Black Redstart still showing well underneath the seaside apartments by sewage outfall. 30+ Twite on slipway, very confiding.
Also 2 Turnstone, 20 Dunlin.
On route to Cockerham a Barn Owl, 100 Whooper Swan, 1000's of Pink Footed Geese, many Black Tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover.
1:15-3pm
PHIL GREENWOOD said
Thu Jan 19 6:59 PM, 2023
12 Twite flying around plus a Velvet Scoter and male Eider off shore. Black Redstart in it's usual place behind the pub, near the outfall pipe.
En route to Glasson Dock:
3000+ Pink-footed Geese. 150+ Whooper Swans. Hundreds of Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Curlews and Redshanks.
Good day out, almost spoilt by temporary M60 closure near the Trafford Centre. Only 2 hours to get home.
Barry Corless said
Sun Feb 23 6:23 PM, 2020
Very damp this morning on a pilgrimage for the Twite who obliged c. 25-30 tucked up against the slipway wall and after the rain stopped on the strand line
50+Twite by the slipway, the flock also contained a couple of Linnets.
On the mud banks a group of 8 Dunlin were deliberately flushed by a crow which landed in the middle of the wader flock,
and appeared to visibly search for weaklings as they fled.
Also here were 4 Curlews and 2 pairs of displaying Shelducks.
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Mar 14 7:17 PM, 2018
11 Twite present today and showing very well.
Info thanks to Brian Fogg
John Rayner said
Sun Feb 25 9:32 PM, 2018
A no-show by the Turtle Dove for me (although it was reported from 22 Beach Rd garden during my search) but 25 Twite by the slipway were very nice indeed. Also a flock of c800 Pink-footed Geese.
Cheers, John
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 25th of February 2018 09:41:51 PM
I haven't been to see it yet, but the plumage is remarkably sharp for an individual apparently having flown from the other side of the Sahara !
PS, having just seen another pic, the tail is extremely worn & damaged - inconsistent with the tidy mantle & flight feathers. And given the date & how rare the species is in the UK nowadays ...
Other opinions welcome ...
-- Edited by John Watson on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:11:10 AM
Nothing really wrong with this being a wild bird, whilst over-wintering birds in the UK are rare they do occur every year (there is another in a garden in Northern Ireland at the moment)
John Watson said
Tue Feb 20 9:08 AM, 2018
I haven't been to see it yet, but the plumage is remarkably sharp for an individual apparently having flown from the other side of the Sahara !
PS, having just seen another pic, the tail is extremely worn & damaged - inconsistent with the tidy mantle & flight feathers. And given the date & how rare the species is in the UK nowadays ...
Other opinions welcome ...
-- Edited by John Watson on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:11:10 AM
Ian Campbell said
Mon Feb 19 6:38 PM, 2018
JOHN TYMON wrote:
Ian Campbell wrote:
Pilling Lane around lunchtime with Malcolm for the Turtle Dove which gave good views, whats it doing in Lancashire in February ?!!!!. Cheers Ian
Could have come out of a local Aviary? Lack of rings doesn't mean its not an escape :)
At least its not being shot at in Southern Europe Cheers Ian
JOHN TYMON said
Mon Feb 19 6:24 PM, 2018
Ian Campbell wrote:
Pilling Lane around lunchtime with Malcolm for the Turtle Dove which gave good views, whats it doing in Lancashire in February ?!!!!. Cheers Ian
Could have come out of a local Aviary? Lack of rings doesn't mean its not an escape :)
Ian Campbell said
Mon Feb 19 5:09 PM, 2018
Pilling Lane around lunchtime with Malcolm for the Turtle Dove which gave good views, whats it doing in Lancashire in February ?!!!!. Cheers Ian
Steven Higginbottom said
Mon Feb 19 12:28 PM, 2018
Morning visit to Knott End the Pilling lane end. 19/2/18 Knott End. 15 Twiteon ferry slip way . Record shot attached. 5 Oystercatcher. 2 Redshank.
