
All wonderful photos, and the Wigeon certainly stands out with that bright chestnut head; the light 'just right'. Your magpies are so different to ours, much more slender and that wonderful long tail... You sure put in a good innings when out 'birding' Phil, to have captured birds, but also photographed so many too; you deserved that lamb curry at the end of the day!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Phil Well that was a a wonderful day's birding. So many species and fantastic photographs to show for it. The Wigeon with that light on his head is outstanding, I am always taking tooo many photographs but I suppose that is better than not having them but it does take time in the 'office' afterwards. I am sure you curry pasted great. Oh dear, I hear thunder here in Northern Ireland and I was going down to my old caravan for the weekend so I may have to resort to plan B(whatever that is!) Have a good weekend yourself.

Dział Przyrody MŚO said...

Nice pictures and interesting observations. Greetings

HansHB said...

Beautiful serie!

Anni said...

Ohhhhh, isn't this time of year just the most wonderful time? All the migrants, and so many birds to be seen. Bud and I went a day last week to just one park here in our area...and I swear I didn't know which way to point the camera...the birds were all over the place.

Love the 'change of scenery' and the sheep image, but Phil, your bird images are tops. As always.

Now, where is the curry? Leftovers?

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Fantastic set of photos! I love the beach birds best.

Karen said...

A great birding day Phil. It must quite exciting to see so many birds at the shore. Love the warblers and the wigeon. Will be interesting to see the geese offspring!

Stuart Price said...

Very nice Godwit pocs Phil. I think I only ever saw Wood Warblers in Scotland, never in the NW.

TexWisGirl said...

such pretty birds! that wigeon stole the show, though!

Unknown said...

Beautiful birds. The godwit was posing for you. :)

Wally Jones said...

Superb birding day!

I just came in from birding all day and after reading this post I'm ready to go right out again.

You have made me ashamed, though. I've been birding a lot, lately, and have severely neglected my blogging. You, on the other hand, not only go birding, but capture and ring birds as well, return home to download hundreds of images, review them, include them in a brilliantly crafted work of prose whilst ignoring your pangs of hunger and starving family until all is completed and THEN you prepare a gourmet meal of lamb curry.

I am not worthy.

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