October School Holidays

With a week off school I thought it would be a good opportunity to try and get some new year ticks and maybe a lifer if I was lucky.

Marshside 23rd October

I have never been to Marshside when the sun has been shining and it was no exception on that day with dark clouds threatening to relinquish their contents over us. However the weather held and there were large numbers of waders and wildfowl to be found on the reserve. Over 70 Snipe were sitting on an area of mud from Nel's Hide and after painstakingly searching through them I finally managed to pick out a single Jack Snipe (yeartick) hunkered down in the grass.Unfortunately a Kestrel chose that moment to do a fly pass and it spooked all the snipe and once they settled down again I couldn't relocate the bird.

24th October

A definite red letter day for me started in the morning with a text from Paul Slade saying that a 1st winter Red Breasted Goose had been found with Pink Foots in the fields by Fluke Hall Lane. All other plans went out the window and within 30 minutes I was getting out of the car to join the small crowd of locals who were watching the geese. Kinta Beaver pointed me to the area where the bird was and looking through my scope I spotted the vibrant colours of the 1st winter Red Breasted Goose (lifer 250) sitting down in the middle of the flock. It sowed well for 10 minuted before the flock got scared and flew up and out onto the marsh, at which point I headed off for Waddington Fell to look for the Great Grey Shrike, my biggest bogey bird.

I picked up Brambling (yeartick) on route at Tower Lodge before carrying on to the fell to look for the shrike, the 5th time I had tried to see it this year. A couple of birders were already present and informed me that it had been seen in the morning but not since, this seemed to be the pattern on most days with it becoming more elusive as the day progressed. It was a case of just scanning the fence posts along the top of the fell to see if it appeared, and amazingly eventually the Great Grey Shrike (lifer 251) appeared at the top post and gave good, albeit brief views before disappearing once again. I was happy with this so headed home after a very productive day.

Barrow 30th October

With a flock of over 100 Waxwings present for over a week I thought that it would definitely be worth a trip up to Barrow near Clitheroe to try and get some shots of these beauties, and they didn't disappoint. Over 70 were along the main street feeding on a row of rowan trees and they were very obliging coming down into the tree closest to the assembled photographers meaning I could get some half decent shots.

Lancaster Canal 31st October

A walk with my parents that I didn't really expect to turn up any birds was surprisingly fruitful with not one, not two but three separate Kingfishers showing along different stretches of the canal! At least 4 Jays were also seen as was a pair of Ravens that flew over.