Pilling Lane. 1 Turtle Dove showed well. Record shot attached. 1 White fronted Goose flew over with 5 Pink footed geese. 800+ Pink footed geese. 17 Greylag geese. 3 Snipe. 2 Little Egrets. 7 Shelduck. 2 Curlew. 3 Redshank. 1 Kestrel.
Part of a tour of the Fylde today just before high tide. Rock Pipit 7 Eider ( 5 males ) 17 Twite inc one ringed bird with red over white on left leg 12 Turnstone became 11 as a Sparrowhawk came fast over the coastguard station and killed a Turnstone on the foreshore Single a Ringed a Plover Flock of 10+ Bar tailed Godwits off shore Peregrine Falcon on the Tower on the Fleetwood side
Rob Creek said
Sat Jan 3 11:16 PM, 2015
A quick check of the fields around Pilling revealed hardly anything so we finished up at Knott End.
As soon as we parked the car, 7 TWITE came flying over and landed on the roof of Fylde Court flats. Absolutely beautiful little Finches. They flew around, then they suddenly became 8 having picked up a straggler, before losing it again and going back to 7. One of the residents was amazed at how nice they were and has wondered for ages why the birders have been staring up at her roof! They came down to drink in the concrete channel near the sea wall before disappearing.
Other birds of note... Redshank in good numbers Lapwing approx 25 with 2 Dunlin in the flick. Oystercatchers here and there A single Curlew near the Ferry ramp Various common species of Gulls but no sign of the Glaucous Gull
A brilliant day in all, pity we couldn't be in every place at the best time, too much to see over a large area and it meant us not catching the high tide at Knott End, but had we done that first and worked our way back to Lytham, it would've been dark for the Shrike, and we couldn't have been able to try for the Glaucous Gull at Knott End evening roost!
Rob Creek said
Mon Dec 22 12:51 AM, 2014
Rob Creek wrote:
Twite - a Lifer for me, all 65-70 of them.
65-70??? Yeah well done Rob. Just looked at photo of the flock, at least a 110 and the whole flock isn't even in the shot. I well underestimated that!
Rob Creek said
Sun Dec 21 1:52 PM, 2014
Twite - a Lifer for me, all 65-70 of them.
Totally disappear out of sight in the channels and divets in the grass on the sea front. they cover a wide area flying back and forth and the odd time come to drink at the base of the concrete channel just below the Esplanade wall near the Bourne Arms. Cracking little birds!
Other birds of note... Oystercatcher - huge numbers probably up near 1000. Redshank - alot Dunlin - 1 flock of approx 150-200 Curlew - 3 Shelduck - 2 Plenty of the common Gulls around
Nice to meet Jonathan Platt and friend as I was leaving
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 21st of December 2014 02:01:19 PM
Chris Chandler said
Tue Jan 21 3:58 PM, 2014
Late report for Sunday 21st January 12-2.30pm
Fantastic flock of 35-40 Twite (along with 2 Linnet) feeding in vegetation by the promenade at high tide 7 Redshank 22 Lapwing 20-25 Shelduck on the water 8 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls along with with large numbers of Herring and Black Headed 2 Eider off the pier in the rivermouth (1m, 1f) 7 Turnstone by the pier after high tide
Chris Chandler said
Mon Jan 14 6:56 PM, 2013
Flying visit on Saturday 12th January:
Shortly after high tide-
Flock of 50+ Sanderling 20-25 Dunlin 23 Redshank 8 Oystercatcher 3 Lapwing 4 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls Several small groups of Shelduck 1 Peregrine 1 Buzzard
Also, in fields just outside the village- 12 Whooper Swans 1 Little Egret
Doc Brewster said
Thu Oct 25 10:32 PM, 2012
Hi Chris
Good to hear it went to roost - maybe it was the Blackpool bird later in the week. Was telling a crowd of kids that stopped & showed interest when I was photographing a Barred Warbler the other day that lots of migrants get predated. They were mortified & said why couldn't I catch it & save it from that!! Then it could go & live on that farm you mention
Cheers Paul
p.s I know Sid knows about Chris Batty, was just posting to let others on the forums know a little about his background!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 25th of October 2012 10:37:43 PM
Doc Brewster said
Thu Oct 25 10:21 PM, 2012
Yes it is a huge thanks to Chris Batty - who is not just a local ringer. Chris is a long serving bird news operative at RBA, is a top birder with fantastic ID skills and due to this is a serving member of the British Birds Rarities Commitee, a post he has held since 2007!! He is also a mate of mine & a good lad, who when I thanked him said that he had stood in innumerable gardens looking at birds so it was nice for him to be able to return the favour in this instance!
