[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Whimbrel – Quernmore #7393

After Ian Hartley saw 75 Whimbrel in the usual field at 9.00 am, I had a check this lunchtime and saw 73 at 12.30 pm (though some may have been out of slight beyond the break of slope at the far side of the field). The group included a colour-ringed bird – a yellow ring with a 2 or 3 character code (too distant to read) on its right tibia and a green ring on its left tibia.

Also: 2 Wheatear (male and female).

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Whimbrel – Quernmore #7388

33 Whimbrel in the same field as above at 1.40 pm today, with 37 there at 3.40 pm.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Foulshaw & Fell End #7230

Four different Ospreys have visited the Foulshaw Moss nest in the past week – as revealed by the nest camera images on the ‘Foulshaw Ospreys’ Twitter page:

White YW (right leg) – the regular male – arrived on 27/3
Unringed female – joined White YW at the nest on 27/3 (and 28/3 ?)
Blue CE (left leg) – hatched in Easter Ross, Scotland in 2009 – joined White YW at the nest on 28/3 and 29/3
Blue 35 (right leg) – the regular female – arrived on 31/3

White YW and Blue 35 are now back together for their tenth successive year.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Lesser white-fronted goose #7191

The adult Lesser White-fronted Goose was originally with 170 Pink-footed Geese in the roadside field just by the southernmost pool at Barrow Scout – directly below the Crag Road viewpoint from 11.55 am, until the goose flock was flushed by a passing motorbike at c.12.45 pm. Comparisons of photos showing the pattern of blackish feathering on the belly of this bird and the one seen recently at Moss Lane, Thurnham confirm that they are the same bird.

Also from the Crag Road viewpoint:
12 Avocet – on The Flood
c.740 Black-tailed Godwit – on Eric Morecambe Pool South
1 Great Crested Grebe – on the Allen Pool (I cannot recall seeing one here before)

Earlier a visit to Foulshaw Moss failed to produce any Osprey, though the noticeboard stated that one – a passage bird ? – was seen there on 23rd March. Great views of 2 Water Rails feeding beneath the bird feeders at the start of the boardwalk. Also: 2 Stonechat on the moss, with 1 male Lesser Redpoll, 1 female Siskin and 6 Tree Sparrow on the bird feeders by the car park.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Large flock of Pink Footed Geese, Thurnham #7077

The Moss Lane / Jeremy Lane area currently offers the best birding experience in north Lancashire. I spent about 40 minutes checking through the c.4000 Pink-footed Geese in fields south of Moss Lane late this afternoon and saw:
1 adult Lesser White-fronted Goose – of ‘unknown origin’
8 Russian White-fronted Geese – groups of 5 and 3 (up to 12 have been seen in recent days)
8 Barnacle Geese – in a single group among the Pink-feet

Also: 1 adult Mediterranean Gull among Black-headed and Common Gulls following a ‘muck spreading tractor’, with a different adult in the same area last Friday.

Also seen in recent days by various different observers:
3 Tundra Bean Geese
1 Greenland White-fronted Goose
Up to 8 adult Bewick’s Swan
450+ Whooper Swan

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Conder & Thurnham #7021

8 adult Bewick’s Swan south of Gardner’s Farm, Moss Lane – two groups of 4 adults among two separate flocks of Whooper Swan.

1 Greenshank, 185 Black-tailed Godwit in the Cocker Channel off Bank Houses, Cockersand

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Leighton Moss #6997

Barrow Scout Fields – 17 Pochard (14 males, 3 females)

Level crossing fields – 1 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose among mixed flock of Greylag and Pink-footed Geese

Lilian’s Hide, Leighton Moss – female Ring-necked Duck
54 Tufted Duck
13 Goldeneye (2 males, 11 females)

Skytower – 3 Marsh Harrier (male displaying to 2 females over reedbed between Lilian’s and Grisedale Hides)
1 Great White Egret (near Grisedale Hide, but visible from Skytower)
4 Fieldfare

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Willow Lane Bean Goose #6904

‘Into the sun’ views of the Tundra Bean Goose looking south from Willow Lane at 12 noon.

Good views of 2 adult Russian White-fronted Geese with c.2000 Pink-footed Geese in the fields by the cycle-track south-west of Freeman’s Pools mid-afternoon.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Aldcliffe geese #6826

Yes, presumably the same birds. Although they were among a large mixed flock of Pink-footed Geese and Greylag Geese while at Aldcliffe, on at least one occasion they flew off on their own – then later few back to rejoin the other geese.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Grey Phalarope – Heysham Harbour #6414

The Grey Phalarope was still present in the harbour this morning and showing rather distantly from the south harbour wall.

