Saturday 19 April 2014

East-North-Easter

Dan here.


Another dawn raid under clear blue skies and a cool easterly didn't turn up too many migrants.

Although I only gave the patch two hours, one new male Common Whitethroat (at Stodday picnic area) to supplement the Darter Pool bird wasn't too hot for the back half of April.

4-5 male Lesser Whitethroats were about, as were 6 or 7 territorial Willow Warblers and three singing Blackcaps. Two Chiffchaffs were seen gathering dry grasses about 500m apart.

Vis seemed light, with 6 Lesser Redpolls, 3 or 4 Inviskins, 12 Meadow Pipits, 4 Sand Martins N...and two eastbound Swallows.

Nine White and four Pied Wagtails were noted. Two Little Ringed Plovers were at the flood with a third displaying nearby. The lone Black-tailed Godwit by the Wildfowlers Pools has plumage suggestive of the continental form.

Non-domesticated mammals were represented by a male Roe Deer, two Rabbits, a Hare and a squeaking shrew sp.

Away tomorrow-- hope I don't miss owt good!


DH.



4 comments:

Albert said...

Not a birder at all, but interested to know what would have been the 2 goose-sized birds on the mudflats opposite Glasson just off the Line path today (19 April at around 8am), white body, distinctive black stripes on plumage and what appeared to be red heads? Looked bigger than a duck?

Jon Carter said...

Hi Albert - probably shelduck? Common along the Lune at this time of year.

Albert said...

No brown on these birds though (and they were big!). The bodies were white with 2 rows of black feathers. I'd have said they were only slightly smaller than a swan. Very striking, which is why I noticed them.

Albert said...

In fact, the body was very like an avocet (but obviously much larger) with a red head/bill.