I can confirm what Sid says in that the bird showed really well on Friday, not long after it was rung, allowing me superb scope views but eluding that digiscoped shot that I craved!! Chris even provided a box & a pair of stepladders for shorter birders to see over other birders or the fence (depending on how short they were). I spoke to a birder who visited Saturday & as Sid says again, he confirmed that he bird was far less showy, going missing for long periods. After a no show on Sunday here was a report of a Pallas's Warbler in nearby Blackpool on Wednesday. Although another theory, from the birder I spoke to who visited Saturday, was that a Sparrowhawk was hanging around all day whilst he was there & the warbler may have met a premature end.
chrisdorney said
Thu Oct 25 9:18 PM, 2012
Hi Paul.the sparrowhawk did go through twice while me and mike were there but it showed again after that around 5.30(we were possibly the last to see it;we waited until near six but it had presumably gone to roost by then).I would like to think it had a plan to meet up with the flamborough bird that went missing around the same time!and all my childhood cats really did go to live on a farm too. And yes Chris batty is a nice bloke.he had a quick chat with us when we were the only ones left(probably trying to usher us out of the garden!)fair play to him and his neighbours for that matter.
-- Edited by chrisdorney on Thursday 25th of October 2012 09:23:01 PM
sid ashton said
Thu Oct 25 4:40 AM, 2012
Thanks to Chris Batty for kindly forwarding two of the photos of the Pallas's Warbler that I took using his camera last Friday (see my report). Ian has put them in the "Chats and Bunting" section of the "Out-of-County Rare and Scarce" bit of the Photo Galleries.
A fantastic reminder for me of a special day at the end of a fairly bum week, amazing how that little creature raised the spirits.
After Chris released the bird he tells me that it went back to its usual routine throughout Friday, but Saturday was overcast and, without the sun hitting the Sycamore, it became more erratic in its appearances, fortunately though everyone who turned up did get to see it.
There are also some more shots of the bird on the Fylde Bird Club web site in their Galleries section.
sid ashton said
Sat Oct 20 4:17 AM, 2012
Arrived at the home of Chris Batty a local ringer at 07.45 this morning and was immediately invited into his rear garden and almost straight away I was on to the reported Pallas's Warbler.
It was in it's now favourite Sycamore in next door but one's garden. I watched for a while then went to my car to pick up a drink - when I got back inside Chris was removing the bird from his mist net !!!!!
As Chris ringed the bird and took the necessary measurements I was photographing the procedure using his camera - fantastic, a bird in the hand etc
I was really delighted to have witnessed this event, just a shame that there were no other birders present before the bird was released.
Also during that first hour 100's and 100's of Pink-footed Geese went over the garden - quite a sight.
Neil Collier said
Sun Mar 18 5:01 AM, 2012
Black redstart still showing well in the building site at the top of the slipway, sharing with a wheatear, turnstones either side of the slipway.
PHIL GREENWOOD said
Thu Feb 9 3:28 AM, 2012
Wednesday, Feb. 8th, late morning.
Finally caught up with the 1st Winter Black Redstart in the abandoned building site, opposite the nice cafe.