11 Mediterranean Gull (9 adults, 1 2nd W, 1 1st W) between the outfalls and Red Nab

230 Grey Plover off Potts Corner on the rising tide, but nothing of note among the Dunlin flock.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Scaup #6097

Hi Brian,

I think the two birds in your photo are both female Tufted Duck.

Pete Crooks

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Red Nab, Heysham #6006

A prompt reply from the Devon & Cornwall Wader Ringing Group about one of the c-r Oystercatchers:
Ringed at Dawlish Warren, Exe Exstuary, Devon on 4/2/18 and also seen there on 18/2/18 and 3/12/20, but not seen again until today.

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Carnforth slag tips. August 10 2022 #5988

The Foulshaw Moss female has a right leg blue darvic – Blue 35.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Red Nab & Heysham Nature Park #5890

A check of the CR Birding website suggests that the cr Oystercatcher may be Norwegian as they use a green ring with a white alpha / numeric code, beginning with a T. One to look out for Malcolm!

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Spoonbill #5612

No sign of the Spoonbill in a quick check from the Crag Road viewpoint at 2.30 pm this afternoon.
48 Avocet – mostly on the Allen Pool
150 Black-tailed Godwit – mostly on the Flood
1 2nd CY Mediterranean Gull – Allen Pool
Male Cinnamon Teal x Shoveler hybrid – Barrow Scout

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Whimbrel – Quernmore #5434

A total of 56 Whimbrel today – 16 in the usual field (SD 508 606), 36 circling then landing in a field by Littledale Road, Stock-a-bank and 4 in another field by Little Fell Road (SD 507 602) at 1.30 pm.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Whimbrel – Quernmore #5421

A total of 57 Whimbrel – 53 in the usual field (SD 508 606) and 4 in a field across the road (SD 506 604) at 1.50 pm.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Whimbrel – Quernmore #5411

41 Whimbrel in the same field (SD 508 606) at 4.40 pm this afternoon.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Conder Pool #5121

Pete Woodruff later counted 19 Avocet at Conder Pool.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Lune Cycleway #4935

2 adult summer Mediterranean Gulls flew south over the River Lune at Aldcliffe Marsh at 1.40 pm.

156 Teal and 20 Black-tailed Godwit on the flooded field at the end of Aldcliffe Hall Lane.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: A Wet and Windy Weekend #4823

Pine Lake – Sunday morning
1 male Scaup
52 Pochard (including a single group of 45 at one point)
68 Tufted Duck
15 Goldeneye
40 Wigeon
6 Shoveler

Barrow Scout (From Crag Road)
7 Pochard

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Dockacres& Eric Morecambe & Brambling #4637

Hi Alasdair,

Here are some eight-figure grid references for you:

‘Dockacres’ is complicated as it tends to be used as the ‘catch-all’ description for several adjacent bodies of water whose names have changed several times over the years:
Hare Tarn – SD 5180 7159
Dockacres ‘Main Pool’ (now called something like Catch-88 ?) – SD 5201 7222
Dockacres ‘Back Pool’ – SD 5223 7255
Pine Lake – SD 5135 7230
Fountain Pool (South Lakeland Leisure Village) – SD 5160 7282
Twin Lakes (Twetfield Fisheries ? and formerly called ‘Baby Doc’) – SD 5137 7323
Holmere – SD 5115 7444

Fell End – SD 4973 7776

Eric Morecambe Pools – SD 4764 7305 (but you probably know that one already).

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Bewicks Swans at Jeremy Lane, Thurnham today #4468

At 11.45 am there were 8 Bewick’s Swans in the fields west of Jeremy Lane – the family group relatively close to the road and another group of 4 adults further away. Earlier these 8 had been together in a single group near Clarkson’s Farm, Moss Lane.

Also at least 105 Whooper Swan in fields between Clarkson’s Farm and Jeremy Lane, but mostly obscured by hedges and difficult to see easily.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: River Lune from Lancaster skatepark #4110

2 adult Med Gulls on River Lune between Greyhound and Skerton Bridges this morning.

Pete C

[Pete Crooks]

in reply to: Ashton Mediterraneans #3847

Hi Dan, Did you manage to read the colour-ring on that adult Med?

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