3 Little stint juvs showing really well in excellent light today from The Esplanade opposite 'Oliver Court' flats. Two birds have been along that stretch of beach at the edge of the vegetation for approx a week now, and today there were three!
Black Redstart still showing well underneath the seaside apartments by sewage outfall. 30+ Twite on slipway, very confiding.
Also 2 Turnstone, 20 Dunlin.
On route to Cockerham a Barn Owl, 100 Whooper Swan, 1000's of Pink Footed Geese, many Black Tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover.
1:15-3pm
12 Twite flying around plus a Velvet Scoter and male Eider off shore. Black Redstart in it's usual place behind the pub, near the outfall pipe.
En route to Glasson Dock:
3000+ Pink-footed Geese.
150+ Whooper Swans.
Hundreds of Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Curlews and Redshanks.
Good day out, almost spoilt by temporary M60 closure near the Trafford Centre. Only 2 hours to get home.
additionally of note
20+ Oystercatcher
1 Curlew
3+ Redshank
2 Turnstone
50+Twite by the slipway, the flock also contained a couple of Linnets.
On the mud banks a group of 8 Dunlin were deliberately flushed by a crow which landed in the middle of the wader flock,
and appeared to visibly search for weaklings as they fled.
Also here were 4 Curlews and 2 pairs of displaying Shelducks.
11 Twite present today and showing very well.
Info thanks to Brian Fogg
A no-show by the Turtle Dove for me (although it was reported from 22 Beach Rd garden during my search) but 25 Twite by the slipway were very nice indeed. Also a flock of c800 Pink-footed Geese.
Cheers, John
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 25th of February 2018 09:41:51 PM
Nothing really wrong with this being a wild bird, whilst over-wintering birds in the UK are rare they do occur every year (there is another in a garden in Northern Ireland at the moment)
-- Edited by John Watson on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:11:10 AM
At least its not being shot at in Southern Europe
Cheers Ian
Could have come out of a local Aviary? Lack of rings doesn't mean its not an escape :)
Cheers Ian
Knott End.
15 Twiteon ferry slip way . Record shot attached.
5 Oystercatcher.
2 Redshank.
Pilling Lane.
1 Turtle Dove showed well. Record shot attached.
1 White fronted Goose flew over with 5 Pink footed geese.
800+ Pink footed geese.
17 Greylag geese.
3 Snipe.
2 Little Egrets.
7 Shelduck.
2 Curlew.
3 Redshank.
1 Kestrel.
Cheers Steven
1 Little Egret
1 Guillemot
15 Eider
1 Little Egret
1 Guillemot
15 Eider
Rock Pipit
7 Eider ( 5 males )
17 Twite inc one ringed bird with red over white on left leg
12 Turnstone became 11 as a Sparrowhawk came fast over the coastguard station and killed a Turnstone on the foreshore
Single a Ringed a Plover
Flock of 10+ Bar tailed Godwits off shore
Peregrine Falcon on the Tower on the Fleetwood side
As soon as we parked the car, 7 TWITE came flying over and landed on the roof of Fylde Court flats. Absolutely beautiful little Finches. They flew around, then they suddenly became 8 having picked up a straggler, before losing it again and going back to 7. One of the residents was amazed at how nice they were and has wondered for ages why the birders have been staring up at her roof! They came down to drink in the concrete channel near the sea wall before disappearing.
Other birds of note...
Redshank in good numbers
Lapwing approx 25 with 2 Dunlin in the flick.
Oystercatchers here and there
A single Curlew near the Ferry ramp
Various common species of Gulls but no sign of the Glaucous Gull
A brilliant day in all, pity we couldn't be in every place at the best time, too much to see over a large area and it meant us not catching the high tide at Knott End, but had we done that first and worked our way back to Lytham, it would've been dark for the Shrike, and we couldn't have been able to try for the Glaucous Gull at Knott End evening roost!
65-70??? Yeah well done Rob. Just looked at photo of the flock, at least a 110 and the whole flock isn't even in the shot. I well underestimated that!
Totally disappear out of sight in the channels and divets in the grass on the sea front. they cover a wide area flying back and forth and the odd time come to drink at the base of the concrete channel just below the Esplanade wall near the Bourne Arms.
Cracking little birds!
Other birds of note...
Oystercatcher - huge numbers probably up near 1000.
Redshank - alot
Dunlin - 1 flock of approx 150-200
Curlew - 3
Shelduck - 2
Plenty of the common Gulls around
Nice to meet Jonathan Platt and friend as I was leaving
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 21st of December 2014 02:01:19 PM
Fantastic flock of 35-40 Twite (along with 2 Linnet) feeding in vegetation by the promenade at high tide
7 Redshank
22 Lapwing
20-25 Shelduck on the water
8 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls along with with large numbers of Herring and Black Headed
2 Eider off the pier in the rivermouth (1m, 1f)
7 Turnstone by the pier after high tide
Shortly after high tide-
Flock of 50+ Sanderling
20-25 Dunlin
23 Redshank
8 Oystercatcher
3 Lapwing
4 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls
Several small groups of Shelduck
1 Peregrine
1 Buzzard
Also, in fields just outside the village-
12 Whooper Swans
1 Little Egret
Good to hear it went to roost - maybe it was the Blackpool bird later in the week. Was telling a crowd of kids that stopped & showed interest when I was photographing a Barred Warbler the other day that lots of migrants get predated. They were mortified & said why couldn't I catch it & save it from that!! Then it could go & live on that farm you mention
Cheers
Paul
p.s I know Sid knows about Chris Batty, was just posting to let others on the forums know a little about his background!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 25th of October 2012 10:37:43 PM
I can confirm what Sid says in that the bird showed really well on Friday, not long after it was rung, allowing me superb scope views but eluding that digiscoped shot that I craved!! Chris even provided a box & a pair of stepladders for shorter birders to see over other birders or the fence (depending on how short they were). I spoke to a birder who visited Saturday & as Sid says again, he confirmed that he bird was far less showy, going missing for long periods. After a no show on Sunday here was a report of a Pallas's Warbler in nearby Blackpool on Wednesday. Although another theory, from the birder I spoke to who visited Saturday, was that a Sparrowhawk was hanging around all day whilst he was there & the warbler may have met a premature end.
And yes Chris batty is a nice bloke.he had a quick chat with us when we were the only ones left(probably trying to usher us out of the garden!)fair play to him and his neighbours for that matter.
-- Edited by chrisdorney on Thursday 25th of October 2012 09:23:01 PM
A fantastic reminder for me of a special day at the end of a fairly bum week, amazing how that little creature raised the spirits.
After Chris released the bird he tells me that it went back to its usual routine throughout Friday, but Saturday was overcast and, without the sun hitting the Sycamore, it became more erratic in its appearances, fortunately though everyone who turned up did get to see it.
There are also some more shots of the bird on the Fylde Bird Club web site in their Galleries section.
It was in it's now favourite Sycamore in next door but one's garden. I watched for a while then went to my car to pick up a drink - when I got back inside Chris was removing the bird from his mist net !!!!!
As Chris ringed the bird and took the necessary measurements I was photographing the procedure using his camera - fantastic, a bird in the hand etc
I was really delighted to have witnessed this event, just a shame that there were no other birders present before the bird was released.
Also during that first hour 100's and 100's of Pink-footed Geese went over the garden - quite a sight.
Finally caught up with the 1st Winter Black Redstart in the abandoned building site, opposite the nice cafe.
Also on the high tide were:
Eiders 30+
Ringed Plovers
Sanderlings
Grey Plovers
Redshanks
Turnstones
Dunlins
Shelducks
Knot(s)
Oystercatchers
Curlews
Black-tailed Godwit 1
BH/C/H Gulls
Pied Wagtail 1
Cormorant 1